An archaic verb meaning to chop or hew thoroughly; to hack or shape something by cutting with an axe.
From 'be-' (thoroughly) + 'hew' (to chop, from Old English 'heawan'). The 'be-' prefix intensified the action of cutting into a completed task.
In old texts, 'behewing' describes the intense labor of splitting wood or shaping stone—jobs that required complete, thorough cutting, making 'behew' more emphatic than simple 'hewing.'
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