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begift

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English bigiften (to entrust), equivalent to be- +‎ gift. Cognate with Dutch begiften (to endow), German begaben (to endow), Swedish begåva (to endow, dower).

Verb

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begift (third-person singular simple present begifts, present participle begifting, simple past and past participle begifted)

  1. (transitive) To entrust; endow.
    • 2005, Philip R. Sullivan, The World According To Homo Sapiens:
      I suspect, for instance, that Bill Gates might not have wanted to begift such a program with the Microsoft name.
  2. (transitive) To give a gift or gifts to; bestow or present with gifts.
    • 1838, Thomas Carlyle, The French revolution: a history:
      They are harangued, bedinnered, begifted,[...]
    • 1905, William Thomas Stead, The Review of reviews:
      Mr. EH Cooper protests against the extravagant manner in which the children of the well-to-do are "amused" and begifted at Christmas: [...]
    • 1974, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists:
      If you are an occasional reader and would like to receive the magazine regularly — or if you are a subscriber and would like to begift a friend, colleague or relative — use the form below.
  3. (transitive) To give as a gift.

Derived terms

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