befall 
H. intrant. 1. To happen; come to pass. 
I have reveal'd . . . 
'I In- discord which li,-fell. Milton, r. 1,., vi. 897. 
Tin- around in many a little dell 
\\ as broken, uj> and down whose steeps befell 
Alternate victory and defeat. 
Sln'll,-!!, Kcvult of Islam, vl. 1C. 
2f. To fall in the way; eome to hand. 
His littli: (ioats Kan drive out of their stalls, 
To feede abroad, \\hrrc pasture he^t /I.-/K//V. 
Spetmr, YtigSTnOn**, 1. 72. 
To befall Oft, to lie the fate of; become of. 
Do me the favour to dilate at full 
What liatii /;.'/.(// // :!' them, and tllee, till now. 
Hlnilf., C. of E.,i. 1. 
befana.(be-i'a'na), n. [It., < bffdnia, epiphany, 
< LL. i/ii/iliiniiii, epiphany : sec K/iiphtuii/.] 1. 
Primarily, in Italy, an Epiphany present or 
gift. 2. [>"y-] *M witch or fairy said to 
briii"; Children the sweetmeats and other re- 
wards given them on the eve of Epiphany, or 
to neglect and punish them. 
In nursery parlance the /;. M/m has two aspects; she 
not only brings gifts to good children, hut is the terror of 
the naughty. .V. ami (J., nth ser., IX. 4'li 
3. A large rag doll, representing the Befana, 
placed on the chimneys of cottages, etc., or 
displayed in shops, in Italy, where Epiphany 
gifts are sold, for the terror or amusement of 
children. [The above meanings ami customs have ref- 
erence to the i:ifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Mat. 
li. 11) brought liy tin- Mani to the child Jesus, 'which the 
feast of the Kpiphany commemorates. The grotesque 
hlackened figures often exhibited are explained by the 
tradition that one of the three wise kings was an Ethi- 
opian. 1 
befeather (be-feTii'er), v. t. [< be- 1 + feather.} 
To deck with feathers. 
befell (luVfel'). Preterit of befall. 
befetter (be-fet'er), v. t. [< be-l + fetter.] To 
confine with fetters; restrain as if by fetters. 
Tongue-tied, befettered, heavy-laden nations. 
Carlyle, French Rev., II. i. 10. 
beffroit, . [F.] See belfry. 
beffroyt, In her., same as vair. 
befilet, r. t. [Early mod. E. also befyle, < ME. 
befi/len, befllen (mixed with befuleii, befoulen, 
which rest directly upon ful, foul, foul), < AS. 
bcff/lan, < be- + fylan, file, foul, (.ful, foul: see 
file'2, fotill, and befoul, and cf. defile^.] To 
make filthy ; befoul ; soil. 
befit (be-fif), v. t.; pret. and pp. befitted, ppr. 
befitting. [< bc-i + fit.] 1. To suit; be suit- 
able to ; become. 
Dry up your tears, 
Which ill befit the beauty of that face. 
Limit, and Ft., Knight of Burning Pestle, ii. 3. 
Out of my sight, thou serpent ! That name best 
lie/its thee. Milton, V. L., x. 868. 
Robes befittiny his degree. Drayton, Barons' Wars, iv. 
2f. To fit; furnish with something fit. [Rare.] 
He ... had seriously befitted him with just such a 
liriillc ami such a saddle. Sterne, Tristram Shandy. 
befitting (be-fit'ing), p. a. Of a suitable kind 
or character ; fit ; proper ; becoming : as, befit- 
ting words ; a befitting dress or manner, 
befittingly (be-fit'ing-li), adv. In a befitting or 
appropriate manner; becomingly, 
beflatter (be-flat'er), v. t. [< 6f-i + flatter.] 
To flatter; cajole. 
beflea (be-fle'), *' t. [< bc-i + flea^.] To pes- 
ter, as fleas do. 
One of those bores 
Who beflea'd with bad verses poor Louis Quatorze. 
