The 
\\"ith 
begger 
beggert, beggeryt. l-'orinc-r and more regular 
spellings of bfggui; liei/i/nr//. 
begging (bcg'ing), //. [< ME. bcggi/ngc; verbal 
n. of beg 1 .] The act of asking or soliciting; 
the occupation of :i beggar. 
beggyt (beg'i), n. Same as licy*. 
'I'lu-n- ust-d to lie it still more powerful persona^- al (In- 
head of the Onrf, called the Divan /.'"///.. /;,-., w/m/i/. 
Beghard (beg'ard), n. [< ML. Ittijluirdus, be- 
gardiix, iM-iigiirdnn, brgrlitirdits, liegihtinlux (cf. 
It. Sp. I'g. Mffttrdo, Ml Hi. heglnirt, hegelntnl. d. 
beg/tart, Klein, brggnrrt, OK. begun!, Int/url. 
begin; with a later equiv. ML. lii-gliinux, /i//fi- 
intx, etc., OK. begiiiii. etc., K. Beguin), formed, 
with the suffix -afiiua. -ard (and later -imix, 
-in, after the fern. ML. biyhiiitt, In //inn, etc., 
OF. begiiini; etc., 10. lleguiii, Jlit/iiim ). 1'rom the 
name of the founder of the sisterhood of Be- 
guins, namely, Lambert Jiegnc or Iv Hrguc : see 
Jicgniii, Begwne.] One of a body of religious 
enthusiasts which arose in Flanders in the thir- 
teenth century; a Beguin (which see). Also 
written llt-gntirtl. [Often without a capital.] 
begild (by-gild'), r. /. ; pret. and pp. begiltlftl. 
liegilt, ppr. bfi/iltling. [< hr-1 + gildt.] To gild: 
as, "bride-laces begilt," B. Jonson, King's En- 
tertainment. 
ng-nash from swords, casks, courtihuvs, 
in-4 ln-anis v./,7./v |]n- neighbour grasses. 
Siili;-xi:'r, Hattaile of Yvry (trans.), p. 102. 
begin (be-gin'), . ; pret. began, sometimes be- 
gun, pp. begun, ppr. beginning. [< ME. beiiiii- 
neii, higiniii'H (pret. began, begon, pi. bei/inme, 
begunnen, bugonne, etc., pp. begunnen, begonnen, 
begunne, etc.), < AS. beginnan, biginnan (pret. be- 
gan, pi. begunnon, pp. begunnen) = OS. biginnini 
= OFries. beginna, bejenna = D. beginnen = 
OHG. biginnan, MHG. G. beginnen, begin ; AS. 
more commonly onginnan, rarely aginnan, ME. 
aginnen, and by apheresis ginnen, mod. E. obs. 
or poet, gin; also with still different prefixes, 
OHG. iiigiitiiint, cnginnen, and Goth, duginnan, 
begin ; < be- (E. ftc- 1 ) or on-, d- (E. a- 2 ), + "gin- 
nan, not found in the simple form, prob. orig. 
'open, open up' (a sense retained also by the 
OHG. inginnan, MHG. enginnen), being prob. 
connected with (a) AS. ginian = OHG. ginen, 
MHG. ginen, genen, G. gdhnen, gape, yawn, (6) 
AS. ginan = Icel. gina, gape, yawn, (c) AS. 
gdnian, E. yawn = OHG. geinon, MHG. gcinen, 
gape, yawn (cf. Gr. xaivctv, gape, yawn); all 
variously with n- formative from the root *gi, 
seen also in OHG. gien and giwen, gewan, MHG. 
giwen, gewen = L. hiare = OBulg. zijati = Buss. 
zijati = Bohem. riroW = Lith. zhioti. etc., gape, 
yawn (cf. Gr. ^dovif/v, yawn, x^(> chaos, ^dff/ia, 
chasm, etc. : see chaos, chasm) : see yawn and 
hiatus. Cf. open as equiv. to begin, and close as 
equiv. to end.] I. trans. 1. To take the first 
step in ; set about the performance or accom- 
plishment of ; enter upon; commence. 
