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better

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *batiz
Proto-Indo-European *-yōs
Proto-Germanic *-izô
Proto-Germanic *batizô
Proto-West Germanic *batiʀō
Old English betera
Middle English bettre
English better

    From Middle English better, bettre, betre, from Old English betera (“better”), from Proto-West Germanic *batiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *batizô (“better”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed-rós, from *bʰed- (“good”).

    Cognate with Dutch beter, German besser, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål bedre, Norwegian Nynorsk betre, Swedish bättre, Faroese and Icelandic betri. Also Sanskrit भ॒द्र (bhadrá, “blessed; fortunate; happy; good”) (from *bʰn̥d-ró-s). Related to best and battle (“getting better; improving; fruitful; fertile”). Compare also Icelandic batna (“to improve”), bót (“improvement”), German besser. More at batten, boot.

    False cognate of Persian بهتر (behtar).

    Adjective

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    better (positive good, adverb well, comparative (humorous) betterer, superlative best, or (humorous) betterest)

    1. comparative degree of good and well
      How are you? ~ A little better, thanks.
      • 2002 November 1, “Shindig”, in Firefly, episode 4:
        Badger: You think you're better than other people.
        Mal: Just the ones I'm better than.
    2. Greater in amount or quantity
      • 1972, Harvey Andrews, Hey Sandy:
        “The air was still with the lonely thrill of 'now the hour is near'
        And the smell of sweat was better yet than the awful stench of fear.”
    3. Greater or lesser (whichever is seen as more advantageous), in reference to value, distance, time, etc.
      The top electric vehicles have a range of 300 kilometres or better. (better = greater)
      Only one swimmer finished the race with a time better than two minutes. (better = lesser)
    4. Healed or recovered from an injury or illness.
      We can't go to the zoo today because you're sick; let's go when you're all better.
    Derived terms
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    Descendants
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    • → Jamaican Creole: beta
    Translations
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    Adverb

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    better

    1. comparative form of well: more well
      The engine runs better now that I've given it some oil.
    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    Noun

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    better (plural betters)

    1. An entity, usually animate, deemed superior to another; one who has a claim to precedence; a superior.
      He quickly found Ali his better in the ring.
    Derived terms
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    Etymology 2

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      Ellipsis of had better ('d better).

      Verb

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      better

      1. (modal, auxiliary verb, colloquial) Had better.
        It's getting late. You better get on home.
        Nobody better hurt any of my kids.
        Nothing better've happened to the guitar I lent you!
      Usage notes
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      • Better in this sense has often been considered an adverb. But in "We better be going" it is virtually synonymous with should, and in "We better go" it is synonymous with ought to. Should and ought are auxiliary verbs.
      Translations
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      See also

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      Etymology 3

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      Etymology tree
      Proto-Germanic *batiz
      Proto-Indo-European *-yōs
      Proto-Germanic *-izô
      Proto-Germanic *batizô
      Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
      Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
      Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
      Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
      Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti
      Proto-Germanic *-ōną
      Proto-Germanic *batizōną
      Old English beterian
      Middle English beteren
      English better

        From Middle English beteren, from Old English beterian, betrian, from Proto-Germanic *batizōną. Cognate with West Frisian betterje (“to better”), Dutch beteren (“to better”), German bessern (“to better”), Danish bedre (“to better”), Swedish bättra (“to better”).

        Verb

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        better (third-person singular simple present betters, present participle bettering, simple past and past participle bettered)

        1. (transitive) To improve.
          attempts to better the lot of the refugees
          This government will better our society.
          They tried to better themselves by attaining a good education.
        2. (intransitive) To become better; to improve.
        3. (transitive) To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel; to improve on.
          Synonym: top
          He summed the whole thing up in a way that I couldn't possibly better.
        4. (transitive) To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of.
          • 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
            Weapons more violent, when next we meet, / May serve to better us and worse our foes.
        Conjugation
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        Conjugation of better
        infinitive (to) better
        present tense past tense
        1st-person singular better bettered
        2nd-person singular
        3rd-person singular betters
        plural better
        subjunctive better bettered
        imperative better —
        participles bettering bettered
        Synonyms
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        Derived terms
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        Translations
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        Etymology 4

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        Alternative spelling of bettor or modern formation from the verb to bet +‎ -er.

        Noun

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        better (plural betters)

        1. Alternative spelling of bettor.
        Translations
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        References

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        Central Franconian

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        Alternative forms

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        Etymology

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        From Old High German bittar.

        Pronunciation

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        Adjective

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        better (masculine bettere, feminine better, comparative betterer, superlative et betterste)

        1. (most dialects) bitter
          Proverb: Mösse es e better Krock. ― To be obliged is a bitter herb.

        Middle English

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        Etymology 1

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        Adjective

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        better

        1. alternative form of bettre

        Adverb

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        better

        1. alternative form of bettre

        Noun

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        better

        1. alternative form of bettre

        Etymology 2

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        Verb

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        better

        1. alternative form of beteren

        Scots

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        Etymology

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        From Middle English bettre, from Old English betera.

        Pronunciation

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        Adjective

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        better

        1. comparative degree of guid

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        Adverb

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        better (comparative mair better, superlative maist better)

        1. better
        2. quite recovered from illness
        3. more than

        Noun

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        better (uncountable)

        1. that which is better, something better or superior

        Verb

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        better (third-person singular simple present betters, present participle betterin, simple past and past participle bettert)

        1. to better, improve

        West Frisian

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        Adjective

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        better

        1. inflection of goed:
          1. predicative comparative degree
          2. indefinite neuter singular comparative degree
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