532 
beset 
set.] If. To set or place. 2. To set or place 
upon ; distribute over; bestud ; besprinkle : uow 
only in the perfect participle. beshroild (be-shroud'), v. t, 
The garden is so hen I with all manner of sweete slmibbs, ..- .v^i. ;j.v 
that it perfumes the aire. Eceli/n, Diary, Oct. 22, 1685. 
It was an idle bolt I sent, against the villain crow; 
Fair sir, I fear it harmed thy hand ; beshrew my erring bow ! 
Bryant, Strange Lady. 
v .. s ,, [< ic-1 + shroud.] 
To cover v with or as with a shroud; hide iu 
darkness, as with a cloak. 
A robe of azure fc^Mvith drops of gold beshutt (be-shuf), V. t. [< ME. beshutten, U- 
' shetten, < be- + shittten, shut : see fce-l and slmt.~\ 
To shut in or inclose; shut up or confine. 
Beset on its external surface with spines. 
H r B Carpenter, Micros., 532. J.o suun in ui muiv/oo, oum- > F v,i ^ 
3. To come upon or against; set upon in at- besiclometer (bes-i-klom^e-ter^n. 
tack, or so as to perplex, endanger, or hem in ; 
press upon severely, vigorously, or from all 
sides : as, to beset one with blows or with en- 
treaties. 
Let us lay aside . . . the sin which doth so easily beset us. 
Heb. xii. 1. 
We are besot with thieves. Shak., T. of the S., iii. 2. 
Adam sore beset replied. Milton, P. L., x. 124. 
Let thy troops beset our gates. Addixmi, C'ato. 
spectacle's (modified (as if < bes, L. bis, 
), + L. oculus, eye) < OF. bericle, crystal, 
spectacles, dim. < L. beryllus: see beryl and 
brills), + Gr. fterpov, a measure.] An instru- 
ment for measuring the distance between the 
hinges of a pair of spectacles; a forehead-mea- 
sure. 
beside (be-sld'), adv. and prep., prop. prep. par. 
[< ME. beside, biside, byside, besiden, bisiden, 
etc., also (with adv. gen. suffix -es) besides, *"' 
tion of the rock basins by ice is to explain how the ice sides, which is now the common form. 
after entering the basin manages to get out again. 
J. Croll, Climate and Cosmology, p. 254. 
4f. To employ ; spend ; use up. Chaucer. 5f. 
To become; suit; look well on. To be beset on*, 
to be occupied with ; have one's mind fixed on. 
God wolde, 
Syn thou most love thurgh thy destenee 
That thou beset were on swich on that sholde 
Know al thi wo, al lakkede here pitee. 
Chaucer, Troilus, i. 521. 
besetment (be-set'ment), n. [< beset + -ment.~\ 
1. The state or condition of being beset. 
The breeze freshened off shore, breaking up and send- 
ing out the floes, the leads rapidly closing. Fearing a be- 
setment, I determined to fasten to an iceberg. 
Kane, Sec. Grinn. Exp., I. 33. 
2. The sin or failing to which one is most li- 
able ; a besetting sin or tendency. [From the 
expression in Heb. xii. 1.] 
It's my besetment to forget where I am, and everything 
around me. George Eliot. 
besetting (be-set'ing), p. a. Habitually at- 
tacking or waylaying. 
We have all of us our besetting sins, our special moral 
danger, and our special moral strength. 
J. F. Clarke, Self-Culture, ix. 
H. prep. 1. At the side of; near: as, sit down 
beside me, or beside the stream. 
Beside him hung his bow. Milton, P. L, vL 763. 
I walking to and fro beside a stream. 
Tennyson, Holy Grail. 
2. Over and above; distinct from. [In this 
sense now rare, besides being used instead.] 
A woollen shirt is generally the only article of dress 
worn by the monks, beside the turban. 
E. W. Lane, Modern Egyptians, II. 316. 
3f. Out of; away from. 
One of them taking displeasure with his father . . . step- 
ped to him, and plucking her [a falcon] beside [out of] his 
fist, wrong her neck. 
