Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

Dictionary online

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bétan

  • verb [ weak ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
bétan, ic béte; p. bétte; pp. béted; trans. [Goth. ó = A. Sax. ó, é, thus Goth. bótyan = bótan = A.Sax. bétan]
Wright's OE grammar
§129; §531;
to make better, to improve, amend, repair, restore; emendare, reparare, reficere, mederi, expiare
Show examples

  • Ðæt he bétte

    that he should improve,

    • Bd. 5, 13
      • ;
    • S. 632, 11
      • :
    • Ex. 21, 22.

  • Hú ðú meaht ðíne æceras bétan

    how thou mayest improve thy fields,

    • Lchdm. i. 398, 1.
joined with fýr to mend or repair a fire, to light, or make a fire, to kindle; focum reparare; [In this sense böten is used in Low German at the present day Böt füer make the fire. So in Frs. fiúr boetsje struere focum.]
Show examples

  • Ðá hét he bétan micel fýr

    then he ordered a great fire to be lighted,

    • Ors. 6, 32
      • ;
    • Bos. 129, 10.
to remedy, compensate, make amends; compensare
Show examples

  • Ic hit béte

    I will remedy it,

    • Deut. 1, 17.
Etymology
[
Chauc. bete:
Piers bete:
R. Glouc. bete:
Laym. beten, bæten:
Orm. betenn:
O. Sax. bótean:
Plat. betern to repair; böten to mend the fire:
Dut. baten to profit; beteren to amend:
O. Frs. beta, beteria to repair:
Ger. bessern to repair:
Goth. bótyan:
Dan. böde:
Swed. böta:
Icel. bæta; bet better.
]
Derived forms
gebétan, gebétung, unbéted
Linked entries
v.  bétte.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “bétan.” 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/4034.

Checked: 1
Full form

Word-wheel

  • bétan, v.

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