Word Wise

Sometimes just the right word can make all the difference, especially in fiction writing. I’ve decided it might be interesting to spend a little time each week researching different words and sharing them here on my blog.

This week’s word:

betide (bi-TYD)

MEANING –(verb) To happen; come to pass: Whatever betides, maintain your courage.

ETYMOLOGY
(an account of the history of a particular word or element of a word.)

From Old English tidan (happen), from tid (time). Often used in the phrase "woe betide". Earliest documented use: 1297.

SYNONYMS:
become, befall, befit, chance, fall, happen, occur, presage, transpire

 ANTONYMS:
not happen, cease, discontinue, end, halt, stop

References in classic literature:

But Dantes cannot remain forever in prison, and one day or other he will leave it, and the day when he comes out, woe betide him who was the cause of his incarceration

~The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas, Alexandre

Tarzan will go again to Opar before the next rains and if harm has befallen La, woe betide Cadj, the High Priest.

~Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Burroughs, Edgar Rice

"Ere this wedding be wrought, woe betide thee," he cried.

~English Literature For Boys And Girls by Marshall, H.E.

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"betide." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 14 Jun. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/betide>.

The free dictionary by Farlex  14 Jun. 2011 <http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/woe+betide>