beseon

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *bisehwaną (“to look, besee”), equivalent to be- +‎ sēon. Cognate with Old Saxon bisehan, Old High German *bisehan, Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍈𐌰𐌽 (bisaiƕan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beˈse͜oːn/

Verb

besēon

1. to see or look about or around
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Chair of Saint Peter"

     ...ðā beseah hē tō Petre sumere ælmessan wilniġende...

     Then looked he towards Peter, desiring an alms,...

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Luke 9:62

     Nān mann þe his hand āsett on his sulh and onbæc besihþ nis andfenġe Godes rīċe.

     No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "THE NATIVITY OF ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE"

     Crist ða beseah upp wið þæs rican...

     Christ then looked up towards the rich man...

   • Early 11th c., Defensor's translation of Liber Scintillarum

     ...nā besēoh þū on wīfes hiw...

     ...do not look at a woman's appearance...

2. to see, behold
3. to go to see, visit
4. to see to, care for, attend to, provide for

Conjugation

Conjugation of besēon (strong class 5)

infinitive	besēon	besēonne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	besēo	beseah
second person singular	besiehst	besāwe
third person singular	besiehþ	beseah
plural	besēoþ	besāwon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	besēo	besāwe
plural	besēon	besāwen
imperative
singular	beseoh
plural	besēoþ
participle	present	past
	besēonde	besewen

Descendants

• Middle English: beseen
  • English: besee

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “beseón”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.