beg

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /bɛɡ/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɡ

Inherited from Middle English beggen, of uncertain origin, possibly from Old English *becgian, *bedcian, syncopated variants of bedecian (“to beg”), itself of obscure origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *bedukōn, a fequentative verb derived from Proto-West Germanic *bedu (“petition, plea”). Alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *bedagō, from Proto-Germanic *bedagô (“petitioner; requestor; beggar”), from *bedą, *bedō (“prayer; request”). Compare North Frisian bēdagi (“to pray”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍅𐌰 (bidagwa, “beggar”), Old English biddan (“to ask”). More at bid, bead. See also Norwegian Bokmål be (“to beg, ask”).

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.

   • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s VVell, that Ends VVell”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene iii]:

     you do beg your good will in this case.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Matthew 27:58:

     [Joseph] begged the body of Jesus.

   • 1898, J. Meade Falkner, chapter 5, in Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934:

     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' [...]

3. (transitive) In the phrase beg the question: to assume.
4. (transitive, proscribed) In the phrase beg the question: to raise (a question).

   Antonym: set aside

5. (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

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. […]

• beggar

From Ottoman Turkish بك‎ (beg).

beg (plural begs)

1. A provincial governor under the Ottoman Empire; a bey.

beg

1. (knitting) Abbreviation of beginning.
   • 2005, DRG Dynamic Resource, House of White Birches, Big Book of Knit Hats & Scarves for Everyone (page 34)

     Knit with MC until work measures 3 inches from beg.

• beg on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• GBE, GEB, Gbe, Geb, bge

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بك‎ (beg).

• IPA^(key): /bɛx/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: beg

beg m (plural begs)

1. (historical) Alternative form of bei.

Borrowed from English bag.

• Audio (MY)

  (file)

beg (Jawi spelling بيݢ)

1. bag

From Old Irish bec, from Proto-Celtic *biggos (“small”).

beg (plural beggey, comparative loo, superlative sloo)

1. small

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bec”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

From Proto-Slavic *běgъ.

• IPA^(key): /bêːɡ/

bȇg m (Cyrillic spelling бе̑г)

1. escape

• bekstvo
• bežanje
• prebeg

• “beg” in Hrvatski jezični portal

From Proto-Slavic *běgъ.

• IPA^(key): /béːk/

bẹ̑g m inan

1. run
2. getaway
3. escape
4. withdrawal
5. (phrase) flight

   Planiti v beg ― To take flight

From Turkish bey.

• IPA^(key): /béːk/

bẹ̑g m anim

1. bey (Turkish governor)

• “beg”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran

Borrowed from English beg.

beg (nominative plural begs)

1. request, an action of begging

From Chinese 白 (MC bˠæk̚).

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /peːk˧/
• Tone numbers: beg⁸
• Hyphenation: beg

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