bez

See also: Bez, beż, běž, bež, bez-, and bez.

English

Etymology 1

See bezantler.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɛz/

Noun

bez (plural bezes)

1. The second tine of an antler's beam, the bezantler.

Translations

second tine of an antler's beam

• French: andouiller de fer m, sur-andouiller (fr) m, andouiller médian m

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biːz/
• Rhymes: -iːz
• Homophone: bees

Verb

bez

1. (nonstandard, dialectal) first-person plural simple present of be

   Synonym: (standard) are

   • 2007 October 20, NiggydaHoe, “Re: 79yr old Nigger Idiot was suspended for racist bullshit”, in alt.music.white-power‎^[2] (Usenet):

     We bez run to 'da good bad white man. He gonna fire 'da ova bad white man.
     If 'da bad white man cain't sayz be^[sic] niggas bez stupid in 'da heaad, wif' low
     iq an' shit, 'dat mus' mean we bez humans.

2. (nonstandard, dialectal) third-person plural simple present of be

   Synonym: (standard) are

   • 1860, The Knickerbacker‎^[3], volume 56, Peabody, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 434:

     'They bez goin' like der Tyfel,'

   • 2007 June 13, Mustapha Mond, “Re: Nigger Apologists: Slaves Who Died at Sea Being Honored”, in comp.sys.mac.apps‎^[4] (Usenet):

     >>>>>>> " […] They are not rotting someplace in hell, they bez right
     >>>>>>> here
     >>>>>>> whining wif us."

See also

• wuz

Anagrams

• Zeb

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin vicis. Compare Aragonese vez.

Noun

bez f (plural bezes)

1. a time
2. occasion

References

• Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002) “bez”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN

Basque

Noun

bez

1. instrumental indefinite of be

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛs]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛs

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Czech bez, from Proto-Slavic *bъzъ, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵos.

Noun

bez m inan

1. elder (bush of genus Sambucus)

Declension

Declension of bez (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	bez	bezy
genitive	bezu	bezů
dative	bezu	bezům
accusative	bez	bezy
vocative	beze	bezy
locative	bezu	bezech
instrumental	bezem	bezy

Derived terms

adjective

• bezový

 

nouns

• bezina
• bezinka

 

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Czech bez, from Proto-Slavic *bez, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeǵʰs.

Preposition

bez [+genitive]

1. without

   Antonym: s

Further reading

• bez in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
• bez in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
• bez in Internetová jazyková příručka

Kashubian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʲɛs/
• Syllabification: bez
• Homophone: bes

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bez.

Preposition

bez [+genitive]

1. without

Derived terms

prefix

• bez-

 

Etymology 2

Compare Polish bez and Silesian bez.

Preposition

bez [+accusative]

1. through, across

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1893) “bez”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego‎^[5] (in Kashubian), page 6
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “bez”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[6], volume 1, page 73
• “bez”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Latgalian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *beź. Cognates include Latvian bez and Lithuanian be.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbʲɛs]
• Hyphenation: bez

Preposition

bez (+ genitive)

1. without
2. (when telling time) to

   Bez desmit deveni. ― Ten to nine (8:50).

References

• Nicole Nau (2011) A short grammar of Latgalian, München: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, page 71

Latvian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *beź. Cognates include Latgalian bez and Lithuanian be.

Preposition

bez (with genitive)

1. without
2. in addition to
3. apart from

Derived terms

• bez-

Masurian

Alternative forms

• beze

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛs]
• Syllabification: bez

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Polish bez.

Preposition

bez [+genitive]

1. without, lacking

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Polish bez.

Preposition

bez [+accusative]

1. Synonym: prżez

Further reading

• Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2021) “II. bez”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur‎^[7], volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, pages 165-167

Old Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈbɛz/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈbɛs/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bъzъ.

Noun

bez m inan

1. elder (bush of genus Sambucus)

Declension

Declension of bez (hard o-stem reducible)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	bez	bzy	bzi, bzové
genitive	bza, bzu	bzú	bzóv
dative	bzu	bzoma	bzóm
accusative	bez	bzy	bzy
vocative	bze	bzy	bzi, bzové
locative	bzě, bzu	bzú	bziech
instrumental	bzem	bzoma	bzy

This table shows the most common forms around the 13th century.
See also Appendix:Old Czech nouns and Appendix:Old Czech pronunciation.

Descendants

• Czech: bez

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bez.

Preposition

bez [+genitive]

1. Denotes lack; without

   bez diva ― normally

   bez čísla ― countless

   Umřěl bez časa. ― He died prematurely.

   V ten čas bez města budieše ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   Jest juž bez ňeho. ― He's already dead.

2. Denotes action carried out against someone's wishes.
3. Denotes interrupted action.
4. Determines proximity in amount; nearly

Derived terms

• bezděky
• bezmál
• bezpeč
• beztoho

 

Descendants

• Czech: bez

References

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “bez”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

Old Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /bɛs/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /bɛs/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bъzъ. First attested in the 15th century.

