A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

belch (v.) --- O.E. bealcan "bring up wind from the stomach," also "swell, heave," of echoic origin (cf. Du. balken "to bray, shout"). Extended to volcanoes, cannons, etc. 1580. It is recorded in 1706 as a slang noun meaning "poor beer."

beldam --- aged woman, 1580; earlier "grandmother" (c.1440), from dame (q.v.) in the sense of "mother" + bel-, M.E. prefix expressing relationship (cf. belfader, belsire "grandfather"), from O.Fr. bel, belle "beautiful, fair, fine." This "direct relationship" sense of bel is not found in Fr., where the prefix is used to form words for in-laws.

beleaguer --- 1589, from Du. belegeren "to besiege," from be- "around" + legeren "to camp." A 16c. word from the Flemish Wars. Spelling infl. by league.

belfry --- 1272, "siege tower," from O.N.Fr. berfroi "movable siege tower," from M.H.G. bercfrit "protecting shelter," from bergen "to protect" + frid "peace." Originally a wooden siege tower on wheels ("free" to move); it came to be used for chime towers (c.1440), which at first often were detached from church buildings (as the Campanile on Plaza San Marco in Venice). Spelling altered by association with bell.

Belgium --- 1602, from L. name of the territory occupied by the Belgæ, a Celtic tribe. Used for "Low Germany and the Netherlands," adopted 1830 as the name of a new nation.

Belial --- c.1225, from Heb. bel'yya'al "destruction," lit. "worthless," from b'li "without" + ya'al "use." Wickedness as an evil force (Deut. xiii.13); later treated as a proper name for Satan (2 Cor. vi.15), though Milton made him one of the fallen angels.

belie --- O.E. beleogan "to deceive," from be- + lie (v.1) "to lie, tell lies." Current sense of "to contradict as a lie" is first recorded 1649. See lie. The other verb lie once also had a formation like this, from O.E. belicgan, which meant "to encompass, beleaguer," and in M.E. was a euphemism for "to have sex with" (i.e. "to lie with carnally").

belief --- c.1175, replaced O.E. geleafa, from W.Gmc. *ga-laubon (cf. O.S. gilobo, M.Du. gelove, O.H.G. giloubo, Ger. glaube), from *galaub- "dear, esteemed." The prefix was altered on analogy of the verb. The distinction of the final consonant from that of believe developed 15c. Belief used to mean "trust in God," while faith meant "loyalty to a person based on promise or duty" (a sense preserved in keep one's faith, in good (or bad) faith and in common usage of faithful, faithless, which contain no notion of divinity). But faith, as cognate of L. fides, took on the religious sense beginning in 14c. translations, and belief had by 16c. become limited to "mental acceptance of something as true," from the religious use in the sense of "things held to be true as a matter of religious doctrine" (c.1225).

believe --- O.E. belyfan, earlier geleafa (Mercian), gelefa (Northumbrian), gelyfan (W.Saxon) "believe," from P.Gmc. *ga-laubjan "hold dear, love," from PIE base *leubh- "to like, desire" (see love). Spelling beleeve is common till 17c.; then altered perhaps by influence of relieve. As a synonym for "Christian," believer is attested from 1549. To believe on instead of in was more common in 16c. but now is a peculiarity of theology; believe of also sometimes was used in 17c.

belittle --- 1781, "to make small," from little, first recorded in writings of Thomas Jefferson (and probably coined by him), who was execrated for it in England. "Belittle! What an expression! It may be an elegant one in Virginia, and even perfectly intelligible; but for our part, all we can do is to guess at its meaning. For shame, Mr. Jefferson!" ["European Magazine and London Review," 1787, reporting on "Notes on the State of Virginia"; to guess was considered another barbarous Yankeeism.] The fig. sense of "depreciate, scorn as worthless" is from 1797.

