Dictionary

betoken en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /bɪˈtoʊ.kən/
• (UK) audio

Etymology

From Middle English bitoknen, bitacnen, from Old English betācnian (“to betoken, signify, designate”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitaiknijan. Equivalent to be- + token. Cognate with Dutch betekenen (“to mean, signify”), German bezeichnen (“to call, designate”), Swedish beteckna (“to represent, designate, indicate”) and Danish betegne (“to represent, designate, indicate”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To signify by some visible object; show by signs or tokens.
   • Here, too, there is a marked change in the character of the country, for Tondu lies at the foot of the imposing mass of the central group of Glamorgan mountains, betokening the stiff gradients that lie ahead. 1955 July, D. S. Barrie, “Railways of the Bridgend District”, in Railway Magazine, page 448:
   • There be other 2 signes in often use of which the first is made thus + and betokeneth more : the other is thus made – and betokeneth lesse. 1557: Robert Recorde, The whetstone of witte, whiche is the seconde parte of Arithmetike : containyng the xtraction of Rootes : The Cossike practise, with the rule of Equation : and the workes of Surde Nombers.^ʀ, page unknown (Ihon Kyngstone)
   • The new propaganda for the route, modest though it is in content and extent so far, does seem to betoken a BR effort to improve its carryings and save the service from extinction. 1964 July, “News and Comment: The Broad Street-Richmond line”, in Modern Railways, page 17:
   • “Now, for every power that you accrue, you shall receive a star badge like these. This final star betokens the rank of ultimate wizard.” 2010 May 10, Bert Youn, Pete Browngardt, & Adam Muto, “Wizard” (3:19 from the start), in Adventure Time, season 1, episode 11, spoken by Bufo (Tom Kenny):
   • During the fight, we ran forward a few paces, but a heavy, rushing flight betokened an easy victory, and the stranger flew away. 1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 87:
2. (transitive) To foreshow by present signs; indicate something in the future by that which is seen or known.
   • Since the Report was published there has been a rather unnatural absence of follow-up propaganda for the Liner trains, which seems to betoken a disinclination to embark on the heavy expenditure involved until a long-term patronage of the projected services has been assured. 1963 July, “News and Comment: Second thoughts on Liner trains?”, in Modern Railways, page 5:
   • “ Ah ! hospitable land, thou (nevertheless) betokenest war,” i. e., although hospitable, thou nevertheless betokenest war. — Bello. 1853: Virgil, Charles Anthon, LL.D. [tr.], Æneïd of Virgil: With English Notes, Critical and Explanatory, a Metrical Clavis: And an Historical, Geographical, and Mythological Index, page 474 (Harper & Brothers, 329 & 331 Pearl Street, Franklin Square, New York)

Forms

Deriveds

betokener · unbetokened

Relateds

more betoken

Synonyms

portend (foreshow) · forebode (foreshow) · mark (signify) · presage (foreshow) · note (signify) · indicate (signify)

Translations (12)

pl wróżyć (to indicate something future by that which is seen or known) · bg предсказвам (to indicate something future by that which is seen or known) · bg знача (to show by signs or tokens) · sh naznačiti (to show by signs or tokens) · bg вещая (to indicate something future by that which is seen or known) · pl znaczyć (to show by signs or tokens) · pl zapowiadać (to indicate something future by that which is seen or known) · bg означавам (to show by signs or tokens) · sh nagovjestiti (to indicate something future by that which is seen or known) · sh nagovestiti (to indicate something future by that which is seen or known) · pl świadczyć (to show by signs or tokens) · pl zapowiedzieć (to indicate something future by that which is seen or known)