be2 (be)

[ shortened from beta ( the names of the letters.] The of the incond letter of the alphabet, usually written simply bor B. Sce B. best, prep. Obsolete form of by. Chaucer. Be. In chem., the symbol for beryllium (the same be-1. [ME. be-, in early ME. commonly bi-, mon root represented by Skt. as, be, exist. 3. Was, pret. ind. (without inf. in mod. E.): sing., 1st and 3d pers. was, MHLG, Gothen G. be- = bi- (lengthened under stre , as in comp. with a noun, AS. bi-, big, D. bij-, OHG. MHG. bi, G. ber- ), an inseparable prefix, orig. the same as the prep., AS. be, bi, E. by, meaning primarily 'about,' being = L. -bi, Gr. -φι, in L. ambi-, Gr. ἀμοι, about (see ambi-, amphi- ): see byl and be -2.] An inseparable prefix of verbs, and of nouns thence derived. It means primarily 'about,' 'around,' as in beset, begird, whence the more general sense 'around,' 'all over, leading to a merely intensive use, as in besmcar, bespatter, besprinkle, etc. It is also used to form transitive verbs from nouns, as begem, bedew, be tached. Dunglison.