Noun

bez m animacy unattested

1. elder (bush of genus Sambucus)
   • 1874-1891 [15th century], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności, volume XXIV, page 65:

     Bess arborem fetidam

     [Bez arborem fetidam]

Descendants

• Masurian: best
• Polish: bez
• Silesian: bes

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bez. First attested in 1418.

Preposition

bez

1. without [+genitive]
   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Latin-Polish-German Florian Psalter]‎^[8], Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 106, 4:

     Zblandzyly sø na pvsczy bez wod (erraverunt in solitudine, in inaquoso)

     [Zbłądzili są na puszczy bez wod (erraverunt in solitudine, in inaquoso)]

2. contra, against [+genitive]
   • 1897 [1409], Teki Adolfa Pawińskiego, volume IV, number 1742:

     Albertus jan mego czloweka... besz prawa

     [Albertus jął mego człowieka... bez prawa]

   • 1901 [1425], Materiały i Prace Komisji Językowej Akademii Umiejętności w Krakowie, volume II, page 304:

     Ysze Jan Marczina kmecza *Szvinanywa dzirszal gy w yanczwe... y puszczyl gy bez urzandu szemskyego

     [Iże Jan Marcina kmiecia Świnianiwa dzirżał ji w jeństwie... i puścił ji bez urzędu ziemskiego]

   • 1895 [1425], Archiwum Komisji Prawniczej. Collectanea ex Archivo Collegii Iuridici‎^[9], volume VIIIa, page 166:

     Helwig ne poslal trzidzeszanth woszow do laszu Oppatowa besz yego woley

     [Helwig nie posłał trzydziesiąt wozow do lasu opatowa bez jego wolej]

   • 1884, “Die Magdeburger Urtheile. Ein Deutschen Rechtes in polnischer Sprache aus der Mitte des XV Jahrhunderts”, in Aleksander Brückner, editor, Archiv für slavische Philologie, volume VII, page 564:

     Besz gych dzyaky an eren wyllen

     [Bez jich dzięki an eren wyllen]

3. besides, except [+genitive]
   • 1858 [c. 1408], “Wyroki sądów miejskich czyli ortyle [Urban court rulings i.e. "Ortyls"]”, in Wacław Aleksander Maciejowski, editor, Historia prawodawstw słowiańskich [History of Slavic lawmaking], volume 6, page 129:

     Mogaly przyszyasznyczy myecz oszobnego pyszarza besz raczkyego, szlowye myesczkyego pyszarza?

     [Mogąli przysiężnicy mieć osobnego pisarza bez radzkiego, słowie miesckiego pisarza?]

4. before [+genitive]
   • 1886, Emil Kałużniacki, editor, Die polnische Recension der Magdeburger Urtheile und die einschlägigen deutschen, lateinischen und czechischen Sammlungen, page 185:

     Przyszaszely ku przysząstwu besz wyrzeczonego czassv, ten nye moze szye szam szandzycz przez przysząstwa przesz swe obesczye

     [Przysiężeli ku przysięstwu bez wyrzeczonego czasu, ten nie może sie sam zsadzić [prze]z przysięstwa przez swe obeście]

Alternative forms

• beze

Derived terms

prefix

• bez-

 

Descendants

• Masurian: bez
• Polish: bez
• Silesian: bez

Etymology 3

From bez, due to confusion with the rhyming preposition przez. The two words were and are used interchangeably in various dialects, and in Old Polish przez was about to replace bez around the 14th-15th century. In the written language the earlier distinction ultimately prevailed, however. First attested in c. 1512.

Preposition

bez

1. through, by [+accusative]
   • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[10], page 103:

     Bez chytrość (per astutiam) Antypatrową lepak synowie Herodowi... byli podeźrani ojcu

     [Bez chytrość (per astutiam) Antypatrowę lepak synowie Herodowi... byli podeźrani ojcu]

Descendants

• Masurian: bez
• Polish: bez
• Silesian: bez

References

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “2. bez, beze”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, editor (2011–2015), “1. bez”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (isolated) /bɛs/
• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛs
• Syllabification: bez
• Homophones: Bes, bez-

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Polish bez.

Noun

bez m inan

1. elder (bush of genus Sambucus)
2. lilac (bush of genus Syringa)

   Synonym: lilak

   pachnieć bzem ― to smell of lilac

Declension

Declension of bez

	singular	plural
nominative	bez	bzy
genitive	bzu	bzów
dative	bzowi	bzom
accusative	bez	bzy
instrumental	bzem	bzami
locative	bzie	bzach
vocative	bzie	bzy

Derived terms

nouns

• bez czarny
• bez koralowy

 

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Polish bez.

Preposition

bez [+genitive]

1. without, lacking

   Antonym: z

   Proszę o kawę bez mleka. ― A coffee with no milk, please.

