Wiktionary

betre

Middle English

edit

Adjective

edit

betre

  1. Alternative form of bettre

Adverb

edit

betre

  1. Alternative form of bettre

Noun

edit

betre

  1. Alternative form of bettre

Norwegian Nynorsk

edit

Etymology 1

edit

From Old Norse betri, from Proto-Germanic *batizô. Akin to English better.

Alternative forms

edit

Adjective

edit

betre

  1. better (of higher quality)
    Selskapet oppnådde betre resultat i år enn i fjor.
    The company achieved better results this year than the previous year.
  2. better (more enjoyable)
    Maten her er betre.
    The food here is better.

Etymology 2

edit

Derived from the comparative adjective above.

Verb

edit

betre (present tense betrar, past tense betra, past participle betra, passive infinitive betrast, present participle betrande, imperative betre/betr)

  1. to improve

See also

edit

References

edit

Anagrams

edit

Sranan Tongo

edit

Etymology

edit

Likely from Dutch beter as English -er mostly corresponds with -a in Sranan Tongo[1] (compare finga, bita, brada). The verb sense may derive from or have been influenced by sense 2 of beter (“not sick anymore; recovered from a disease”).

Adjective

edit

betre

  1. better
    A moro betre you gwe. ― It is better you leave.

Usage notes

edit

Although the English etymon is a comparative, the Sranan Tongo term is not. The immediate equivalent of the English comparative better is moro bun (literally: “more good”). The combination moro betre is commonly used and is generally not considered a pleonasm.

Adverb

edit

betre

  1. rather, preferentially

Usage notes

edit

See the usage notes for the adjective.

Verb

edit

betre

  1. to heal, to get well

Descendants

edit
  • Aukan: betee
  • Saramaccan: bë́të

References

edit
  1. ^ Echteld, Johannes J. M. (1962) The English Words in Sranan (Negro-English of Surinam)‎[1], USA: J.B. Wolters Groningen, page 64
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=betre&oldid=80184571"