▪ I. beget, v.
(bɪˈgɛt)
Pa. tense beˈgot, arch. beˈgat. Pa. pple. beˈgotten, formerly bi-, begeten, -get, begot. Forms as in get.
[Comm. Teut.: OE. beᵹit-an = Goth. bi-gitan, f. bi- be- + gitan to get. The normal form, from OE. beᵹitan, would have been be-yet; for the substitution of be-get, see get.]
† 1. trans. To get, to acquire (usually by effort).
| a 1000 Beowulf 2297 Fin eft beᵹeat sweord. 1154 O.E. Chron. an. 1137 [He] wæs wæl underfangen fram þe pape, and begæt þare priuilegies. c 1200 Ormin 13986 Þærþurrh bigatt he þær att Crist Þurrh himm to wurrþenn borrȝhenn. a 1225 Ancr. R. 196 Heo biȝited þe blisfule kempene crune. a 1300 Cursor M. 4913 Ne haue we wit vs trussed noght, Bot..of our lele bi-geten [v.r. begityn] thing. 1393 Gower Conf. I. 82 Whan he weneth most beȝete, Than is he shape most to lese. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iii. ii. 8 You must acquire and beget a Temperance that may giue it Smoothnesse. |
2. To procreate, to generate: usually said of the father, but sometimes of both parents.
| 1205 Lay. 15792 Þus wes Mærlin biȝeten and iboren of his moder. c 1300 Beket 119 Bituene hem biȝute was The gode child of wham we speketh. 1460 J. Capgrave Chron. 15 The Sones of God..comouned with the Douteris of men..and thei begotin geauntis. 1611 Bible Prov. xvii. 21 He that begetteth a foole, doth it to his sorrow. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 2 ¶5 He has good Blood in his Veins; Tom Mirabell begot him. 1788 J. Powell Devises (1827) II. 205 Without having any children issue lawfully begotten or to be begotten. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 226 What could he have been thinking of when he begat such wise sons? |
b. Const. on, upon, or upon the body of.
| 1297 R. Glouc. 516 Sire Morisse of Berkeleye wedded..Is doȝter, and biȝet on hire the kniȝt Sir Tomas. c 1386 Chaucer Melib. ¶1 Melibeus..bigat vp on his wyf..a doghter. 1509–10 Act 1 Hen. VIII, xix. Pream, The heires males whiche he shulde begett on the body of the said Elizabeth. 1641 Hinde J. Bruen xxx. 92 [Wakes] are begotten of Sathan, upon the body of that Whore of Rome. 1742 Young Nt. Th. ix. 447 Num'rous is the race Of blackest ills..Begot by madness on fair liberty. |
† c. = get (with child). Obs.
| c 1450 Knt. de la Tour 6 That other knight..begate her with childe. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. v. i. 517 There's one Whom he begot with childe. 1611 Coryat Crudities 101 For shee reported that shee was begotten with child by a certaine Dragon. |
3. Theol. Applied to the relationship of the Father to the Son in the Trinity; also to the spiritual relationship of God to man in regeneration.
| 1388 Wyclif 1 Peter i. 3 Which begat [1382 gendride, 1611 hath begotten] vs aȝen in to lyuyng hope. 1534 Tindale 1 John v. 1 Every one that loveth him which begat [Wyclif gendred, 1611 begate], loveth him also which was begotten [W. borun] of him. 1549 Bk. Com. Pr., Athanas. Cr., The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created, but begotten. 1587 Golding De Mornay vi. 71 God..begate the Sonne or Word equall to himselfe. |
4. fig. and transf. To call into being, give rise to; to produce, occasion.
| 1581 Lambarde Eiren. ii. ii. (1588) 124 The doing thereof doth also beget a forfeiture of the Recognusance that is made. 1588 Shakes., L.L.L. ii. i. 69 His eye begets occasion for his wit. 1675 Traherne Chr. Ethics vi. 71 Fire begets water by melting ice. 1691 Ray Creation ii. (1704) 335 How can all these things..but beget Wonder? 1845 Miall Nonconf. V. 133 One falsehood usually begets a necessity for a dozen others. |
▪ II. † beˈget, n. Obs.
Forms: 2–3 biȝeate, biȝæte, 2–4 biȝete, 4–5 beȝete, biyete, beyete, 4 byyate, beȝeitt, biyett, bigeet, ? bygate, ? bigete; 4–5 bigate, 5 begete.
[ME. f. beget v.; cf. OE. ǫndᵹit, -ᵹet, f. ǫnᵹitan.]
1. The action of acquiring; acquisition, gaining; acquisition, gain, profit, advantage.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 213 Iblesced beo þet þus went lure to biȝeate. a 1225 Ancr. R. 166 Þe þridde reisun of þe worldes fluhte is þe biȝeate of heouene. 1393 Gower Conf. Prol. I. 14 For pompe and for beȝete. |
b. concr. The thing acquired; acquisition, acquirement, gain, proceeds; spoils of war.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 37 Þe fule man..of unrihte biȝete ofte filleð [his wombe]. a 1225 Ancr. R. 160 He biȝet þeos þreo biȝeaten. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 895 Habram gaf him ðe tiȝðe del Of alle is biȝete. c 1430 Syr Gener. 4810 Al to smal is oure begete. |
2. Procreation, generation; begetting.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 1437 Al he teld ther the king Of his bigete, of his bereing. |
b. concr. That which is begotten, progeny.
| c 1315 Shoreham 68 And eke hem that hym hebbeth so, And alle hare bi-ȝete. a 1400 Octouian 848 He was som gentylmannes beyete. |