Skip to main content
Becket

Becket

1 9.0
An English church leader who became archbishop of Canterbury and was killed after opposing King Henry II
  • proper noun
  • /ˈbɛkɪt/
: Becket
  • "This stone marks the spot of the Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket, December 29, 1170."
  • Thomas Becket

school, which was behind Thomas and Becket and that's kind of where I, I was born and brought up.

Examples

  • Weren't they the knights that killed Thomas Becket?

  • Thomas Becket was the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury in the early 12th century, sir.

  • Who can tell me about its subject, Thomas of Becket?

  • The tourists turned to watch the silk-coped figure of Archbishop Thomas Becket hurry past them into the transept, darting a glance over his shoulder.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Thomas Becket was a prominent religious figure in England during the 12th century.

  • Many people visit Canterbury Cathedral to see the shrine of St. Thomas Becket.

  • The conflict between King Henry II and Thomas Becket is a famous historical story.

Synonyms

Thomas Becket
vsBecket
  • Formal
1 7.8

A senior church leader in England who was killed after arguing with King Henry II about the Church's rights

is presented as a leading churchman without noting later veneration
Thomas à Becket
vsBecket
9.9

A church leader in England who opposes the king and later becomes a saint

is stated without noting this later religious veneration
9.8

An Archbishop of Canterbury who was killed after opposing the king and later became a saint

is given as a leading churchman rather than a religious title
9.3

A senior church leader in Canterbury remembered as a saint for being killed defending the Church against the king

is described by role and event without mentioning later religious status

Compounds

becket bend
  • Specialized
9.9

A knot that ties one rope to the middle of another rope or to a loop

Surface Forms

Becket main

Etymology

Becket probably began as a simple family name from two images: the old French bec meaning 'beak' or the old word beck meaning 'brook' or 'small stream'. So you can remember Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury who was killed for defending the church, by picturing a little 'beak' or a tiny 'brook' next to his story.