betre

Middle English

Adjective

betre

1. Alternative form of bettre

Adverb

betre

1. Alternative form of bettre

Noun

betre

1. Alternative form of bettre

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse betri, from Proto-Germanic *batizô. Akin to English better.

Alternative forms

• bere, beire, bære, likar (all dialectal)

Adjective

betre

1. better (of higher quality)

   Selskapet oppnådde betre resultat i år enn i fjor.

   The company achieved better results this year than the previous year.

2. better (more enjoyable)

   Maten her er betre.

   The food here is better.

Etymology 2

Derived from the comparative adjective above.

Verb

betre (present tense betrar, past tense betra, past participle betra, passive infinitive betrast, present participle betrande, imperative betre/betr)

1. to improve

See also

• bedre (Bokmål)

References

• “betre” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Anagrams

• beret, berte, beter

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Likely from Dutch beter as English -er mostly corresponds with -a in Sranan Tongo (compare finga, bita, brada). The verb sense may derive from or have been influenced by sense 2 of beter (“not sick anymore; recovered from a disease”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbetɾe/, [ˈbɪ̞tɾɪ̞], [ˈbe̝tɾe̝]

Adjective

betre

1. better

   A moro betre you gwe. ― It is better you leave.

Usage notes

Although the English etymon is a comparative, the Sranan Tongo term is not. The immediate equivalent of the English comparative better is moro bun (literally: “more good”). The combination moro betre is commonly used and is generally not considered a pleonasm.

Adverb

betre

1. rather, preferentially

Usage notes

See the usage notes for the adjective.

Verb

betre

1. to heal, to get well

Descendants

• Aukan: betee
• Saramaccan: bë́të