be

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word be. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word be, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say be in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word be you have here. The definition of the word be will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofbe, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Appendix:Variations of "be"

Translingual

Etymology

Abbreviation of English Belarusian

Symbol

be

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Belarusian.

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology 1

The Tea room(+) is discussing this entry at the moment.
Please come along and share your opinions on this and the other topics being discussed there.

From Middle English been (“to be”).

further etymology of be and its conjugated forms

The various forms have three separate origins, which were mixed together at various times in the history of English.

Pronunciation

Verb

be (highly irregular; see conjugation table)

  1. As an auxiliary verb:
    1. (auxiliary) Used with past participles of verbs to form the passive voice.
      The dog was saved by the boy.
      • 1995, C. K. Ogden, Psyche: An Annual General and Linguistic Psychology 1920-1952, C. K. Ogden, →ISBN, page 13:
        Study courses of Esperanto and Ido have been broadcast.
    2. Used with present participles of verbs to form the continuous aspect.
      The woman is walking.
      I shall be writing to you soon.
      We liked to chat while we were eating.
      • 1995, C. K. Ogden, Psyche: An Annual General and Linguistic Psychology 1920-1952, C. K. Ogden, →ISBN, page 13:
        In the possibility of radio uses of a constructed language — and such experiments are proving successful—vast sums of money and untold social forces may be involved.
    3. (formal) Used with to-infinitives of verbs to express intent, obligation, appropriateness, or relative future occurrence.
      I am to leave tomorrow.
      They are to stay here until I return.
      The season opener was to have been on Monday.
      How were they to know the whole exercise was a ruse?
      They were to have been married overseas but COVID forced a change of plans.
    4. Used with past participles of certain intransitive verbs to form the perfect aspect.
      He is finished
      He is gone
      (archaic) He is come
      • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 133:
        They are not yet come back.
        instead of the modern They have not yet come back.
      • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Revelation 18:2:
        And he cryed mightily with a strõg voyce, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of deuils […]
      • 1850, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Blessed Damozel, ll.67-68:
        ‘I wish that he were come to me, / For he will come,’ she said.
      • Matthew 28:6 (various translations, from the King James Version of 1611 to Revised Version of 1881):
        He is not here; for he is risen .
      • 1922, A. E. Housman, Last Poems XXV, l.13, page 51:
        The King with half the East at heel is marched from lands of morning;
      • 1965, J. Robert Oppenheimer, The Decision to Drop the Bomb:
        I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita: Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, he takes on his multi-armed form and says, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.
      • 1985, Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, page 4:
        His origins are become remote as is his destiny and not again in all the world’s turning will there be terrains so wild and barbarous to try whether the stuff of creation may be shaped to man’s will or whether his own heart is not another kind of clay.
    5. (African-American Vernacular, Caribbean, Ireland, auxiliary, not conjugated) To tend to do, often do; marks the habitual aspect.
      • 1996, David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, Tom Shadyac and Steve Oedekerk, screenplay of The Nutty Professor
        Women be shoppin’! You cannot stop a woman from shoppin’!
      • 2020, Moneybagg Yo, Thug Cry:
        Niggas be tellin' these bitches 'bout business
  2. As a copulative verb:
    1. (with there, or dialectally it, as dummy subject) To exist.
      There is just one woman in town who can help us.
      (or, dialectally:) It is just one woman in town who can help us.
      • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 178:
        Some men there are loue not a gaping Pigge: / Some that are mad, if they behold a Cat: / And others, when the bag-pipe sings i’th nose, / Cannot containe their Vrine for affection.
      • 1817 (date written), [Jane Austen], chapter IX, in Persuasion; published in Northanger Abbey: And Persuasion. , volume IV, London: John Murray, , 20 December 1817 (indicated as 1818), →OCLC, page 170:
        "There is a sort of domestic enjoyment to be known even in a crowd, and this you had."
      • 2011 July 6, Mark Sweney, The Guardian:
        "There has been lots of commentary on who is staying and who is staying out and this weekend will be the real test," said one senior media buying agency executive who has pulled the advertising for one major client.
    2. Used to indicate that the subject and object are identical or equivalent.
      Hi, I’m Jim.
      3 times 5 is fifteen.
      These four are the ones going to the quarter-finals.
      François Mitterrand was president of France from 1981 to 1995.
      This is how we do it.
    3. Used to indicate that the subject is an instance of the predicate nominal.
      Rex is a dog.
      A dog is an animal.
      Dogs are animals.
    4. Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by an adjective, prepositional phrase.
      The sky is blue.
      Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42)
    5. Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.
      The sky is a deep blue today.
    6. Used to link a subject to a measurement.
      This building is three hundred years old.
      I am 75 kilograms.
      He’s about 6 feet tall.
    7. (with a cardinal numeral) Used to state the age of a subject in years.
      I’m 20 (years old).
    8. (with a dummy subject it) Used to indicate the time of day.
      It is almost eight (o’clock).
      It’s 8:30 [read eight-thirty] in Tokyo.
      What time is it there? It’s night.
    9. (with since) Used to indicate passage of time since the occurrence of an event.
      It has been three years since my grandmother died. (similar to "My grandmother died three years ago", but emphasizes the intervening period)
      It had been six days since his departure, when I received a letter from him.
    10. (rare and regional, chiefly in the past tense) Used to link two noun clauses, the first of which is a day of the week, recurring date, month, or other specific time (on which the event of the main clause took place), and the second of which is a period of time indicating how long ago that day was.
      I saw her Monday was a week: I saw her a week ago last Monday (a week before last Monday).