bell --- O.E. belle, common North Sea Gmc. (cf. M.Du. belle, M.L.G. belle) but not found elsewhere in Gmc. (except as a borrowing), from PIE base *bhel- "to sound, roar." Bellhop is a 1910 shortening of bellhopper (1900), from the notion of hopping to action at the ring of the bell. Bell-boy was originally (1851) a ship's bell-ringer, later (1861) a hotel page. Bell-wether (c.1440; see wether) was "the leading sheep of a flock, on whose neck a bell is hung;" used earlier in the fig. sense of "chief, leader" (c.1430). Bell-bottomed trousers first recorded 1891. Bell, book, and candle is a reference to a form of excommunication. To ring a bell "awaken a memory," 1934, is perhaps a reference to Pavlovian experiments.

belladonna --- 1597, "deadly nightshade" (Atropa belladonna), from It., lit. "fair lady," supposedly because women made cosmetics from its juice (it has a well-known property of making the pupils of the eyes enlarge) or because it was used to poison beautiful women.

Bellatrix --- bright star in the left shoulder of Orion, from L. bellatrix "a female warrior," fem. of bellator "to wage war," from bellum "war."

belle --- beautiful woman well-dressed; reigning beauty, 1622, from Fr., from O.Fr. bele, from L. bella, fem. of bellus "beautiful, fair."

Bellerophon --- Gk. hero, from L. form of Gk. Bellerophontes, probably lit. "killer of the demon Bellerus," from -phontes "killer of."

belles-lettres --- elegant literature, aesthetics, 1710, from Fr., lit. "fine letters," from belles, pl. of belle, fem. of beau "fine, beautiful" + lettres, pl. of lettre "letter."

bellicose --- 1432, from L. bellicosus, from bellicus "of war," from bellum "war." Bellona was the name of the Roman goddess of war.

belligerent (adj.) --- 1577, from L. belligerantem (nom. belligerans), pp. of belligerare "to wage war," from bellum "war" + gerere "to wage." The noun meaning "party or nation at war" is from 1811.

bellow --- O.E. bylgian "to bellow," from PIE base *bhel- "to sound, roar." Originally of animals, especially cows and bulls, used of human beings since 1602.

bellows --- c.1200, belwes pl. of belu, belw, northern form of beli, from late O.E. belg, reduced from blæstbælg, lit. "blowing bag" (see belly). Used exclusively in plural since 15c.

belly --- O.E. belg, bylg (W.Saxon), bælg (Anglian) "leather bag, purse, bellows," from P.Gmc. *balgiz "bag" (cf. O.N. belgr "bag, bellows," bylgja "billow," Goth. balgs "wineskin"), from PIE *bhelgh- "to swell," extension of root *bhel- "to inflate, swell" (see bole). Meaning shifted to "body" (c.1275), then to "abdomen" (1340). Meaning "bulging part or concave surface of anything" is 1591; the verb "to swell out" is from 1624. The W.Gmc. root had an extended sense of "anger, arrogance" (cf. O.E. bolgenmod "enraged;" belgan (v.) "to become angry"). Belly-button for "navel" is from 1877. Bellyache (v.) in the slang sense of "complain" is first recorded 1888. Belly-dance (1899) translates Fr. danse du ventre.

belong --- 1340, "to go along with, relate to," from be- intensive prefix, + O.E. langian "pertain to, to go along with." Sense of "to be the property of" first recorded 1393. Replaced earlier O.E. gelang, with completive prefix ge-. First record of belongings "goods, effects," is from 1817.

beloved --- 1398 (adj.), from pp. of v. belove (c.1205), from be- + loven "to love." Noun meaning "one who is beloved" is from 1526.

below --- c.1325, biloogh, from be- "by" + logh, lou, lowe "low." Apparently a variant of earlier a-lowe (influenced by other advs. in be-, cf. before), the parallel form to an-high (now on high). Beneath was the usual word; below was very rare in M.E. and only gained currency in 16c. It is frequent in Shakespeare. Below is the opposite of above and concerns difference of level and suggests comparison of independent things. Under is the opposite of over and is concerned with superposition and subjection and suggests some interrelation.

