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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 1 of 2 1 2 The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53424 01/22/02 04:58 AM 01/22/02 04:58 AM Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 4,189 Rio Grande, Cape May County, N... WhitmanO'Neill OP Carpal Tunnel WhitmanO'Neill   OP Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 4,189 Rio Grande, Cape May County, N... Just a thought: beknight, bestow, bequeath, becalm...all indicate adding something. So why does behead imply taking something away? ( Unless, of course, it means adding something to the basket ). Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53425 01/22/02 06:10 AM 01/22/02 06:10 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta B Bingley Carpal Tunnel Bingley   Carpal Tunnel B Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta bereft of any adequate explanation, I remain, dear Sir, your most humble and obedient servant, Bingley Bingley Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53426 01/22/02 01:58 PM 01/22/02 01:58 PM Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park of troy Carpal Tunnel of troy   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park you could also be bereaved, or bereft.. as a result of something being taken away.. (a person or your poise.) and you final bequest would be something you are giving away.. (not just that i am getting!) my other obsession Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53427 01/22/02 04:41 PM 01/22/02 04:41 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 W wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh   Carpal Tunnel W Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 The "be" prefix seems to me to indicate a change of state. Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53428 01/22/02 04:59 PM 01/22/02 04:59 PM Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park of troy Carpal Tunnel of troy   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Oct 2000 Posts: 5,400 rego park what changes state in because? actually it does make sense-- it is almost as if the verb to be is added to the word.. butreft? reeve, i know, but reave? quest is from quote-- (last words) and i guess then be head-- the body changes state-- from one with a head to one with out.. speaking of which...has anyone seen the great commercial for ??? with claymation figures.. He is sitting at a candle lit table, eating and all he is talking is business.. she listens politely for a while, and then.. walks over to him, stands behind him, rubs his shoulder, and then YanK! off comes his head, leaving behind a little ball joint (like a pop bead) she walk over to the closet -- meanwhile he is continuing to talk business, almost oblivious of his bodiless state... in the closet, she plops his head on shelf,( and suddenly he realizes what has happened, and laspes into silence!) She takes another one off the shelf.. and walks back and pops it onto the body at hand.. Newly conscious, the head looks around, notes candles, dinner and pretty lady, and starts sweets talking.. boy, if life where only like that! my other obsession Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53429 01/23/02 03:43 AM 01/23/02 03:43 AM Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 4,189 Rio Grande, Cape May County, N... WhitmanO'Neill OP Carpal Tunnel WhitmanO'Neill   OP Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 4,189 Rio Grande, Cape May County, N... It seems, however, that in all the offered specimens, that there, at least, is an inherent ambiguity in the be- prefix as in become, which connotes a change to be sure, but it can be either a loss or a gain. Bereft and bereave do, deed, indicate loss as in derpivation or saddened emotion, but with the same ambiguity, you could also say they are adding deprivation or grief to the condition of the party or parties involved. Behead/beheading is the only one, so far, that seems to indicate loss only. Unless the ambiguity creeps in, perhaps, with its coinage in the days of yore when rulers asked for and were presented the heads of those ordered executed...whereby, in presenting such, you are giving the victim's head to, or beheading, the ruler (this is purely conjecture). Now I guess I'll have to scour the be- section of the dictionary to see if I can come up with any more examples that seem to purely connote loss/subtraction. Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53430 01/23/02 06:20 AM 01/23/02 06:20 AM Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,146 Northamptonshire, England Capital Kiwi Carpal Tunnel Capital Kiwi   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Nov 2000 Posts: 3,146 Northamptonshire, England If you take the "be-" prefix and expand it back to "being" which is where I think it came from, it should all "become" clear. "Beheaded" becomes "Being headed", "Because" becomes "being caused (by)", yadda, yadda. It's a verbal shorthand which has become part of the language. Or should I say "being come" part of the language? The idiot also known as Capfka ... Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53431 01/30/02 07:24 PM 01/30/02 07:24 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 771 Portland, Oregon Fiberbabe old hand Fiberbabe   old hand Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 771 Portland, Oregon What about bespeak and befoul? Later edit: Oooh! Bemuse! Behemoth? Noun though it be ooh! I made a funny!, does it have any place in this conversation? Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53432 01/30/02 07:36 PM 01/30/02 07:36 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Behemoth Be he butterfly! That's what he be he!!!     -- Albert the Alligator in response to being bitten by the butterfly that had strapped on a set of false teeth and was going around biting people. Re: The be- prefix: adding or subtracting? #53433 01/30/02 11:28 PM 01/30/02 11:28 PM Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 4,189 Rio Grande, Cape May County, N... WhitmanO'Neill OP Carpal Tunnel WhitmanO'Neill   OP Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 4,189 Rio Grande, Cape May County, N... behemoth Be he butterfly! Be he chrysalis! Be he both chrysalis first! So be the chrysalis a beheboth? Or is this all too befuddling? Page 1 of 2 1 2 Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. 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