betty

[ bet-ee ]

/ ˈbɛt i /

noun, plural bet·ties.

brown betty.

Nearby words

betting, betting shop, bettinus, bettong, bettor, betty, betty lamp, betula, betula oil, betulaceous, between

Origin of betty

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; by shortening

Definition for betty (2 of 4)

Betty

[ bet-ee ]

/ ˈbɛt i /

noun

a female given name, form of Elizabeth.

Definition for betty (3 of 4)

Williams

[ wil-yuh mz ]

/ ˈwɪl yəmz /

noun

Ben Ames

[eymz] /eɪmz/, 1889–1953, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

BertEgbert Austin Williams, 1876?–1922, U.S. comedian and songwriter.

Charles MelvinCootie, 1910–85, U.S. jazz trumpeter and bandleader.

Daniel Hale,1858–1931, U.S. surgeon and educator: performed first successful heart surgery 1893.

ElizabethBetty, born 1943, Northern Irish peace activist: Nobel prize 1976.

Em·lyn

[em-lin] /ˈɛm lɪn/, 1905–87, Welsh playwright and actor.

Eric Eustace,1911–81, Trinidadian politician: first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago 1962–81.

G. Men·nen

[men-uh n] /ˈmɛn ən/, 1911–88, U.S. politician and diplomat.

Hank,1923–53, U.S. country-and-western singer, musician, and composer.

John Towner,born 1932, U.S. composer and conductor.

Ralph Vaughan. Vaughan Williams, Ralph.

Roger,1603?–83, English clergyman in America: founder of Rhode Island colony 1636.

Serena,born 1981, U.S. tennis player (sister of Venus Williams).

TennesseeThomas Lanier Williams, 1911–83, U.S. dramatist.

Theodore SamuelTed, 1918–2002, U.S. baseball player.

Venus,born 1980, U.S. tennis player (sister of Serena Williams).

William,1731–1811, U.S. merchant and revolutionary statesman.

William Car·los

[kahr-lohs] /ˈkɑr loʊs/, 1883–1963, U.S. poet and novelist.

Definition for betty (4 of 4)

Ford

[ fawrd, fohrd ]

/ fɔrd, foʊrd /

noun

Elizabeth BloomerBetty, 1918–2011, U.S. First Lady 1974–77 (wife of Gerald R. Ford).

Ford Mad·ox

[mad-uh ks] /ˈmæd əks/, Ford Madox Hueffer, 1873–1939, English novelist, poet, critic, and editor.

Gerald R(udolph, Jr.)Leslie Lynch King, Jr., 1913–2006, U.S. political leader: congressman 1948–73; vice president 1973–74; 38th president of the U.S. 1974–77.

Guy Stanton,1873–1963, U.S. historian, educator, and editor.

Henry,1863–1947, U.S. automobile manufacturer.

John,1586?–c1640, English playwright.

JohnSean O'Feeney, 1895–1973, U.S. film director.

a male given name.

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

Examples from the Web for betty

Tarantino wrote it there over several months in his hotel, as well as the “coffee shop” Betty Boop.
The Secrets of ‘Pulp Fiction’: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Movie on Its 20th Anniversary|Marlow Stern|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He loves Betty Jane Greer because of her “great sense of the ridiculous.”
The Stacks: Mr. Bad Taste and Trouble Himself: Robert Mitchum|Robert Ward|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Betty Friedan put the feelings of our mothers to words, publishing The Feminine Mystique.
Whither the Women’s Movement?|Judith Barnett|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tabloid battle between the sweet blonde and the brunette vixen played out like an issue of Betty and Veronica on crack.
Real-Life Couples on Screen: Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, Brangelina, and More|Amy Zimmerman|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Refined, elegant, and to the manor born, Betty is everything that Don is not.
Every Woman Don Draper’s Hooked Up With on ‘Mad Men’|Amy Zimmerman|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was delighted to see Betty, who was an especial favorite of his, and much interested in her account of Bob's flight.
Betty Gordon in Washington|Alice B. Emerson
"Now I am going to ask a question," broke in Miss Betty's voice.
The Black Moth|Georgette Heyer
Certainly I did not mean really to doubt either Anthony or Betty for a moment.
The Camp Fire Girls in After Years|Margaret Vandercook
Betty resumed her inspection of dresses, to determine which she should take, while Mollie hastened home.
The Outdoor Girls at Ocean View|Laura Lee Hope
Yes, Betty hated it all because it was what she had always thirsted for.
The Branding Iron|Katharine Newlin Burt

British Dictionary definitions for betty (1 of 3)

ford

/ (fɔːd) /

noun

a shallow area in a river that can be crossed by car, horseback, etc

verb

(tr) to cross (a river, brook, etc) over a shallow area

Derived Formsfordable, adjective

Word Origin for ford

Old English; related to Old Frisian forda, Old High German furt ford, Latin porta door, portus port 1

British Dictionary definitions for betty (2 of 3)

Ford

/ (fɔːd) /

noun

Ford Maddox (ˈmædəks) original name Ford Madox Hueffer . 1873–1939, English novelist, editor, and critic; works include The Good Soldier (1915) and the war tetralogy Parade's End (1924–28).

