Home › Glossary › Letter B

Bede

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Anglo-Saxon monk and historian, author of "Ecclesiastical History of the English People"

Detailed Definition
The Venerable Bede preserved early English history, computed Easter dates, and promoted learning in monastic England. He is the father of English historiography. Poets reference him as a chronicler of faith and nationhood, symbolizing the quiet preservation of culture amid chaos.
Example
Example in poetry:
The Venerable Bede appears in Anglo-Saxon and medieval poetry as the “father of English history”; Poets cite Bede’s “Ecclesiastical History” as a source of national myth; His dating of Easter inspires poems on time, liturgy, and cosmic order; Modern verse uses Bede to reflect on monastic scholarship and preservation of culture; Bede’s deathbed translation of John’s Gospel becomes a symbol of devotion to the word; Poets reference Bede’s Northumbrian setting to evoke early English identity.
Additional Notes
The Venerable Bede (672–735), Anglo-Saxon monk and historian, wrote the “Ecclesiastical History of the English People,” a foundational text for English identity; he also contributed to chronology (dating from Christ’s birth); in poetry, Bede represents monastic scholarship, historical continuity, or the dawn of English literary culture—often invoked in poems about time, memory, or the Christianization of Britain (e.g., Heaney’s “Bede’s Link”).
Also Known As
The Venerable Bede Saint Bede
Skip to main content