beth

See also: Beth and beð

English

Alternative forms

• bet, beyt, beis

Etymology

From Middle Bronze Age picture of a house by acrophony, ultimately from Proto-Semitic *bayt- (“house”). Doublet of beta.

Pronunciation

• enPR: bĕth, IPA^(key): /bɛθ/
• IPA^(key): /bɛt/
• Rhymes: -ɛθ
• Rhymes: -ɛt

Noun

beth (plural beths)

1. The second letter of the Phoenician alphabet, 𐤁
2. The second letter of the Aramaic alphabet, 𐡁
4. The second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ב
5. The second letter of the Syriac alphabet, ܒ

Derived terms

• aleph-beth
• beth midrash

Translations

Aramaic and Hebrew letter

• Aramaic: בית m (beθ)
• Catalan: bet (ca) f
• Finnish: bet (fi)
• French: bèt (fr) m, bet (fr) m, beth (fr) m
• Hebrew: בֵּית (he) f (bet)
• Italian: bet (it) m or f
• Yiddish: בית m (beys)

Phoenician letter

• Catalan: bet (ca) f
• Finnish: bet (fi)
• Italian: bet (it) m or f

Syriac letter

• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܒܝܬ m (beθ)

• Catalan: bet (ca) f
• Finnish: bet (fi)

See also

• beth din
• beth hamidrash

See also

• Appendix:Hebrew alphabet

Lower Tanana

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəθ/

Etymology 1

Noun

beth

1. skin toboggan, travois

Root

beth

1. (rare) to drag or pull a skin toboggan

Stem set

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Momentaneous	—	beth	beth	—
Momentaneous (Toklat-Bearpaw)	—	beɬ	beɬ	—

References

• Kari, James et al. (2024), Kari, James, editor, Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 75

Etymology 2

Adjective

beth (Minto-Nenana)

1. alternative form of boddha (“round”)

Stem

beth

1. Verbal stem occurring in the following root, aspect, and mode combinations:

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Customary	botth (roll)	botth (roll)	botth (roll)	botth (roll)

References

• Kari, James et al. (2024), Kari, James, editor, Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary, Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, →ISBN, page 81

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English bēoþ, present plural of bēon (“to be”), from Proto-Germanic *biunþi, third-person present plural of *beuną (“to be, become”).

Alternative forms

• beþ

Verb

beth

1. plural present indicative of been

Usage notes

• The plural form of been (“to be”) is usually are in the North, aren/be/been in East Anglia and the North and Central Midlands, and beth in Kent, the South and the Southwest Midlands; the East Saxon dialectal area and the Southeast Midlands are transitional zones.
• In Early Middle English, the forms synd/synde/synden/syndeth are also sometimes encountered.

Etymology 2

From Old English biþ, with the vowel of the infinitive leveled in.

Alternative forms

• biþ, bith

Verb

beth

1. alternative form of bith

Etymology 3

From Old English bēoþ, plural imperative form of bēon, from Proto-Germanic *beuþ, second-person plural imperative form of *beuną.

Alternative forms

• beþ

Verb

beth

1. plural imperative of been

Middle Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beθ/

Etymology 1

Clipping of pa beth (“which thing”) with the soft mutation of peth (“thing”) after pa (“which”), from Proto-Brythonic *peθ, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis.

Pronoun

beth

1. what?

Descendants

• Welsh: beth

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

beth

1. soft mutation of peth

Mutation

Mutated forms of peth

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
peth	beth	peth / pheth pronounced with /m̥-/	pheth

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Middle Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• ·bed

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʲeθ/

Verb

·beth

1. third-person singular past subjunctive of at·tá

Mutation

Mutation of beth

radical	lenition	nasalization
beth	beth pronounced with /βʲ-/	mbeth

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Welsh

Etymology 1

From Middle Welsh beth. Originally pa beth (“which thing”) with the soft mutation of peth (“thing”) after pa (“which”), from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis.

Alternative forms

• be' (colloquial)
• pa beth (literary)

Pronunciation

• (standard, colloquial) IPA^(key): /beːθ/
  • (colloquial) IPA^(key): /beː/, /bɛ/
• Rhymes: -eːθ, -eː

Pronoun

beth

1. what?

   Beth am i ni fynd am dro?

   Shall we go for a walk?

   (literally, “What about we go for a walk?”)

Derived terms

• beth bynnag (“whatever; anyway”)
• ta beth (“whatever; anyway”)

Related terms

• popeth (“everything”)
• rhywbeth (“something”)
• unrhyw beth (“anything”)

Etymology 2

See peth (“thing”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beːθ/

Noun

beth

1. soft mutation of peth

Mutation

Mutated forms of peth

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
peth	beth	mheth	pheth

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.