beg
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: law
Etymology: 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”).
Inflected forms:
form: begs
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: begging
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: begged
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: begged
pos: verb
tags: past
form: begs
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: To request the help of someone, often in the form of money.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: He begged on the street corner from passers-by.
gloss: To plead with someone for help, a favor, etc.; to entreat.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: I beg your pardon. I didn’t mean to cause offence.
He begged her to go to the prom with him.
you do beg your good will in this case.
[Joseph] begged the body of Jesus.
But that same day came Sam Tewkesbury to the Why Not? about nightfall, and begged a glass of rum, being, as he said, 'all of a shake' [...]
gloss: To unwillingly provoke a negative, often violent, reaction.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The way you keep eating raw meat, you're just begging to get tapeworms.
gloss: To obviously lack or be in need of something.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
transitive
examples: A captivating novel that just begs for a movie adaptation
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.
gloss: In the phrase beg the question: to assume.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: In the phrase beg the question: to raise (a question).
pos: verb
tags: proscribed
transitive
gloss: To ask to be appointed guardian for, or to ask to have a guardian appointed for.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: Else some will beg thee, in the court of wards.
gloss: The act of begging; an imploring request.
pos: noun
examples: “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. […]
gloss: A pretentious, attention-seeking, or eccentric person.
pos: noun
tags: UK
derogatory
slang
examples: 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.
Synonyms: beseech
entreat
sue
Related words: beggar
Derived words: begathon
beg button
beg for mercy
beg for one's life
beg for someone's life
beggable
beg it
beg off
begpacker
begpacking
beg parding
beg pardon
beg someone's pardon
beg the question
beg to differ
begware
beg yours
bleg
go begging
good voice to beg bacon
I beg your pardon
outbeg
sit-up-and-beg
soft begging
unbegged
Translations: