beest en · VERB · etymology 1
Etymology
From Middle English bēst, biest, beost, bist, from Old English bist; equivalent to be + -est. Compare West Frisian bist, German bist.
Meanings
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(archaic, form-of, indicative, present, second-person, singular, subjunctive) second-person singular present indicative or subjunctive of be
form of be
If thou, to be so seene, beest loath, / By Sunne, or Moone, thou darknest both […].
a. 1631 (date written), J[ohn] Donne, “The Baite”, in Poems, […] with Elegies on the Authors Death, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for Iohn Marriot, […], published 1633, →OCLC:Stephano! if thou beest Stephano, touch me, and speake to me: for I am Trinculo; be not afeard, thy good friend Trinculo.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bist | alternative | lexicographic |
Relateds
art · been · was · am · being · wast · be · wert · are · were · is