bet

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A wager, an agreement between two parties that a stake (usually money) will be paid by the loser to the winner (the winner being the one who correctly forecast the outcome of an event).
  2. A candidate (for elections and pageants) or competitor (in multinational sports).
  3. Indicating a degree of certainty, or that something can be relied upon.
verb
  1. To stake or pledge upon the outcome of an event; to wager.
  2. To be sure of something; to be able to count on something.
  3. To place money into the pot in order to require others do the same, usually only used for the first person to place money in the pot on each round.
intj
  1. Expression of general agreement or acceptance.
  2. Exclamation indicating acceptance of a challenge or an absurd proposal.
  3. Exclamation of joy at good fortune.
noun
  1. Alternative form of beth (“Semitic letter”).
prep
  1. between
noun
  1. An adsorption technique used to measure the specific surface area of a solid, typically using nitrogen gas at a temperature of 77 K.
name
  1. A diminutive of the female name Elizabeth.

Pronunciation

bĕt /ˈbɛt/ en-us-bet.ogg

Word forms

bet bets betting betted

Etymology

From 16th-century criminal slang, perhaps from Middle English bet (“something better, advantage, luck”), from Old English bet, bett (“better”, adverb); or, alternatively from abet, from Middle English abet, abette, from Old French abet (“incitement to evil”), from Old French abeter (“to entice”), from a- (“to”) + beter (“hound on, urge, to bait”); ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *baitijan (“to bait, entice”), related to Old English bǣtan (“to bait”). More at abet.

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