betoken
To signify by some visible objectTo signify by some visible object; show by signs or tokens.
» Learn this: a steep curve betokens a large change in output for a small change in input.
Meaning
2 senses(transitive)To signify by some visible object; show by signs or tokens.
(transitive)To foreshow by present signs; indicate something in the future by that which is seen or known.
- be a signal for or a symptom of
- indicate, as with a sign or an omen
Examples
2 sentencesLearn this: a steep curve betokens a large change in output for a small change in input.
The variations in the flora also need more exact analysis before we can say what they betoken.
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
From Middle English bitoknen, bitacnen, from Old English betācnian (“to betoken, signify,From Middle English bitoknen, bitacnen, from Old English betācnian (“to betoken, signify, designate”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitaiknijan. Equivalent to be- + token. Cognate with Dutch betekenen (“to mean, signify”), German bezeichnen (“to call, designate”), Swedish beteckna (“to represent, designate, indicate”) and Danish betegne (“to represent, designate, indicate”).
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Forms
betokens, betokening, betokened, betokenedSynonyms
19 synonymsWord family
2 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle