begat

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /biˈɡæt/, SAMPA: /bi"g{t/
• Rhymes: -æt

Verb

begat

1. (archaic) Simple past of beget.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version)^[1], Genesis 5:3

     And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version)^[2], Matthew 1:2

     Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren

Noun

begat (plural begats)

1. (nonstandard) An element of a lineage, especially of a lineage given in the Bible
   • 2000, Earl F. Lehman, The God Bu$ine$$, page 59:

     To put food on the table, Ruth gleaned in the fields and one of the fields belonged to Boaz who noticed her and admired her. They married and Ruth bore a son, Obed. There ensues a begat-ridden genealogy and....

   • 2002, P. J. O'Rourke, The CEO of the Sofa, page 146:

     There's a bunch of begats in First Chronicles, chapter six, and it's way dull, especially if you consider what a begat involves.

   • 2002, Geoffrey H. Hartman; Dr. Geoffrey Hartman, The longest shadow: in the aftermath of the Holocaust, page 108:

     In many instances even that cannot be done," and John Edgar Wideman prefaces Damballah with "A Begat Chart" and a "Family Tree."

Usage notes

• This is uncommon in the singular.