belie
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[edit] English
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Etymology 1
From Middle English belyen, beliggen, from Old English belicgan, bilicgan (“to lie around, surround, hedge in, encompass”), equivalent to be- (“around, by”) + lie (to be positioned). Cognate with German beliegen.
[edit] Verb
belie (third-person singular simple present belies, present participle belying, simple past belay, past participle belain)
- (transitive, obsolete) To lie around; encompass.
- (transitive, obsolete) (of an army) To surround; beleaguer.
[edit] Etymology 2
From Middle English belyen, beleoȝen, from Old English belēogan (“to deceive by lying, be mistaken”), equivalent to be- (“about”) + lie (to deceive). Cognate with Old Frisian biliaga (“to belie”), Dutch beliegen (“to belie”), German belügen (“to lie to”), Swedish beljuga (“to tell lies about”).
[edit] Verb
belie (third-person singular simple present belies, present participle belying, simple past and past participle belied)
- (transitive) To tell lies about; to slander. [from 13th c.]
- (transitive) To give a false representation of, to misrepresent. [from 17th c.]
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.2.6.iv:
- He found it by experience, and made good use of it in his own person, if Plutarch belie him not [...].
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.2.6.iv:
- (transitive) To contradict, to show (something) to be false. [from 17th c.]
- Her obvious nervousness belied what she said.
[edit] Synonyms
- (to give a false representation): misrepresent
- (to tell lies about): calumniate
- (to contradict or show to be false): contradict, give lie to, give the lie to
[edit] Translations
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