Betest

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To exceed or overcome someone or something in competition or comparison
2. To get the better of an opponent or rival through superior strength or skill
3. To triumph over or prove superior to someone or something in a contest

Etymology: "Betest" is an archaic form of the verb "beat," used with the pronoun "thou" in the second person singular, as in "thou betest" for "you beat." Such forms were common in older English, when "thou" was the familiar singular "you" and verbs carried endings that marked the subject. The verb descends from Old English "bēatan," meaning to strike repeatedly, and it has kept that core sense of rhythmic striking, as in the beat of a drum or a heart. The "-est" ending belongs to the same pattern as "goest" and "hast," which fell out of everyday speech as "you" replaced "thou."