Past tense of betake; went or moved (oneself) to a place; proceeded or traveled to somewhere.
From Old English 'betacan', combining 'be-' with 'take'. Originally meant 'to give over to' but evolved to mean 'to go to' or 'to move oneself to', with betook as the past tense form.
This archaic word appears throughout classic literature—when characters 'betook themselves' somewhere, it sounds so much more dignified than just 'went'! It's pure Victorian flavor.
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