betook
Definition
- Verb (past tense of ):
- To go or move oneself (to a place): "betook" means to go or proceed to a specified location, often with a sense of purpose or necessity.
- To apply oneself (to an activity): It also means to devote or commit oneself to a particular action or pursuit.
Usage Examples
To go to a place:
- He betook himself to the library to study. (He went to the library purposefully.)
- She betook herself to the garden for some fresh air. (She moved herself to the garden.)
To apply oneself to an activity:
- After the argument, he betook himself to writing letters. (He devoted himself to writing.)
- They betook themselves to the task of cleaning the house. (They applied themselves to cleaning.)
Advanced Usage
"to betake oneself to one's heels": to run away quickly; to flee.
- When the dog barked, the cat betook itself to its heels. (The cat ran away swiftly.)
"to betake oneself to drink": to start drinking alcohol excessively, often as a habit.
- After losing his job, he betook himself to drink. (He began drinking heavily as an escape.)
Variants and Related Words
- Betake (verb, base form): the present tense of "betook".
- I betake myself to the mountains every summer. (I go to the mountains.)
- Betaken (past participle): used with "have" or "had" for perfect tenses.
- She had betaken herself to the countryside before the storm. (She had gone to the countryside.)
- Betaking (present participle): the -ing form.
- He is betaking himself to the office now. (He is going to the office now.)
Synonyms
- Repair: to go to a place (formal).
- He repaired to his chambers. (He went to his rooms.)
- Resort: to turn to something for help or action.
- She resorted to reading for comfort. (She applied herself to reading.)
- Apply: to devote oneself to a task.
- They applied themselves to the work. (They committed to the work.)
Related Idioms
- Betake oneself to flight: to escape or run away.
- The thief betook himself to flight when he heard the police. (The thief ran away.)
- Betake oneself to arms: to prepare for war or conflict.
- The soldiers betook themselves to arms at dawn. (The soldiers took up weapons.)
Note on Usage
"Betook" is an archaic or literary term, rarely used in modern everyday English. It appears in formal writing, historical texts, or poetic contexts. The phrase "betake oneself to" is the standard construction, always requiring a reflexive pronoun (e.g., myself, himself, herself).