Lowell, Fable 'for Critics. 
beflecked (be-flekf), a. [< ie-i + flecked.] 
Flecked; spotted or streaked ; variegated. Also 
spelled befleckt. 
Dark billows of an earthquake storm 
Bfjtccked with clouds like foam. 
tt'hittier. The Hill-top. 
beflower (be-flou'6r), v. t. [< be- 1 + flower.] 
To cover or besprinkle with flowers. 
lleside a brjlontired and garlanded precipice. 
S. L. Clemens, Life on the Mississippi, p. 274. 
befluiu (be-flum'), " t. ; pret. and pp. bcflummed, 
ppr. iH-fluiiiiiiiiig. [So.; also in the appar. per- 
verted forms blcflum, blaflum, blephum, v. and 
., perhaps < be- 1 + *flum, as in flummery, or 
a variant of flam. Words of this kind are very 
unstable.] To befool by cajoling language; 
riatter. Scott. [Scotch.] 
befoam (be-foin'), t'. *. [< be- 1 + foam.] To 
cover with foam. Dryden. 
befog (be-fog'), v. t.; pret. and pp. befogged, 
ppr. iH-fiigi/iiig. [< be- 1 + fog.] To involve in 
fog; hence, figuratively, to confuse; make ob- 
scure or uncertain ; bewilder : as, to befog the 
mind with sophistry. 
505 
Intentional and persistent efforts have been . . . made 
to befog the whole subject. 
D. A. ',ilf, Merchant Marine, p. 120. 
befool (be-fol' ), r. (. [< MK. li,f,il,-,, : < A,--i + 
1. To make a fool of; delude; dupe. 
beg 
Jesus ;iii-.\\rivi| iiii'l Kitiil unto him, /.''"/ flmt 1'liilip 
called thee . . . Iaawtli. John i. 48. 
MI lir of U80, two points ;ir- 
I could hurst with , 
To think I have a lir.ith.r su t'l<u>i<l. 
l-'ni-it, l.uvc's Sacrifice, i\ . 1. 
2. To treat as a fool ; call (a person j "fool." 
before (bo-for'), a,lr., /in/i., and nnij. [< MK. 
befonii, lufiirii, liifiiri-ii, hifum, etc., adv. and 
prep.. < AS. In fi>mn. hifnrnn. adv. and pn-p., !><- 
t'ore (in place or time: in Jhe latter use rare, 
the ordinary word being tl'i; ere) (= OS. /'- 
fontii = I). Omoren = Olio. hi f urn. MHO. lit-i-in; 
In torn, ( ;. In rnr), < be, by, about, -r foran, adv., 
before, <.for, for, lit. before: see fun- and for, 
and cf. of on:] I. tittr. 1. In front; on the 
anterior or fore side ; on the side opposite the 
back ; in a position or at a point in advance ; 
ahead. 
The battle was kef, ire. ami behind. 2 Chron. xiii. 14. 
Reaching forth unto those things which are before. 
I'h'il. iii. l. 
Had he his hurts before) Shale., Macbeth, v. 7. 
I am sent with broom In-fore, 
To sweep the dn-st behind the door. 
ffliak., M. X. D., v. 2. 
If you will walk //"!, sir, I will overtake you in- 
stantly. Bean, ami Fl., Woman-Hater, i. .'I. 
2. In time preceding; previously; formerly; 
already. 
Von tell me what I knew before. Itriiil. n. 
A flatterer Is a dunce to him, for he can tell him nothing 
but what hee knowes before. 
Bp. Earle, Micro-cosiuographie, A Selfe-conceited Man. 
[The adverb is frequently used in self -explain- 
ing compounds, as before-cited, before-gnini/. 
before-mentioned, etc.] 
II. prep. 1. In front of, in time or position; 
on the anterior or fore side of; in a position or 
at a point in advance of: as, a happy future lies 
before you ; before the house ; before the fire. 
The golden "ge, which a blind tradition has hitherto 
placed in the Past, is before us. 
Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, iii. 5. 
