I. ˈbēt, usu -ēd.+V noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English bete, from Old English bēte, from Latin beta
1. : any biennial plant of the genus Beta (especially B. vulgaris ) with large thick leaves used especially when young as greens and with a bulbous root
2. : the enlarged root of the beet cultivated as a garden vegetable or as a source of sugar or for forage — usually used in plural when referring to a table vegetable; see chard , mangel , sugar beet
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English beten, beeten to improve, amend, kindle or feed a fire, from Old English bētan; akin to Old High German buozzen to improve, amend, Old Norse bœta, Gothic ga botjan, all causatives from the root of Old English bōt help, relief — more at boot
dialect Britain : to add fuel to (a fire) : feed
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English bete, beite
: a tied bundle or sheaf of fiber flax plants