Bewray
Pronunciation
- IPA: /bɪˈreɪ/
Origin 1
From Middle English bewraien, bewreyen, equivalent to - + wray, from Old English wrÄ“Ä¡an ("to accuse, impeach"), from Proto-Germanic *wrÅgijanÄ…, *wrÅhijanÄ… ("to tell, speak, shout"), from Proto-Indo-European *were-, *wrÄ“- ("to tell, speak"). Cognate with Old Frisian biwrÅgja ("to disclose, reveal"), Old High German biruogen ("to disclose, reveal"), Modern German berügen ("to defraud"), Swedish röja ("to betray").
Full definition of bewray
Verb
- (transitive, obsolete) To expose a deception.
- (transitive, archaic) To accuse; malign; speak evil of.
- (transitive) To reveal; divulge; make known; declare; inform.
- (transitive) To expose a person, rat someone out.
- 1850, The Gentleman's magazine: Volume 189:"While . . busy search was diligently applied and put in execution, Humphrey Banaster (were it more for fear of loss of life and goods, or attracted and provoked by the avaricious desire of the thousand pounds) he bewrayed his guest and master to John Mitton, then Sheriff of Shropshire, ..."
- 1890, The Times, 16 June, page 8, col. AI fear that if I was to attempt to detain you at length my speech would bewray me, and you would discover I was not that master of professional allusions which you might expect me to be.
- (transitive) To divulge a secret.
- (transitive) To disclose or reveal (usually with reference to a person's identity or true character) perfidiously, prejudicially, or to one's discredit or harm; betray; expose.
- 1916, John Lyly, Euphues:But to put you out of doubt that my wits were not all this while a wool-gathering, I was debating with myself whether in love it were better to be constant, bewraying all the counsels, or secret, being ready every hour to flinch.
- (transitive) To reveal or disclose unintentionally or incidentally; show the presence or true character of; show or make visible.
- 1905, The Times, 22 August, page 6, col. AHis very speeches bewray the man – intensely human, frank and single-hearted
Usage notes
This word is often glossed as being a synonym of "betray", but this is only valid for the senses of "betray" that involve a revelation of previously privileged information.