beleave

English

Etymology

A merger of two Middle English verbs:

• beleven, from Old English belǣfan (“to leave, let remain”), from Proto-Germanic *bilaibijaną. Equivalent to be- +‎ leave.
• bliven, beliven (“to remain, stay”), from Old English belīfan (“to remain”), from Proto-Germanic *bilībaną. Hence belive (Etymology 1).

Verb

beleave (third-person singular simple present beleaves, present participle beleaving, simple past and past participle beleft)

1. (obsolete, transitive) To leave behind, abandon.
2. (obsolete, intransitive) To be left; to remain.

Anagrams

• leave be