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Beg

 - 12 dictionary results

beg

1[beg] verb, begged, beg⋅ging.
–verb (used with object)
1. to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg alms; to beg forgiveness.
2. to ask (someone) to give or do something; implore: He begged me for mercy. Sit down, I beg you.
3. to take for granted without basis or justification: a statement that begs the very point we're disputing.
4. to fail or refuse to come to grips with; avoid; evade: a report that consistently begs the whole problem.
–verb (used without object)
5. to ask alms or charity; live by asking alms.
6. to ask humbly or earnestly: begging for help; begging to differ.
7. (of a dog) to sit up, as trained, in a posture of entreaty.
8. beg off, to request or obtain release from an obligation, promise, etc.: He had promised to drive us to the recital but begged off at the last minute.
9. beg the question, to assume the truth of the very point raised in a question.
10. go begging, to remain open or available, as a position that is unfilled or an unsold item: The job went begging for lack of qualified applicants.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME beggen, by assimilation from OE *bedican, syncopated var. of bedecian to beg; cf. Goth bidagwa beggar. See bead


2. entreat, pray, beseech, petition. Beg and request are used in certain conventional formulas, in the sense of ask. Beg, once a part of many formal expressions used in letter writing, debate, etc., is now used chiefly in such courteous formulas as I beg your pardon; The Committee begs to report, etc. Request, more impersonal and now more formal, is used in giving courteous orders (You are requested to report) and in commercial formulas like to request payment.

beg

2[beyg, beg]
–noun
bey.

Origin:
1680–90; ≪ Turkic; see bey

beg.

bey

[bey]
–noun, plural beys.
1. a provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire.
2. (formerly) a title of respect for Turkish dignitaries.
3. (formerly) the title of the native ruler of Tunis or Tunisia.
Turkish, beg.


Origin:
1590–1600; < Turk, by-form of earlier beg, Old Turkic beg subordinate chief, head of a clan, perh. < a MChin word akin to Chin bǎi hundred (Guangdong dial. baak)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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beg   (běg)   
v.   begged, beg·ging, begs

v.   tr.
  1. To ask for as charity: begged money while sitting in a doorway.

  2. To ask earnestly for or of; entreat: begged me for help.

    1. To evade; dodge: a speech that begged the real issues.

    2. To take for granted without proof: beg the point in a dispute.

v.   intr.
  1. To solicit alms.

  2. To make a humble or urgent plea.

Phrasal Verb(s):
beg offTo ask to be released from something, such as an obligation: We were invited to stay for dinner, but we had to beg off.

[Middle English beggen, possibly from Anglo-Norman begger, from Old French begart, lay brother, one who prays; see beggar.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to make an earnest request. Beg and crave mean to ask in a serious and sometimes humble manner, especially for something one cannot claim as a right: I begged her to forgive me. The attorney craved the court's indulgence.
Beseech emphasizes earnestness and often implies anxiety: Be silent, we beseech you.
Implore intensifies the sense of urgency and anxiety: The child implored his father not to be angry.
Entreat pertains to persuasive pleading: "Ask me no questions, I entreat you" (Charles Dickens).
Importune adds the sense of persistent and sometimes irksome pleading: The foundation was importuned by fundraisers. See Also Synonyms at cadge.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

beg 
c.1225, perhaps from O.E. bedecian "to beg," from P.Gmc. *beth-; or possibly from Anglo-Fr. begger, from O.Fr. begart (see beg). The O.E. word for "beggar" was wædla. Of trained dogs, 1816. As a courteous mode of asking (beg pardon, etc.), first attested 1600. To beg the question translates L. petitio principii, and means "to assume something that hasn't been proven as a basis of one's argument," thus "asking" one's opponent to give something unearned, though more of the nature of taking it for granted without warrant.

bey 
"governor of a Turkish district," 1599, from Turk. bey, a title of honor, the Osmanli equivalent of Turk. beg.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

BEG
Back End Generator

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Bible Dictionary

Beg

That the poor existed among the Hebrews we have abundant evidence (Ex. 23:11; Deut. 15:11), but there is no mention of beggars properly so called in the Old Testament. The poor were provided for by the law of Moses (Lev. 19:10; Deut. 12:12; 14:29). It is predicted of the seed of the wicked that they shall be beggars (Ps. 37:25; 109:10). In the New Testament we find not seldom mention made of beggars (Mark 10:46; Luke 16:20, 21; Acts 3:2), yet there is no mention of such a class as vagrant beggars, so numerous in the East. "Beggarly," in Gal. 4:9, means worthless.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

beg

In addition to the idioms beginning with beg, also see go begging.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
BEG
big evil grin
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

beg

title among Turkish peoples traditionally given to rulers of small tribal groups, to members of ruling families, and to important officials. Under the Ottoman Empire a bey was the governor of a province, distinguished by his own flag (sancak, liwa). In Tunis after 1705 the title become hereditary for the country's sovereign. Later "bey" became a general title of respect in Turkish and Arab countries, added after a personal name and equivalent to "esquire" (or "sir" in conversation) in English. In the 20th-century Turkish republic, bey, though surviving in polite conversation, was replaced by bay before the name (equivalent to "Mr.").

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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