beholding 
Oh, I thank you, I am much brholiliny to you. 
Clta}finan, Blind Beggar. 
It is in the power of every hand to destroy us, and we 
are beholding unto every one we meet, he doth not kill us. 
Sa T. Bromie, lleligio Medici, i. 44. 
2. Attractive; fascinating. 
When lie saw me, I assure you, my beauty was not more 
betwldiifj to him than my harmony. 
Sir P. Sidney, Areadia, i. 50. 
beholdingness (be-hol'ding-nes), n. The state 
of being beholden or under obligation to any 
one. 
Thank me, ye gods, with much beholdingnesse. For 
marke, I doe not curse yon. Marstuu, Sophonisba, v. '2. 
behoney (be-hun'i), v. t. [< be- 1 + honey.'] To 
cover or smear with honey ; sweeten with honey, 
or with honeyed words. 
behoof (be-hot"), [< ME. behof (chiefly in 
the dat. behove, with prep, to, til, or for), < AS. 
"behdf, advantage (in deriv. behoflic, advantage- 
ous, behefe, useful, necessary, behofian, behoove : 
see behoove) (= OFries. behof, biliof = D. be- 
iiocf= MLG. behof = MHG. bihuof, G. bcliuf, 
advantage, = Sw. behof = Dan. behoi', need, 
necessity; cf. Icel. liof, moderation, measure, 
Goth, ga-hobains, self-restraint), < "behebban 
(pret. "behof) = MHG. beheben, take, hold, < 
be- + hebban, heave, raise, orig. take up, take : 
see be- 1 and heave. In the phrase in or on be- 
hoof of, the word is confused with behalf.'] 
That which is advantageous to a person ; be- 
half; interest; advantage; profit; benefit. 
Aceordeth nought to the behove 
Of resonable mannes use. 
Goicer, Conf. Amant., i. 15. 
No mean recompense it brings 
To your behoof. Milton, P. L., ii. 982. 
Who wants the finer politic sense 
To mask, tho' but in his own behoof, 
With a glassy smile his brutal scorn. 
Tennyson, Maud, vi. 
Is not, indeed, every man a student, and do not all things 
exist for the student's behoof? Emernon, Misc., p. 73. 
[This word is probably never used as a nominative, being 
regularly governed by one of the prepositions to, for, in, 
or on, and limited by a possessive word or phrase. Behalf 
is used similarly.] 
behooffult, . The more correct form of be- 
hooveful. 
behoovable (be-ho'va-bl), a. [< behoove + 
-able.] Useful; profitable; needful; fit. Also 
spelled believable and belwveablc. [Rare.] 
All spiritual graces behoveable for our soul. 
Book of Homilies, ii. 
behoove (be-hov'), v. ; pret. and pp. behooved, 
ppr. behooving. [Also spelled, against analogy, 
behove; < ME. behoven, behof en, AS. behofian, 
need, be necessary (= OFries. bihovia = D. be- 
hoeven = MLG. behoven, LG. behoben, behoben = 
G. behufen (obs.) = Sw. behof va = Dan. behove) ; 
from the noun: see behoof. Cf. Icel. hcefa, aim 
at, hit, behoove, = Sw. ho'fcas, beseem. The 
pret. behooved is worn down in Sc. to bud, bid : 
see bid."] I. trans. 1. To be fit or meet for, 
with respect to necessity, duty, or convenience ; 
be necessary for; become: now used only in 
the third person singular with it as subject. 
It behoves the high, 
For their own sakes, to do things worthily. 
B. Jomon, Cynthia's Revels, v. 3. 
Indeed, ft belioval him to keep on good terms with his 
pupils. Irving, Sketch-Book. 
He is sure of himself, and never needs to ask another 
what in any crisis it behooves him to do. Emerson, War. 
2f. To relate to the advantage of; concern the 
well-being of: formerly used with a regular 
nominative. 
If you know aught which does behove my knowledge 
Thereof to be inform'd, imprison it not 
In ignorant concealment. Shnk., W. T., i. 2. 
Il.t intrans. To be necessary, suitable, or fit. 
Sometime behooveth it to be counselled. 
Chaucer, Melibeus. 
He had all those endowments mightily at command 
which are behoved in a scholar. 
Bp. Hacket, Life of Abp. Williams, I. 39. 
Also spelled behove. 
behoovet, n. An obsolete form (properly da- 
tive) of behoof. 
behoovefult (be-hov'fiil), a. [Prop., as in early 
mod. E., behoofful, < ME. behoveful, < behof, be- 
hoof, + -ful.~] Needful; useful; fit; profitable; 
advantageous. 
Madam, we have cull'd such necessaries 
As are behoveful for our state to-morrow. 
Shak., R. and J., iv. 3. 
It may be most behoovrful for princes, in matters of 
grace, to transact the same publicly. Clarendon. 
behopvefullyt (be-hpv'ful-i), adv. Usefully; 
profitably; necessarily. 