2. (Middle Polish) minus, less
3. (Middle Polish) contra, against
4. (Middle Polish) besides, except
5. (Middle Polish) without; Further details are uncertain.
   • 1532, Bartłomiej z Bydgoszczy, Słownik łacińsko-polski‎^[11], page 116b:

     extra placitum, besz voley, nad volyą

Alternative forms

• biez (Middle Polish)
• beze

Derived terms

prefix

• bez-

 

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), bez is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 70 times in scientific texts, 52 times in news, 89 times in essays, 129 times in fiction, and 119 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 459 times, making it the 99th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

Etymology 3

Inherited from Old Polish bez.

Preposition

bez [+accusative]

1. (Poznań) because of

   Synonym: z powodu

2. (dialectal) across, through

   Synonym: przez

   • 2000, Aneta Majkowska, Polszczyzna mówiona mieszkańców Częstochowy, page 185:

     Nie tu szosą tylko drogą polną bez pola my jechali z chłopem sąsiadki.

     We drove through the fields with the neighbor's man, not on the paved road, but on a dirt road.

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

bez f

1. genitive plural of beza

Further reading

• bez in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bez in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “bez”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “bez, beze, biez”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• “BEZ”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 2016 November 9
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “bez”, in Słownik języka polskiego‎^[12]
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “bez”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861‎^[13]
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “bez”, in Słownik języka polskiego‎^[14] (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 119

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic без (bez), from Proto-Slavic *bez.

Adverb

bez

1. (dated) without

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bez. Compare bez- and bes-.

Alternative forms

• brez, prȅz, preza (regional)

Preposition

bèz (Cyrillic spelling бѐз) (+ genitive case)

1. without, excluding, not counting

   bez sumnje ― without a doubt

   ostati bez nečega ― to lose something, to run out of something, (literally: to stay without something)

   bez obzira na.. ― regardless of.., no matter what..is

   bez kraja i konca ― endlessly, without end

   ne bez razloga ― not without a reason

   bez srca ― heartlessly, without a heart

   bez r(ij)eči ― without a word, speechless

   biti bez nečega ― to be lacking in, to be deficient in, to lack (literally: to be without something)

Related terms

• bez-, bes-

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بز (bez), from Arabic بَزّ (bazz). Akin to bezistan, bezli, besofra and bespara.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bêz/

Noun

bȅz m (Cyrillic spelling бе̏з)

1. linen, canvas
2. (specifically) a type of cotton-made linen or canvas used in Oriental costumes, of several possible forms: ćereće, sedeluk, kafez or kafez-bez, melez, harir, šejtanbez and harirbez.

Declension

Declension of bez

	singular
nominative	bez
genitive	beza
dative	bezu
accusative	bez
vocative	bezu
locative	bezu
instrumental	bezom

References

• “bez” in Hrvatski jezični portal
• “bez” in Hrvatski jezični portal
• Škaljić, Abdulah (1966) Turcizmi u srpskohrvatskom jeziku, Sarajevo: Svjetlost, page 140

Silesian

Alternative forms

• bezy

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs/
• Rhymes: -ɛs
• Syllabification: bez
• Homophone: bes

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Polish bez.

Preposition

bez [+genitive]

1. without

Derived terms

prefix

• bez-

 

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Polish bez.

Preposition

bez [+accusative]

1. Alternative form of przez

Further reading

• bez in dykcjonorz.eu
• bez in silling.org

Slovak

Alternative forms

• bezo (only in connection with mňa)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bez.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛs/

Preposition

bez (+ genitive)

1. without

   Antonyms: s, so

Further reading

• “bez”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

Tatar

Noun

bez

1. awl

Turkish

Etymology 1

From Ottoman Turkish بز (bez); see there for more. The ultimate origin is Arabic بَزّ (bazz), however, an influence from Byzantine Greek βύσσος (bússos) has been postulated in order to explain the mismatch in the vowels.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbez/
• Hyphenation: bez

Noun

bez (definite accusative bezi, plural bezler)

1. cloth

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	bez
Definite accusative	bezi
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	bez	bezler
Definite accusative	bezi	bezleri
Dative	beze	bezlere
Locative	bezde	bezlerde
Ablative	bezden	bezlerden
Genitive	bezin	bezlerin

Etymology 2

From Ottoman Turkish بز (bez), from Proto-Turkic *beŕ.

Cognate with Kazakh без (bez, “gland”), Karachay-Balkar без (bez, “gland”), Southern Altai бес (bes, “gland”), Uzbek bez (“gland”), Uyghur بەز (bez, “gland”), Turkmen mäz (“gland”), Bashkir биҙ (biź, “gland”), Tuvan бес (bes, “gland”), Chuvash пар (par, “gland”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbez/
• Hyphenation: bez

Noun

bez (definite accusative bezi, plural bezler)

1. (anatomy) gland

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	bez
Definite accusative	bezi
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	bez	bezler
Definite accusative	bezi	bezleri
Dative	beze	bezlere
Locative	bezde	bezlerde
Ablative	bezden	bezlerden
Genitive	bezin	bezlerin