50 Words with the Most Whimsical Prefix

50 Words with the Most Whimsical Prefix 50 Words with the Most Whimsical Prefix 50 Words with the Most Whimsical Prefix By Mark Nichol The prefix be- has a variety of interesting roles in language: Causation The prefix is affixed to a verb to indicate a causative agent, as in belittle, meaning â€Å"to diminish by criticism or mockery.† Creation Become and begin, and the archaic-sounding beget, are words starting with the prefix that indicate something coming to be; the prefix also appears in words expressing the near opposite, such as behead. Intensification It’s one thing to be dazzled by a luminous object, but a reference to being bedazzled implies a higher order of enchantment. Position Be- indicates relative placement, as in below or between. Its addition to a word transforms nouns and adjectives into verbs, as in besiege and beware (â€Å"be aware†). It also changes intransitive verbs (those that do not take an object) into transitive ones, as with becalm. The simple act of attaching these two letters to an existing word enhances English by providing us with terms that entertain us with their vivid imagery. Here are some more or less obscure be- words and their definitions: becloud: to obscure or muddle bedaub: to excessively ornament or anoint bedazzle: to enchant bedeck: to fancily clothe or decorate bedevil: to annoy bedew: to moisten bedight: to equip or adorn bedim: to obscure, or to reduce light bedizen: to adorn or dress in a tacky manner bedraggle: to drench befit: to be appropriate for befool: to delude or trick begrime: to make dirty begrudge: to give reluctantly beguile: to seduce behoove: to be appropriate bejewel: to adorn with jewelry belabor: to emphasize unnecessarily belaud: to fulsomely praise belay: to stop or hold off from beleaguer: to trouble or bother belie: to falsely imply, to reveal something as false, or to contradict bemire: to expose to or engulf in mud bemock: to ridicule benight: overcome by literal or figurative darkness benumb: to deprive of sensation bepuzzle: to confuse bequeath: to leave an inheritance (the noun form is bequest) bereave: to deprive (one so treated is bereft) beseech: to beg (the past tense is besought) beseem: to be fitting or suitable beset: to attack, harass, or surround besmear: to stain or obscure, or to defame besmirch: see besmear besort: to fit or become (also a noun meaning â€Å"appropriate associate†) besot: to infatuate or muddle besoul: to endow with a soul bespatter: to splash bespeak: to claim, request, address, or identify besprinkle: to scatter or disperse bestir: to rouse bestow: to put to use or in place, or to convey a gift bestrew: see besprinkle betake: to commit, or cause to act bethink: to recall, or to cause to consider betroth: to promise to marry, or to give in marriage bewhisker: to provide with whiskers (or, as bewhiskered, to have whiskers) bewhore: to corrupt sexually, or to characterize as a whore bewig: to place a wig on bewray: to betray Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"35 Genres and Other Varieties of FictionCaptain vs. Master