be ‧ get /bɪˈɡet/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense begot /-ˈɡɒt $ -ˈɡɑːt/, past participle begotten /-ˈɡɒtn $ -ˈɡɑːtn/, present participle begetting ) [transitive]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: begietan ]
1 . old use to become the father of a child
2 . to cause something or make it happen:
Hunger begets crime.
—begetter noun [countable]