      On the morning of Sunday was fortnight before Christmas: on the morning of the Sunday that was two weeks before the Sunday prior to Christmas.
      • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: , volume V, London: S Richardson;  , →OCLC, page 97:
        Miss Lardner (whom you have seen at her cousin Biddulph's) saw you at St James's church on Sunday was fortnight.
      • 1770, Historical Memoirs of the Irish Rebellion, in the year 1641 In a letter to Walter Harris, Esq; The fourth edition, with corrections throughout the whole, and large additions, by the author, Ireland, page 186:
        And so, without as much as to return home to furnish myself for such a journey, volens, nolens, they prevailed, or rather forced me to come to Dublin to confer with those colonels, and that was the last August was twelvemonth.
      • 1803, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, Journals of the House of Commons, page 249:
        That they were present at the Election in August was Twelvemonth, at which there was the strictest Scrutiny that ever they saw in their Lives, by all the Four Candidates.
      • 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], chapter V, in Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. , volume I, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, ; and Archibald Constable and Co., , →OCLC, pages 79-80:
        Allow me to recommend some of the kipper—It was John Hay that catched it Saturday was three weeks.
      • 1859, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], “The Quest”, in Adam Bede , volume III, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book fifth, page 53:
        “Did there come no young woman here—very young and pretty—Friday was a fortnight, to see Dinah Morris?”
      • 1895, Miss M. E. Rope of Suffolk, quoted by Joseph Wright, in The English Dialect Dictionary, page 202:
        'Twas there to-morrow is a week.
      • 1907, John Millington Synge, The Playboy of the Western World, I, page 20:
        I killed my poor father, Tuesday was a week, for doing the like of that.
      • 1920 (published), St. George Kieran Hyland, A Century of Persecution Under Tudor and Stuart Sovereigns from Contemporary Records, London, Paul, page 402, quoting an earlier document, Loosley volume 5, no. 28, "List of Prisoners: In Sir W. More's handwriting": :
        Theobald Green gent dead in the Marshalsea in August was twelvemonth
        John Grey gent delivered out of the Marshalsea about August last by Mr. Secretary and remains in St. Mary Overies.
        John Jacob gent delivered out of the Marsh. the XVII of May was twelvemonth and sent to Bridewell by order of the Council.
    11. (often impersonal, with it as a dummy subject) Used to indicate weather, air quality, or the like.
      It is hot in Arizona, but it is not usually humid.
      Why is it so dark in here?
    12. (dynamic / lexical be, especially in progressive tenses, conjugated non-suppletively in the present tense, see usage notes) To exist or behave in a certain way.
      • 2006 October 9, Kristin Newman (writer), Barney Stinson (character), How I Met Your Mother, season 2, episode 1:
        "When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead."
      "What do we do?" "We be ourselves."
      When I play fantasy games, I always be a gnome.
      Why is he being nice to me?
  3. As an intransitive lexical verb:
    1. (now usually literary) To exist; to have real existence, to be alive.
      The Universe has no explanation: it just is.
      That was the week that was.
      • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt  (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew ij:[18], folio iij, recto:
        Rachel wepynge ffor her chyldren / and wolde nott be comforted becauſe they were not.
      • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 265:
        To be, or not to be: that is the question: / Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them?
      • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes , book II, London: Val Simmes for Edward Blount , →OCLC, page 351:
        […] it were great sottishnesse, and apparent false-hood, to say, that that is which is not yet in being, or that already hath ceased from being.
      • 1643, Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, II.2, link:
        There is surely a peece of Divinity in us, something that was before the Elements, and owes no homage unto the Sun.
      • 1893, Andrew Martin Fairbairn, Christ in the Centuries, and Other Sermons, 2nd edition, volume 12, E.P. Dutton & Company, page 116:
        And after this death there is to be no resurrection. The old man of sin has ceased to be; once crucified, he lives no more. The death is utter; the end complete.
      • 1969 December 7, Monty Python, “Full Frontal Nudity, Dead Parrot sketch”, in Monty Python's Flying Circus, spoken by Mr Praline (John Cleese):
        This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies!
      • 2004 December 13, Richard Schickel, “Not Just an African Story”, in Time:
        The genial hotel manager of the past is no more. Now owner of a trucking concern and living in Belgium, Rusesabagina says the horrors he witnessed in Rwanda "made me a different man."
    2. To remain undisturbed in a certain state or situation.
      Let them be for a few hours.
      Leave us be until the guests arrive.
    3. To occupy a place.
      The cup is on the table.
    4. To occur, to take place.
      When will the meeting be?
    5. (in perfect tenses) Elliptical form of "be here", "go to and return from" or similar, also extending to certain other senses of "go".
      The postman has been today, but my tickets have still not yet come.
      I have been to Spain many times.
      We've been about twenty miles.
      I have terrible constipation – I haven't been for several days.
      They have been through a great deal of trouble.
Usage notes
  • When used copulatively with a pronoun, traditional grammar puts the pronoun in the subjective case (I, he, she, we, they) rather than the objective case (me, him, her, us, them), regardless of which side of the copula it is placed. For example, “I was the masked man” and “The masked man was I” would both be considered correct, while “The masked man was me” and “Me was the masked man” would both be incorrect. However, most colloquial speech treats the verb be as transitive, in which case the pronoun is used in the objective case if it occurs after the copula: “I was the masked man” but “The masked man was me”. This paradigm applies even if the copula is linking two pronouns; thus “I am her” and “She is me", and “Am I me?” (versus the traditional “I am she”, “She is I”, “Am I I?”). However, the use of whom with a copula is generally considered incorrect and a hypercorrection, though in some cases (especially in sentences involving a to-infinitive or a perfect tense), such as “Whom do you want to be?”, it can come naturally to some speakers; in short, straightforward sentences, such as “Whom are you?”, this is much rarer and likelier to be considered incorrect.
  • In most copulative and intransitive con-copulative senses be is generally a stative verb that rarely takes the continuous aspect. See Category:English stative verbs.
Conjugation

