beamish

[ bee-mish ]

/ ˈbi mɪʃ /

|

adjective

bright, cheerful, and optimistic.

Nearby words

beam-ends, beam-power tube, beamer, beaming, beamingly, beamish, beamon, beamy, bean, bean aphid, bean bag

Origin of beamish

1520–30; beam (noun) + -ish¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for beamish

When Caseldy hinted it, Mr. Beamish said, 'I have marked him.'
The Short Works of George Meredith|George Meredith
Beamish and Bulla went in as partners, the four being bound together by their joint liability.
The Pit Prop Syndicate|Freeman Wills Crofts
I then ran and got up the stairs with Brunel and Beamish, who were then five or six steps up.
The life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Civil Engineer|Isambard Brunel
The duchess flung him enigmatical rejoinders: 'You can change all that, Mr. Beamish, if you like, and you know you can.
The Short Works of George Meredith|George Meredith

"Well, don't make the mistake of underestimating their brains," counseled Beamish, as the three men moved slowly down the wharf.
The Pit Prop Syndicate|Freeman Wills Crofts

Word Origin and History for beamish

beamish

adj.

1530 (Palsgrave), from beam + -ish. Lewis Carroll may have thought he was inventing it in "Jabberwocky."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper