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(), v. i.[imp.Was (); p. p.Been (); p. pr. & vb. n.Being.] [OE. been, beon, AS. ben to be, bem I am; akin to OHG. bim, pim, G. bin, I am, Gael. & Ir. bu was, W. bod to be, Lith. bu-ti, O. Slav. by-ti, to be, L. fu-i I have been, fu-turus about to be, fo-re to be about to be, and perh. to fieri to become, Gr. fynai to be born, to be, Skr. bh to be. This verb is defective, and the parts lacking are supplied by verbs from other roots, is, was, which have no radical connection with be. The various forms, am, are, is, was, were, etc., are considered grammatically as parts of the verb "to be", which, with its conjugational forms, is often called the substantive verb. 97. Cf. Future, Physic.] 1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have existence. To be contents his natural desire. Pope. To be, or not to be: that is the question. Shak. 2. To exist in a certain manner or relation, -- whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the s Be- [AS. be, and in accented form b, akin to OS. be and b, OHG. bi, pi, and p, MHG. be and b, G. be and bei, Goth. bi, and perh. Gr. 'amfi° about (cf. AS. besen to look about). 203. Cf. By, Amb-.] A prefix, originally the same word as by; joined with verbs, it serves: (a) To intensify the meaning; as, bespatter, bestir. (b) To render an intransitive verb transitive; as, befall (to fall upon); bespeak (to speak for). (c) To make the action of a verb particular or definite; as, beget (to get as offspring); beset (to set around). It is joined with certain substantives, and a few adjectives, to form verbs; as, bedew, befriend, benight, besot; belate (to make late); belittle (to make little). It also occurs in certain nouns, adverbs, and prepositions, often with something of the force of the preposition by, or about; as, belief (believe), behalf, bequest (bequeath); because, before, beneath, beside, between. In some words the original force of be is obscured or lost; as, in become, スポンサード リンク
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