An archaic or dialectal verb meaning to arrange, prepare, or make ready; to tinge or color.
Possibly from 'be-' combined with an Old English root related to 'tinge' or to preparing/arranging. The etymology is uncertain and the word appears rarely in historical texts.
Some words in old dictionaries are almost mysteries—'betinge' barely appears in any surviving texts, which means we're witnessing words that almost died out completely; each rare word is like a ghost of a language that could have been.
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