† beˈgo, v. Obs. exc. in pa. pple.
Pa. pple. begone. Forms: 1 begán, 3 bigan, 4 begon, bigo. pa. tense 1 beéode, 3 bieode, 4 byȝede, 4–5 bywent. pa. pple. 1 begán, 2 bigan, 3 bigon, 4 bego(n, -goo, bigo, -gon(nen, -gone, -goo(n, bygo(n, -gone, -goo(n, Sc. begane, 5 begoon, bygone, Sc. bigane, 5–6 begon, 6 Sc. bygane, 4– begone.
[Comm. Teut.: OE. begán, Goth. bigaggan, OS. bigangan, OHG. bigân, MHG. begân, -gên, mod.G. begehen, Du. begaan; f. bi-, be- about + gangan, gân to Go.]
† 1. trans. To go about, occupy, inhabit; to work, cultivate. (L. colere.) Obs.
| c 890 ælfred Bæda i. xxvi. (Bosw.) Mid ðy Romane ða ᵹyt Breotone be-eodan. c 1000 ælfric Gram. (Zup.) 24 Agricola, se ðe æcer begæð. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 94 Þeos wyrt..wihst on beᵹanum landum. 1393 Gower Conf. I. 152 The erthe it is, whiche evermo With mannes labour is bego. |
† 2. To go round; to compass, encompass. Obs.
| c 1000 ælfric Job i. 7 Ic ferde ᵹeond ðas eorþan and hi be-eode. 1205 Lay. 11200 Al þat þe sæ bigæð. 1387 Trevisa Higden I. 311 [Crete] is bygoo wiþ þe see of Gres. |
† 3. To go about hostilely, beset, overrun (in hostile sense). Also fig.; cf. 8. Obs.
| a 855 O.E. Chron. an. 775 He..þone bur utan beeode. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 149 Þet isich..his emcristene.. mid sicnesse bigan. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 3429 Al þe contre..ful by-gon wyþ enymys. c 1400 Warres of Jewes in Warton Hist. Poetry (1840) II. 106 Whippes..bywent his white sides. 1602 Warner Alb. Eng. Epit. (1612) 363 Bremcia, and Daira..were begone seuerally within three yeares..vnder two Saxons named Ida and Ella. |
† 4. To get round with craft, to talk over. Obs.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 24 Gyle haþ bigon hire so heo graunteþ al his wille. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 2013 Many ys þe manlich man {revsc} þat þorw womman ys by-go. 1387 Trevisa Higden VI. 213 Þe queene byȝede here housbonde. |
† 5. To surround, environ, furnish. Obs.
| 1393 Gower Conf. II. 227 He was wel begone With faire doughters manyone. |
† 6. To dress; to clothe, attire, deck, adorn. Obs.
| a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1614 Þe engles..smireden hire wunden, and bieoden swa þe bruchen of hire bodi. c 1325 Coer de L. 5661 Hymself was rychely begoo, From the crest unto the too. 1393 Gower Conf. II. 45 The sadels were..With perle and gold so well begone. Ibid. 228 His moder to him tolde [the cause] That she him hadde so begone. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 630 All golde begoon his tail. 1513 Douglas æneis vi. i. 28 The..hous of brycht Appollo gold bygane. |
† 7. pass. To be permeated, tainted, infected.
| 1205 Lay. 19773 Þa wes þa welle anan al mid attre bigon. c 1430 Syr Gener. 4195 The ground was al begoon with bloode. |
8. To beset as an environment or affecting influence, good or evil; to affect as one's environment does. Now only in pa. pple. in woe-begone ‘affected by an environment of woe,’ and the like. (The original phrase was ‘him was wo begone,’ i.e. to him woe had closed round; but already in Chaucer we find the later construction in ‘He was wo begone’; need-begone is in Barbour.)
| c 1300 Vox & Wolf 53 Go wei, quod the kok, wo the bi-go! c 1314 Guy Warw. 120 Yuel ous worth than bigo. c 1375 ? Barbour St. Alexis 92 Al þat he saw ned-begane. c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's T. 820 Wo was this wrecched womman tho bigoon. ― Wife's Prol. 606, I was..riche and yonge and wel begon. ― Miller's T. 472 Absolon that is for loue alwey so wo bigon. a 1400 Sir Perc. 349 The lady was never more sore bygone. c 1440 Lonelich Grail xlviii. 373 Elles ben we ful evele be-gon. c 1440 Sir Gowther 435 Ful wel was him by gone. 1593 T. Watson Sonn. (Arb.) 197 My hart doth whisper I am woe begone me. 1794 W. Blake Songs Exper., Little Girl Found, Tired and woe-begone. 1825 Waterton Wand. S. Amer. 310 It appears sad and woe-begone. |