Modern

Conjugation of be
infinitive (to) be
present tense past tense
1st-person singular am, 'm was, 's*, were*
2nd-person singular are, 're were
3rd-person singular is, 's, are**, 're** was, were*, were**
plural are, 're were, was*, 's*
subjunctive be were
imperative be —
participles being been

Archaic

Conjugation of be
infinitive (to) be
present tense past tense
1st-person singular am, 'm, be† was, 's*, were*
2nd-person singular are, 're, art†, 'rt† were, wast†, wert†
3rd-person singular is, 's, beeth†, bes† was, were*
plural are, 're, be†, been† were, was*, 's*, weren†
subjunctive be, beest† were, wert†
imperative be —
participles being been

†Archaic or obsolete. * Dialectal.

  • The verb be is the most irregular non-defective verb in Standard English. Unlike other verbs, which distinguish at most five forms (as in do–does–doing–did–done), be distinguishes eight:
    • Be itself is the plain form, used as the infinitive, as the imperative, and as the present subjunctive (though many speakers do not distinguish the present indicative and present subjunctive, using the indicative forms for both).
      I want to be a father someday. (infinitive)
      If that be true... (present subjunctive; is is common in this position)
      Allow the truth to be heard! (infinitive)
      Please be here by eight o’clock. (imperative)
      The librarian asked that the rare books not be touched. (present subjunctive; speakers that do not distinguish the subjunctive and indicative would use an auxiliary verb construction here)
    • Be is also used as the present tense indicative form in the alternative, dynamic / lexical conjugation of be:
      What do we do? We be ourselves. (first-person plural present indicative, lexical be)
      but: Who are we? We are human beings. (first-person plural present indicative, copula be)
      • It is also an archaic alternative form of the indicative, especially in the plural:
      The powers that be, are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1, Tyndale Bible, 1526)
      We are true men; we are no spies: We be twelve brethren... (Genesis 42:31–2, King James Version, 1611)
      I think it be thine indeed, for thou liest in it. (Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1, circa 1600 – though this may be viewed as the subjunctive instead)
    • Am, are, and is are the forms of the present indicative. Am is the first-person singular (used with I); is is the third-person singular (used with he, she, it and other subjects that would be used with does rather than do); and are is both the second-person singular and the plural (used with we, you, they, and any other plural subjects).
      Am I in the right place? (first-person singular present indicative)
      You are even taller than your brother! (second-person singular present indicative)
      Where is the library? (third-person singular present indicative)
      These are the biggest shoes we have. (plural present indicative)
    • Was and were are the forms of the past indicative and past subjunctive (like did). In the past indicative, was is the first- and third-person singular (used with I, as well as with he, she, it and other subjects that would be used with does rather than do), and were is both the second-person singular and the plural (used with we, you, they, and any other plural subjects). In the traditional past subjunctive, were is used with all subjects, though many speakers do not actually distinguish the past subjunctive from the past indicative, and therefore use was with first- and third-person singular subjects even in cases where other speakers would use were.
      I was out of town. (first-person singular past indicative)
      You were the first person here. (second-person singular past indicative)
      The room was dirty. (third-person singular past indicative)
      We were angry at each other. (plural past indicative)
      I wish I were more sure. (first-person singular past subjunctive; was is also common, though considered less correct by some)
      If she were here, she would know what to do. (third-person singular past subjunctive; was is also common, though considered less correct by some)
    • Being is the gerund and present participle, used in progressive aspectual forms, after various catenative verbs, and in other constructions that function like nouns, adjectivally or adverbially. (It’s also used as a deverbal noun and as a conjunction; see those senses in the entry for being itself.)
      Being in London and being in Tokyo have similar rewards but in different languages. (gerund in grammatical subject)
      All of a sudden, he’s being nice to everyone. (present participle in progressive aspect)
      His mood being good increased his productivity noticeably. (present participle in adjectival phrase)
      It won’t stop being a problem until someone does something about it. (gerund after catenative verb)
