Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

begs

 - 6 dictionary results

beg

1  [beg] verb, begged, beg⋅ging.
Use begs in a Sentence
–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.
—Verb phrase
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.
—Idioms
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

Synonyms:
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

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.
Cite This Source Link To begs
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.
Cite This Source
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
Cite This Source
Search another word or see begs on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way