be
 為


 Be-.  A prefix, originally the same word as by; joined with verbs, it serves: (a) To intensify the meaning; as, bespatter, bestir. (b) To render an intransitive verb transitive; as, befall (to fall upon); bespeak (to speak for). (c) To make the action of a verb particular or definite; as, beget (to get as offspring); beset (to set around).
 Note: It is joined with certain substantives, and a few adjectives, to form verbs; as, bedew, befriend, benight, besot; belate (to make late); belittle (to make little). It also occurs in certain nouns, adverbs, and prepositions, often with something of the force of the preposition by, or about; as, belief (believe), behalf, bequest (bequeath); because, before, beneath, beside, between.
     In some words the original force of be is obscured or lost; as, in become, begin, behave, behoove, belong.

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 Be
      n : a light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element
          [syn: beryllium, glucinium, atomic number 4]
      v 1: have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective
           or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a
           good answer"
      2: be identical to; be someone or something; "The president of
         the company is John Smith"; "This is my house"
      3: occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is
         my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is
         behind this behavior?"
      4: have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?" [syn: exist]
      5: happen, occur, take place; "I lost my wallet; this was
         during the visit to my parents' house"; "There were two
         hundred people at his funeral"; "There was a lot of noise
         in the kitchen"
      6: be identical or equivalent to; "One dollar equals 1,000
         rubles these days!" [syn: equal] [ant: differ]
      7: form or compose; "This money is my only income"; "The stone
         wall was the backdrop for the performance"; "These
         constitute my entire belonging"; "The children made up the
         chorus"; "This sum represents my entire income for a
         year"; "These few men comprise his entire army" [syn: constitute,
          represent, make up, comprise]
      8: work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a
         specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our
         resident philosopher" [syn: follow]
      9: represent, as of a character on stage; "Derek Jacobi was
         Hamlet" [syn: embody, personify]
      10: spend or use time; "I may be an hour"
      11: have life, be alive; "Our great leader is no more"; "My
          grandfather lived until the end of war" [syn: live]
      12: to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used
          only in infinitive form; "let her be"
      13: be priced at; "These shoes cost $100" [syn: cost]