betide

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɪˈtaɪd/ UK /bɪˈtaɪd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to happen or befall (chiefly in 'woe betide')

Woe betide anyone who crosses her in negotiations.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to happen or befall... happen befall occur chance transpire come

Word family

Related forms tidetidings

Simplified etymology

Betide is a medieval word meaning “happen” and comes from the same source as tide. It now survives chiefly in woe betide, a phrase recorded from Middle English and used as a warning that trouble will follow.

Etymology

From Middle English bitiden, from be- (intensive) + tiden ('to happen'), from Old English tīdan ('to happen'), related to tīd ('time, tide').

be- Old English tīd Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Register & Style

External links

# betide

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

## Meanings
1. to happen or befall (chiefly in 'woe betide')

## Examples
- Woe betide anyone who crosses her in negotiations.

## Synonyms
- happen
- befall
- occur
- chance
- transpire
- come

## Related Forms
- tide
- tidings

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

## Etymology
From Middle English bitiden, from be- (intensive) + tiden ('to happen'), from Old English tīdan ('to happen'), related to tīd ('time, tide').

## AI Etymology
Betide comes from Middle English bitiden, from be- (intensive) + tiden ('to happen'), from Old English tīdan ('to happen'), related to tīd ('time, tide'). The historical trail runs through be- in Old English and tīd in Old English. Morphologically, betide is transparent: it draws on Middle English bitiden, from be- (intensive) + tiden ('to happen'), from Old English tīdan ('to happen'), related to tīd ('time, tide'). Used as a verb, betide now means "happen or befall (chiefly in 'woe betide')", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as tide and tidings. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Register & Style

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