    • Been is the past participle, used in the perfect aspect. In Middle English, it was also the infinitive.
      It’s been that way for a week and a half.
  • In archaic or obsolete forms of English, with the pronoun thou, the verb be has a few additional forms:
    • When the pronoun thou was in regular use, the forms art, wast, and wert were the corresponding present indicative, past indicative, and past subjunctive, respectively.
    • As thou became less common and more highly marked, a special present-subjunctive form beest developed (replacing the regular present subjunctive form be, still used with all other subjects). Additionally, the form wert, previously a past subjunctive form, came to be used as a past indicative as well.
  • The forms am, is, and are can contract with preceding subjects: I’m (“I am”), ’s (“is”), ’re (“are”). The form are most commonly contracts with personal pronouns (we’re (“we are”), you’re (“you are”), they’re (“they are”)), but contractions with other subjects are possible; the form is contracts quite freely with a variety of subjects. These contracted forms, however, are possible only when there is an explicit, non-preposed complement, and they cannot be stressed; therefore, the contractions cannot appear at the end of a sentence. Instead one must use the full forms, such as:
    Who’s here? —I am.
    I wonder what it is.
  • Several of the finite forms of be have special negative forms, containing the suffix -n’t, that can be used instead of adding the adverb not. Specifically, the forms is, are, was, and were have the negative forms isn’t, aren’t, wasn’t, and weren’t. The form be itself does not, even in finite uses, with “not be” being used in the present subjunctive and “do not be” or “don’t be” (or, in dated use, “be not”) being used in the imperative. The form am has the negative forms aren’t, amn’t, and ain’t, but all of these are in restricted use; see their entries for details.
  • Outside of Standard English, there is some variation in usage of some forms; some dialects, for example, use is or ’s throughout the present indicative (supplanting, in whole or in part, am and are), and/or was throughout the past indicative and past subjunctive (supplanting were).
Alternative forms
Synonyms
Derived terms
phrasal verbs etc. derived from be
Translations
See be/translations § Verb.

References

Etymology 2

A variant of by which goes back to Middle English be (variant of Middle English bi).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bi/, /bə/, /bɪ/, (Northumberland) /bɛ/

Preposition

be

  1. (dialectal, possibly dated) Alternative form of by. Also found in compounds, especially oaths, e.g. begorra.
    • 1851, Oliver Ormerod, Felley fro Rachde:
      O ful tru un pertikler akeawnt o... th' greyt Eggshibishun. Be o felley fro Rachde.
    • 1860, Henry Baird, The Song of Solomon in the Devonshire Dialect, i 8:
      Go thy way vorth be tha vootsteps uv tha vlock.
    • 1870, Joseph Philip Robson, Evangeline: The Spirit of Progress, section 332:
      Aw teuk me seat be day an' neet.
    • 1870, Roger Piketah, Forness Folk, section 44:
      Fetchin' it yan... be a round about rooad.
    • 1878, John Castillo, Poems in the North Yorkshire Dialect, section 35:
      Like a leeaf be firm decree / Mun fade an' fall.
    • 1885, Alfred Lord Tennyson, To-morrow:
      ‘I'll meet you agin to-morra,’ says he, ‘be the chapel-door.’

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Russian бэ (bɛ).

Pronunciation

Noun

be (plural bes)

  1. The name of the Cyrillic script letter Б / б.

References

  1. ^ Goold Brown (1851) “Of Verbs”, in The Grammar of English Grammars, , New York, N.Y.: Samuel S. & William Wood, , page 357.
  2. ^ [William Tyndale, transl.] (1526) The Newe Testamẽt  (Tyndale Bible), : [Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Romans xiij:[1], folio ccxiij, recto: “The powers that be / are ordeyned off God.”
  3. ^ The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , 1611, →OCLC, Genesis 42:31–32, column 2.: “We are true men; we are no ſpies. We be twelue brethren […]”
  4. ^ William Shakespeare (c. 1599–1602) “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , page 277, column 2: “I thinke it be thine indeed: for thou lieſt in’t.”
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Joseph Wright, editor (1898), “BE”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: , volumes I (A–C), London: Henry Frowde, , publisher to the English Dialect Society, ; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC.

Anagrams

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *bẹðə < *baidā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoydʰ-eh₂ < *bʰeydʰ- (“to persuade”). Compare Old English bād (“pledge, expectation”), Proto-Slavic *bě̄dà, Ancient Greek πείθω (peíthō), Latin foedus.