Ye nymphs of Solyma, begin the song. 
Pope, Messiah, 1. 1. 
2. To originate; be the originator of: as, to 
begin a dynasty. 
Proud Niiurod first the savage chase began. 
Pope, Windsor Forest, 1. 61. 
3. To trace from anything as the first ground; 
date the beginning of. 
The apostle begins onr knowledge in the creatures 
which leads us to the knowledge of God. Locke. 
= Syn. 1. To set about, institute, undertake, originate, 
initiate. 
II. intrans. 1. To come into existence ; arise; 
originate : as, the present German empire be- 
gan with William I. 
Made a selfish war begin. 
Tennyson, To F. D. Maurice. 
2. To take a first step ; commence in any course 
or operation ; make a start or commencement. 
No change of disposition begin* yet to show itself in 
England. Jeferson, in Bancroft's Hist. Const., I. t'M. 
The contest raged from morning until night, when the 
Moors began to yield. Irving, Granada, p. 35. 
To begin the board. See board. To begin with, (n) 
To enter upon first ; use or employ first : as, to begin n-iih 
the Latin grammar; (o begin mth prayer. (6) At the out- 
set ; as the first thing to be considered ; first of all : as, to 
i" 'n n with, I do not like its color. 
Animals can be trained to behave in a way in which, (o 
begin icitft, they art- incapable of behaving. 
T. H. Green, Prolegomena to Ethics, $ 113. 
begint (be-gin'), . [< begin, v.] A beginning. 
Let no whit thce dismay 
The hard btginne that meetes thee in the dore. 
Spenser, F. Q., III. iii. 21. 
beginner (be-gin'er), . [ME. begynner ; < be- 
gin + -frl.] 1. One who begins or originates ; 
507 
one who starts or first leads off ; an author or 
originator. 
When- HIV tin- vil. 1,,-iihinrr* nl this fray? 
,s'/m*-., K. and .).. ill. 1. 
2. Oneljeginningto learnorprai'tiso ; a novice; 
a tyro: as, "a sermon of a new lu-ginni-r," 
Beguard 
Begonia n--^n'n\ -. : i), . [NL., named after 
Mii-liel Hi'gnii (1688-1710), a French promoter 
of science.] A very large genus of polypeta- 
lous exogenous plants, the type of the nat- 
ural order /.V (/""""'' . Th, > an- niosth 
natiVt-rt of tin- wannt-r iv;:ion> o] th, ulo!>", anil ] 
There are nolde pa.ssa^i-s in it, but tht-y are for thi- ad- pt 
and not for tin- /n'liiiun i . 
t). 1C. //.,/m. .,, I!. W. Kind-mill, xiv. 
beginning (be-gin'ing), . [< ME. /</////, 
begiiniHligi ( = Mild. Ini/innnni/ej; Verbal U. Of 
begin.] 1. The origin ; source; first cause, 
lam . . . the tn'ijinniivj and the ending. l;*-v. i. 8. 
2. The point of time or epoch at which any- 
thing begins; specifically, the time when the 
universe began to be. 
In tin- In 'ii mi in r i onl rival i-d lln- hi-a\VN and Ihr i-arlh. 
il.n. i. 1. 
It was reserved for Hntton to declare for the first tinu- 
that the rocks around us reveal no trace of the ben' . 
of things. Geikie, Geol. Sketches, ii. 
3. The initial stage or first part of any pro- 
cess or proceeding; the starting-point: as, a 
small be</iiiiiiiig. 
lie was come to that height of honour out of base IIP- 
<ti n n i tut*, litiflun. Anal, of M'-l., p. .Mil. 
