/beguile-meaning

/beguile-meaning-etymology

-) Verb.

-) Pronunciation and accent: bɪgaɪl.

-) Etymology: it is analysable into be- (intensive prefix) + GUILE “deceit”.

-) Preterite tense: beguiled. Preterite participle: beguiled.

-) Present participle: beguiling.

-) It is dated from 1200.

-) Transitive: -) 1. To make (someone) the object of a guile; to cause (a person) to believe what is false, by means of words or otherwise.

-) Synonyms for “beguile”: to delude, deceive, cheat, impose on, trick.

-) Translation: ingannare, in Italian; engañar, in Spanish; tromper, in French.

… the wicked chief was enamoured of my mistress, and, I doubt not, beguiled her with feigned tales, saying that Queen Zalia was near her end.

Sara Coleridge… Phantasmion 1837

… every day he greeted her with the same fond smile, and beguiled her with the same hopeful talk.

M. Braddon… Charlotte's Inheritance… 1868

-) 2. To induce (any one) to do something, by guile.

-) With an infinitive, to signify the action to which the deluded is induced:

"In olden and ancient times the Laird of Clyth went over to Denmark, and, being at the court of Elsineur, counterfeited, by the help of a handsome person, and a fine elocution, the style and renown of the most prosperous gentleman in all Caithness, by which he beguiled a Prince of Copenhagen to give him his daughter in marriage.

J. Galt… The Entail… 1823

… this is not a spot to be alone with a youth of this graceless fellow's nature; even though he may have beguiled you to love him dearly.

P. Egan… Paul Jones… 1842

I have two — nay, three good reasons for going: first, that a beautiful young lady has already beguiled me to stay longer than I should; secondly, that a pleasant old gentleman might beguile me to stay still longer.

G. Payne… Leonora d'Orco… 1860

-) With the preposition “into” + a noun or gerund, which stand for the result:

… you must not beguile me into neglecting my duties.

J. Mackenzie… Private Life… 1829

… his voice [… become] really kind, for he wished to beguile her into good-humour, and he mumbled the last words with his lips touching her cheek.

J. Banim… The Denounced… 1830

[I] first beguiled her into mounting her pony one beautiful morning, to ride over the fields with Gerald, Miss Peterson, and me by her side.

S. Ellis… Pictures… 1837

[The counsellor] was trying to beguile her into criminating herself, for the sake of employing her evidence against the luckless admiral.

A. Strickland… Queens of England… 1851–1859

I beguiled her into talk.

E. Gaskell… The accursed race… 1855

-) With the prepositions “to” or “into” + the noun of the place where someone is enticed:

Helen did not suspect the secret purpose for which Mr. Mortimer had beguiled her to the Rectory.

J. Mackenzie… Private Life… 1830

It was into the reticulations of one of these nets that our talkative guide beguiled us.

J. Bullar… A Winter in the Azores… 1841

From the dance, he beguiled her to the garden, and she was pleased to be so beguiled.

W. Simms… Katharine Walton… 1851

-) 3. To dispossess (someone) of something by guile or by means of a trick. 

-) Synonyms: bereave, deprive, cheat out of.

-) With “of” or “out of” + the noun of the thing trickily obtained:

Supposing, very honestly, that a soldier was a likely person to inform him where he could most advantageously procure the article, he accosted one in the street, who conducted him to his own quarters, and there, having beguiled him out of five dollars on pretence of selling him a gun and equipments, set up a hue and cry, that there was a rebel purchasing king's arms of a king's soldier.

C. Snow… A History of Boston… 1828

… the plan of beguiling him of his money.

M. Griffith… Camperdown… 1836

-) Hence, metaphorically: to induce (someone) to something by means of a trick, as if by cheating out of it:

… we should rejoice if we could even beguile them of a smile.

E. Hook… Cousin Geoffrey… 1840

… Evelyn has linked herself to me, insensibly beguiled me of my love, and made me forget my own desolateness.

A. Mowatt… Evelyn… 1845

-) 4. To cause (somebody) to be heedless of something unpleasant or unsuitable, by means of a trick.

-) Synonym: to divert.

-) With the preposition “from”, or “of” + noun of what is unpleasant:

He had, originally, purposed visiting Mr. Tyrold before he set out, and conversing with him upon the state of danger in which he thought his daughter; but his tenderness for her feelings, during his last adieu, had beguiled him of this plan, lest it should prove painful, injurious, or inauspicious to her own views or designs in breaking to her friends their breach.

F. Burney… Camilla… 1796

Betha beguiled him from his usual sad pensiveness, to take an interest in the various employments exhibited in rural life.

J. Porter, A. Porter... Coming out… 1828

I sat and listened as long as I could to the efforts my companion made to beguile me of my uneasiness.

Mrs. Farren… Boston Common… 1857

… when I mentioned the thing to Solon, thinking to beguile him from his trouble, I found him more interested than I had thought he could be…

H. Wilson… The Boss of Little Arcady… 1905

-) 5. To cause (someone) not to be bored, by means of a funny trick. Hence, (metaphor) to cause (something) not to be tedious, as if by a trick.

-) Synonyms: to while away, amuse.

We got under way with a mere breath of wind, and for many days stood along the eastern coast of Java, without any other incident to beguile the monotony of our course than the occasional meeting with some of the small grabs of the Archipelago to which we were bound.

Poe… MS. Found in a Bottle… 1833

Beside the provisions lay the flute, whose notes had lately been called forth by the lonely watcher to beguile a tedious hour.

T. Hardy… Far from the Madding Crowd… 1874

The long train was slackening speed and two whistles rang shrilly through the roar of wheels when Miss Barrington laid down the book with which she had beguiled her journey of fifteen hundred miles, and rose from her seat in a corner of the big first-class car.

H. Bindloss… Winston of the Prairie… 1907

-) Intransitive: to practice a beguilement; use a wile.

-) Words derived from “guile”: beguilement, beguiler, beguiling, beguilingly, beguileful, beguiled, guileful, guilefully, guilefulness, guileless, guilelessly, guilessness, unguileful.