The Be- words

AnWulf · Nov 4, 2011

Everyone should know most of these 50 and the 30 or more that I added in the comments. And remember, he only mentioned in the writ a few words like belittle. He was going for the less known ones.

AnWulf

50 Words with the Most Whimsical Prefix
by Mark Nichol
The prefix be- has a variety of interesting roles in language:

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/50-words-with-the-most-whimsical-prefix

Chrissy · Nov 4, 2011

Um.... wow. I only recognized about 15 in the original list.

For some reason most of them sound very 19th (?) century to me. Do we still bespeak such things? ;-)

Thanks for the post!

AnWulf · Nov 5, 2011

They likely sound old to you because we don't use them much ... which is a shame.

It would behoove us all to know these words. Why should we benim ourselves of the wynn (joy) of brooking them. One might say that they are a bit of the bequest bequeathed to us by our forefathers.

Next month will be Yule Month and time to bedeck our homes when we bestir ourselves to bewry our houses with lights to bedazzle our neighbors.

LOL ... kind of fun.

flyingtart · Nov 5, 2011

It befits all lovers of words to learn such a bedazzling list even at the risk of befuddling their readers. Who would bemock one so besotted by the language? We should belaud them, not besmear or begrudge them fulsome praise.

Lil · Nov 5, 2011

Alas, the benighted young, bereft of the joys of prose bejeweled with ancient gems.

Fallen · Nov 5, 2011

I love how bedew rolls of the tongue...

AnWulf · Nov 7, 2011

I learned a new one this morning! ... behight (noun and verb) ... promise, vow ... also intend (intent), intrust, command.

I behight to brook more be- words and more often!

Night_Writer · Nov 7, 2011

Interesting list. And a fun site, too! Lotsa good word stuff on it.

Xelebes · Nov 7, 2011

It behoves you to believe that any behights bedewing bedimmed bedrooms bejewel the bedazzled bedkeeper and begrudges the benimmt beleaguered bepuzzled by the besotten betrothal.

Kathl33n · Nov 7, 2011

I have bookmarked this page - love it!

AnWulf · Nov 14, 2011

I left this off ... for behight; it is behight, past is behight, pp is behight or behoten.

In case you're wondering why it isn't behight, behote, behoten, it is because behight was the past tense! ... The verb was behot(en) ... behote, behight, behoten. Oh well ...

C0g · Nov 14, 2011

I'm going to have to find some excuse to sneak bewhisker into my WIP

AnWulf · Nov 18, 2011

I wonder if a guy is bestubbled before he is bewhiskered? (Spell check didn't underline bestubbled!). I'm definitly bestubbled. If I don't shave soon, I'll be bewhiskered.

Here is another be- word:

beken
To make known; reveal, admit, confess.
To deliver.
To commit or commend to the care of.
To commit.
To admit as possessor.
To acquaint; instruct.

Xelebes · Nov 18, 2011

The word (bewhisker) is good for idioms.

Your story bewhiskers me.

Jamesaritchie · Nov 19, 2011

I've used at least twenty-nine of the words on the list, but primarily in historical fiction.

Some, such as begrudge, bequeath, beseech, bereave, bestow, and a couple of others, are pretty common modern words, and I encounter them often. Many others are really no longer in common use.

It a fun list, and an entertaining site.

AnWulf · Nov 25, 2011

More be- words:

beknow - to realize, be aware of, know, recognize, understand, acknowledge, own, confess
byspel: I went bolt into his dressing-room, not beknowing he was in it

bestead - adj. - placed, situated, located;
verb. - replaced, take the place of, to place (in peril), help, profit, avail

unbeknown(st) - without the knowledge of, unknown to

unbespeak - to cancel, to annul, to unsay: withdraw, retract

The Be- words

AnWulf

Chrissy

Bright and Early for the Daily Race

AnWulf

flyingtart

I don't have Tourettes, I just like swearing.

Lil

Fallen

Stood at the coalface

AnWulf

Night_Writer

It's all symbolic.

Xelebes

Delerium ex Ennui

Kathl33n

Questioning Everything

AnWulf

C0g

AnWulf

Xelebes

Delerium ex Ennui

Jamesaritchie

AnWulf