Beg, v. t. [OE. beggen, perh. fr. AS. bedecian (akin to Goth. bedagwa beggar), biddan to ask. (Cf. Bid, v. t.); or cf. beghard, beguin.].

To ask earnestly for; to entreat or supplicate for; to beseech. [1913 Webster]
"Sometimes implying deferential and respectful, rather than earnest, asking; as, I beg your pardon; I beg leave to disagree with you." [1913 Webster]

"I do beg your good will in this case." [1913 Webster]

"[Joseph] begged the body of Jesus." [1913 Webster]
To ask for as a charity, esp. to ask for habitually or from house to house. [1913 Webster]
"Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." [1913 Webster]
To make petition to; to entreat; as, to beg a person to grant a favor. [1913 Webster]
To take for granted; to assume without proof. [1913 Webster]
To ask to be appointed guardiln for, or to aso to havo a guardian appointed for. [1913 Webster]
"Else some will beg thee, in the court of wards." [1913 Webster]

Hence: To beg (one) for a fool, to take him for a fool.

I beg to, is an elliptical expression for I beg leave to; as, I beg to inform you. -- To beg the question, to assume that which was to be proved in a discussion, instead of adducing the proof or sustaining the point by argument. -- To go a-begging, a figurative phrase to express the absence of demand for something which elsewhere brings a price; as, grapes are so plentiful there that they go a-begging.

Syn. -- To Beg, Ask, Request.

Beg, v. i.

To ask alms or charity, especially to ask habitually by the wayside or from house to house; to live by asking alms. [1913 Webster]

"I can not dig; to beg I am ashamed." [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

Beg, v. (begged, begging)
1 a intr. (usu. foll. by for) ask for (esp. food, money, etc.) (begged for alms). b tr. ask for (food, money, etc.) as a gift. c intr. live by begging.
2 tr. & intr. (usu. foll. by for, or to + infin.) ask earnestly or humbly (begged for forgiveness; begged to be allowed out; please, I beg of you; beg your indulgence for a time).
3 tr. ask formally for (beg leave).
4 intr. (of a dog etc.) sit up with the front paws raised expectantly.
5 tr. take or ask leave (to do something) (I beg to differ; beg to enclose).

Idiom

beg one's bread live by begging. begging bowl
1 a bowl etc. held out for food or alms.
2 an earnest appeal for help.
beg off
1 decline to take part in or attend.
2 get (a person) excused a penalty etc. beg pardon see PARDON.
beg the question
1 assume the truth of an argument or proposition to be proved, without arguing it.
2 disp. pose the question.
3 colloq. evade a difficulty. go begging (or a-begging) (of a chance or a thing) not be taken; be unwanted.

Etymology

ME prob. f. OE bedecian f. Gmc: rel. to BID

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DEVIL DICTIONARY

Beg

v. To ask for something with an earnestness proportioned to the belief that it will not be given.

Who is that, father?

A mendicant, child,
Haggard, morose, and unaffable -- wild!
See how he glares through the bars of his cell!
With Citizen Mendicant all is not well.

Why did they put him there, father?

Because
Obeying his belly he struck at the laws.

His belly?

Oh, well, he was starving, my boy --
A state in which, doubtless, there's little of joy.
No bite had he eaten for days, and his cry
Was "Bread!" ever "Bread!"

What's the matter with pie?

With little to wear, he had nothing to sell;
To beg was unlawful -- improper as well.

Why didn't he work?

He would even have done that,
But men said: "Get out!" and the State remarked: "Scat!"
I mention these incidents merely to show
That the vengeance he took was uncommonly low.
Revenge, at the best, is the act of a Siou,
But for trifles --

Pray what did bad Mendicant do?

Stole two loaves of bread to replenish his lack
And tuck out the belly that clung to his back.

Is that _all_ father dear?

There's little to tell:
They sent him to jail, and they'll send him to -- well,
The company's better than here we can boast,
And there's --

Bread for the needy, dear father?

