Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To speak or tell about; declare; narrate; describe.
  • verb transitive To speak for; answer for; justify.
  • verb transitive To lay claim to; win; rescue.
  • verb transitive, rare To talk about negatively; slander; calumniate; deride; deceive.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English betellen ("to tell about, calumniate"), from Old English betellan ("to speak about, answer, defend oneself against a charge or accusation"), equivalent to be- (“about, concerning”) +‎ tell.

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