v. Obs. exc. in pa. pple. begone. Forms: 1 begán, 3 bigan, 4 begon, bigo. Pa. t. 1 beéode, 3 bieode, 4 byȝede, 4–5 bywent. Pa. pple. 1 begán, 2 bigan, 3 bigon, 4 bego(n, -goo, bigo, gon(nen, -gone, -goo(n, bygo(n, -gone, -goo(n, Sc. begane, 5 begoon, bygone, Sc. bigane, 5–6 begon, 6 Sc. bygane, 4– begone. [Comm. Teut.: OE. begán, Goth. bigaggan, OS. bigangan, OHG. bigân, MHG. begân, -gên, mod.G. begehen, Du. begaan; f. bi-, BE- about + gangan, gân to GO.]
† 1. trans. To go about, occupy, inhabit; to work, cultivate. (L. colere.) Obs.
c. 890. Ælfred, Bæda, I. xxvi. (Bosw.). Mid ðy Romane ða ʓyt Breotone be-eodan.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gram. (Zup.), 24. Agricola, se ðe æcer begæð.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., I. 94. Þeos wyrt … wihst on beʓanum landum.
1393. Gower, Conf., I. 152. The erthe it is, whiche evermo With mannes labour is bego.
† 2. To go round; to compass, encompass. Obs.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Job i. 7. Ic ferde ʓeond ðas eorþan and hi be-eode.
c. 1205. Lay., 11200. Al þat þe sæ bigæð.
1387. Trevisa, Higden, I. 311. [Crete] is bygoo wiþ þe see of Gres.
† 3. To go about hostilely, beset, overrun (in hostile sense). Also fig.; cf. 8. Obs.
a. 855. O. E. Chron., an. 775. He … þone bur utan beeode.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 149. Þet isich … his emcristene … mid sicnesse bigan.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 3429. Al þe contre … ful by-gon wyþ enymys.
c. 1400. Warres of Jewes, in Warton, Hist. Poetry (1840), II. 106. Whippes … bywent his white sides.
1602. Warner, Alb. Eng., Epit. (1612), 363. Bremcia, and Daira … were begone seuerally within three yeares … vnder two Saxons named Ida and Ella.
† 4. To get round with craft, to talk over. Obs.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. II. 24. Gyle haþ bigon hire so heo graunteþ al his wille.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2013. Many ys þe manlich man; þat þorw womman ys by-go.
1387. Trevisa, Higden, VI. 213. Þe queene byȝede here housbonde.
† 5. To surround, environ, furnish. Obs.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 227. He was wel begone With faire doughters manyone.
† 6. To dress; to clothe, attire, deck, adorn. Obs.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1614. Þe engles … smireden hire wunden, and bieoden swa þe bruchen of hire bodi.
c. 1325. Coer de L., 5661. Hymself was rychely begoo, From the crest unto the too.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 45. The sadels were … With perle and gold so well begone. Ibid., 228. His moder to him tolde [the cause] That she him hadde so begone.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., I. 630. All golde begoon his tail.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VI. i. 28. The … hous of brycht Appollo gold bygane.
† 7. passive. To be permeated, tainted, infected.
c. 1205. Lay., 19773. Þa wes þa welle anan al mid attre bigon.
c. 1430. Syr Gener., 4195. The ground was al begoon with bloode.
8. To beset as an environment or affecting influence, good or evil; to affect as one’s environment does. Now only in pa. pple. in woe-begone ‘affected by an environment of woe,’ and the like. (The original phrase was ‘him was wo begone,’ i.e., to him woe had closed round; but already in Chaucer we find the later construction in ‘He was wo begone’; need-begone is in Barbour.)
c. 1300. Vox & Wolf, 53. Go wei, quod the kok, wo the bi-go!
c. 1314. Guy Warw., 120. Yuel ous worth than bigo.
c. 1375. ? Barbour, St. Alexis, 92. Al þat he saw ned-begane.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Man of Lawes T., 820. Wo was this wrecched womman tho bigoon. Ibid., Wife’s Prol., 606. I was … riche and yonge and wel begon. Ibid., Miller’s T., 472. Absolon that is for loue alwey so wo bigon.
a. 1400. Sir Perc., 349. The lady was never more sore bygone.
c. 1440. Lonelich, Grail, xlviii. 373. Elles ben we ful evele be-gon.
c. 1440. Sir Gowther, 435. Ful wel was him by gone.
1593. T. Watson, Sonn. (Arb.), 197. My hart doth whisper I am woe begone me.
1794. W. Blake, Songs Exper., Little Girl Found. Tired and woe-begone.
1825. Waterton, Wand. S. Amer., 310. It appears sad and woe-begone.
