becall

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɪˈkɔl/ UK /bɪˈkɔːl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to call names; to revile or abuse verbally (archaic)

She would becall the servants for the smallest mistake.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to call names; to revile or... revile abuse berate vilify upbraid scold malign

Opposites

praise laud commend

Word family

Related forms call miscall

Etymology

From Middle English bicallen, from the intensive prefix be- + callen ('to call'). The verb call itself is of Old Norse origin (kalla).

be- Old English kalla Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Register & Style

External links

# becall

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /bɪˈkɔl/
**IPA (UK):** /bɪˈkɔːl/

## Meanings
1. to call names; to revile or abuse verbally (archaic)

## Examples
- She would becall the servants for the smallest mistake.

## Synonyms
- revile
- abuse
- berate
- vilify
- upbraid
- scold
- malign

## Antonyms
- praise
- laud
- commend

## Related Forms
- call
- miscall

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: be-
- Root: kalla

## Etymology
From Middle English bicallen, from the intensive prefix be- + callen ('to call'). The verb call itself is of Old Norse origin (kalla).

## AI Etymology
becall comes from Middle English bicallen, from the intensive prefix be- + callen ('to call'). The verb call itself is of Old Norse origin (kalla). Morphologically, the word is transparent as a compound: its parts remain visible in the modern spelling, while the older history of those parts supplies the deeper ancestry. In modern use, the verb sense is "to call names; to revile or abuse verbally (archaic)", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as call, miscall, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old English be-, Old Norse kalla, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Register & Style

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