bedelstaf

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Dutch

Etymology

Compound of bedelen +‎ staf.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbeː.dəlˌstɑf/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: be‧del‧staf

Noun

bedelstaf m (plural bedelstaven)

  1. (dated) a beggar's cane
    • 1940, Leonhard Huizinga, Olivier en Adriaan, published 1971, page 58:
      Ik volgde zijn voorbeeld en zwijgend wandelden wij geruime tijd voort, zwaar steunend op onze bedelstaven.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  2. (figurative) destitution, deep poverty

Derived terms