510 
behornt (be-horn'), r. t. [< be- 1 + horn.] To 
put horns on; cuckold. 
behotet, '' Same as be/tight. 
behourd, . [OF., also written behourt, behour, 
bihour, boliourd, etc., "a juste or tourney of 
many together with launces and batleaxes ; 
also a bustling or blustering noise " (Ootgrave) ; 
< bchourder, behourdir, "to just together with 
launces," < behourt, a lance.] A variety of the 
just practised in the thirteenth century, or, in 
some cases, a variety of the tourney. 
behovable, behoveable, a. See behoovable. 
behove, v. Less correct spelling of behoove. 
behovelyt, a. [ME. (mod. as if *behoofly) : see 
behoof and -ly 1 .] Necessary; advantageous. 
Chaucer. 
behowl (bf-houl'), v. t. [< be- 1 + howl.] To 
howl at. 
The wolf beholds the moon. Shak., SI. N. D., v. 2. 
behung (be-hung'), p. a. [Pp. of "bchang, not 
used, < be- 1 + hang.] Draped; ornamented 
with something hanging: as, a horse behung 
with trappings. [Rare.] 
beid-el-sar (bad-el-sar'), n. [Ar.] A plant used 
in Africa as a remedy for various cutaneous 
affections. It is the Calotropte procera, an aselepiada- 
ceous shrub of tropical Africa and southern Asia. The 
Egyptians use the down of its seeds as tinder. 
beige (bazh), a. [F., < It. bigio, gray: see bic?.] 
Having its natural color : said of a woolen fab- 
ric made of undyed wool. 
beild, n. and v. t. See bield. 
beildy, a. See bieldy. 
bein (ben), a. [Also been, bene, Sc. also bien, 
< ME. been, beene, bene ; origin unknown. The 
Icel. beinn, hospitable, lit. straight, is a different 
word, the source of E. bain 1 , ready, willing, 
etc.: see bain 1 .] 1. Wealthy; well to do: as, 
a bein farmer; a6ebody. 2. Well provided ; 
comfortable; cozy. 
This is a gey bein place, and it's a comfort to hae sic a 
corner to sit in in a bad day. Scott, Antiquary, II. xxiv. 
[Now only Scotch.] 
bein (ben), adv. [Also bien; < bein, a.] Com- 
fortably. [Scotch.] 
I grudge a wee the great folks' gift, 
That live sae bien and snug. 
Burns, Ep. to Davie, i. 
being (be'ing), n. [< ME. beynge, byinge, verbal 
u. of been, be.] 1. Existence in its most com- 
prehensive sense, as opposed to non-existence; 
existence, whether real or only in thought. 2. 
In metaph., subsistence in a state not necessa- 
rily amounting to actual existence ; rudimentary 
existence. But the word is used in different senses by 
different philosophers. Hegel defines it as immediacy, 
that is, the abstract character of the present. In its most 
proper acceptation, it is the name given by philosophical 
reflection to that which is revealed in immediate con- 
sciousness independently of the distinction of subject and 
object. It may also be defined, but with less precision, as 
the abstract noun corresponding to the concrete class em- 
bracing every object. Being is also used in philosophy in- 
fluenced by Aristotle to signify the rudiment or germ of 
existence, consisting in a nature, or principle of growth, 
before actual existence. It is also frequently used to mean 
actual existence, the complete preparation to produce ef- 
fects on the senses and on other objects. Psychologically, 
being may be defined as the objectitlcation of consciousness, 
though the distinction of subject from object logically 
presupposes being. 
Wee may well reject a Liturgie which had no being that 
wee can know of, but from the corruptest times. 
Milton, Def. of Humb. Remonst. 
First, Thou madest things which should have being with- 
out life. Bp. Hall, Contemplations, The Creation. 
Consider everything as not yet in being ; then consider 
if it must needs have been at all. Bentley. 
Our noisy years seem moments in the being 
Of the eternal Silence. 
Wordmvrth, Ode to Immortality. 
3. That which exists; anything that is: as, 
inanimate beings. 
What a sweet being is an honest mind ! 
Middleton (and others), The Widow, v. 1. 
4. Life ; conscious existence. 
I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. 
Ps. cxlvi. 2. 
I fetch my life and beintj 
From men of royal siege. Shak., Othello, i. 2. 
I felt and feel, tho' left alone, 
His being working in mine own. 
Tennyson, In Memoriam, Ixxxv. 
5. Lifetime; mortal existence. 
Claudius, thou 
Wast follower of his fortunes in his being. 
Webster. 
It is, as far as it relates to our present being, the great 
end of education to raise ourselves above the vulgar. 
Steele, Tatler, No. 68. 
6. That which has life ; a living existence, in 
contradistinction to what is without life ; a 
creature. 
bekiss 
It is folly to seek the approbation of any being besides 
the Supreme, because no other being can make a right 
judgment of us. Addition, Spectator. 
