beguile

English

Alternative forms

• begyle [from the Middle English period through the 16th century]

Etymology

From Middle English begilen, begylen; equivalent to be- +‎ guile. Compare Middle Dutch begilen (“to beguile”). Doublet of bewile.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɪl
• IPA^(key): /bɪˈɡaɪl/

• Audio (UK)

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Verb

beguile (third-person singular simple present beguiles, present participle beguiling, simple past and past participle beguiled)

1. (transitive) To deceive or delude (using guile).
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], line 102:

     I know, sir, I am no flatterer: he that beguiled you, in a plain accent, was a plain knave.

2. (transitive) To charm, delight or captivate.
   • 1864 November 21, Abraham Lincoln (signed) or John Hay, letter to Mrs. Bixby in Boston

     I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming.

   I will never touch The Orb, even though its mysterious glow seduces and beguiles

3. (transitive) To cause (time) to seem to pass quickly, by way of pleasant diversion.

   We beguiled the hours away

   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 213:

     They beguiled the time by backbiting and intriguing against each other in a foolish kind of way.

Related terms

• wile

Translations

to deceive or delude (using guile)

• Catalan: embetumar (ca), enganyar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 欺騙／欺骗 (zh) (qīpiàn), 欺瞞／欺瞒 (zh) (qīmán)

• Dutch: misleiden (nl), bedriegen (nl)
• Estonian: peibutama
• Finnish: hämätä (fi), johtaa harhaan, pettää (fi)
• French: duper (fr), tromper (fr), induire en erreur (fr)
• German: irreleiten, irreführen (de), in die Irre führen
• Greek: παραπλανώ (el) (paraplanó), εξαπατώ (el) (exapató)
• Italian: ingannare (it), turlupinare (it)
• Latin: decipio (la)
• Maori: whakakonuka, whakatūaho
• Portuguese: enganar (pt)
• Romanian: înșela (ro), ademeni (ro), amăgi (ro)
• Russian: обма́нывать (ru) impf (obmányvatʹ), обману́ть (ru) pf (obmanútʹ)
• Spanish: engañar (es)
• Turkish: kanına girmek, yoldan çıkarmak, ayartmak (tr), baştan çıkarmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: обма́нювати (obmánjuvaty), підма́нювати (pidmánjuvaty), обдури́ти (obdurýty)

to charm, delight, or captivate

• Catalan: captivar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 迷人 (zh) (mírén)

• Dutch: verrukken (nl), vervoeren (nl)
• Estonian: meeldivalt mööda saatma
• Finnish: hurmata (fi), viekoitella (fi)
• French: exalter (fr), emporter (fr), ravir (fr)
• German: betören (de), verführen (de)
• Greek: διασκεδάζω (el) (diaskedázo)

  Ancient: κηλέω (kēléō)

• Italian: incantare (it), distogliere (it), sedurre (it), adulare (it), lusingare (it)
• Maori: ātahu, kohinu
• Portuguese: entreter (pt), distrair (pt), encantar (pt)
• Romanian: încânta (ro), captiva (ro), fermeca (ro)
• Russian: очаро́вывать (ru) impf (očaróvyvatʹ), очарова́ть (ru) pf (očarovátʹ)
• Spanish: encanto engañador m, encanto secretivo m, encanto oculto m, cautivar (es)
• Turkish: ayartmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: причаро́вувати (pryčaróvuvaty), прина́джувати (prynádžuvaty), зачаро́вувати (začaróvuvaty)

References

• beguile in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• beguile in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913