Um -- toast.
Atka Mip

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THESAURUS

Beg

adjure, appeal, appeal to, ask, bear, beget, beseech, besiege, brace, breed, bum, cadge, call for help, call on, call upon, circumvent, clamor for, conjure, crave, cry for, cry on, cry to, demand, ditch, double, elude, entreat, escape, evade, generate, get, get around, get away from, get out of, hit, hit up, impetrate, implore, importune, imprecate, invoke, kneel to, mooch, multiply, nag, obtest, panhandle, pass the hat, petition, plead, plead for, pray, press, procreate, produce, progenerate, propagate, reproduce, request, run to, scrounge, shake, shake off, shuffle out of, sire, skirt, solicit, sue, supplicate, touch, worry

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ROGET THESAURUS

Beg

Master

N master, padrone, lord, lord paramount, commander, commandant, captain, chief, chieftain, sirdar, sachem, sheik, head, senior, governor, ruler, dictator, leader, boss, cockarouse, sagamore, werowance, lord of the ascendant, cock of the walk, cock of the roost, gray mare, mistress, potentate, liege, liege lord, suzerain, sovereign, monarch, autocrat, despot, tyrant, oligarch, crowned head, emperor, king, anointed king, majesty, imperator, protector, president, stadholder, judge, ceasar, kaiser, czar, tsar, sultan, soldan, grand Turk, caliph, imaum, shah, padishah, sophi, mogul, great mogul, khan, lama, tycoon, mikado, tenno, inca, cazique, voivode, landamman, seyyid, Abuna, cacique, czarowitz, grand seignior, prince, duke, archduke, doge, elector, seignior, marland, margrave, rajah, emir, wali, sheik nizam, nawab, empress, queen, sultana, czarina, princess, infanta, duchess, margravine, czarevna, czarita, maharani, rani, rectrix, regent, viceroy, exarch, palatine, khedive, hospodar, beglerbeg, three-tailed bashaw, pasha, bashaw, bey, beg, dey, scherif, tetrarch, satrap, mandarin, subahdar, nabob, maharajah, burgrave, laird, collector, commissioner, deputy commissioner, woon, the authorities, the powers that be, the government, staff, etat major, aga, official, man in office, person in authority, sircar, sirkar, Sublime Porte, marshal, field marshal, marechal, general, generalissimo, commander in chief, seraskier, hetman, lieutenant general, major general, colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, centurion, skipper, lieutenant, first lieutenant, second lieutenant, sublieutenant, officer, staff officer, aide-de-camp, brigadier, brigade major, adjutant, jemidar, ensign, cornet, cadet, subaltern, noncommissioned officer, warrant officer, sergeant, sergeant major, color sergeant, corporal, corporal major, lance corporal, acting corporal, drum major, captain general, dizdar, knight marshal, naik, pendragon, mayor, mayoralty, prefect, chancellor, archon, provost, magistrate, syndic, alcalde, alcaid, burgomaster, corregidor, seneschal, alderman, councilman, committeeman, councilwoman, warden, constable, portreeve, lord mayor, officer, dewan, fonctionnaire, admiral, admiralty, rear admiral, vice admiral, port admiral, commodore, captain, commander, lieutenant, ensign, skipper, mate, master, officer of the day, OD, navarch, da locum melioribus, der Furst ist der erste Diener seines Staats, the prince is the first servant of his state, lord of thy presence and no land beside.

Request

VB request, ask, beg, crave, sue, pray, petition, solicit, invite, pop the question, make bold to ask, beg leave, beg a boon, apply to, call to, put to, call upon, call for, make a request, address a request, prefer a request, put up a request, make a prayer, address a prayer, prefer a prayer, put up a prayer, make a petition, address a petition, prefer a petition, put up a petition, make application, make a requisition, ask trouble, ask one for, claim, offer up prayers, whistle for, beg hard, entreat, beseech, plead, supplicate, implore, conjure, adjure, obtest, cry to, kneel to, appeal to, invoke, evoke, impetrate, imprecate, ply, press, urge, beset, importune, dun, tax, clamor for, cry aloud, cry for help, fall on one's knees, throw oneself at the feet of, come down on one's marrowbones, beg from door to door, send the hat round, go a begging, mendicate, mump, cadge, beg one's bread, dance attendance on, besiege, knock at the door, bespeak, canvass, tout, make interest, court, seek, bid for, publish the banns.

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