Accidental being, the being of an accident, mark, or 
quality. Actual being, complete being; being really 
lirought to puss ; actuality. Being In itself, being ;i]>art 
from the sentient I-HIM imisness ; being per se. Being Of 
existence, historical being ; existence. Being peracci- 
tlens, belli;; through something extraneous. Being per 
se, essential and necessary being. Connotative being, 
a mode of being relative to something else. - Diminute 
being. Set- iiimiiKitr. Intentional or spiritual being, 
the being of that which is in tile mind. Material being, 
what belongs to material budk-s. Natural being, that 
which belongs to things and persons. Objective being, 
an expression formerly applied to the mode of being of an 
immediate object of thought, but in a modern writing it 
would be understood to mean the being of a real thing, 
existing independently of the mind. See objective. Po- 
tential being, that which belongs to something which 
satisfies the prerequisite conditions of existence, but is 
not yet complete or an actual fact. Pure being, in 
metaph., the conception of being as such, that is, devoid 
of all predicates ; being of which nothing can be affirmed 
except that it is. Quidditative being, or being of es- 
sence, that being that belongs to things before they exist, 
in the bosom of the eternal. Substantial being, the 
being of a substance. To differ by tne whole oi be- 
ing. See <li/,;: 
being-placet (be'ing-plas), ii. A place to exist 
in ; a state of existence. 
Before this worlds great frame, in which al things 
Are now containd, found any being-place. 
Spenser, Heavenly Love, 1. 23. 
beinly (ben'li), arfc. [< bein + -ly.] Comforta- 
bly; abundantly; happily; well. Also spelled 
bienly. [Scotch.] 
The children were likewise beinly apparelled. 
Jt. Gilhaize, iii. 104. 
beinness (ben'nes), n. [Also spelled bienness, 
(.bein, bien, + -ness.] Plenty; affluence; pros- 
perousness ; the state of being well off or well 
to do. [Scotch.] 
There was a prevailing air of comfort and bienneet 
about the people and their houses. 
W. Black, Princess of Thule, ii. 
Beiram, . See Bairam. 
beistings, n. sing, or pi. See beestings. 
belt (bet), v. t. [Sc.] Same as beet*. 
bejadet (be-jad'), v. t. [< be- 1 + jade 1 .] To 
tire. 
Lest you bejade the good galloway. 
Milton, Def. of Humb. Remonst. 
bejan (be'jan), n. [Sc., < F. bflaune, < OF. 
becjaunc, a novice, lit. a yellow-beak, i. e., a 
young bird, < bee, beak, + jaune, yellow, a 
yellow beak being characteristic of young birds. 
See beak 1 and jaundice.] A student of the 
first or lowest class in the universities of St. 
Andrews and Aberdeen, Scotland. 
bejapet (be-jap'), v. t. [ME.; < be- 1 + jape.] 
1. To trick; deceive. 
Thou . . . hast byjaped here duk Theseus. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 727. 
2. To laugh at; make a mock of. 
I shal byjaped ben a thousand tyme 
More than that fool of whos folye men ryme. 
Chaucer, Troilus, i. 532. 
bejaundice (be-jan'dis), v. t. [< be- 1 + jaun- 
dice.] To infect with the jaundice. 
bejesuit (be-jez'u-it), v. t. [< be- 1 + Jesuit.] 
To infect or influence with Jesuitry. 
Who hath so bejesitited us that we should trouble that 
man with asking license to doe so worthy a deed ? 
Milton, Areopagitica, p. 54. 
bejewel (be-jo'el), v. t. [< be- 1 + jewel.] To 
provide or adorn with jewels. 
Her bejeu'elled hands lay sprawling in her amber satin 
lap. Thatkeray, Vanity Fair, I. xxi. 
bejUCO (Sp. pron. ba-h6'k6) ; n. [Sp.] A Span- 
ish name for several species of the lianes or 
tall climbing plants of the tropics, such as Hip- 
pocratea scandens, etc. 
The serpent-like bejuco winds his spiral fold on fold 
Round the tall and stately ceiba till it withers in his hold. 
Whittier, Slaves of Martinique. 
bejumble (be-jum'bl), v. t. [< be- 1 + jumble.] 
To throw info confusion ; jumble. AM. 
bekah (be'ka), n. [Heb.] An ancient Hebrew 
unit' of weight, equal to half a shekel, 7.08 
grams, or 109J grains. Ex. xxxviii. 26. 
beken 1 !, t. [ME. bekennen, bikennen ; < be- 1 
+ ken 1 .] 1. To make known. 2. To deliver. 
3. To commit or commend to the care of. 
The devil I bifkenne him. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Pardoner's Tale, 1. 6 (Harleian MS.). 
beken' 2 t, n. Same as behen. 
bekiss (be-kis'), v. t. [< be- 1 + kiss.] To kiss 
repeatedly; cover with kisses. [Rare.] 
She's sick of the young shepherd that bekissed her. 
B. Jonsvn, Sad Shepherd, L 2. 
