Beat

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /biːt/

Definitions

1. to strike repeatedly, to defeat in a competition, or to mix ingredients vigorously
2. to hit or strike repeatedly, to win against a competitor, or to mix together elements energetically
3. to strike something continually, to triumph over an opponent, or to stir ingredients vigorously until combined

Etymology: The verb "beat" is ancient in English, descending from Old English "bēatan," meaning to strike, pound, lash, or thrash. Its roots run back to a Proto-Germanic word meaning "to push or strike," and its relatives reach surprisingly far: Dutch "boten," German "boßen" (to thrash), and even the Latin "fūstis," a club or cudgel, all share the same ancestry. The past tense is the curious part. Middle English "bet," the simple past of "beten," regularly should have developed into "beet," but the modern "beat" was reshaped by the present stem and by the past participle "beaten." A parallel may lie with the Early Modern English pattern "eat, ate, eaten," which shows how irregular verbs can drift toward a new shape. The noun and related senses took off in the 20th century from a completely different direction. "Beatnik," the name for the 1950s American counterculture writers and artists, came from the "Beat Generation," so the musical and rhythmic senses of "beat" owe a debt to that movement's name.

Synonyms: strike, hit, thump, pound, whack

Antonyms: lose, fail, surrender, yield, submit