Pronunciation

Noun

be f (plural be, definite beja, definite plural betë)

  1. oath
  2. vow, swearing

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ Schumacher, Stefan, Matzinger, Joachim (2013) Die Verben des Altalbanischen: Belegwörterbuch, Vorgeschichte und Etymologie (Albanische Forschungen; 33) (in German), Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 236

Balinese

Romanization

be

  1. Romanization of ᬩᬾ

Basque

Pronunciation

Noun

be inan

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

Declension

Declension of be (inanimate, ending in vowel)
indefinite singular plural
absolutive be bea beak
ergative bek beak beek
dative beri beari beei
genitive beren bearen been
comitative berekin bearekin beekin
causative berengatik bearengatik beengatik
benefactive berentzat bearentzat beentzat
instrumental bez beaz beez
inessive betan bean beetan
locative betako beko beetako
allative betara bera beetara
terminative betaraino beraino beetaraino
directive betarantz berantz beetarantz
destinative betarako berako beetarako
ablative betatik betik beetatik
partitive berik — —
prolative betzat — —

See also

Blagar

Pronunciation

Noun

be

  1. pig

References

Catalan

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

be f (plural bes)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.
Usage notes
  • In some dialects of Catalan, the sounds associated with the letter b and the letter v are the same: . In order to differentiate be and ve in those dialects, the letters are often called be alta (“high B”) and ve baixa (“low V”).
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic from the sound of a lamb.

Pronunciation

Noun

be m (plural bens)

  1. sheep, ram, ewe, lamb; an individual of the species Ovis aries
Hyponyms

Further reading

Dorasque

Noun

be

  1. (Changuena, Chumulu, Gualaca) night

References

  • Alphonse Louis Pinart, Vocabulario Castellano-dorasque, Dialectos Chumulu, Gualaca Y Changuina (1890)

East Central German

Etymology

From Old High German bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi. Compare German bei.

Preposition

be

  1. (Erzgebirgisch) at; with; by; near; (close) to

Further reading

  • 2020 June 11, Hendrik Heidler, Hendrik Heidler's 400 Seiten: Echtes Erzgebirgisch: Wuu de Hasen Hoosn haaßn un de Hosen Huusn do sei mir drhamm: Das Original Wörterbuch: Ratgeber und Fundgrube der erzgebirgischen Mund- und Lebensart: Erzgebirgisch – Deutsch / Deutsch – Erzgebirgisch‎, 3. geänderte Auflage edition, Norderstedt: BoD – Books on Demand, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 21:

Eastern Geshiza

Noun

be

  1. Flood.

Verb

be (1b)

  1. To flood, overflow.

References

  • Honkalaso, Sami. 2019. A Grammar of Eastern Geshiza: A Culturally Anchored Description. University of Helsinki: PhD dissertation.

Esperanto

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

Interjection

be

  1. The characteristic cry of a sheep.

Derived terms

Faroese

Noun

be n (genitive singular bes, plural be)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

Declension

Declension of be
n4 singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative be beið be beini
accusative be beið be beini
dative be, bei benum beum beunum
genitive bes besins bea beanna

See also

Guerrero Amuzgo

Adjective

be

  1. red

Hungarian

Pronunciation

Adverb

be (comparative beljebb, superlative legbeljebb)

  1. in (towards the interior of a defined space, such as a building or room)
    Antonym: ki

Usage notes

This term may also be part of the split form of a verb prefixed with be-, occurring when the main verb does not follow the prefix directly. It can be interpreted only with the related verb form, irrespective of its position in the sentence, e.g. meg tudták volna nézni (“they could have seen it”, from megnéz). For verbs with this prefix, see be-; for an overview, Appendix:Hungarian verbal prefixes.

Derived terms

Compound words

Related terms

Further reading

  • (adverb: “in”): be in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
  • (interjection-like adverb: “how…!”; a dated, poetic synonym of de): be in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
  • be in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2024)

Anagrams

Iau

Noun

be

  1. fire

Further reading

Bill Palmer, The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area (→ISBN, 2017), page 531, table 95, Comparative basic vocabulary in Lakes Plain Languages

Ido

Pronunciation

Noun

be (plural be-i)

  1. The name of the Latin script letter B/b.

See also

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch bee.

Pronunciation

Noun

bé

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B/b.

