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be
- Main Entry:
- be
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈbē\
- Function:
- verb
- Inflected Form(s):
- past 1st & 3d singular was \ˈwəz, ˈwäz\; 2d singular were \ˈwər\; plural were; past subjunctive were; past participle been \ˈbin, ˈben, chiefly British ˈbēn\; present participle be·ing \ˈbē(-i)ŋ\; present 1st singular am \əm, ˈam\; 2d singular are \ˈär, ər\; 3d singular is \ˈiz, əz\; plural are; present subjunctive be
- Etymology:
- Middle English, from Old English bēon; akin to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, futurus about to be, fieri to become, be done, Greek phynai to be born, be by nature, phyein to produce
- Date:
- before 12th century
intransitive verb1 a: to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize <God is love> <January is the first month> <let x be 10> b: to have identity with <the first person I met was my brother> c: to constitute the same class as d: to have a specified qualification or characterization <the leaves are green> e: to belong to the class of <the fish is a trout> —used regularly in senses 1a through 1e as the copula of simple predication2 a: to have an objective existence : have reality or actuality : live <I think, therefore I am> b: to have, maintain, or occupy a place, situation, or position <the book is on the table> c: to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted —used only in infinitive form <let him be> d: to take place : occur <the concert was last night> e: to come or go <has already been and gone> <has never been to the circus> farchaic : belong, befallverbal auxiliary1—used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive-voice auxiliary <the money was found><the house is being built>2—used as the auxiliary of the present participle in progressive tenses expressing continuous action <he is reading><I have been sleeping>3—used with the past participle of some intransitive verbs as an auxiliary forming archaic perfect tenses <Christ is risen from the dead — 1 Corinthians 15:20(Douay Version)>4—used with the infinitive with to to express futurity, arrangement in advance, or obligation <I am to interview him today><she was to become famous>
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