DictionaryRoot: be-
Old English
be-
around; thoroughly; make or affect
Forms
- be-
Origin
Proto-Germanic *bi, ‘by; near; around.’
Note
Often turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to treat something in that way.
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verb / noun
belay
bih-LAY/bɪˈleɪ/
Securing a climber with a rope.
Etymology
“Lay about” connects with securing a rope around a cleat or pin, a nautical use transferred to climbing. This rope-handling sense may instead come from the Dutch cognate beleggen.