Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Be

Be

(bē)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp.
Was
(wŏz)
;
p. p.
Been
(bĭn)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Being
.]
[OE.
been
,
beon
, AS.
beón
to be,
beóm
I am; akin to OHG.
bim
,
pim
, G.
bin
, I am, Gael. & Ir.
bu
was, W.
bod
to be, Lith.
bu-ti
, O. Slav.
by-ti
, to be, L.
fu-i
I have been,
fu-turus
about to be,
fo-re
to be about to be, and perh. to
fieri
to become, Gr.
φῦναι
to be born, to be, Skr.
bhū
to be. This verb is defective, and the parts lacking are supplied by verbs from other roots,
is
,
was
, which have no radical connection with
be
. The various forms,
am
,
are
,
is
,
was
,
were
, etc., are considered grammatically as parts of the verb “to be”, which, with its conjugational forms, is often called the
substantive verb
. √97. Cf.
Future
,
Physic
.]
1.
To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have existence.
To
be
contents his natural desire.
Pope.
To
be
, or not to
be
: that is the question.
Shakespeare
2.
To exist in a certain manner or relation, – whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the subject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified, – a word or words for the predicate being annexed;
as, to
be
happy; to
be
here; to
be
large, or strong; to
be
an animal; to
be
a hero; to
be
a nonentity; three and two
are
five; annihilation
is
the cessation of existence; that
is
the man
.
3.
To take place; to happen;
as, the meeting
was
on Thursday
.
4.
To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to.
The field
is
the world.
Matt. xiii. 38.
The seven candlesticks which thou sawest
are
the seven churches.
Rev. i. 20.
☞ The verb to be (including the forms is, was, etc.) is used in forming the passive voice of other verbs; as, John has
been
struck by James. It is also used with the past participle of many intransitive verbs to express a state of the subject. But have is now more commonly used as the auxiliary, though expressing a different sense; as, “Ye have come too late – but ye are come. ” “The minstrel boy to the war is gone.” The present and imperfect tenses form, with the infinitive, a particular future tense, which expresses necessity, duty, or purpose; as, government is to be supported; we are to pay our just debts; the deed
is
to be signed to-morrow.
Have or had been, followed by to, implies movement. “I have been to Paris.”
Sydney Smith.
“Have you been to Franchard ?”
R. L. Stevenson.
☞ Been, or ben, was anciently the plural of the indicative present. “Ye ben light of the world.”
Wyclif, Matt. v. 14.
Afterwards be was used, as in our Bible: “They that be with us are more than they that
be
with them.”
2 Kings vi. 16.
Ben was also the old infinitive: “To ben of such power.”
R. of Gloucester.
Be is used as a form of the present subjunctive: “But if it be a question of words and names.”
Acts xviii. 15.
But the indicative forms,
is
and
are
, with
if
, are more commonly used.
Be it so
,
a phrase of supposition, equivalent to
suppose it to be so
; or of permission, signifying
let it be so
.
Shak.
–
If so be
,
in case.
–
To be from
,
to have come from; as, from what place are you? I am from Chicago.
–
To let be
,
to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone.
“Let be, therefore, my vengeance to dissuade.”
Spenser.
Syn. –
To be
,
Exist
.
The verb to be, except in a few rare cases, like that of Shakespeare’s “To be, or not to be”, is used simply as a copula, to connect a subject with its predicate; as, man is mortal; the soul is immortal. The verb to exist is never properly used as a mere copula, but points to things that stand forth, or have a substantive being; as, when the soul is freed from all corporeal alliance, then it truly exists. It is not, therefore, properly synonymous with
to be
when used as a copula, though occasionally made so by some writers for the sake of variety; as in the phrase “there exists [is] no reason for laying new taxes.” We may, indeed, say, “a friendship has long existed between them,” instead of saying, “there has long been a friendship between them;” but in this case, exist is not a mere copula. It is used in its appropriate sense to mark the friendship as having been long in existence.

Webster 1828 Edition

Be

BE

,
Verb.
I.
substantive, ppr.being; pp.been.[The sense is to stand, remain or be fixed; hence to continue. This verb is defective, and its defects are supplied by verbs from other roots, as, is, was, were, which have no radical connection with be. The case is the same with the substantive verb in most languages.]
1.
To be fixed; to exist; to have a real state or existence,for a longer or shorter time.
Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. Phil.2.
To be, contents his natural desire.
2.
To be made to be; to become.
And they twain shall be one flesh. Math.19. Jer.32.
3. To remain. Let the garment be as it was made.
4.
To be present in a place. Where was I at the time? When will you be at my house?
5.
To have a particular manner of being or happening; as, how is this affair? how was it? what were the circumstances?
This verb is used as an auxiliary in forming the tenses of other verbs, and particularly in giving them the passive form; as, he has been disturbed. It forms, with the infinitive, a particular future tense, which often expresses duty, necessity or purpose; as, government is to be supported; we are to pay our just debts.
Let be is to omit,or leave untouched; to let alone.
Let be,said he, my prey.

BE

, a prefix, as in because, before, beset, bedeck,is the same word as by. It is common to the English, Saxon, Gothic, German, Dutch, Danish and Swedish languages. It occurs probably in the Russian, but is written po, as it is in possideo and a few other words in the Latin. It denotes nearness, closeness, about, or, at, from some root signifying to pass or to press. [See By.]
That this word is the Shemitic, used as a prefix, is certain, not only from its general applications, which may be seen by comparing the uses of the word, in the Heb. for instance, with those in the Saxon; but from its use in particular phrases, particularly in its use before the name of the Supreme being in swearing.

Definition 2024

bé

bé

See also: Appendix:Variations of "be"

Catalan

Adverb

bé

  1. well

Usage notes

The form ben is used when it precedes the adjective, adverb or verb form that it modifies, and bé is used in all other cases.

Noun

bé m ‎(plural béns)

  1. good

See also

Czech

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bɛː/

Interjection

bé

  1. baa (the cry of a sheep)
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Noun

bé n

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B/b.
Derived terms
See also

French

Noun

bé m ‎(plural bés)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B/b.

Hungarian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈbeː]
  • Hyphenation: bé

Adverb

bé

  1. (poetic) in, poetic variant of be

Noun

bé

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B/b.

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pjɛː/
  • Rhymes: -ɛː

Noun

bé n ‎(genitive singular bés, nominative plural bé)

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B/b.

Declension

Old Irish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /bʲeː/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *ben, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn ‎(“woman”).

Noun

bé f

  1. (poetic) woman
Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms
  • bé carna ‎(“harlot”)
Synonyms

Etymology 2

Non-lemma forms.

Alternative forms

Verb

·bé

  1. second-person and third-person singular present subjunctive conjunct of at·tá

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
bé bé
pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/ 		mbé
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Interjection

bé

  1. (onomatopoeia) baa (cry of sheep)

Romagnol

Verb

bé

  1. to drink

Tetum

Noun

bé

  1. The name of the Latin-script letter B/b.

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Adjective

bé

  1. small, little, tiny

Derived terms

Synonyms

Etymology

From Latin bene.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /be/

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