# On the prefix "be-"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-prefix-be/222087>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 1, 2004, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-prefix-be/222087 "2004-01-01T07:03:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-prefix-be/222087/1 "2004-01-01T07:03:19Z")

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If you are bewhiskered, it means you have whiskers. If you have been beheaded, it means you don’t have a head. What’s up with that?

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-prefix-be/222087/2 "2004-01-01T07:18:51Z")

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The OED lists seven different meanings for the prefix “be-”

It looked way too complicated to summarize.