Before them went the priest reading the burial service. 
Hawthorne, Twice-Told Tales, I. 
2. In presence of; in sight of; under the cog- 
nizance, jurisdiction, or consideration of. 
Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the 
land. Gen. xxiii. 12. 
They tell me, if they might be brought before you, 
They would reveal things of strange consequence. 
Fletcher (and another). Sea Voyage, iv. 2. 
If my lady die, 
I'll be sworn before a jury, thou art the cause on 't. 
Beau, and Fl., Scornful Lady, v. 1. 
3. In precedence of; in advance of, as regards 
rank, condition, development, etc. 
He that coineth after me is preferred before me. 
John i. 15. 
I can shew one almost of the same nature, but much If - 
fore it. B. Joiuton, Cynthia's Revels, iv. 1. 
The eldest son is before the younger in succession. 
Johnson. 
4. In preference to ; rather than. 
One joyous howre in blisfull happines, 
I chose before a life of wretchedues. 
Spenser, Mother Hub. Tale, 1. 984. 
I love my friend before myself. 
Sir T. Browne, Religio Medici, ii. . 
We think poverty to be infinitely desirable before the 
torments of covetousness. Jer. Taylor. 
5. Anterior to in time; previous to: as, I 
shall return before six o'clock. 
Temple sprang from a family which, though ancient and 
honourable, had before his time been scarcely mentioned 
in our history. Macaulay, Sir William Temple. 
They arrived close *to Albania about two hours before 
daybreak. Inutg, Granada, p. 30. 
6. Under the action, influence, or power of. 
Mordecai, . . . before whom thou hast begun to fall. 
Esther vl. 13. 
Tower and town, as he advanced, went down before him. 
Prescott, Ferd. and Isa., ii. 2. 
Before alL sec all. Before the beam (na(.), in a po- 
sition or direction which lies before a line drawn at right 
angles to the keel at the midship section of the ship. Be- 
fore (or afpre) the mast, as a common sailor, the crew 
of a ship being berthed in the forecastle or forward of the 
foremast. Before tile wind, (a) Saul., in the direc- 
tion of the wind : as, to sail before the wind, that is, in the 
direction in which the wind blows : said of a ship. 
We continued running dead before the ttrind, knowing 
that we sailed better so. 
K. II. Dana, Jr., Before the Mast, p. 20. 
(b) Figuratively and colloquially, in prosperous circum- 
stances ; out of debt or difficulty. 
HI. con/. 1. Previous to the time when: 
formerly sometimes followed by that. 
Before I was afflicted, I went astray. Ps. cxix. e". 
sary. 
seventy of tin- Moors made their way into the street.-, 
in alarm was yivctl. // ' . n : i, I ii :tn:nla. ]. M 
2. Sooner than; rather than. 
Then take my soul ; my ln.ily, soul, and all, 
/; fan that Kngland give the French th.- lull. 
>/<*., I II. n. VI., v. .'!. 
beforehand (be-for'liand), mlr. I < MK. hifiii-i- 
liiiinl. hifiiriiliiiiiil, liii-nn nliniiil. ln-1'.ife. ptvvinii-- 
ly, < bi'fiiri-n, lirt'oiv, + liiinil, liiiinl, hand.] 1. 
In anticipation ; in advance. 
So that they . . . maybe taught / h .//,, m.l the skill ..f 
sj. caking. ll""k''i. 
2f. Before there is time fur anything to be 
done; before anything is done.. 
What is a mans coulen.linL.' with insuperable ditticnl- 
ties hut the rolling of Sis> ]>liils > -'..in ii] i the hi]!, w hi. Ii 
is soon bsfort'tiniti! to return upon him aL-;iin ' 
Mr /;, [AMmipf 
TO be beforehand With, to anticipate; In in advance 
of; be prepared or ready for. 
Agricola . . . resolves to be beforehand with the dani:<T. 
Mtiton. 
Tin- la-t i iti'.i author has been befvrehuiul tfillt me. 
