The past tense of 'better,' meaning to have improved something or made a situation more favorable than it was before.
From Old English 'betera' (comparative of 'good'). The verb form 'better' developed from the adjective, and '-ed' marks the past tense, showing how English easily transforms adjectives into verbs.
The word 'bettered' appears constantly in self-help culture and success stories, yet linguistically it's fascinating because 'better' is one of the few English words where the comparative form (better) became a common verb—most comparatives stay as adjectives.
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