Synonyms

  • bi (Standard Malay)

See also

Further reading

Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): **/ˈbe/*
  • Rhymes: -e
  • Hyphenation: bé

Noun

be f (invariable)

  1. (regional, obsolete) Alternative form of bi

References

  1. ^ be in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Further reading

  • be in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Japanese

Romanization

be

  1. Rōmaji transcription of べ (hiragana)
  2. Rōmaji transcription of ベ (katakana)

Karajá

Noun

be

  1. water

References

  • David Lee Fortune, Gramática Karajá: um Estudo Preliminar em Forma Transformacional

Latin

Pronunciation

Noun

bē f (indeclinable)

  1. The name of the letter B.

Coordinate terms

References

  • Arthur E. Gordon, The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet (University of California Press, 1973; volume 9 of University of California Publications: Classical Studies), part III: “Summary of the Ancient Evidence”, page 32: "Clearly there is no question or doubt about the names of the vowels A, E, I, O, U. They are simply long A, long E, etc. (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Nor is there any uncertainty with respect to the six mutes B, C, D, G, P, T. Their names are bē, cē, dē, gē, pē, tē (each with a long E). Or about H, K, and Q: they are hā, kā, kū—each, again, with a long vowel sound."

Lithuanian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *beź, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰe (instrumental particle) + *-ǵʰs (“out”). Cognate with Proto-Slavic *bez(ъ) (“without”); see there for more cognates.

Pronunciation

Preposition

be (with genitive)

  1. (shows absence of something) without
  2. besides; but, except

Antonyms

References

  1. ^ Derksen, Rick (2015) “be”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 84

Malagasy

Adjective

be

  1. big; great
    Antonym: kely
  2. many; numerous

Mandarin

Romanization

be

  1. Nonstandard spelling of bē.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of bê̄.

Usage notes

  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English bēon.

Verb

be

  1. Alternative form of been

Etymology 2

From Old English bēo.

Noun

be

  1. Alternative form of bee

Etymology 3

From Old English bēo, bēom, first-person singular of bēon, from Proto-Germanic *biumi, first-person singular of *beuną.

Verb

be

  1. first-person singular present indicative of been
Usage notes
  • Less common than am.

Etymology 4

From Old English bēo, singular subjunctive of bēon.

Verb

be

  1. singular present subjunctive of been
Descendants
  • English: be
  • Scots: be

Etymology 5

From Old English bēo, 2nd-person singular imperative of bēon, from Proto-Germanic *beu, 2nd-person singular imperative of *beuną.

Verb

be

  1. singular imperative of been
Descendants
  • English: be
  • Scots: be

Etymology 6

Old English bēoþ (with the -þ replaced with an -n levelled in from the past and subjunctive, then lost), present plural of bēon (“to be”), from Proto-Germanic *biunþi, third-person present plural of *beuną (“to be, become”).

Alternative forms

Verb

be

  1. plural present of been
Usage notes

The usual plural form of been is aren in the North, been in the Midlands, and beth in the South; sind also existed, especially early on, but was not the predominant form in any area.

Descendants
  • English: be (obsolete or dialectal as the plural)
  • Scots: be

Mòcheno

Etymology

From Middle High German wec, from Old High German weg, from Proto-West Germanic *weg, from Proto-Germanic *wegaz (“way, path”). Cognate with German Weg, English way.

Noun

be m

  1. path, way

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse biðja.

Verb

be (imperative be, present tense ber, passive bes, simple past ba or bad, past participle bedt, present participle beende)

  1. to pray
  2. to ask something of someone

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

References

  • “be” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
  • “be” in The Ordnett Dictionary

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Norse biðja. Akin to English bid.

Pronunciation

Verb

be (present tense ber, past tense bad, supine bede or bedd or bedt, past participle beden or bedd, present participle bedande, imperative be)

  1. to pray
  2. to ask something of someone

Derived terms

Related terms

References

  • “be” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
  • “be” in The Ordnett Dictionary

Occitan

Pronunciation

  • Audio (Gascon)(file)

Noun

be f (plural bes)

  1. bee (the letter b)

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *bi.

Pronunciation

Preposition

be

  1. about (concerning)
  2. by, in various senses:
    1. near or next to
    2. not later than
    3. based on, according to
  3. for, in the account of
    • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Passion of St.Alban, Martyr"
      Eall swa þa unriht-wisan deman þe heora domas awendað, æfre be þam sceattum na be soðfæstnysse and habbað æfre to cepe heora soðfæstnysse, and swa hi sylfe syllað wið sceattum...
      So likewise those unrighteous judges who pervert their judgments, always for gain, and not for justice, and always offer their justice for sale, and thus sell themselves for the sake of money,...

See also

Old Irish

Alternative forms

  • (2nd sg. pres. subj.): ba

Verb

be

  1. second-person singular present subjunctive of is
  2. first/second-person singular future of is

Phalura

Etymology

From Sanskrit वयम् (vayam, “we”).

Pronunciation

Pronoun

be (personal, Perso-Arabic spelling بےۡ)

  1. we (1pl nom)

References

  • Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
  • Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “be”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press

Polish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From the phonetic pronunciation of the letter B/b.

Noun

be n (indeclinable)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

Adjective

be (comparative bardziej be, superlative najbardziej be, indeclinable, derived adverb be)

  1. (childish) icky, yucky
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:zły

Adverb

be (comparative bardziej be, superlative najbardziej be)

  1. (childish) icky, yucky

Interjection

be

  1. (colloquial) used with children to tell them not to touch something, bad! no touchy!
  2. (onomatopoeia) used to imitate the sound of a sheep or ram, baa
    Synonym: me
Derived terms
adjective
interjection
nouns
verbs

Further reading

  • be in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • be in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

be

  1. baa (sound made by sheep or goats)

Savi

Etymology

From Sanskrit वयम् (vayam).