Ail'l 
beforehand (be -for 'hand), a. [< h-fnn/unitl. 
ni/i'. ( '!'. fun liinuli il.] In good pecuniary cir- 
cumstances ; having enough to meet one's obli- 
gations and something over; forehanded: as, 
rich and much beforehand, " lincnn . [Archaic. ] 
I now began to think of getting a little bt-forrltiiini. 
Fi-anklin, Autobiog., p. 77. 
beforesaid (be-for'sed), a. Aforesaid. Chaucer. 
beforetime (be-tor'tim), adv. [< ME. before- 
tyme; ( before + time. Cf. aforetime.] For- 
merly; of old time; aforetime. [Obsolescent.] 
Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of < '. od. 
thus he spake. 1 .Sam. iv. '.i. 
befortunet (be-f6r'tun), v. t. [< fre-i + fortune.] 
To happen ; betide. 
I wish all good befortutte you. Shale., T. O. of V., Iv. S. 
befoul (be-foul'), v. t. [< ME. befoulen, befuh-n 
(mixed with befylen, etc. : see befite), < be- + 
foulen, foul: see be- 1 and foul 1 , v.] To make 
foul ; cover with filth ; soil ; tarnish. 
Lawyers can live without befouling each other's names. 
Trollope, Barchester Towers, xxi. 
Birds of prey winged then- way to the stately tree, be- 
fmiling its purity. N. A. Ken., CXXVI. 263. 
befreckle (be-frek'l), v. t. [< 6e-l + freckle.] 
To freckle ; spot ; color with various spots ; va- 
riegate. 
Her st&r-befreclcled face. Drayton, Polyolbion, xxli. 910. 
befret (be-fref), v. t.; pret. and pp. befretted, 
ppr. befretting. [< be-t + frefl.] To fret or 
gnaw away. 
Accept this ring, wherein my heart is set, 
A constant heart with burning tlames befret. 
(jreeiif, James IV., iv. 
befriend (be-frend'), v. t. [< be- 1 + friend.] To 
act as a friend to ; countenance, aid, or benefit ; 
assist ; favor : as, fortune befriended me. 
That you were once unkind, befriend* me now. 
Shak., Sonnets, cxx. 
The climate [of Chaeronea] is not much befriended by the 
heavens, for the air is thick and foggy. 
Dryden, Life of Plutarch. 
Every little pine needle expanded and sw died w ith sym- 
pathy and befriended me. Thoreau, Walden, p. 14:1. 
befriendment (bf-frend'ment), n. [< befriend 
+ -ment.] The 'act of befriending. Foster. 
[Rare.] 
befrill (be-fril'), v. t. [< 6c-l + frill.] To fur- 
nish or deck with a frill or frills. 
The vicar's white-haired mother bef rilled . . . with dain- 
ty cleanliness. George Eliot, Middleman;!), xvii. 
befringe (be-frinj'), . t. [<6e-l + fringe.] To 
furnish with a fringe ; adorn as with fringe. 
Let my dirty leaves . . . 
Befringe the rails of Bedlam and Soho. 
Pope, Imit. of Horace, II. I. 418. 
befliz (be-friz'), v. t.; pret. and pp. befrizzed. 
ppr. befrizzing. [< be-* + friz.] To curl the 
hair of; friz. 
Befri^zed and bepowdered courtiers. Contemporary Rev. 
befuddle (be-fnd'l), v. t. [< 6e-l + fuddle.] To 
stupefy or muddle with intoxicants; make stu- 
pidly drunk. 
befur (be-fer'), v. t.; pret. and pp. befurred, 
ppr. befu'rring. [< be- 1 + fur.] 1. To cover or 
supply with fur. 2f. To fur over; incrust. 
If. E. D. 
beg 1 (beg), v. ; pret. and pp. begged, ppr. beg- 
ging. [Early mod. E. also begg, beyge, < ME. 
bet/gen, first found in the early part of the 13th 
century (in the "Ancren Kiwle"); origin un- 
