begem C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /bɪˈdʒɛm/ UK /bɪˈdʒɛm/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to adorn with or as if with gems (literary) Dewdrops begemmed the spider's web at dawn. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to adorn with or as if with... bejeweladornstudspanglegemdecorateornament ↔ Opposites stripbare Word family Derived forms begemmed Related forms gem Etymology AI details From the intensive prefix be- + gem. Gem comes from Old French gemme, from Latin gemma ('bud, precious stone'). be- Old English gemma Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # begem **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /bɪˈdʒɛm/ **IPA (UK):** /bɪˈdʒɛm/ ## Meanings 1. to adorn with or as if with gems (literary) ## Examples - Dewdrops begemmed the spider's web at dawn. ## Synonyms - bejewel - adorn - stud - spangle - gem - decorate - ornament ## Antonyms - strip - bare ## Derived Forms - begemmed ## Related Forms - gem ## Roots and Affixes - Root: be- - Root: gemma ## Etymology From the intensive prefix be- + gem. Gem comes from Old French gemme, from Latin gemma ('bud, precious stone'). ## AI Etymology begem comes from the intensive prefix be- + gem. Gem comes from Old French gemme, from Latin gemma ('bud, precious stone'). 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 adorn with or as if with gems (literary)", 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 gem and derivatives such as begemmed, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old English be-, Latin gemma, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material. ## Topics - Actions & Processes - Register & Style markdown