Belshazzar --- last Chaldean king of Babylon (Dan. v), from Heb. Belshatztzar, a contraction of Akkad. Bel-shar-usur, lit. "Bel-protect-the-king" (see Bel).

belt --- O.E. belt, from P.Gmc. *baltjaz (cf. O.H.G. balz, O.N. balti, Swed. bälte), an early borrowing from L. balteus "girdle, sword belt," said by Varro to be an Etruscan word. As a mark of rank or distinction, c.1340; references to boxing championship belts date from 1812. Transferred sense of "broad stripe encircling something" is from 1664; verb meaning "to thrash as with a belt" is from 1649; general sense of "to hit, thrash" is attested from 1838. Below the belt "unfair" (1889) is from pugilism. To get something under (one's) belt is to get it into one's stomach.

Beltane --- 1424, from Lowland Scot., from Gaelic bealltainn "May 1," important Celtic religious rite marking the start of summer, probably lit. "blazing fire," from PIE base *bhel- "to gleam" + O.Ir. ten "fire," from PIE *tepnos, related to L. tepidus "warm." But this derivation of the second element is hotly disputed by some on philological grounds. Fires were equally important in the other Celtic holidays. Also known as "Old May Day," since after the 1752 calendar reform it continued to be reckoned according to Old Style; it was one of the quarter-days of ancient Scotland.

beluga --- 1591, from Rus. beluga, lit. "great white," from belo- "white" + augmentative suffix -uga. Originally the great sturgeon, found in the Caspian and Black seas; later (1817) also the small white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) found in northern seas.

belvedere --- raised turret atop a house, 1596, from It. belvedere, lit. "a fair sight," from bel, bello "beautiful" + vedere "a view, sight" (see vista). Pronunciation perhaps infl. by Fr. form of the word. So called because it was used for viewing the grounds.

bemoan --- O.E. bemænan; see be- + moan.

bemuse --- 1735, "to make utterly confused," from be- + muse (cf. amuse). Used humorously by Pope (1705) in the sense "devoted utterly to the Muses."

ben --- mountain peak in Celtic place names (esp. of roughly pyramidal peaks standing alone), from Gael. beann, from O.Ir. *benno- "peak, horn, conical point," from PIE base *bend- "projecting point."

bench --- O.E. benc "long seat," from P.Gmc. *bankiz (cf. Da. bænk, M.Du. banc, O.H.G. banch). Used for "office of a judge" since 1292. Sporting sense (in baseball, N.Amer. football, etc.) is from 1912; the verb meaning "to take out of the game" is from 1917. Hence, also, bench-warmer (1892). Benchmark "surveyor's point of reference" is from 1842; fig. sense is from 1884. "The days for 'bench-warmers' with salaries are also past." ["New York Sporting News," Jan. 9, 1892]

bend --- O.E. bendan "to confine with a string," causative of bindan "to bind," from P.Gmc. base *band- "string, band" (cf. O.N. benda "to join, strain, strive, bend"), from PIE base *bhendh- (cf. Goth. bindan, O.H.G. bintan, Skt. badhnati "binds," Lith. bendras "partner;" O.Pers. bandaka- "subject"). Modern sense (c.1320) is via notion of bending a bow to string it. Cognate with band, bind, and bond). The noun meaning "thing of bent shape" is from c.1600. The bends "decompression pain" first attested 1894. Bender "drinking bout" is U.S. slang, first attested 1846.

beneath --- O.E. be "by" + neoðan "below," originally "from below," from P.Gmc. *niþar "lower, farther down, down" (see nether). Meaning "unworthy of" is attested from 1849 (purists prefer below in this sense).

benedict --- newly married man (especially one who had seemed a confirmed bachelor), 1821, from the character Benedick in "Much Ado About Nothing" (1599). The name is from L.L. Benedictus, lit. "blessed," from L. benedicte "bless (you)." This also produced the proper name Bennet; hence also benet (c.1383), the third of the four lesser orders of the Roman Catholic Church, one of whose functions was to exorcize spirits.

