Dictionary

beget en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /bɪˈɡɛt/ (UK, US)
• /biˈɡɛt/ (UK, US)
• (Australia) audio
• /bəˈɡɛt/ (UK, US)

Etymology

From Middle English begeten [influenced by Old Norse geta ("to get, to guess")], from Old English beġietan (“to get”), from Proto-Germanic *bigetaną (“to find, seize”), equivalent to be- + get. Cognate with Old Saxon bigetan (“to find, seize”), Old High German bigezan (“to gain, achieve, win, procure”).

Meanings

1. (literary, transitive) To produce or bring forth (a child); to be a parent of; to father or sire.
   • The King intends to beget a child within the next five years.
   • ¶ And Adam liued an hundred and thirtie yeeres, and begate a ſonne in his owne likeneſſe, after his image; and called his name Seth. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 5:3:
   • This ogress too was begotten of the blood of Cain, whose brood had been doomed forever to the icy floods and freezing waters of the earth. 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 33:
   • I believe good people beget good people. If you marry the right person, then you will have good children. But everywhere else in life, too, good people beget good people. In your work, when you hire good people, they, in turn, will hire good ... 2003, William H. Frist, Shirley Wilson, Good People Beget Good People: A Genealogy of the Frist Family, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 110:
2. (transitive) To cause; to produce; to bring forth.
   • In the same way that Old Europe’s coffeehouses begat insurance companies, he says, today’s political careers beget an unhealthy relationship with throat lozenges. 2012 May 5, Henry Alford, “Future TED Talks”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 May 2012:
   • How one’s thoughts will travel! and how quickly our wishes beget them! 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 2, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
   • Rugby football was created in the early 1800s at England’s all-boys Rugby School. The sport begat American football, Gaelic football, Australian rules football and Association football (aka soccer). 2012 February 1, Kathy Gilbert, “Pitching In”, in Chatter Chattanooga, retrieved 29 Sep 2012:
   • Violence begets violence, and the only people still remaining will do the very thing that the living were fighting to preserve during the battle against the Night King: They’ll remember, and keep the memory of this bloodbath alive. 2019 May 12, Alex McLevy, “Westeros faces a disastrous final battle on the penultimate Game of Thrones (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 15 May 2019:
   • Wealth begets wealth; poverty begets poverty.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To get or obtain.
   • If there bee neuer a Seruant-monſter i' the Fayre, who can helpe it, he ſayes ; nor a neſt of Antiques ? Hee is loth to make Nature afraid in his Playes, like thoſe that beget Tales, Tempeſts, and ſuch like Drolleries, […] 1614 November 10 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Beniamin Iohnson [i.e., Ben Jonson], Bartholmew Fayre: A Comedie, […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot, […], published 1631, →OCLC, (please specify the page):
4. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To happen to; befall.

Forms

Deriveds

begotten · lies beget more lies · begetting · unbeget · misbegot · misbeget · rebeget · unbegot · begetter

Relateds

misbegotten · begettal · forebegotten · be born · give birth · unbegot · ill-begotten · unbegotten

Synonyms

breed

Translations (103)

txb täm- (procreate) · fr engendrer (cause, produce) · gl xerar (cause, produce) · ar أَنْجَبَ (procreate) · fi hedelmöittää (procreate) · de sich fortpflanzen (procreate) · cs způsobovat (cause, produce) · ru производи́ть пото́мство (procreate) · cs vyvolat (cause, produce) · es engendrar (cause, produce) · nl voortbrengen (procreate) · fr engendrer (procreate) · fr procréer (procreate) · ka დასაბამს აძლევს (procreate) · ja 来たす (cause, produce) · it generare (cause, produce) · sh poroditi (procreate) · gl xerar (procreate) · ru производи́ть (cause, produce) · ru производи́ть на свет (procreate) · pt gerar (procreate) · el γεννώ (procreate) · ja 生む (procreate) · he ילד (procreate) · ru роди́ть (procreate) · hu maga után von (cause, produce) · hu okoz (cause, produce) · pt procriar (procreate) · ru порожда́ть (cause, produce) · fi synnyttää (cause, produce) · sv avla (procreate) · az əkmək (procreate) · wlc udzaya (procreate) · grc γείνομαι (procreate) · ru порожда́ть (procreate) · mi ai (procreate) · pt engendrar (cause, produce) · az doğurmaq (cause, produce) · nb avføde (cause, produce) · nl veroorzaken (cause, produce) · hu kelt (cause, produce) · nb forårsake (cause, produce) · ro procrea (procreate) · bg предизвиквам (cause, produce) · it generare (procreate) · pt ter filho (procreate) · fi siittää (procreate) · nb skape (cause, produce) · mk по́роди (procreate) · ru произвести́ на свет (procreate) · ka წარმოშობა (cause, produce) · cmn 產生 /产生 (procreate) · da avle (procreate) · cmn 生育 (procreate) · sa जनयति (procreate) · egy ir (cause, produce) · mi ahi (procreate) · cs počít (cause, produce) · ru произвести́ (cause, produce) · sga do·fuissim (procreate) · el παράγω (procreate) · ru породи́ть (procreate) · cs plodit (procreate) · ka წარმოქმნა (cause, produce) · ru породи́ть (cause, produce) · az doğmaq (procreate) · pl spowodować (cause, produce) · az törətmək (procreate) · ru рожда́ть (procreate) · de zeugen (procreate) · ca concebre (procreate) · mk за́чне (procreate) · nl verwekken (procreate) · ru рожа́ть (procreate) · eo generi (cause, produce) · ru произвести́ пото́мство (procreate) · el προκαλώ (cause, produce) · ka შობა (procreate) · grc γεννάω (procreate) · es concebir (procreate) · sa जनयति (cause, produce) · txb täm- (cause, produce) · cmn 招致 (cause, produce) · mk ра́ѓа (cause, produce) · da skabe (cause, produce) · ca engendrar (cause, produce) · sh uroditi (cause, produce) · az törətmək (cause, produce) · fi aiheuttaa (cause, produce) · cs zapříčinit (cause, produce) · grc γείνομαι (cause, produce) · mk преди́звика (cause, produce) · da afføde (cause, produce) · cs způsobit (cause, produce) · bg пораждам (cause, produce) · cmn 生殖 (procreate) · de erzeugen (cause, produce) · grc γεννάω (cause, produce) · hu előidéz (cause, produce) · bg зачевам (procreate) · az əmələ gətirmək (cause, produce) · pt gerar (cause, produce) · hu nemz (procreate)