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Added 4 October 2026

betoken

/bɪˈtoʊ.kən/ verb

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about betoken at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To signify by some visible object; show by signs or tokens.
To foreshow by present signs; indicate something in the future by that which is seen or known.

Origin

From Middle English bitoknen, bitacnen, from Old English betācnian (“to betoken, signify, designate”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitaiknijan. Equivalent to be- + token. Cognate with Dutch betekenen (“to mean, signify”), German bezeichnen (“to call, designate”), Swedish beteckna (“to represent, designate, indicate”) and Danish betegne (“to represent, designate, indicate”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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