bety

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• betyde (obsolete)

Etymology

Inherited from Danish betyde, formed after Middle Low German bedü̂den (compare German bedeuten). By surface analysis, be- +‎ ty(de). The contracted pronunciation is probably due to native Norwegian influence as it seems not to have been common in Danish; compare by.

Verb

bety (present tense betyr, past tense betydde or betød, past participle betydd)

1. to mean
   1. to signify, denote
   2. to represent, be equivalent to
   3. to matter, have importance
2. to hint, indicate, give to understand

Derived terms

• betydelig
• betydning

References

• “bety” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “bety” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Norwegian Bokmål bety, from Middle Low German beduden.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beːty/

Verb

bety (present tense betyr, past tense betydde, past participle betytt/betydd, imperative bety)

1. to mean (to convey meaning)

   Det er neppe det det betyr.

   That's probably not what it means.

2. lead to; imply
3. mean (to be important to)

   Dette betyr mykje for meg.

   This means a lot to me.

Synonyms

• tyda/tyde

Related terms

• betyding, betydning

References

• “bety” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.