Gerald R (udolph). 1913–2006, US politician; 38th president of the US (1974–77)

Harrison . born 1942, US film actor. His films include Star Wars (1977) and its sequels, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and its sequels, Bladerunner (1982), Clear and Present Danger (1994), and What Lies Beneath (2000)

Henry . 1863–1947, US car manufacturer, who pioneered mass production

John . 1586–?1639, English dramatist; author of revenge tragedies such as 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1633)

John, real name Sean O'Feeney . 1895–1973, US film director, esp of Westerns such as Stagecoach (1939) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

British Dictionary definitions for betty (3 of 3)

Williams

/ (ˈwɪljəmz) /

noun

Hank, real name Hiram Williams. 1923–53, US country singer and songwriter. His songs (all 1948–52) include "Jambalaya", "Your Cheatin' Heart", and "Why Don't you Love me (like you Used to Do?)"

John. born 1941, Australian classical guitarist, living in Britain

John (Towner). born 1932, US composer of film music; his scores include those for Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. (1982), Schindler's List (1993), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Ralph Vaughan. See (Ralph) Vaughan Williams

Raymond (Henry). 1921–88, British literary critic and novelist, noted esp for such works as Culture and Society (1958) and The Long Revolution (1961), which offer a socialist analysis of the relationship between society and culture

Robbie, full name Robert Peter Williams. born 1974, British pop singer and songwriter. A member of Take That (1990–95; and from 2010), he found solo success with "Angels" (1997) and the albums Life Thru a Lens (1997), Swing When You're Winning (2001), and Escapology (2002)

Robin (McLaurim). born 1951, US film actor and comedian; films include Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets' Society (1989), Mrs Doubtfire (1993), and Insomnia (2002)

Rowan (Douglas). Baron. born 1950, Archbishop of Canterbury (2002–2012); Archbishop of Wales (2000–02)

Serena . born 1981, US tennis player, sister of Venus Williams: since 1999 she has won sixteen Grand Slam singles titles, including the Australian Open five times, Wimbledon five times, and the US Open four times

Tennessee, real name Thomas Lanier Williams. 1911–83, US dramatist. His plays include The Glass Menagerie (1944), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), and Night of the Iguana (1961)

Venus . born 1980, US tennis player: winner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, including Wimbledon five times (2000–01, 2005, 2007–08); with her sister Serena she has won thirteen Grand Slam doubles titles

William Carlos (ˈkɑːləs). 1883–1963, US poet, who formulated the poetic concept "no ideas but in things". His works include Paterson (1946–58), which explores the daily life of a man living in a modern city, and the prose work In the American Grain (1925)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for betty (1 of 3)

Betty

fem. pet name, from Bet, shortened from Elizabeth, + -y (3).

Word Origin and History for betty (1 of 3)

ford

Old English ford "shallow place where water can be crossed," from Proto-Germanic *furdhus (cf. Old Frisian forda, Old High German furt, German Furt "ford"), from PIE *prtu- "a going, a passage" (cf. Latin portus "harbor," originally "entrance, passage;" Old Welsh rit, Welsh rhyd "ford;" Old English faran "to go;" see port (n.1)). The line of automobiles is named for U.S. manufacturer Henry Ford (1863-1947).

Word Origin and History for betty (2 of 3)

ford

1610s, from ford (n.). Related: Forded; fording.

betty

noun, plural bet·ties.

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of betty

Definition for betty (2 of 4)

Betty

noun

Definition for betty (3 of 4)

Williams

noun

Definition for betty (4 of 4)

Ford

noun

Examples from the Web for betty

British Dictionary definitions for betty (1 of 3)

ford

noun

verb

Word Origin for ford

British Dictionary definitions for betty (2 of 3)

Ford

noun

British Dictionary definitions for betty (3 of 3)

Williams

noun

Word Origin and History for betty (1 of 3)

Betty

Word Origin and History for betty (1 of 3)

ford

Word Origin and History for betty (2 of 3)

ford