To tell about or recount something, often used in archaic or poetic contexts.
Old English 'betællan' from 'be-' (prefix meaning thoroughly) plus 'tellan' (to tell), combining to mean 'to tell thoroughly or completely.'
This word shows how English once used the 'be-' prefix much more freely to modify verbs—we still see traces in words like 'befriend' and 'behead,' but 'betell' fell out of use as English simplified its verb structures.
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