betow

B3E1T1O1W4

verb

To tow about; pull; draw; lead about; conduct.

OriginMiddle English betowen ← Old English betēon →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

verbbetow (third-person singular simple present betows, present participle betowing, simple past and past participle betowed)

present singular third person betows · participle present betowing · participle past betowed · past betowed

  1. obsoletetransitiveTo tow about; pull; draw; lead about; conduct.
  2. obsoletetransitiveTo educate; influence; steer; direct.
  3. obsoletetransitiveTo bestow; apply.

    For Henry, as lord Bacon observes, loved to employ and advance prelates; because, having rich bishoprics to betow, it was easy for him to reward their services: […]

    1821, David Hume, The history of England from the invasion of Julius Cæsar to the accession of Henry VII

Origin

  1. Old Englishbetēon“to cover, surround, enclose”
  2. Middle Englishbetowen“bestowed, applied”
  3. Englishbetow

From be- + tow, or as a back-formation from Middle English betowen (“bestowed, applied”), past participle of bitēn (“to tug, pull, cover, apply, devote, employ, bring about, perform”), from Old English betēon (“to cover, surround, enclose”).

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with betow

todonosogoknowshowolowbelowcoproagothoughohalthoughflowpojoemosnowhellorowgrow
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Tebow
Cite this entry
APA

betow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betow

MLA

“betow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betow. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “betow,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betow.

Source: betow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.