The begiiminn of writing is the hieroglyphic or symbol- 
ical picture, tin- IH'IIIIIIIIUII M| uoi^liip i-, ii ii^lii.-in or idol- 
atry, the beginning of eloquence is pictorial, sensuous, 
ami im-taphoriral, the lii^/iintinif of philosophy is tin- 
myth. Leeky, Europ. Morals, I. 142. 
beginningless (be-gin'ing-les), a. [< beginning 
+ -less.] Having no beginning: correlative to 
endless. [Bare.] 
begird (be-gerd'), r. t. ; pret. and pp. begirt, 
begirded, ppr. begirding. [< ME. begirt/en, 
only in pret. or pp. begttrt, < AS. begyrdan 
(= OHG. bigurtjan ; cf . Goth, bigairdan, strong 
verb), < be- + gi/rdan, gird : see fte- 1 and gird 1 .] 
1. To bind with a band or girdle. 2. To sur- 
round ; inclose ; encompass. 
Uther's son 
Begirt with British and Armoric knights. 
Hilton, P. L, i. 581. 
begirdle (be-ger'dl), v. t. [< 6e-l + girdle.] 
To surround or encircle as with a girdle. 
Like a ring of lightning they . . . begirdle her from 
shore to shore. Carlyle, French Rev., III. vii. a. 
begirtt (be-gert'), v. t. [A form of begird, inf., 
due to the frequent pp. begirt, pret. and pp. 
being the same as those of begird.] To be- 
gird; encompass. 
Begirt the wood, and fire it. 
Maisinger, Bashful Lover, Iii. 5. 
To begirt the almighty throne, 
Beseeching or besieging. Milton, P. L., v. 868. 
beglare (be-glar'), v. t. [< be-i + glare.] To 
glare at or on. [A humorous coinage.] 
So that a bystander, without beholding Mrs. Wilfer at 
all, must have known at whom she was glaring by seeing 
her refracted from the countenance of the beglared one. 
Diclcen*, Onr Mutual Friend, I. xvl. 
beglerbeg (beg'ler-beg'), n. Same as beylerbey. 
beglerbeglic (beg'ler-beg'lik), n. Same as 
beylerbeylik. 
begloom (be-glom'), . t. [< be- 1 + gloom.] To 
make gloomy; darken. [Bare.] 
begnaw (be-na'), v. t. [ME. not found; < AS. 
begnagan, gnaw, < be- + gnagan, gnaw: see 
6*- 1 and gnaw.] To bite or gnaw; eat away ; 
corrode ; nibble at. [Bare.] 
The worm of conscience still be-gnaw thy soul. 
Shale., Rich. III., i. 3. 
begot (be-go'), v. t. ; pret. bewent, pp. begone. 
[< ME. began, bigon, < AS. began (= D. begaan 
= OHG. bigdn, MHG. began, begen, G. begehen), 
< be-, by, about, + gdn, go: see 6c-l and go.] 
1. To go about; encompass; surround. 2. 
To clothe; attire. 3. To surround or beset; 
affect as a circumstance or influence : now 
only in the perfect participle begone, in woebe- 
gone, beset with woe (originally in the con- 
struction him was wo begon, in which wo is the 
subject and him the dative object, subsequent- 
ly made the subject). 
So was I glad and wel began. 
Chaucer, Parliament of Fowls, 1. 171. 
begodt (be-god'), v. t. [<be-i + god.] To dei- 
fy: as, "begodded saints," South, Sermons, V. 
xcvii. 
begone 1 (be-gon'). [Prop, two words, be gone 
(be, inf. or'impv. ; gone, pp.), irreg. united, as 
also in beware.] Begone; go away; depart. 
Begone I you are my brother ; that's your safety. 
Beau, and Fl., Maid's Tragedy, iv. 1. 
" You must begone.," said Death ; " these walks are mine." 
Tennyxon, Love and Death. 
begone-t (be-g6n'). Past participle of bego. 