Pronoun

be

  1. we; first-person plural personal pronoun

References

  • Nina Knobloch (2020) A grammar sketch of Sauji: An Indo-Aryan language of Afghanistan‎, Stockholm University

Scots

Etymology 1

From Middle English been, from Old English bēon. The various forms have different further etymologies:

Cognates include English be.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Verb

be

  1. to be
Conjugation
    Conjugation of be (highly irregular, suppletive)
infinitive tae be
present participle bein
past participle been
person singular plural
A thoo1 he/she/it we ye they
regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative
present am amna art artna is isna are arena are arena are arena
past wis wis, wir2
1Archaic.
2Used only with plural pronouns.
    Northern Scots conjugation of be (highly irregular, suppletive)
infinitive tae be
present participle bein
past participle been
person singular plural
A ee hei/shi/it oo yow yins they
regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative regular emphatic negative
present im em, um imni ir er, ur irni is es isni ir er, ur irni is es isni ir er, ur irni
past wuz wuz, wur wuz wur

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

Conjunction

be

  1. Alternative form of by

References

  1. ^ “be, v..” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
  2. ^ “by, prep., adv., conj..” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

Serili

Noun

be

  1. water

References

  • Roger Blench, The Enggano (in notes)
  • ABVD (as 'bɛ)
  • ASJP (as bE, representing bɛ)

Slovene

Etymology

Probably from the German name of the letter B (pronounced ).

Pronunciation

Noun

bẹ̑ m inan

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

Inflection

 The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.
Masculine inan., soft o-stem
nom. sing. bé
gen. sing. bêja
singular dual plural
nominative
(imenovȃlnik) 		bé bêja bêji
genitive
(rodȋlnik) 		bêja bêjev bêjev
dative
(dajȃlnik) 		bêju bêjema bêjem
accusative
(tožȋlnik) 		bé bêja bêje
locative
(mẹ̑stnik) 		bêju bêjih bêjih
instrumental
(orọ̑dnik) 		bêjem bêjema bêji

Synonyms

Sotho

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.

Adjective

be

  1. bad

Spanish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

be f (plural bes)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.
    Synonyms: be larga, be alta, be grande, be de burro
    Coordinate terms: uve, ve corta, ve baja, ve chica, ve de vaca
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Echoic.

Noun

be m (plural bes)

  1. baa (bleating of a sheep)

Further reading

Sumerian

Romanization

be

  1. Romanization of 𒁁 (be)

Swedish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From older bedja, from Old Swedish biþia, from Old Norse biðja, from Proto-Germanic *bidjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰedʰ-. Cognate with Danish bede, Icelandic biðja, English bid, Dutch bidden, German bitten.

Pronunciation

Verb

be (present ber, preterite bad, supine bett, imperative be)

  1. to ask for, request someone else to do something
    Han bad om ett glas vatten ― He asked for a glass of water
    Jag vill be om en tjänst ― I want to ask you a favor
    Han bad honom lämna rummet ― He asked him to leave the room
  2. to pray
    De satt i kyrkan och bad ― They sat in church, praying
  3. to beg, to plead with someone for help or for a favor
    Hjälp mig! Jag ber dig! ― Help me! I beg of you!

Conjugation

Conjugation of be (class 5 strong)
Active Passive
Infinitive be bes
Supine bett betts
Imperative be —
Imper. plural1 ben —
Present Past Present Past
Indicative ber bad bes bads
Ind. plural1 be bådo bes bådos
Subjunctive2 be både bes bådes
Participles
Present participle bedjande, beende
Past participle bedd
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.
Conjugation of bedja (class 5 strong, dated)
Active Passive
Infinitive bedja bedjas
Supine bett betts
Imperative bed —
Imper. plural1 beden —
Present Past Present Past
Indicative beder bad beds, bedes, bedjes bads
Ind. plural1 bedja bådo bedjas bådos
Subjunctive2 bede både bedes bådes
Participles
Present participle bedjande
Past participle bedd
1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Synonyms

Related terms

See also

References

Tagalog

Etymology

From Spanish be, the Spanish name of the letter B/b. Ultimately from Latin bē. Doublet of bi.

Pronunciation

Noun

be (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜒ) (historical)

  1. the name of the Latin-script letter B, in the Abecedario.
    Synonyms: (in the Filipino alphabet) bi, (in the Abakada alphabet) ba

Further reading

  • “be”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Tarao

Alternative forms

Noun

be

  1. bean, beans

References

  • Chungkham Yashwanta Singh (2002) Tarao Grammar (in Tarao)

Turkish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

be

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

See also

Etymology 2

Noun

be

  1. Letter of the Arabic alphabet: ب

Etymology 3

From Ottoman Turkish به (be).

