Beteem
(Be*teem") v. t. [Pref. be- + an old verb teem to be fitting; cf. D. betamen to beseem, G.
ziemen, Goth. gatiman, and E. tame. See Tame, a.]
1. To give ; to bestow; to grant; to accord; to consent. [Obs.] Spenser. Milton.
2. To allow; to permit; to suffer. [Obs.]
So loving to my mother,
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly.
Shak.
Betel
(Be"tel) n. [Pg., fr. Tamil ve&tsdot&tsdotilei, prop. meaning, a mere leaf.] (Bot.) A species of
pepper the leaves of which are chewed, with the areca or betel nut and a little shell lime, by the inhabitants
of the East Indies. It is a woody climber with ovate many- nerved leaves.
Betelguese
(Bet"el*guese) n. [F. Bételgeuse, of Arabic origin.] (Astron.) A bright star of the first magnitude,
near one shoulder of Orion. [Written also Betelgeux and Betelgeuse.]
Betel nut
(Be"tel nut`) The nutlike seed of the areca palm, chewed in the East with betel leaves (whence
its name) and shell lime.
Bête noire
(||Bête" noire") [Fr., lit. black beast.] Something especially hated or dreaded; a bugbear.
Bethabara wood
(Beth*ab"a*ra wood`) (Bot.) A highly elastic wood, used for fishing rods, etc. The tree
is unknown, but it is thought to be East Indian.
Bethel
(Beth"el) n. [Heb. bth-el house of God.]
1. A place of worship; a hallowed spot. S. F. Adams.
2. A chapel for dissenters. [Eng.]
3. A house of worship for seamen.
Bethink
(Be*think") v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bethought ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bethinking.] [AS. beþencan; pref.
be- + þencan to think. See Think.] To call to mind; to recall or bring to recollection, reflection, or consideration; to
think; to consider; — generally followed by a reflexive pronoun, often with of or that before the subject of
thought.
I have bethought me of another fault.
Shak.
The rest . . . may . . . bethink themselves, and recover.
Milton.
We bethink a means to break it off.
Shak.
Syn. — To recollect; remember; reflect.
Bethink
(Be*think"), v. i. To think; to recollect; to consider. "Bethink ere thou dismiss us." Byron.
Bethlehem
(Beth"le*hem) n. [Heb. beth- lekhem house of food; beth house + lekhem food, lakham
to eat. Formerly the name of a hospital for the insane, in London, which had been the priory of St. Mary
of Bethlehem. Cf. Bedlam.]
1. A hospital for lunatics; — corrupted into bedlam.
2. (Arch.) In the Ethiopic church, a small building attached to a church edifice, in which the bread for
the eucharist is made. Audsley.
Bethlehemite
(Beth"le*hem*ite Beth"lem*ite) n.
