beon

Middle English

Etymology 1

Verb

beon (third-person singular simple present is, present participle beinge, first-/third-person singular past indicative was, past participle beon)

1. Alternative form of been (“to be”)

Etymology 2

Noun

beon

1. plural of beo (“bee”)

Old English

Alternative forms

• bīon

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /be͜oːn/

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *beun, from Proto-Germanic *beuną (“to be”), related to būan (“to dwell”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew-, *bʰuH-. The past tense forms are from Proto-Germanic *wesaną (from which also wesan), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-.

Verb

bēon

1. to be; exist
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Greater Litany"

     Se ðe gód bēon wile, clypige to ðam þe æfre is gód, þæt he hine gódne gewyrce.

     Let him who desires to be good call to him who ever is good, that he make him good.

   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of The Consolation of Philosophy

     Þā cwæþ hē, "Wāst þū hwæt mann sīe?" Þā cwæþ iċ, "Iċ wāt þæt hit biþ sāwol and līchama."

     Then he said, "Do you know what a person is?" So I said, "I know it's a soul and a body."

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Lord's Ascension"

     Eft he cwæð, "Ic bēo mid ēow eallum dagum, ōð þisre worulde geendunge," seðe lyfað and rixað mid þam Ælmihtigan Fæder and ðam Halgum Gaste á on ecnysse. Amen.

     Again he said, "I will be with you on all days, until the ending of this world," who liveth and reigneth with the Almighty Father and the Holy Ghost ever to eternity. Amen.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Passion of the Blessed Stephen Protomartyr"

     Ælc lof bið on ende gesungen.

     All praise will be sung at the end.

   • Blickling Homilies, "St. Andrew"

     Wē bēoþ mid þē swā hwæder swā þū færest.

     We'll be with you wherever you go.

2. to become

Usage notes

The verb "to be" in Old English was suppletive, and used forms from at least three different roots. There were two distinct present stems, for which wesan and bēon were the two infinitive forms. The present bēon was used to express permanent truths (the "gnomic present"), while wesan was used for the imperative, present participle, and the preterite. They both shared the same past tense forms.

Conjugation

Conjugation of bēon (irregular)

infinitive	bēon	bēonne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	bēo	—
second person singular	bist	—
third person singular	biþ	—
plural	bēoþ	—
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	bēo	—
plural	bēon	—
imperative
singular	bēo
plural	bēoþ
participle	present	past
	bēonde	(ġe)bēon

Descendants

• Middle English: been, be, bean, ben, beon, boen; seen, sen
  • English: be; been (dialectal)
  • Scots: be
  • Yola: ba, bee, be, b'

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

bēon

1. Nominative and accusative plural of bēo