All 15 Uses of
bestow
in
The Odyssey, by Homer (translated by: Butcher & Lang)
- They are too craven to go to the house of her father Icarius, that he may himself set the bride-price for his daughter, and bestow her on whom he will, even on him who finds favour in his sight.†
Book 2bestow = give
- But go thou to the house, and consort with the wooers, and make ready corn, and bestow all in vessels, the wine in jars and barley-flour, the marrow of men, in well-sewn skins; and I will lightly gather in the township a crew that offer themselves willingly.†
Book 2
- And besides all this, his wife bestowed on Helen lovely gifts; a golden distaff did she give, and a silver basket with wheels beneath, and the rims thereof were finished with gold.†
Book 4bestowed = gave
- She gave me bread enough and red wine, and let wash me in the river and bestowed on me these garments.†
Book 7 *
- So spake he and all kept silence; and Alcinous alone answered him, saying: 'Stranger, forasmuch as these thy words are not ill-taken in our gathering, but thou wouldest fain show forth the valour which keeps thee company, being angry that yonder man stood by thee in the lists, and taunted thee, in such sort as no mortal would speak lightly of thine excellence, who had knowledge of sound words; nay now, mark my speech; so shalt thou have somewhat to tell another hero, when with thy wife and children thou suppest in thy halls, and recallest our prowess, what deeds Zeus bestoweth even upon us from our fathers' days even until now.†
Book 8bestoweth = givesstandard suffix: Today, the suffix "-eth" is replaced by "-s", so that where they said "She bestoweth" in older English, today we say "She bestows."
- Soon will they have no desire to sleep together, but the snare and the bond shall hold them, till her sire give back to me the gifts of wooing, one and all, those that I bestowed upon him for the hand of his shameless girl; for that his daughter is fair, but without discretion.'†
Book 8bestowed = gave
- Meanwhile Arete brought forth for her guest the beautiful coffer from the treasure chamber, and bestowed fair gifts therein, raiment and gold, which the Phaeacians gave him.†
Book 8
- For there is none of all mankind nameless, neither the mean man nor yet the noble, from the first hour of his birth, but parents bestow a name on every man so soon as he is born.†
Book 8bestow = give
- And first of all, draw ye up the ship ashore, and bestow the goods in the caves and all the gear.†
Book 10
- 'So spake they, but I answered them with soft words: "Behold, let us first of all draw up the ship ashore, and bestow our goods in the caves and all our gear.†
Book 10
- And the mighty king Alcinous himself went about the ship and diligently bestowed the gifts beneath the benches, that they might not hinder any of the crew in their rowing, when they laboured at their oars.†
Book 13bestowed = gave
- But now I know not where to bestow these things, nor yet will I leave them here behind, lest haply other men make spoil of them.†
Book 13bestow = give
- Go to then, I also will bestow on him a stranger's gift, that he in turn may give a present either to the bath-woman, or to any other of the thralls within the house of godlike Odysseus.'†
Book 20
- But when the flame of Hephaestus had utterly abolished thee, lo, in the morning we gathered together thy white bones, Achilles, and bestowed them in unmixed wine and in unguents.†
Book 24bestowed = gave
- And these thy gifts, thy countless gifts, thou didst bestow in vain.†
Book 24bestow = give
Definitions:
-
(1)
(bestow) to give -- typically to present as an honor or give as a gift
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, in classic literature, bestow can also mean to give more generally or to put, place, or store (to stow) something somewhere.