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be·lie

(bĭ-lī)

tr.v. be·lied, be·ly·ing, be·lies

1. To give a false representation to; misrepresent: "He spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility" (James Joyce).

2. To show to be false; contradict: Their laughter belied their outward grief.

[Middle English bilien, from Old English belēogan, to deceive with lies; see leugh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

be·lier n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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