Bosworth Toller's

Anglo-Saxon

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bétan

  • verb [ weak ]
Dictionary links
Grammar
bétan, ic béte; p. bétte; pp. béted; v. 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
Show examples

  • Böt füer make the fire. So in Frs. fiúr boetsje struere focum.] 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
DER. gebétan, gebétung, unbéted.
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.

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Full form

Word-wheel

  • bétan, v.

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