Betaking

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To take oneself to a specific place or situation as a form of action or decision; to direct one's efforts or intentions towards a particular activity or goal; to engage in a course of action that implies leaving one place for another with purpose
2. To set forth or go towards a certain destination, often with intent or resolve; to commit oneself to an undertaking or path that indicates a chosen direction; to embark upon an activity or journey involving change or movement
3. To depart from one location while moving toward another with intention; to enter into a commitment or purpose that guides one's actions; to undertake a venture or change that signifies progress or a shift in circumstances

Etymology: Before "betake" meant to go somewhere, it meant to hand something over. Middle English "bitaken" was built from the prefix "be-" and "take", and its older sense was close to "entrust" or "commit". Someone who betook a thing to another person gave it into their keeping. The sense of moving oneself toward a place or purpose grew out of that idea of committing or directing something, so a person who betakes themselves to a town is, in effect, handing their own body over to a destination. The verb is related to Danish "betage", which means "to take" but also "to deprive" or "cut off", and Swedish "beta", which has the same pair of senses. These cousins show how the "be-" prefix could push "take" toward a sense of separation or removal, a shade of meaning English largely left behind. "Betaking" is simply the verb's "-ing" form, so it carries the same history: it is the act of directing oneself toward something. Its use as a noun is the same process applied to that act.

Synonyms: going, proceeding, traveling, departing, heading

Antonyms: remaining, staying, lingering, stopping, halting