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Bewake vs Beware - What's the difference?

bewake | beware |

As verbs the difference between bewake and beware

is that bewake is to watch; keep watch over; guard while beware is (defective|ambitransitive) to use caution, pay attention (to) (if intransitive, construed with of ).

bewake

English

Verb

(bewak)
  • To watch; keep watch over; guard.
  • (label) To awaken thoroughly; keep awake.
  • (label) To spend waking; watch through.
  • (label) To keep awake; watch.
  • To watch over (a body); observe funeral rites for.

    • Related terms

    * ----

    beware

    English

    Verb

  • (defective, ambitransitive) To use caution, pay attention (to) (if intransitive, construed with of ).
  • * Bible, Exodus xxiii. 20, 21
    • Behold, I send an Angel before thee. Beware of him, and obey his voice.
  • * , I.ii
    • Beware the Ides of March.

    Usage notes

    The verb beware'' has become a defective verb and now lacks forms such as the third-person singular simple present (bewares) and the simple past (bewared). It can only be used imperatively (''Beware of the dog!'') or as an infinitive (''You must beware of the dog'' or ''They told me to beware of the dog ). The inflected forms (bewares), (bewared), and (bewaring) are called obsolete in Fowler's , along with the simple indicative "I beware". The forms (bewares) and (bewared) are very rarely found in modern texts, though (bewaring) is slightly less rare. These inflections are more likely to be found in very old texts. The meanings conveyed by the obsolete inflected forms may be easily achieved by splitting "be" and "ware", conjugating "be", and possibly replacing "ware" with the more modern "wary"; thus, "bewares" > "is wary", "bewared" > "was wary", etc.