Benedictine --- 1602, "one of the order known from the color of its dress as the Black Monks," founded c.529 by St. Benedict (see benedict).

benediction --- 1432, from L. benedictionem (nom. benedictio), noun of action from benedicere "to speak well of, bless," from bene "well" + dicere "to speak" (see diction). The oldest sense in Eng. is of grace before meat. The older Fr. form beneiçon passed into M.E. as benison (c.1300).

benefactor --- 1451, from L.L. benefactor, from L. phrase bene facere, from bene "well" + facere "to do" (see factitious). Translated in O.E. as wel-doend.

benefit (n.) --- 1377, "good or noble deed," from Anglo-Fr. benfet "well-done," from L. benefactum "good deed" (see benefactor.) Meaning "advantage, profit" first attested 1393. Meaning "performance or entertainment to raise money for some charitable cause" is from 1687. The verb is attested from 1549. Benefice "ecclesiastical living" is from 1340.

Benelux --- the customs union of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg, formed October 1947.

benevolence --- c.1384, "disposition to do good," from L. benevolentia "good feeling," from bene "well" + volantem (nom. volens) prp. of velle "to wish" (see will (v.)). In Eng. history, this was the name given to forced extra-legal loans or contributions to the crown, first so called 1473 by Edward IV, who cynically "asked" it as a token of good will toward his rule.

benighted --- 1575, "overtaken by darkness," from be- + night (q.v.). Fig. sense of "in intellectual or moral darkness" (1634) first recorded in Milton.

benign --- c.1320, from O.Fr. benigne, from L. benignus "good, kind," lit. "well born," from bene "well" + gignere "to bear, beget," from genus "birth" (see genus). For similar sense evolution, see gentle, kind, generous.

Benjamin --- Jacob's youngest son (Gen. xxxv.18), from Heb. Binyamin, lit. "son of the south," though interpreted in Genesis as "son of the right hand," from ben "son of" + yamin "right hand," also "south" (in an East-oriented culture). Cf. Arab cognate yaman "right hand, right side, south;" yamana "he was happy," lit. "he turned to the right." The right was regarded as auspicious (see left and dexterity).

bent (1) --- mental inclination, 1586, from the adj., "not straight" (c.1374), originally pp. of bend. The verb meaning "directed in a course" is from 1697. Phrase bent out of shape "extremely upset" is 1960s Air Force and college student slang.

bent (2) --- stiff grass, O.E. beonet, from W.Gmc. *binut- "rush, marsh grass" (cf. Ger. binse "rush, reed"), of unknown origin. An obsolete word, but common in place names (cf. Bentley, from O.E. Beonet-leah).

Benzedrine --- amphetamine, 1933, registered as a proprietary name 1935 by Smith, Kline & French Laboratories, from benzoic + chemical suffix -edrine from ephedrine, etc. It is a carbonate of benzyl-methyl-carbinamine. Slang shortening benny first attested 1955.

benzene --- 1835, benzine, from Ger. Benzin, coined in 1833 by Ger. chemist Eilhardt Mitscherlich (1794-1863) from Benz(oesäure) "benzoic acid." Mitscherlich obtained it from a distillation of benzoic acid, obtained from benzoin (q.v.). The form benzene dates from 1872 in Eng.

benzoin --- 1558, from M.Fr. benjoin, via Sp., Port, or It., from Ar. luban jawi "incense of Java" (actually Sumatra), with lu probably mistaken in Romance languages for a definite article. The Eng. form with -z- is perhaps from influence of It. benzoi (Venetian, 1461).

Beowulf --- O.E. beo wulf, lit. "bee-wolf," a kenning for "bear."

bequeath --- O.E. becweðan, from cweðan "to say," from P.Gmc. *kwethanan. Original sense of "say, utter" died out 13c., leaving legal sense of "transfer by will." Closely related to noun bequest (c.1300), from be- + O.E. *cwis, *cwiss "saying," with excrescent -t. "An old word kept alive in wills" [OED 1st ed.].

berate --- 1548, from be- "thoroughly" + M.E. rate "to scold," from O.Fr. reter "accuse, blame," from L. reputare (see reputation). "Obsolete except in U.S." [OED 1st ed.], but it seems to have revived in Britain 20c.

