Obs. Forms: 1 býme, béme, 2–5 beme, (3, 6 beame, 5 beeme); pl. 1–3 beman, 2–4 -en, 3–6 -es, 5 -ys. [OE. béme, WSax. bíeme, later býme, pointing to OTeut. *baumjôn-, of unknown etymology.] A trumpet.
a. 800. Corpus Gloss., in Wr.-Wülcker, Voc., 15. Concha, beme.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Past., 244. Biemena dæʓ & ʓedynes ofer ealla truma ceastra.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. vi. 2. Ne blawe man byman [Rushw. beman, c. 1160 Hatt. G. beman] beforan þe.
c. 1205. Lay., 5107. Bemen þer bleowen.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3521. Ðat dredful beames blast.
a. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 4676. Þe beme þat blaw sal on domsday.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 53. At hys commyng shalle bemys blaw.
c. 1500. Death, in Halliwell, Nugæ Poeticæ, 40. When bemes shalle blawe rewly one rawe.
b. fig. (in allusion to Matt. vi. 2) ? Noise, parade.
c. 1440. Arthur, 108. Seyeþ a Pater noster wythout any Beeme.
