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better

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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

better¹

  • /ˈbɛt.ə/
  • [ˈbɛtʰ.ə] UK
  • [ˈbeɾ.ə] Australia
  • [ˈbeɾ.ɐ] New Zealand
  • [ˈbeʔ.ə]
  • [ˈbɛʔ.ɐ]
  • /ˈbɛt.əɹ/
  • [ˈbɛɾ.ɚ] Canada, US
  • [ˈbɛtʰ.ɚ~ˈbɛθ̠.ɚ~ˈbɛt̪.ɚ] Ireland
  • [ˈbɛʔ.ɚ~ˈbɛʔ.əɾ] Scotland

Rhymes with -ɛtə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English better, bettre, betre, from Old English betera (“better”), from Proto-West Germanic *batiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *batizô (“better”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed-rós, from *bʰed- (“good”).

Cognate with Dutch beter, German besser, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål bedre, Norwegian Nynorsk betre, Swedish bättre, Faroese and Icelandic betri. Also Sanskrit भ॒द्र (bhadrá, “blessed; fortunate; happy; good”) (from *bʰn̥d-ró-s). Related to best and battle (“getting better; improving; fruitful; fertile”). Compare also Icelandic batna (“to improve”), bót (“improvement”), German besser. More at batten, boot.

False cognate of Persian بهتر (behtar).

adjective good · well · betterer · best · betterest

  1. comparative comparative degree of good and well How are you? ~ A little better, thanks.
  2. Greater in amount or quantity “The air was still with the lonely thrill of 'now the hour is near' And the smell of sweat was better yet than the awful stench of fear.”
  3. Greater or lesser (whichever is seen as more advantageous), in reference to value, distance, time, etc. The top electric vehicles have a range of 300 kilometres or better.
  4. Healed or recovered from an injury or illness. We can't go to the zoo today because you're sick; let's go when you're all better.

adverb

  1. comparative comparative form of well: more well The engine runs better now that I've given it some oil.

noun betters

  1. An entity, usually animate, deemed superior to another; one who has a claim to precedence; a superior. He quickly found Ali his better in the ring.

better²

  • /ˈbɛt.ə/
  • [ˈbɛtʰ.ə] UK
  • [ˈbeɾ.ə] Australia
  • [ˈbeɾ.ɐ] New Zealand
  • [ˈbeʔ.ə]
  • [ˈbɛʔ.ɐ]
  • /ˈbɛt.əɹ/
  • [ˈbɛɾ.ɚ] Canada, US
  • [ˈbɛtʰ.ɚ~ˈbɛθ̠.ɚ~ˈbɛt̪.ɚ] Ireland
  • [ˈbɛʔ.ɚ~ˈbɛʔ.əɾ] Scotland

Rhymes with -ɛtə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Shortening of had better ('d better).

verb

  1. auxiliary, colloquial, modal Had better. It's getting late. You better get on home.

better³

  • /ˈbɛt.ə/
  • [ˈbɛtʰ.ə] UK
  • [ˈbeɾ.ə] Australia
  • [ˈbeɾ.ɐ] New Zealand
  • [ˈbeʔ.ə]
  • [ˈbɛʔ.ɐ]
  • /ˈbɛt.əɹ/
  • [ˈbɛɾ.ɚ] Canada, US
  • [ˈbɛtʰ.ɚ~ˈbɛθ̠.ɚ~ˈbɛt̪.ɚ] Ireland
  • [ˈbɛʔ.ɚ~ˈbɛʔ.əɾ] Scotland

Rhymes with -ɛtə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English beteren, from Old English beterian, betrian, from Proto-Germanic *batizōną. Cognate with West Frisian betterje (“to better”), Dutch beteren (“to better”), German bessern (“to better”), Danish bedre (“to better”), Swedish bättra (“to better”).

verb betters · bettering · bettered · better

  1. transitive To improve. attempts to better the lot of the refugees
  2. intransitive To become better; to improve.
  3. transitive To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel; to improve on. He summed the whole thing up in a way that I couldn't possibly better.
  4. transitive To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of. Weapons more violent, when next we meet, / May serve to better us and worse our foes.

better⁴

  • /ˈbɛt.ə/
  • [ˈbɛtʰ.ə] UK
  • [ˈbeɾ.ə] Australia
  • [ˈbeɾ.ɐ] New Zealand
  • [ˈbeʔ.ə]
  • [ˈbɛʔ.ɐ]
  • /ˈbɛt.əɹ/
  • [ˈbɛɾ.ɚ] Canada, US
  • [ˈbɛtʰ.ɚ~ˈbɛθ̠.ɚ~ˈbɛt̪.ɚ] Ireland
  • [ˈbɛʔ.ɚ~ˈbɛʔ.əɾ] Scotland

Rhymes with -ɛtə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Alternative spelling of bettor or modern formation from the verb to bet + -er.

noun betters

  1. alternative Alternative spelling of bettor.bettor

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