Berber --- 1842, from Arabic name for aboriginal people west and south of Egypt; perhaps ult. from Gk. Barbaros "barbarians" (see Barbary).

bereave --- O.E. bereafian "rob," from be + reafian "rob, plunder," from P.Gmc. *raubojanan. A common Gmc. formation (cf. Du. berooven, Ger. berauben, Goth. biraubon). Since c.1650, mostly in ref. to life, hope, loved ones, and other immaterial possessions. Past tense forms bereaved and bereft have co-existed since 14c., now slightly differentiated in meaning, the former applied to loss of loved ones, the latter to circumstances.

Berenice --- fem. proper name, from L. Berenice, from Macedonian Gk. Berenike (classical Gk. Pherenike), lit. "bringer of victory," from pherein "to bring" (see infer) + nike "victory." The constellation Berenice's hair (1601) is from the story of the pilfered locks of the wife of Ptolemy Euergetes, king of Egypt, c.248 B.C.E., which the queen cut off as an offering to Venus.

beret --- 1827, from Fr. béret (dialect of Béarn), from Old Gascon berret "cap," from M.L. birretum, dim. of L.L. birrus "a large hooded cloak." The round, flat cap originally was worn by Basque peasants.

beri-beri --- 1703, "paralytic disease prevalent in much of India," intensifying reduplication of Sinhalese beri "weakness."

Berkshire --- O.E. Bearrocscir (893), from an ancient Celtic name meaning "hilly place" + O.E. scir "shire, district." Berk (1936) is British rhyming slang for "cunt," from Berkshire Hunt. "This is not an objective, anatomical term, neither does it imply coitus. It connects with that extension of meaning of the unprintable, a fool, or a person whom one does not like." ["Dictionary of Rhyming Slang," 1960]

Berlin --- old type of four-wheeled covered carriage, 1694, so called because it was introduced in Brandenburg, c.1670.

berm --- 1729, from Fr. berme, from O.Du. baerm, related to brim (q.v.). In U.S., 19c., "the bank of a canal opposite the tow path."

Bermuda --- Atlantic island, named for Sp. explorer Juan de Bermudez, who discovered it c.1515. Bermuda shorts first attested 1953 (in "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler), from the type of garb worn by U.S. tourists there. Bermuda triangle is attested from 1964.

Bernard --- man's proper name, from Ger. Bernhard, lit. "bold as a bear," from O.H.G. bero "bear" + harti "hard, bold."

berry --- O.E. berie, a word that apparently meant "grapes" at first, from P.Gmc. *basjom (cf. O.N. ber, M.Du. bere, Ger. beere), of unknown origin. This and apple are the only native fruit names.

berserk --- 1822, introduced by Sir Walter Scott, from O.N. berserkr (n.) "raging warrior of superhuman strength," probably from *ber- "bear" + serkr "shirt," thus lit. "a warrior clothed in bearskin." The -r was O.N. masc. singular ending, mistaken for agent noun suffix. The adj. is 1867, from such phrases as go berserk.

berth --- 1622, "convenient sea room" (both for ships and sailors), of uncertain origin, probably related to bear (v). Original sense is preserved in phrase to give (something or someone) wide berth. Meaning "place on a ship to stow chests, room for sailors" is from 1706; extended to non-nautical situations 1778.

Bertha --- fem. proper name, from O.H.G. Berahta, Perahta, the name of a goddess, lit. "the bright one," from O.H.G. beraht, related to O.E. beorht. Soldiers' nickname Big Bertha for large-bore Ger. mortar of World War I is a ref. to Frau Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, owner of Krupp steel works 1903-43.

beryl --- hard, lustrous mineral, c.1305, from O.Fr. beryl, from L. beryllus, from Gk. beryllos, from Prakrit veruliya, from Skt. vaidurya-, of Dravidian origin, perhaps from the city of Velur (modern Belur) in southern India. M.L. berillus was applied also to crystal and to eyeglasses (the first spectacle lenses may have been made of beryl), hence Ger. Brille "spectacles," from M.H.G. berille "beryl," and Fr. besicles (pl.) "spectacles," altered from O.Fr. bericle.

beseech --- c.1175, bisecen "to beseech, beg urgently," from be- + M.E. secen "to seek" (see seek).

