Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Popular Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
betoken - 4 dictionary results
Betoken
 Bargain Prices. Smart Deals. Save on Betoken!
 BizRate.com

be⋅to⋅ken

  [bi-toh-kuhn]
Use betoken in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to give evidence of; indicate: to betoken one's fidelity with a vow; a kiss that betokens one's affection.
2. to be or give a token or sign of; portend: a thunderclap that betokens foul weather; an angry word that betokens hostility.
Origin:
1125–75; ME bitocnen, bitacnen. See be-, token
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To betoken
be·to·ken   (bĭ-tō'kən)   
tr.v.   be·to·kened, be·to·ken·ing, be·to·kens
To be or give a sign or portent of. See Synonyms at indicate.

[Middle English bitoknen : bi-, be- + toknen, to signify (from Old English tācnian; see deik- in Indo-European roots).]
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

Betoken

Be*to"ken\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betokened; p. pr. & vb. n. Betokening.]

1. To signify by some visible object; to show by signs or tokens.

A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow . . . Betokening peace from God, and covenant new. --Milton.

2. To foreshow by present signs; to indicate something future by that which is seen or known; as, a dark cloud often betokens a storm.

Syn: To presage; portend; indicate; mark; note.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

betoken 
c.1175, from be- + O.E. tacnian "to signify," from tacn "sign" (see token).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see betoken on Thesaurus | Reference
Betoken
 Bargain Prices. Smart Deals. Save on Betoken!
 BizRate.com