▪ I. bey, n.
(beɪ)
Forms: 6 by(e, 7 beye, bei, 7– bey.
[a. Osmanli bey ‘prince, governor,’ mod. pronunciation of beg: see beg n.1]
A Turkish governor of a province or district: also a title of rank.
| 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. 168 The By who is the gouernour of the Iland. Ibid. II. i. 176 You goe to the Bye, onely for that he will inquire newes of you. 1649 Alcoran A iv b, Bashaws, or Vice-Roys, Beyes, or Governors. 1687 Rycaut Hist. Turks I. 250 Letters sent to the young Bei at Tunis. 1768 Hist. Europe in Ann. Reg. 27/2 The Basha of Bosnia being joined by the Bey of Romelia. 1813 Byron Br. Abydos ii. xxi, And wouldst thou save that haughty Bey? |
Hence beydom, beyship.
| 1860 Tristram Gt. Sahara ii. 37 The semi-independent beydom of Tittery. 1867 Standard 2 Mar., We..kept our remarks to his titles, his colonelcy, and his beyship. |
▪ II. † bey, v. Obs.
Forms: 1 béᵹan, b{iacu}eᵹan, b{iacu}ᵹan, b{yacu}ᵹan, 2 beiȝen, 2–4 beien, 3–4 beie, beighe(n, beyghe(n, 4 bie, buyen, buȝen, 9 dial. bay.
[Com. Teut.: OE. Anglian bę́ᵹan, WSax. b{iacu}ęᵹan, b{iacu}ᵹan, b{yacu}ᵹan wk. vb. = OFris. bêja, ON. beygja (Sw. böja, Da. böie), OHG. bougen (MHG. böugen, mod.G. beugen), MDu. bôghen, Goth. baugjan, causal of biugan, baug, in OE. b{uacu}ᵹan, béah to bow (intr.). In the 13th c. there was confusion between this verb, and the primary buȝen to bow, partly because both verbs began to be used both transitively and intransitively, partly because of the ambiguity of the letter u (= ū or ü), so that buȝen might be for OE. b{uacu}ᵹan, or OE. b{yacu}ᵹan. At length the strong verb took also a weak past buȝede, buhde: see bow. Bey, bay, is not found in literature after the 14th c., but seems to have survived in dialects.]
1. trans. To bend, cause to bow.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxv, Hwelcne boh..swelce þu beᵹan mæᵹe. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Mark xv. 19 [Hi] heora cneow biᵹdon. c 1160 Hatt. G. ibid., Hire cneow beiᵹdon. a 1225 Juliana 77 Wið [þat] ilke ha beide hire & beah duuelunge adun bihefdet to þer eorðe. c 1230 Hali Meid. 3 Bei þin eare, þat is beo buhsum to mi lare. c 1300 Beket 1529 Whan i ne mai his hurte so buye. a 1325 Maximon in Rel. Ant. I. 122 He chaungeþ al my ble, Ant buȝeþ me to grounde. [1851 Cumberl. Gloss., Bay, to bend.] |
2. intr. To bend, bow.
| c 1205 Lay. 1051 Ah he mot nede beien þe mon þe ibun den bið. a 1225 St. Marher. 7 Buh nu ant bei to me. Ibid. 22 Ant te bodi beide . ant beh to þer eorðe. c 1230 Hali Meid. 15 Þat hit ne breke ne beie. c 1300 K. Alis. 4373 Theo spere was styf and nought no beyghed. |
▪ III. bey
obs. form of boy (Promp. Parv.).