beg - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Abbreviation of English Belait/Lemeting.

beg

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Belait.

Inherited from Middle English beggen, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old English *becgian, *bedcian, syncopated forms of bedecian (“to beg”), itself of obscure origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *bedukōn, a frequentative verb derived from Proto-West Germanic *bedu (“plea, petition, prayer”, whence English bead). Alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *bedagō (“petitioner, requester, beggar”), an agent noun from the same source. Compare North Frisian bēdagi (“to pray”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍅𐌰 (bidagwa, “beggar”). All ultimately from the root of English bid, which see for more. An alternative theory considers the verb a backformation from beggar and derives the latter from Old French begart (“kind of lay brother”).

beg (third-person singular simple present begs, present participle begging, simple past and past participle begged)

  1. (intransitive) To request the help of someone, often in the form of money.
    He begged on the street corner from passers-by.
  2. (transitive) To plead with someone for help, a favor, etc.; to entreat.
    Synonym: supplicate
    I beg your pardon. I didn’t mean to cause offence.
    He begged her to go to the prom with him.
  3. (transitive) To unwillingly provoke a negative, often violent, reaction.
    The way you keep eating raw meat, you're just begging to get tapeworms.
  4. (transitive or intransitive) To obviously lack or be in need of something.
    A captivating novel that just begs for a movie adaptation
    • 1985 April 13, Philip Brasfield, “Echoes Inside of What's Outside”, in Gay Community News, page 4:
      The colors in this cell are as dull as its architects must have been. An endless expanse of drab-green textured walls, contrasting with the gray concrete floor. It begs redecoration.
  5. (transitive) In the phrase beg the question: to assume.
  6. (transitive, proscribed) In the phrase beg the question: to raise (a question).
    Antonym: set aside
  7. (transitive, law, obsolete) To ask to be appointed guardian for, or to ask to have a guardian appointed for.
    • a. 1612, John Harington, Epigrams:
      Else some will beg thee, in the court of wards.

This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

to request the help of someone, often in the form of money

to plead with someone for help

beg (plural begs)

  1. The act of begging; an imploring request.
    • 2008, Cathy Gohlke, William Henry is a Fine Name/I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires Set:
      “Lord,” I prayed, “it's a long time since I came to You for anything besides a quick beg for help. And it seems every time I come to You I'm asking something bigger, more impossible. But I'm here again. […]
  2. (UK, slang, derogatory) A pretentious, attention-seeking, or eccentric individual.
    • 2026 April 13, Catherine Carr, "The surprising reality of how teenage girls still define themselves" [1] (BBC News)
      Girls told me about not wanting to be seen by boys as "too much", "too loud", "weird", "annoying", a "pick me", or "a beg" (someone looking for attention). They told me how boys can be loud and funny, but that girls had better not.

From Proto-Turkic *bēg.

beg (plural begs)

  1. (history) Alternative form of bey.
    Yaqub Beg (c. 1820 – 1877)

title — see also bey

beg

  1. (knitting) Abbreviation of beginning.
    • 2005, DRG Dynamic Resource, Big Book of Knit Hats & Scarves for Everyone, House of White Birches, page 34:
      Knit with MC until work measures 3 inches from beg.

beg (plural begj or beglerë, definite begu)

  1. alternative form of bej

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بك (beg).

beg m (plural begs, no diminutive)

  1. (historical) alternative form of bei

Borrowed from English bag.

beg

  1. bag

Borrowed from English bag.

beg (Jawi spelling بيݢ, plural **beg-beg or **beg2)

  1. A bag.
    Beg sekolah saya berat.
    My school bag is heavy.

Inherited from Old Irish bec[1] from Proto-Celtic *biggos (“small”). Cognate with Irish beag, Scottish Gaelic beag and also Breton bihan, Welsh bach, bychan and Cornish byghan.

beg (plural beggey, comparative sloo)

  1. small, little
    Synonyms: fardalagh (“insignificant”), goan (“scarce”), myn (“fine”), giare (“short, brief”), keyl (“slender”)
    Ta quallian beg noa ec ny naboonyn.
    The neighbours have a small new puppy.
    Cha ren mee faikin ee agh son tammylt beg.
    I only saw her for a little bit.

Mutation of beg

radical lenition eclipsis
beg veg meg

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Manx.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

  1. ^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “bec”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *běgъ.

bȇg m anim (Cyrillic spelling бе̑г) (Ekavian)

  1. escape

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بك (bey).

bȇg m anim (Cyrillic spelling бе̑г)

  1. (historical) bey

From Proto-Slavic *běgъ.

bẹ̑g m inan

  1. run
  2. getaway
  3. escape
  4. withdrawal
  5. (phrase) flight
    Planiti v beg ― To take flight
Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nom. sing. bég
gen. sing. béga
singular dual plural
nominative(imenovȃlnik) bég béga bégi
genitive(rodȋlnik) béga bégov bégov
dative(dajȃlnik) bégu bégoma bégom
accusative(tožȋlnik) bég béga bége
locative(mẹ̑stnik) bégu bégih bégih
instrumental(orọ̑dnik) bégom bégoma bégi

From Turkish bey. First attested in the 19th century.

bẹ̑g m anim

  1. bey (Turkish governor)
Masculine anim., hard o-stem
nom. sing. bég
gen. sing. béga
singular dual plural
nominative(imenovȃlnik) bég béga bégi
genitive(rodȋlnik) béga bégov bégov
dative(dajȃlnik) bégu bégoma bégom
accusative(tožȋlnik) béga béga bége
locative(mẹ̑stnik) bégu bégih bégih
instrumental(orọ̑dnik) bégom bégoma bégi
Other scripts
Latin beg‍
Cyrillic бег‍
Arabic بگ

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *bēg. Doublet of biý (“sage”).

beg (definite accusative begi, plural begler)

  1. (historical) bey, bek (a noble or military title)
    • 18th century, Makhdumquli Firaghi, “Şalar galmazlar [Kings will not endure]”, in Magtymguly Pyragynyň Diwany [The Diwan of Makhdumquli Firaghi]‎[3], volume 1, pages 121–122, lines 1–4:
      غم چکمه غریب آدم
      شاه‌لار بک‌لار قالمزلار
      عظیم‌عظیم شهرلار
      آق اوتاغلار قالمزلار
      Gam çekme, garyp adam,
      Şalar-begler galmazlar.
      Azym-azym şäherler,
      Ak otaglar galmazlar.
      Do not grieve, poor man,
      The kings and nobles will not endure.
      The most magnificent of cities,
      The white palaces will not endure.
  2. (archaic) hero, paladin

Borrowed from English beg.

beg (genitive bega, plural begs)

  1. request, an action of begging

From Chinese 白 (MC baek).

beg (Sawndip form 白, 1957–1982 spelling **beg)

  1. (bound) white

beg (Sawndip form 白, 1957–1982 spelling **beg)

  1. in vain; for nothing
  2. for free; free of charge