beset --- O.E. besettan, "to surround," from P.Gmc. *bisatjan (cf. O.S. bisettjan, Ger. besetzen, Goth. bisatjan); see be- + set (v.). The fig. sense also was in O.E.

beside --- O.E. be sidan "by the side of" (only as two words), from sidan dative of side (q.v.). By 1200, formed as one word and used as both adv. and prep. Also, after 1200, besides, with adverbial gen. -s (usually in the senses of "in addition" and "otherwise"). The alternate M.E. meaning "outside" led to the sense preserved in beside oneself "out of one's wits" (1490).

besiege --- 1297, from be- + siege (q.v.).

besom --- O.E. besma "bundle of twigs" (used as a broom or a flail), from W.Gmc. *besmon (cf. O.Fris. besma, Ger. besen, Du. bezem), of unknown origin.

bespoke --- custom or custom-made, made to order, of goods, as distinguished from ready-made, 1755, earlier bespoken (1607), pp. of bespeak, in a sense of "to speak for, to arrange beforehand," a sense attested in bespeak from 1583. Bespeak is from O.E. besprecan "to speak about," also "to speak against" (see be- and speak).

Bessemer process --- 1856, named for engineer and inventor Sir Harry Bessemer (1813-98) who invented it. Process for decarbonizing and desiliconizing pig iron by passing air through the molten metal.

best --- O.E., reduced by assimilation of -t- from earlier O.E. betst, originally superlative of bot "remedy, reparation," the root word now only surviving in to boot, though its comparative, better, and superlative, best, transferred to good (and in some cases well). From P.Gmc. root *bat-, with comp. *batizon and superl. *batistaz. The verb "to get the better of" is from 1863. Best-seller is from 1889; best friend was in Chaucer (c.1374). Best girl is first attested 1887 in a Texas context; best man is 1814, originally Scottish, replacing groomsman.

bestial --- 1393, from O.Fr. bestial (13c.), from L. bestialis "like a beast," from bestia (see beast). Sense of "below the dignity of a human" is from c.1400. Bestiality "unnatural connection with a beast" is first attested 1611; OED 2nd ed. marks this usage as obsolete, but that was before the proliferation of porn spam.

bestiary --- medieval treatise on beasts (usually with moralistic overtones), 1834, from M.L. bestiarium, from bestia (see beast). A Latin term for such works was liber de bestiis compositus.

bestow --- c.1315, bistowen "give" (as alms, etc.), from be- + stowen "to place" (see stow).

bet --- 1592, probably aphetic of abet, or from beet "to make good," from O.E. bætan "make better, arouse, stimulate," from P.Gmc. *baitjanan. First surfaced in argot of petty criminals. The original notion is perhaps to "improve" a contest by wagering on it. Used since 1852 in various Amer.Eng. slang assertions (cf. you bet "be assured," 1857).

Betamax --- 1975, proprietary name (Sony), from Japanese beta-beta "all over" + max, from Eng. maximum.

bête noire --- an insufferable person, 1844, from Fr., lit. "the black beast."

betel --- 1553, probably via Port. betel, from Malayam vettila, from veru ila "simple leaf."

Betelgeuse --- bright star in the shoulder of Orion, 1515, from Arabic Ibt al Jauzah "the Armpit of the Central One."

Bethel --- 1617, "a place where God is worshipped," from Heb. beth El "house of God," from beth, state construct of bayith "house." Popular as a name for religious meeting houses among some Protestant denominations. Beth was also the name of the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, so called for its form, borrowed into Gk. as beta (see alphabet).

Bethesda --- 1857, name of a pool in Jerusalem (John v.2), from Gk. Bethesda, from Aramaic beth hesda "house of mercy." Popular as a name for religious meeting houses among some Protestant denominations.

betide --- c.1175, from be- + tiden "to happen" (see tide).

betimes --- at an early period, c.1314, from be- + time (q.v.) + adv. gen. -s.

betoken --- c.1175, from be- + O.E. tacnian "to signify," from tacn "sign" (see token).

betray --- c.1275, bitrayen "mislead, deceive, betray," from M.E. be- + O.Fr. traien, from L. tradere "hand over," from trans- "across" + dare "to give" (see date (1)).