# betoken

> English word · Verb · IPA /bɪˈtoʊ.kən/

## Definitions
1. To signify by some visible object; show by signs or tokens.
2. To foreshow by present signs; indicate something future by that which is seen or known.

## Etymology
From Middle English bitoknen, bitacnen, from Old English betācnian (“to betoken, signify, designate”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitaiknijan. Equivalent to be- + token. Cognate with Dutch betekenen (“to mean, signify”), German bezeichnen (“to call, designate”), Swedish beteckna (“to represent, designate, indicate”) and Danish betegne (“to represent, designate, indicate”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/betoken