To address someone as 'lord' or to treat someone with the deference and respect due to nobility or high rank.
From Middle English, combining 'be-' (to make or cause) with 'lord,' creating a verb meaning to grant lordship status or address in that manner.
This word reveals how the prefix 'be-' was once a productive tool for creating verbs in English—you could 'befriend' someone, 'behead' someone, or 'belord' someone, all meaning to put them in that state.
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