betichten
Dutch
editEtymology
editPossibly formed from Middle Dutch beticht (“legal claim, accusation”). However, beticht does not appear to be attested in modern Dutch (after 1500) whereas the verb betichten only appears around that time. Since it is unlikely that a verb would be formed from a noun that was falling out of use already, it is likely that it was formed directly as ticht + be- -en instead.
Pronunciation
editVerb
editbetichten
- (transitive) to accuse
Usage notes
edit- Betichten is generally used to indicate a greater level of scepticism or contestability about the accusation than beschuldigen.
- In Belgium betichten is used as a legal term: Zij werd beticht van fraude (“She was accused of fraud”). In the Netherlands it is mainly used in more formal registers for nonlegal accusations: De polemist betichtte zijn tegenstanders van trouweloosheid (“The polemicist accused his opponents of unfaithfulness”).
Conjugation
editConjugation of betichten (weak, prefixed) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
infinitive | betichten | |||
past singular | betichtte | |||
past participle | beticht | |||
infinitive | betichten | |||
gerund | betichten n | |||
present tense | past tense | |||
1st person singular | beticht | betichtte | ||
2nd person sing. (jij) | beticht | betichtte | ||
2nd person sing. (u) | beticht | betichtte | ||
2nd person sing. (gij) | beticht | betichtte | ||
3rd person singular | beticht | betichtte | ||
plural | betichten | betichtten | ||
subjunctive sing.1 | betichte | betichtte | ||
subjunctive plur.1 | betichten | betichtten | ||
imperative sing. | beticht | |||
imperative plur.1 | beticht | |||
participles | betichtend | beticht | ||
1) Archaic. |