An archaic verb meaning to hear about or listen to something; to overhear or learn by hearing.
From Old English 'behyran,' combining 'be-' (around, about) + 'hyran' (to hear). The 'be-' prefix intensified the meaning of 'hear' into 'to hear thoroughly or hear about.'
This word survives mainly in historical texts and Middle English literature, showing how the 'be-' prefix was once a productive way to create new verbs in English—a grammatical pattern we've largely abandoned in modern English.
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