Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
speak ortell 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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Examples
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One is said to have run as follows: Ser, yu will orter yur bodellyen to merchs Immetdielich do ford edward weid for das broflesen and amenieschen fied for en betell.
This Country of Ours: The Story of the United States Henrietta Elizabeth 1917
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