Beg

Bēg, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. BEGGED; p. pr. & vb. n. BEGGING.] [Cf. A-S. biddan, O. S. biddian, Goth. bidjan, Icel. bidia, O. H. Ger. bitjan, O. Fries. bidia, bidda, Sw. bedja, to beg, the letter d having perhaps been dropped, and i or j changed into g. But it is much more probable that beg is only a modification of to bag, to put into a bag, because mendicants or beggars carry with them bags, into which they put the victuals or provisions that may be given to them. This is also the reason why the word does not occur in an appropriate form in Anglo-Saxon. The v. i. preceded the v. t.

Sense 1. To ask earnestly; to entreat or supplicate for humbly or as charity; to beseech. “Nor his seed begging bread.” Ps. xxxvii. 25.

I do beg your good will. Shak.

He [Joseph] begged the body of Jesus. Matt. xxvii. 58.

Sense 2. To take for granted; to assume without proof; as, to beg the question in debate. Bp. Burnet.

Sense 3. To become a supplicant for or in behalf of. [Obs.] Marston.

To beg a person for a fool, to apply to be his guardian. [Obs.]

Synonyms—To BEG, ASK, REQUEST. To ask (not in the sense of inquiring) is the generic term which embraces all these words. To request is only a polite mode of asking. To beg, in its original sense, was to ask with earnestness, and implied submission, or at least deference. At present, however, in polite life, beg has dropped its original meaning, and has taken the place of both ask and request, on the ground of its expressing more of deference and respect. Thus, we beg a person's acceptance of a present; we beg him to favor us with his company; a tradesman begs to announce the arrival of new goods, &c. Crabb remarks that, according to present usage, “we can never talk of asking a person's acceptance of a thing, or of asking him to do us a favor.” This is more true of society in England than in this country.

Bēg, n.

Bēg, v. t.

Bĕg, v. i.