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betty

[bet-ee]
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noun, plural bet·ties.
  1. brown betty.
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Origin of betty

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; by shortening

Betty

[bet-ee]
noun
  1. a female given name, form of Elizabeth.
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Williams

[wil-yuh mz]
noun
  1. Ben Ames [eymz] /eɪmz/, 1889–1953, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
  2. BertEgbert Austin Williams, 1876?–1922, U.S. comedian and songwriter.
  3. Charles MelvinCootie, 1910–85, U.S. jazz trumpeter and bandleader.
  4. Daniel Hale,1858–1931, U.S. surgeon and educator: performed first successful heart surgery 1893.
  5. ElizabethBetty, born 1943, Northern Irish peace activist: Nobel prize 1976.
  6. Em·lyn [em-lin] /ˈɛm lɪn/, 1905–87, Welsh playwright and actor.
  7. Eric Eustace,1911–81, Trinidadian politician: first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago 1962–81.
  8. G. Men·nen [men-uh n] /ˈmɛn ən/, 1911–88, U.S. politician and diplomat.
  9. Hank,1923–53, U.S. country-and-western singer, musician, and composer.
  10. John Towner,born 1932, U.S. composer and conductor.
  11. Ralph Vaughan. Vaughan Williams, Ralph.
  12. Roger,1603?–83, English clergyman in America: founder of Rhode Island colony 1636.
  13. Serena,born 1981, U.S. tennis player (sister of Venus Williams).
  14. TennesseeThomas Lanier Williams, 1911–83, U.S. dramatist.
  15. Theodore SamuelTed, 1918–2002, U.S. baseball player.
  16. Venus,born 1980, U.S. tennis player (sister of Serena Williams).
  17. William,1731–1811, U.S. merchant and revolutionary statesman.
  18. William Car·los [kahr-lohs] /ˈkɑr loʊs/, 1883–1963, U.S. poet and novelist.
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Ford

[fawrd, fohrd]
noun
  1. Elizabeth BloomerBetty, 1918–2011, U.S. First Lady 1974–77 (wife of Gerald R. Ford).
  2. Ford Mad·ox [mad-uh ks] /ˈmæd əks/, Ford Madox Hueffer, 1873–1939, English novelist, poet, critic, and editor.
  3. 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.
  4. Guy Stanton,1873–1963, U.S. historian, educator, and editor.
  5. Henry,1863–1947, U.S. automobile manufacturer.
  6. John,1586?–c1640, English playwright.
  7. JohnSean O'Feeney, 1895–1973, U.S. film director.
  8. a male given name.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for betty

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • I hope, Miss, said Betty, you will not send me down with this answer.

    Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)

    Samuel Richardson

  • Tell her, said my mother to Betty, she knows upon what terms she may come down to us.

    Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)

    Samuel Richardson

  • This Betty was in her way remarkable, both in body and mind.

    Fair Margaret

    H. Rider Haggard

  • It was Betty who let him out at the side door, as she had let him in.

    Fair Margaret

    H. Rider Haggard

  • "Listen, Betty," went on Castell, taking no notice of her words.

    Fair Margaret

    H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for betty

ford

noun
  1. a shallow area in a river that can be crossed by car, horseback, etc
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verb
  1. (tr) to cross (a river, brook, etc) over a shallow area
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Derived Formsfordable, adjective

Word Origin

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

Ford

noun
  1. 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).
  2. Gerald R (udolph). 1913–2006, US politician; 38th president of the US (1974–77)
  3. 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)
  4. Henry . 1863–1947, US car manufacturer, who pioneered mass production
  5. John . 1586–?1639, English dramatist; author of revenge tragedies such as 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1633)
  6. 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)
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Williams

noun
  1. 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?)"
  2. John. born 1941, Australian classical guitarist, living in Britain
  3. 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)
  4. Ralph Vaughan. See (Ralph) Vaughan Williams
  5. 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
  6. 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)
  7. 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)
  8. Rowan (Douglas). Baron. born 1950, Archbishop of Canterbury (2002–2012); Archbishop of Wales (2000–02)
  9. 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
  10. 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)
  11. 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
  12. 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)
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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

Betty

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

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ford

n.

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).

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ford

v.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper