beset

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English besetten, bisetten, from Old English besettan (“to beset; set beside; set near; appoint; place; own; possess”), from Proto-Germanic *bisatjaną (“to set near; set around”), equivalent to be- +‎ set. Cognate with Saterland Frisian besätte (“to occupy”), West Frisian besette (“to occupy”), Dutch bezetten (“to sit in; occupy; fill”), German Low German besetten (“to occupy”), German besetzen (“to seize; occupy; garrison”), Danish besætte (“to occupy; obsess”), Swedish besätta (“to fill; occupy; beset”).

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /bɪˈsɛt/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛt

Verb edit

beset (third-person singular simple present besets, present participle besetting, simple past and past participle beset)

(transitive) To surround or hem in.
- 1985, Charles L. Scott, The Genus Haworthia (Liliaceae): A Taxonomic Revision, page 80:
  Vegetatively it is the nearest to H. translucens with its oblong-lanceolate leaves, with the margins and keel beset with pellucid teeth, but it differs and is characterised by the greyish-black quadrantly positioned globose flowers; […]
(transitive, sometimes figurative) To attack or assail, especially from all sides.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
  “Nay, for matter o’ that, he never doth any mischief,” said the woman; “but to be sure it is necessary he should keep some arms for his own safety; for his house hath been beset more than once; and it is not many nights ago that we thought we heard thieves about it […]
- 2021 July 28, Paul Clifton, “£67 million Isle of Wight line extension submitted to DfT”, in RAIL, number 936, page 21:
  Track and platforms have been upgraded, but refurbished trains from Vivarail have been beset by software problems.
(transitive) To decorate something with jewels etc.
(nautical) Of a ship, to get trapped by ice.

Derived terms edit

besetting

Translations edit

to surround or hem in

Arabic: اِكْتَنَفَ (iktanafa)
Bulgarian: обсаждам (bg) (obsaždam), обкръжавам (bg) (obkrǎžavam)
Estonian: ümber piirama
Italian: circondare (it)
Latin: circumsedeo
Macedonian: о́пкружи (ópkruži), о́пколи (ópkoli)
Maori: pūrau (by large numbers), popoti, popoke, karapoti
Portuguese: cercar (pt)
Romanian: împresura (ro)
Russian: окружа́ть (ru) (okružátʹ), тесни́ть (ru) (tesnítʹ)
Spanish: cercar (es), sitiar (es)
Ukrainian: ото́чувати impf (otóčuvaty), оточи́ти pf (otočýty)

to attack, especially from all sides

Catalan: assetjar (ca)
Italian: assediare (it), assaltare (it)
Macedonian: о́псади (ópsadi)
Russian: осажда́ть (ru) (osaždátʹ), тесни́ть (ru) (tesnítʹ)
Spanish: asediar (es)
Swedish: ansätta (sv), anfäkta (sv)
Ukrainian: обляга́ти impf (obljaháty), обсіда́ти impf (obsidáty), ото́чувати impf (otóčuvaty)

to decorate something with jewels, etc.

Italian: incastonare (it)
Macedonian: у́краси (úkrasi)
Russian: украша́ть (ru) (ukrašátʹ)
Ukrainian: прикраша́ти impf (prykrašáty), оздо́блювати (uk) impf (ozdóbljuvaty)

get trapped by ice

Finnish: juuttua jäihin
Italian: incagliare (it)
Macedonian: за́мрзне (zámrzne)
Russian: заледене́ть (ru) (zaledenétʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked