beg

beg · verb, noun¹

1. Old French · derived frombegart“kind of lay brother”
2. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*bedagō“petitioner, requester, beggar”
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*bedu
4. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*bedukōn
5. Old English · derived from*becgian, *bedcian
6. Middle English · inherited frombeggen
7. English todaybeg

Inherited from Middle English beggen, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old English *becgian, *bedcian, syncopated forms of bedecian (“to beg”), itself of obscure origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *bedukōn, a frequentative verb derived from Proto-West Germanic *bedu (“plea, petition, prayer”, whence English bead). Alternatively from Proto-West Germanic *bedagō (“petitioner, requester, beggar”), an agent noun from the same source. Compare North Frisian bēdagi (“to pray”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍅𐌰 (bidagwa, “beggar”). All ultimately from the root of English bid, which see for more. An alternative theory considers the verb a backformation from beggar and derives the latter from Old French begart (“kind of lay brother”).

beg · noun²

1. Proto-Turkic · derived from*bēg
2. English todaybeg

From Proto-Turkic *bēg.

Beg · proper noun³

1. Slovene · borrowed fromBeg
2. Hindi · borrowed fromबेग
3. English todayBeg

Various origins: * As an Islamic (Indian subcontinent as Hindi बेग (beg)) and sometimes Serbo-Croatian surname, from the Turkish title beg, an older form of bey. See Bey; also compare Baig. * Borrowed from Slovene Beg, from beg (“escape, getaway”).

Words from the same roots