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Anglo-Saxon

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be-gán

  • verb
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Dele passage Deut. 21, 20, and add:
of movement,
trans,
to go round a place
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  • Lǽssan ymbgang hæfð se mann þe gǽð ábútan án hús þonne sé ðe ealle ðá burh begǽð,

      Lch. iii. 248, 12.

  • Iosue beeóde ðá burh seofon síðum,

      Hml. Th. ii. 214, 34.

  • Ðeáh þá unriht-wísan ús úton begán on ǽlce healfe

    in circuitu impii ambulant,

      Ps. Th. 11, 9.
to reach by going, come upon, get at
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  • Hæfde se cyng hí fore begán mid ealre fyrde,

    • Chr. 1009
      • ;
    • P. 139, 19.
to go or pass by
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  • Hí bieódon

    (praetergrediebantur)

      Galileam, Mk. L. R. 9, 30.
intrans.
to go, come, get
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  • On beóde

    offendisset, i. inueniret,

      An. Ox. 3800.

  • Beeóde heó intó ðám scræfe.

      Hml. Th. ii. 188, 16.
to pass by
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  • Ðe Hǽlend bieóde (trausiret),

      Mt. L. 20, 30.
figurative, trans.
To come by, get at
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  • Hú þæt gewrit begǽn wæs

    how they got at the manuscript,

      Guth. 48, 20.
intrans.
to come, fall to one's lot
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  • Swá oft swá him tó begǽð.

      Ll. Th. i. 434, 14.
to fall, get into debt, &c.
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  • ÐÚ eart on borg begán ðínum friénd

    incidisti in manus proximi tui,

      Past. 193, 18.
of position,
to surround
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  • Deáþes geómerunga mé beeódon (circumdederunt), and helle sárnyssa mé beeódon,

      Hml. Th. ii. 86, 16.
to confine
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  • Hé hine sylfne beeóde swá him þearf wæs bútan racenteáge in swá mycclum landsticce ungebunden swá hé ǽr gebunden on wunode

    in tanto se spatio sine catena coercuit, in quanto et antea ligatus mansit,

      Gr. D. 214, 15.
to occupy
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  • Beóde

    incoluit, i. habitavit,

      An. Ox. 845.
of action,
to go about a business,
to attend to
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  • Wé sceolon on ðissum dagum begán úre gebedu,

      Hml. Th. i. 246, 27.

  • Ðá ðing tó begánne and tó bewitanne ðe tó scipene belimpað,

      Angl. ix. 260, 3.
to cultivate (lit. and fig.)
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  • Hié wel begáð hira plantan and hiera impan,

      Past. 381, 16.

  • Hé his folces ðeáwas beeóde, swilce hé on wín-geardes biggencge swnnce,

      Hml. Th. ii. 74, 26.

  • Begá

    exerce (agrum tuum),

      Kent. Gl. 940.

  • On begánum stówum.

      Lch. i. 142, 7.
to worship
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  • Hwylcne god begǽst þú?,

      Nar. 41, 9.

  • Begǽþ

    colit, i. venerat,

      Wrt. Voc. ii. 134, 71.

  • ꝥ hié beeódan ánne God,

      Bl. H. 185, 30.

  • ꝥ hí beeóde dumbe deófolgeld,

      Nar. 39, 18.
to honour, venerate a place :--
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  • Hí þá stówe weorþodan and beeódan.

      Bl. H. 205, 7.

  • Hiora hálignesse þe hí ǽr beeódan.

    • Bd. 2, 13
      • ;
    • Sch. 167, 17.
to exercise, practise an art, mode of life, &c.
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  • Hú begǽst þú (hunta) cræft þínne

    quomodo exerces artem tuam ?,

      Coll. M. 21, II: 19, II.

  • Beóde

    exercuit (anachoreseos vitam),

      An. Ox. 3639.

  • Se man þe begá wicce-cræft,

      Lev. 20, 27.
to practise a religion, follow the dictates of
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  • Hé deófolgield georne beeóde

    nixus praecipuo cultu idolorum,

    • Ors. 6, 31
      • ;
    • S. 294, 15: Hml. S. 28, 6.

  • Seó ǽfsestnes þe wébeeódon (beódan,v.l.)

    religio quam tenuimus,

    • Bd. 2, 13
      • ;
    • Sch. 164, 18.

  • Hió swíþe gemetlíce þá gecynd beeódan

    (followed the dictates of nature),

    • Bt. 15
      • ;
    • F. 48, 8.

  • Godes word mid weorcum begán.

      Hml. Th. ii. 554, 16.

  • Crístendóm tó begánne.

    • Ors. 6, 31
      • ;
    • S. 286, 8.
to practise, carry on, do (habitually)
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  • Þá unþeáwas þe seó þeód beeóde,

    • Chr. 1067
      • ;
    • P. 201, 30: Bl. H. 113, 2.

  • Þá hálgan weras þe góde weorc beeódon,

      Ælfc. T. Grn. l, 9.

  • Hí Godes ðeówdðm beeódan,

    • Chr. 995
      • ;
    • P. 129, 34.

  • Hym álýfed ne byð ꝥ hé on ceápstówe ǽnige cýpinge begá

    (merca-turam ullam exercere),

      Ll. Th. ii. 174, 19.

  • Godes lof begán,

      Bl. H. 43, 5.

  • Þá gódan weorc þe wé for úre sáule hǽle begán sceoldan,

      109, 5.

  • ꝥ weorc begán þe wé ongunnen habbað,

      Angl. viii. 303, 19.
to devote one's self to a practice :--
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  • He begǽð unǽtas and oferdrincas and gálscipe

    commessationibus vacat et luxuriae atque conviviis,

      Deut. 21, 20.
to exercise a person; reflex. to behave
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  • Se man þe hine swá begǽþ swá hit hér on segð,

      Lch. ii. 288, 25.

  • Hira nán ðe hine unwærlíce begá,

      Past. 23, 14.
to exercise in something :--
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  • Hé hine sylfne on gódum weorcum beeóde,

    • Bd. 3, 27
      • ;
    • Sch. 320, 6.

  • Hé hine beeóde on gódre lífláde,

      Hml. S. 33, 328.

  • Begá (exerce) þé sylfne on þisum.

      Coll. M. 31, 37.
to exercise, use, employ
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  • Ðá ðe ðone anwald begáð,

      Past. 121, 4.

  • Sé þe þone lǽcedóm begá,

      Lch. ii. 296, 3.
to profess, pretend [cf. (?) O. Sax. quiðit that hé Kríst sí, begihit ina so grótes]
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  • Manna geþóhtas nǽnig mon ne wát, Petrus begǽþ ꝥ hé hit wite

    men's thoughts no man knows. Peter professes to have this knowledge,

      Bl. H. 181, 12.
Etymology
[
O. H. Ger. pi-gán.
]
Similar entries
v. mis-, un-begán; be-gangan, and bi-gán in Dict.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “be-gán.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/39755.

Checked: 1
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  • be-gán, v.

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