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bemean. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
bemean, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
bemean in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
bemean you have here. The definition of the word
bemean will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
bemean, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English bemenen, equivalent to be- + mean (“to signify”). Compare Middle High German bemeinen (“to mean”).
Verb
bemean (third-person singular simple present bemeans, present participle bemeaning, simple past and past participle bemeant)
- (transitive, obsolete) To mean; signify; inform.
Etymology 2
From be- + mean (“base, lowly”), from Middle English mene, aphetic variation of Middle English imene (“average, lowly, mean”), from Old English ġemǣne (“mean, common, average”). More at mean.
Verb
bemean (third-person singular simple present bemeans, present participle bemeaning, simple past and past participle bemeaned)
- To make mean or base, demean.
1973, Alfred Bertram Guthrie, Wild Pitch (Fiction), G. K. Hall, →ISBN, page 85:I fished carefully, used wet flies and dry, all that I had in my book, and even bemeaned myself by baiting a plain hook with a grasshopper.
Usage notes
- Usually used reflexively, as in "to bemean oneself".
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