beloved
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: bĭ-lŭvd
ipa: /bɪˈlʌvd/
rhymes: -ʌvd
enpr: bĭ-lŭv′ĭd
ipa: /bɪˈlʌvɪd/
rhymes: -ʌvɪd
Forms: form: more beloved
form: beloveder
form: most beloved
form: belovedest
form: beloveth
Etymology: From Middle English beloved, biloved, equivalent to belove + -ed.
Senses: examples: text: But I found at laſt, by hearing and conſidering of things that are Divine, which indeed I heard of you, as alſo of beloved Faithful, that was put to death for his Faith and good-living in Vanity-fair, That the end of these things is death. [Rom[ans] 6. 21, 22, 23.] And that for theſe things ſake, the wrath of God cometh upon the children of diſobedience. [Eph[esians] 5. 6.]
ref: 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, pages 187–188:
text: When the Toy had once taken Jupiter in the Head to Enter into a State of Matrimony, he Reſolv'd for the Honour of his Celeſtial Lady, that the whole World ſhould keep a Feſtiual upon the Day of his Marriage, and ſo Invited all Living Creatures, Tag-Rag and Bob-Tail, to the Solemnity to his Wedding. They all came in very Good Time, ſaving the Tortoiſe. Jupiter […] Ask'd him, Why ſo Late? Why truly ſays the Tortoiſe, I was at Home, at my Own Houſe, my Dearly Beloved Houſe, and [Home is Home, let it be never ſo Homely.]
ref: 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “[The Fables of Æsop, &c.] Fab[le] CLXXXV. Jupiters Wedding.”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC, page 155:
text: It is ſcarce poſſible to imagine the Conſternation I was now in, being driven from my beloved Iſland (for ſo it appeared to me now to be) into the wide Ocean, almoſt two Leagues, and in the utmoſt Deſpair of ever recovering it again.
ref: 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, pages 164–165:
text: There was a youthe, and a well-beloved youthe, / And he was a ſquires ſon: / He loved the bayliffes daughter deare, / That lived in Iſlington.
ref: 1765, Thomas Percy, compiler, “The Bailiff’s Daughter of Islington”, in Reliques of Ancient English Poetry: […], volume III, London: […] J[ames] Dodsley […], →OCLC, book II, page 133, lines 1–4:
text: Belovedest, I know not what counsel to give thee about calling on my sisters; and therefore must leave the matter to thine own exquisite sense of what is right and delicate.
ref: 1840 June 2, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “To Miss Peabody”, in Love Letters of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Chicago, Ill.: The Society of the Dofobs, published 1907, →OCLC, page 201:
text: Don’t worry, belovedest little angel, all is going quite well and Hub takes ever such care.
ref: 1916 July 13, Alan Scrivener Lloyd, Lloyd File, London: Imperial War Museum; quoted in Malcolm Brown, “Somme Summer”, in The Imperial War Museum Book of the Somme, London: Sidgwick & Jackson in association with The Imperial War Museum, 1996, published 1997, →ISBN, page 149:
text: Sheep woolly skins were dunked and dunked again, / And for whose coming? Nobody’s but yours; / So no-one else’s party boy would look / Beloveder to his than you to me.
ref: 1963, Horace, translated by Nicholas Kilmer, “A Lover’s Complaint (Horace, Epode XII)”, in William Arrowsmith, D. S. Carne-Ross, J. P. Sullivan, Frederic Will, editors, Arion: A Quarterly Journal of Classical Culture, Austin, Tex.: Dean of the Graduate School, The University of Texas, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 56:
text: The vacuum brake, much beloved by English- (though not Scottish-) built or inspired railways, but little favoured elsewhere.
ref: 1964 March, “Train braking - the next steps”, in Modern Railways, page 186:
text: In yonder corner your little chair, / where you often sat at my knee, / singing your sweet murmuring hymns, / my belovèd child!
ref: 2014, Niall MacLeòid, “The Death of the Widow's Child”, in Meg Bateman, Anne Loughran, editors, Bàird Ghleann Dail = The Glendale Bards: A Selection of Songs and Poems by Niall MacLeòid (1843–1913), ‘The Bard of Skye’, His Brother Ian Dubh (1847–1901) and Their Father Dòmhnall nan Òran (c. 1787–1873), Edinburgh: John Donald, →ISBN, verse 4:
antonyms: beloathed
glosses: Much loved, dearly loved.
Synonyms: word: beloved
word: favoured
word: lief
word: lovable
word: loved
word: lovely
word: lovewende
word: precious
word: special
Hyponyms: word: alderliefest
word: alder-liefest
Derived terms: belovedness
prebeloved
unbeloved
well-beloved