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Belie

//bɪˈlaɪ// verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To lie around; encompass. obsolete, transitive
  2. 2
    To tell lies about. archaic, transitive

    "Thou do’ſt bely him Percy, thou doſt bely him; / He never did encounter with Glendower:"

  3. 3
    represent falsely wordnet
  4. 4
    To surround; beleaguer. obsolete, transitive
  5. 5
    To give a false representation of. transitive

    "Her smooth complexion and dark hair belie her actual age."

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    be in contradiction with wordnet
  2. 7
    To contradict, to show (something) to be false. transitive

    "Her obvious nervousness belied what she said."

  3. 8
    To call a liar; to accuse of falsehood. rare, transitive

    "They haue belyed the Lord, and ſaid; It is not he, neither ſhall euill come vpon vs, neither ſhal we ſee ſwoꝛd noꝛ famine."

  4. 9
    To fill with lies; to lie to. rare, transitive

    "No, ’tis Slander, / Whoſe edge is ſharper then the Sword, whoſe tongue / Out-venomes all the Wormes of Nyle, whoſe breath / Rides on the poſting windes, / and doth belye All corners of the World."

  5. 10
    To conceal the contradictory or ironic presence of (something). transitive

    "His calm demeanor belied his inner sense of guilt."

  6. 11
    To show, evince or demonstrate (something) to be present, particularly something deemed contradictory or ironic. transitive

    "A host of evidence is adduced by the accused, evidence whose sometimes self-contradictory nature belies a certain desperation"

  7. 12
    To mimic; to counterfeit. obsolete

    "Which durſt with horſes hoofs that beat the ground / And Martial brass bely the thunders ſound."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English belyen, beliggen, from Old English beliċġan, biliċġan (“to lie around, surround, hedge in, encompass”), from Proto-West Germanic *biliggjan, from Proto-Germanic *biligjaną (“to lie around”). Equivalent to be- (“around, by”) + lie (“to be positioned”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English belyen, beleoȝen, from Old English belēogan (“to deceive by lying, be mistaken”), from Proto-West Germanic *bileugan (“to belie”). Equivalent to be- (“about”) + lie (“to deceive”). Compare Dutch beliegen (“to lie about, tell lies”), German belügen (“to lie to someone”).

See also for "belie"

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