Interjection

be

  1. (very informal) hey there, hey! you! (implying disapproval of the addressee’s actions)
  2. strengthening of the preceding sentence
    Bu yük çok ağır be! ― My, this load is very heavy

References

Tzotzil

Pronunciation

  • (Zinacantán) IPA(key): /ɓɛ/

Noun

be

  1. road, path, way

References

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

be

  1. wine flask
    Rượu ngon chẳng quản be sành.
    Good wine does not mind a terracotta flask.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French beige.

Adjective

be

  1. beige
    chiếc áo mưa màu be — a beige raincoat

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

be

  1. To build a mud embankment with one's hands.
  2. To prop up the lip of a sack while topping off the sack, to ensure a more generous quantity.
    lấy tay be miệng đấu khi đong đỗ — to surround the top of a measure with one's hands while measuring beans
    Đong bình thường, không được be đâu đấy. — Measure it out normally; don't prop up the lip of the sack.

Etymology 4

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

be

  1. To hug a boundary or riverbank.
    Thuyền be theo bờ sông.
    The boat hugged the riverbank.

Etymology 5

Onomatopoeic

Interjection

be • (𠻻, 𠾦)

  1. (onomatopoeia) bleat; baa
Related terms

References

"be" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)

West Makian

Pronunciation

Noun

be

  1. water

References

  • Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎, Pacific linguistics

Yola

Etymology 1

Verb

be

  1. Alternative form of ba (“to be”)
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 53:
      Leth it be.
      Let it be.
    • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 84:
      Well, gosp, c'hull be zeid; mot thee fartoo, an fade;
      Well, gossip, it shall be told; you ask what ails me, and for what;
    • 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 100:
      At ye mye ne'er be wooveless ta vill a lear jock an cooan.
      That you may never be unprovided to fill an empty jack and can.
    • 1867, “ABOUT AN OLD SOW GOING TO BE KILLED”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 2, page 106:
      Na speen to be multh, nar flaase to be shaure.
      no teat to be milked, nor fleece to be shorn.
    • 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 116, lines 14-15:
      till ee zin o'oure daies be var aye be ee-go t'glade.
      until the sun of our lives be gone down the dark valley (of death).
  2. Alternative form of ba (“is”)
    • 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 114, lines 23-24:
      proo'th, y'at wee alane needeth ye giftes o'generale rights, az be displayte bie ee factes o'thie goveremente.
      proves that we alone stood in need of the enjoyment of common privileges, as is demonstrated by the results of your government.
    • 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 116, lines 1-2:
      Ye state na dicke daie o'ye londe, na whilke be nar fash nar moile, albiet 'constitutional agitation,'
      The condition, this day, of the country, in which is neither tumult nor disorder, but that constitutional agitation,
  3. Alternative form of ba (“are”)
    • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 14, page 90:
      Shoo ya aam zim to doone, as w' be doone nowe;
      She gave them some to do, as we are doing now;
    • 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1, page 94:
      Ye be welcome, hearthilee welcome, mee joees,
      You are welcome, heartily welcome, my joys,
    • 1867, “THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1, page 94:
      Ye be welcome, hearthillee, ivery oan.
      You are heartily welcome, every one.
    • 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 114, lines 11-12:
      unnere fose fatherlie zwae oure daiez be ee-spant,
      under whose paternal rule our days are spent;
    • 1867, CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 116, lines 9-10:
      Wi Irishmen owre generale hopes be ee-bond——
      With Irishmen our common hopes are inseparably bound up——
  4. Alternative form of ba (“been”)
    • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3, page 84:
      Yith Muzleare had ba hole, t'was mee Tommeen,
      If Good-for-little had been buried, it had been my Tommy,

Etymology 2

Preposition

be

  1. Alternative form of bee (“by”)
    • 1867, “A YOLA ZONG”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 13, page 90:
      Ha-ho! be mee coshes, th'ast ee-pait it, co Joane;
      Hey-ho! by my conscience, you have paid it, quoth John;
    • 1867, “CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 102:
      FOR LOSS O' HIS CUCK AT WAS EE-TOOK BE A VOX.
      FOR LOSS OF HIS COCK THAT WAS TAKEN BY A FOX.

References

  • Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867

Zia

Noun

be

  1. mouth

Zou

Pronunciation

Noun

bè

  1. bean

References

  • Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 40

Zulu

Etymology

From -ba (“to be”).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ɓe/

Verb

-be

  1. (auxiliary) forms continuous tenses
    Ngesonto elilandelayo ngizobe ngisebenza kakhulu.
    Next week I will be working a lot.

Usage notes

In past tenses, this auxiliary is usually contracted.

Ngibe ngihamba → Bengihamba "I was walking." (recent past)

Ngabe ngihamba → Ngangihamba "I was walking." (remote past)

Inflection

This entry needs an inflection-table template.

References

C. M. Doke, B. W. Vilakazi (1972) “-ɓe”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “-ɓe”

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia