a reference work (often in several volumes) containing articles on various topics (often arranged in alphabetical order) dealing with the entire range of human knowledge or with some particular specialty
work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function; "He is a herpetologist"; "She is our resident philosopher"
have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
have life, be alive; "Our great leader is no more"; "My grandfather lived until the end of war"
be identical to; be someone or something; "The president of the company is John Smith"; "This is my house"
occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is behind this behavior?"
to remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used only in infinitive form; "let her be"
happen, occur, take place; "I lost my wallet; this was during the visit to my parents' house"; "There were two hundred people at his funeral"; "There was a lot of noise in the kitchen"
as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as "on behalf of" rather than "in behalf of"); "the guardian signed the contract on behalf of the minor child"; "this letter is written on behalf of my client";
for someone's benefit (usually expressed as `in behalf' rather than `on behalf' and usually with a possessive); "in your behalf"; "campaigning in his own behalf"; "spoke a good word in his friend's behalf"