Betake
to cause to go (usually used reflexively):
She betook herself to town.
Archaic. to resort or have recourse to.
Historical Examples
The prince of Byblos sent to me, saying: betake thyself from my harbor.
Archology and the Bible George A. Barton
She knew at once that she must betake her to the Truth for refuge.
Weighed and Wanting George MacDonald
The fever in this class of cases does not range high, yet the patients are ill enough to betake themselves to bed.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Various
All that he need do was to put on his hat and betake himself to his usual diversions.
Fruitfulness Emile Zola
But it has been necessary that she should betake herself to the country, feeling herself but ill at ease in town.
Letters of John Calvin, Volume II (of 4) Jules Bonnet
When thou arisest I also arise; when thou settest I also betake myself to rest.
History of Religion Allan Menzies
If a subsistence were provided by it for herself, whither should her father and her Lucy betake themselves for support?
Ormond, Volume I (of 3) Charles Brockden Brown
He was compelled to lay it aside, and betake himself to a stroll and a pipe.
David Elginbrod George MacDonald
betake thee to thy couch, and sleep off the effects of thy drink.
Jacob Faithful Captain Frederick Marryat
For a while after my reception, I proposed to betake myself to some secular calling.
Apologia Pro Vita Sua John Henry Cardinal Newman
verb (transitive) -takes, -taking, -took, -taken
betake oneself, to go; move
(archaic) to apply (oneself) to
v.
c.1200, from be- + take. Related: Betook; betaken.
Read Also:
- Go to the cleaners
go to the cleaners verb phrase To lose all one’s money, esp gambling at craps; take a bath (1907+)
- Be that as it may
Nevertheless, it may be true but, as in Be that as it may, I can’t take your place on Monday. This phrase has its roots in be as be may, used from Chaucer’s time for about four centuries. [ Mid-1800s ]
- Be the death of
Cause the death of something or someone, as in This comedian is so funny, he’ll be the death of me. Although this phrase can be used literally, meaning “to kill someone or something,” it has also been used hyperbolically (as in the example) since the late 1500s. Shakespeare used it in 1 Henry IV (2:1): […]
- Be the making of
Be the means or cause of progress or success, as in Marriage will be the making of him. This idiom, using making in the sense of “advancement,” was first recorded about 1470.
- Be the end of one
Be one’s downfall, as in His heavy drinking may well be the end of him, or That math assignment will be the end of me. This phrase originally alluded to something that would cause someone’s death. Today, while it may be used seriously (as in the first example), it more often is used more lightly […]