JlefOHia ftnitosa. 
a, branch with male flowers ; !>, c. two forms of styles and tflgmas ; 
d, fruit. (From Lc Manut and Decai&ne's " Traite general de Bota* 
nique.") 
ijiient in cultivation as foliage-plants and for their showy 
or singular HM\M -i> \ \*-ry threat diversity In the often 
brilliant coloring of tin- leaves has been reached by skilful 
crossing. I nun the shape of their large, oblique, fleshy 
leaves some species are known by the name of elff-l' 
ear. The succulent acid stalks of several species are used 
as pot-herbs. 
Begoniaceae (be-go-ni-a'se-e), . pi. [NL., < Be- 
gniiia + -ocea-.j A natural order of plants, al- 
lied to the Cucurbitacea? and Cactacea; of which 
Begonia is the typical genus. The only other genera 
are flillebranitia of the Sandwich Islands, monotypic, and 
Begoniella of the United States of Colombia, of only two 
species. 
begoniaceons (be-go-ni-a'shius), a. Belonging 
to or resembling the Begoniaceoe. 
begore (be-gor'), v. t. [< be- 1 + gore 1 .] To be- 
smear with gore. Spenser. 
begot (be-gof). Preterit and past participle of 
beget. 
begotten (be-got'n). Past participle of beget. 
begrace (be-gras'), v. t. [< 6e-i + grace.]' To 
say "your grace" to; address by the title of a 
duke or bishop. Holinshed. [Bare.] 
begrayet (bo-grav'), v. t. [< ME. begraren, < AS. 
bcgrafan, bury (= OS. bigrabhan = D. begraven 
= OHG. bigraban = Sw. begrafva, = Dan. be- 
grare, bury, = Goth, bigraban, dig around), < be- 
+ grafan, grave, dig: see 6e-l and grave 1 , v.] 
1. To bury. Gower. 2. To engrave. 
With great sleight 
Of workmanship it was begrace. 
Gower, Conf. Amant., i. 
begrease (be-gres'), v. t. [< 6e-i + grease.] To 
soil or daub with grease or other oily matter. 
begrime (be-grim'), v. t. [< 6e-l + grime.] To 
make grimy ; cover or impress as with dirt or 
grime. 
The justice-room begrimed with ashes. 
Maeaulay, Hist. Eng., i. 
= Syn, Tarnith, etc. See soil. 
begrudge (be-gruj'), v. t. [Early mod. E. also 
begruteh, < ME. begrucchcn : see be- 1 and grudge.] 
To grudge ; envy the possession of. 
There wants no teacher to make a p<ior man begrudge 
his powerful and wealthy neighlxmr both his actual share 
in the government, and his disproportionate share of the 
good things of this life. Brougham. 
begruntlet (be-gnm'tl), v. t. [< 6e-l + gruntlt. 
Cf . disgruntle.] To render uneasy ; disconcert. 
The Spaniards were begnintled with these scruples. 
Bp. Ha'cket, Life of Abp. Williams, i. 131. 
begrutcht, '. '. Obsolete form of begrudge. 
begruiten (be-grut'n), a. [< be-1 + grutten, 
pp. of greit, greet, cry: see greet 2 .] Showing 
the effects of much weeping ; marred or swollen 
in face through sore or continued weeping. 
[Scotch.] 
Poor things, . . . they are sae btgrutten. 
Scott, Monastery, viii. 
begstert, n. A Middle English form of beggar. 
Cliaitccr. 
Begtashi (beg-ta'she), n. [Turk.] A secret 
religious order in Turkey resembling the order 
of Freemasons, employing passwords and signs 
of recognition very similar to, and in some 
cases identical with, those of the latter order, 
and including many thousands of influential 
members. Imp. Diet. 
beguan (beg'wan), n. [Prob. a native name.] 
A bezoar or concretion found in the intestines 
of the iguana. 
Beguard, . See Beghard. 
