Nearby Words

bets

[bet] Origin

bet

1[bet] verb, bet or bet·ted, bet·ting, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to wager with (something or someone).
verb (used without object)
2.
to make a wager: Do you want to bet?

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Bets is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
noun
3.
a pledge of a forfeit risked on some uncertain outcome; wager: Where do we place our bets?
4.
that which is pledged: a two-dollar bet.
5.
something that is bet on, as a competitor in a sporting event or a number in a lottery: That horse looks like a good bet.
6.
an act or instance of betting: It's a bet, then?
7.
a person, plan of action, etc., considered as being a good alternative; choice: Your best bet is to sell your stocks now.
8.
you bet! Informal. of course! surely!: You bet I'd like to be there!

Origin:
1585–95; perhaps special use of obsolete bet better, in phrase the bet the advantage, i.e., the odds


1. gamble, stake, risk, hazard, venture, chance.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

bet

2[beyt; bet]
noun

BET

Trademark.
Black Entertainment Television: a cable television channel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To bets
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bet
1590s, in the argot of petty criminals; probably aphetic of abet, or from obsolete beet "to make good," from O.E. bætan "make better, arouse, stimulate," from P.Gmc. *baitjanan. The original notion is perhaps "to improve" a contest by wagering on it, or it is from the
EXPAND
"bait" sense in abet. Used since 1852 in various Amer.Eng. slang assertions (cf. you bet "be assured," 1857). Related: Betting.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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