be

/ˈbē/

Middle English, from Old English bēon; akin to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, futurus about to be, fieri to become, be done, Greek phynai to be born, be by nature, phyein to produce

verb

  1. to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : symbolize

  2. to have identity with : to constitute the same idea or object as

  3. to constitute the same class as

January is the first month.

The first person I met was my brother.

symbol

  1. beryllium

abbreviation

  1. Baumé