What does bedaub mean?
To bedaub something is to smear it messily and thoroughly with a substance—mud, paint, grease, or blood—so that it becomes coated or stained. The verb carries a strongly negative connotation of messiness and excess; one does not bedaub delicately, but heavily and carelessly. A child might return from play bedaubed with mud, or an old wall might stand bedaubed with layers of faded paint. The word also has a rarer figurative sense: to bedaub someone with flattery is to shower them with excessive, cloying praise. Formed from the prefix "be-" plus "daub," it entered English in the sixteenth century alongside similar "be-" verbs like besmear and bespatter, though it has since fallen out of common use. Today "bedaub" survives chiefly in literary and descriptive prose, where its evocative, slightly archaic flavor lends texture to writing about grime, ornamentation, or overwrought adoration.
verbTo smear or cover something messily and heavily with a substance such as mud, paint, or grease; figuratively, to flatter someone excessively or adorn something in an overdone way.
- To smear or coat something messily with a substance such as mud, paint, or blood.
- To flatter or praise someone excessively; to adorn something in an overdone, showy manner.
"The children came home from the garden bedaubed with mud from head to toe."
"The walls were bedaubed with graffiti by morning."
"Critics accused him of being bedaubed with flattery by his entourage."
Bedaub carries the same ancient root as 'albino' and 'album' — all tracing back to the Latin 'albus', meaning white.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bedaub
Bedaub was formed in English during the sixteenth century from the prefix "be-," indicating thorough coverage, combined with "daub." The verb "daub" derives from Old French "dauber," meaning to plaster or whiten, which itself traces back to Latin "dealbare" — built on "de-" and "albus," meaning white. This makes "bedaub" a distant relative of words such as "album," "albino," and "albedo," all rooted in the Latin word for white. Its early use described literally coating surfaces with plaster or paint before extending to mud, filth, and figurative flattery.
Related word forms
How bedaub is actually used
"Bedaub" is somewhat literary and old-fashioned in modern English; it appears more often in descriptive or historical writing than in everyday speech. The figurative sense of excessive flattery is now rare but attested.
Easily confused with bedaub
"Besmirch" means to soil or sully, usually a person's reputation, while "bedaub" refers literally to smearing a physical substance over something.
"Embellish" means to decorate attractively or enhance a story, whereas "bedaub" implies messy or excessive application, often unattractive.