"B" Word Origins

became

Old English

Past tense of become, from Old English becuman 'to come to, arrive, happen', from be- plus cuman 'to come'.

becare

Origin

From Middle English bicaren. Equivalent to be- + care.

because

French

From Middle English bi cause, literally "by cause" — a fusion of "by" and "cause" modeled on the French phrase par cause. Over time the two words merged into the single conjunction we use today.

becharm

Origin

From Middle English becharmen, bicharmen, equivalent to be- (“on, upon”) + charm.

bechat

Origin

From be- (“over, about, concerning”) + chat.

beck

Old English

The stream sense comes from Old English bæc/bece, related to Old Norse bekkr, "a stream" — still common in place names across Northern England. The "beck and call" sense comes from a separate old word meaning a summoning gesture or nod, related to "beckon."

Becker

Old English

As a German surname, from Becker, related to Beck ("baker"); as an English surname, from Old Norse bekkr ("brook") or Old English becca ("mattock").

becket

Dutch

Possibly related to Dutch bek and English beak, from the idea of a small hook-like loop.

Beckham

Old English

From Old English personal name Becca + hām (“homestead”).

Beckman

German

From German Beckmann.

beckon

Old English

From Old English bēacnian, "to signal," related to "beacon" — both come from a Germanic root meaning "sign" or "signal."

Becks

Origin

Formed with -s (hypocoristic suffix).

Beckwith

Old English

From Old English bēċe ("beech") + Old Norse viðr (“wood”) 'Beechwood'

Becky

Origin · 2010

From the common given name Becky (short for Rebecca), which became a stock stereotype name in African American Vernacular English and internet slang during the 2010s.

beclap

Origin

From Middle English biclappen (“to grasp, insnare, catch, to trap suddenly, to grab suddenly”). By surface analysis, be- + clap.

beclart

Origin

From Middle English biclarten, equivalent to be- + clart. Cognate with Scots beclairt (“to soil, splash or cover with filth”).

beclip

Origin

From Middle English beclippen, from Old English beclyppan (“to clip, clasp, embrace, enfold”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”) + *klumpijaną (“to hold, clench”), from Proto-Indo-European *glemb-, *glembʰ- (“to hold, clench”), equivalent to be- + clip. Compare also Middle English umbeclippen (“to embrace”). See also umbeclip.

beclothe

Origin

From be- + clothe, perhaps continuing Middle English *beclothen, *beclathen, *beclethen (suggested by Middle English bycladde (“dressed, clad”)), from Old English *beclǣþan, *beclāþian (“to put on clothing, clothe about”), from Proto-West Germanic *biklaiþijan, *biklaiþōn (“to clothe about”). Compare Saterland Frisian bekloodje (“to beclothe”), West Frisian beklaaie (“to beclothe”), Dutch bekleden (“to beclothe”), German Low German bekleden (“to beclothe”), German bekleiden (“to beclothe”), Danish beklæde (“to beclothe”), Swedish bekläda (“to beclothe”).

become

Old English

From Old English becuman, "to happen, arrive, come to be," built from "be-" (around) and "come." The sense of "suit, look good on" developed separately, influenced by a similar-sounding Middle English word meaning "to please."

becoming

Origin

From the verb "become" in its older sense of "to suit or befit."

becquerel

Origin

Borrowed from French becquerel. Named after the French physicist Henri Becquerel.

becry

Origin

From Middle English becrien, equivalent to be- (“about, at, over, upon”) + cry.

becurtain

Origin

From be- + curtain.

becut

Origin

From Middle English bekutten (found in compound for-bekutte (“mutilated”)), equivalent to be- + cut.

bed

Old English

From Old English bedd, "resting place, plot of ground," from an ancient Germanic root possibly connected to a much older word meaning "to dig" — which would also explain the "garden plot" sense.

bedaft

Origin

From bedaff (“to befool, make a fool of”) + -t (past tense ending).

bedaub

Origin

From be- (“thoroughly, extensively”) + daub, from Old French dauber (“to plaster, whitewash”), from Latin dealbō (“whiten over, plaster”).

bedaze

Origin

From Middle English *bedasen (found in past participle bedased, bedasyd (“dazed, dizzy”)), equivalent to be- + daze.

bedboard

Origin

From bed + board.

bedchamber

Middle English

A compound of "bed" and "chamber" (an older word for "room"), dating back to Middle English.

bedclothes

Origin

From Middle English bedclothys, plural of Middle English bedcloth, bedclothe, bedde clothe (“bed-cloth, bedding”), from Old English bedclāþ, beddclāþ (“coverlet, blanket, bedding, bedclothes”), equivalent to bed + clothes.

bedcover

Origin

From bed + cover.

bedded

Origin

The past participle/adjective form of the verb "bed," in its senses of furnishing with beds or setting into a layer.

bedding

Old English

From Old English bedding, built from "bed" plus the "-ing" ending, meaning roughly "things belonging to a bed."

bedear

Origin

From be- + dear.

bedeck

Origin

From be- + deck. Compare West Frisian bedekke (“to cover”), Dutch bedekken (“to cover, coat, overlay”), German bedecken (“to cover, top, overlay”), Swedish betäcka (“to cover, shelter”). Doublet of bethatch.

bedew

Origin

From Middle English bidewen, bideawen; equivalent to be- + dew. Cognate with Dutch bedauwen (“to bedew”), German betauen (“to bedew”).

Bedford

Middle English

From Middle English Bedforde, Bedeford, from Old English Bedaford, Bedanford, equivalent to Bede's + ford. The civil parish is named after John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (1710 - 1771). Coined by British-Dutch surveyor Samuel Holland.

bedhead

Origin

From bed + head. Superficially similar to, but etymologically distinguishable from, forms built from -head.

bedight

Origin

From Middle English bedighten, bidihten; equivalent to be- + dight.

bedirty

Origin

From be- + dirty.

bedizen

Origin

PIE word *h₁epi From be- (intensifying prefix) + dizen (“to attire, dress, especially showily”). Dizen is derived from dialectal dize (“to put (tow) on a distaff”), probably from Middle English *disen, from Old English *disan, *disian, from *dise, *disen (“bunch of flax on a distaff”), from Proto-Germanic *disanō (“distaff”); further etymology unknown.

bedlam

Origin

From "Bedlam," a nickname for Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, once a notorious psychiatric hospital — the word came to mean any scene of madness and chaos.

Bedouin

Old French

From Old French beduin, ultimately from Arabic badawiyy, meaning a desert-dweller, from badw meaning "desert" or "nomads."

bedpan

Origin

From "bed" plus "pan," describing what it is used for.

bedpost

Origin

From "bed" plus "post."

bedrench

Origin

From Middle English bidrenchen (attested in past participle bidrenkt, bidreint), equivalent to be- (“all over; completely”) + drench.

bedridden

Old English

From Old English bedreda, literally "one who rides in bed" — combining "bed" with an old word related to "rider."