Bē1, v. i.
v. i. [imp. WAS; p. p. BEEN; p. pr. & vb. n. BEING.] [A-S. beon, beonne, to be, beom, eom, I am; O. H. Ger. bim, pin, Ger. bin, I am, A-S. beo, I shall be; Skr. bhū, to be, Lith. bu-ti, Slav. bu-ti, to be, Lat. fu-i, I have been, fu-turus, fo-re. This verb is defective, and its defects are supplied by verbs from other roots, is, was, which have no radical connection with be. The case is the same with the substantive verb in most languages.]
Sense 1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact.
To be contents his natural desire. Pope.
Such givers as give single to take away sixfold, be to our enemies? Milton.
To be, or not to be, that is the question. Shak.
Sense 2. To exist in a certain manner or relation,—whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the subject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified,—a word or words for the predicate being annexed; as, to be happy; to be here; to be large, or strong; to be an animal; to be a hero; to be a nonentity; three and two are five; annihilation is the cessation of existence; that is the man.
[In] such a proposition as this, “A centaur is a fiction of the poets,” it can not possibly be implied that a centaur exists, since the proposition itself expressly asserts that the thing has no real existence. Mill.
This verb is an auxiliary in making the passive voice and the progressive form in ing of other verbs. Been, or ben, was anciently the plural of the indicative present; afterward be, as in our Bible: been was also the old infinitive. Be, as the present subjunctive, is now but little used.
To let be, to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone.
Synonyms—To BE, EXIST. The verb to be, except in a few rare cases, like that of Shakespeare’s “To be, or not to be,” is used simply as a copula, to connect a subject with its predicate; as, man is mortal; the soul is immortal. The verb to exist is never properly used as a mere copula, but points to things that stand forth, or have a substantive being; as, when the soul is freed from all corporeal alliance, then it truly exists. It is not, therefore, properly synonymous with to be when used as a copula, though occasionally made so by some writers for the sake of variety; as in the phrase “there exists [is] no reason for laying new taxes.” We may, indeed, say, “a friendship has long existed between them,” instead of saying, “there has long been a friendship between them;” but in this case, exist is not a mere copula. It is used in its appropriate sense to mark the friendship as having been long in existence.