Holinshed, Chron., Scotland (ed. 1806), II. 60. 
Neleus, Son of Codrus, being put beside [out of] the King- 
dom of Athens by his younger Brother Medon. 
Stanley, Hist. Philos. (ed. 1701). (N. E. D.) 
4. Apart from; not connected with; not ac- 
cording to. 
It is beside my present business to enlarge upon this 
speculation. Locke. 
5f. Contrary to. 
At Durham, beside all expectation, I met an old friend. 
Johnson, Letters (ed. 1788), I. Ixxiii. 108. 
besewt (be-so' ), v. t. [< ME. besewen, < be- + sew-* 6. Out of ; in a state deviating from. 
en, sew: see be- 1 and sew 1 .] To sew. Gower. 
beseyet, pp. A Middle English form of beseen. 
besha (be'sha), n. An ancient Egyptian mea- 
rare of capacity, said to be equal to 4.5 liters, 
or one imperial gallon. 
beshett, pp. A past participle of beshut. Chau- 
eer. 
*> put him q 
7f without . 
Execut 
Enough 
jy j 
&} hire , eye 
Chaucer, Troilus, iii. 622. 
^j^ tne mark _ away fronl the mark aimed at ; not to 
the point ; irrelevant or irrelevantly : as, to shoot or to 
argue beside the mark. 
To reason with such a writer is like talking to a deaf 
man who catches at a stray word, makes answer beside tlie 
mark, and is led further and further into error by every 
attempt to explain. 
Macanlay, Utilitarian Theory of Government. 
To be beside one's self, to be out of one's wits or senses ; 
be in a high state of mental exaltation or excitement ; lose 
one's self-command through strong feeling. 
Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make 
thee mad. Acts xxvi. 24. 
He came down with a huge long naked weapon in both 
his hands, and looked so dreadfully ! sure he's beside him- 
self. B. Jonson, Epicoene, iv. 2. 
Togo besldet, to pass by ; pass over. To look beside t, 
to overlook ; fail to see ; miss seeing. 
Let vs but open our eyes, we cannot looke beside a lesson. 
Bp. Hall (1627), Epistles, iv. 341. 
= Syn. Beside, Besides. Beside, by the side of ; besides, in 
addition to. 
Then went Sir Bedivere the second time 
Across the ridge, and paced beside the mere. 
Tennyson, Passing of Arthur. 
His [Muley Abul Hassan's] kingdom now contained four- 
teen cities, ninety-seven fortified places, besides numerous 
nnwalled towns and villages defended by formidable cas- 
tles. Irving, Granada, p. 13. 
Alle suche freendis I beshrewe. Rom. of the Rose, besideryt (be-si'de-ri), n. [Origin unknown.] 
See, a blossom from the bough ; A species of pear. Johnson. 
= OHQ. bisceinan, MHG. beschinen, G. bescheinen 
= Goth, biskeinan), shine upon, < be- + scinan, 
shine : see be- 1 and shine.] To shine about or 
upon. Chaucer. 
[She] was as fair a creature as the sun might beshine. 
Beryn, 1. 381. 
beshlik (besh'lik), . A Turkish silver coin, of 
the value of 21 United States cents. Also beslik. 
beshniet (besh'met), n. [Native term.] An 
article of food consisting of grapes made into 
the consistence of honey, used among the tribes 
of the mountainous districts of Asia Minor. 
beshonet (be-shon'). Preterit and past partici- 
ple of beshine. 
besb.OW (be-sho'), n. A name given by the In- 
dians of th'e strait of Juan de Fuca to the can- 
dle-fish, Anoplopoma fimbria. See cut under 
candle-fish. 
bestrew (be-shro"), v. t. [< ME. beshrewen, 
curse, pervert, < be- + shrew : see fee- 1 and 
shrew*.] If. To wish a curse to ; execrate. 
But beshrew his heart that pull'd it. 
Fletcher, Faithful Shepherdess, iv. 2. 
Nay, quoth the cock ; but I beshrew us both, 
If I believe a saint upon his oath. 
Dryden, Cock and Fox. 
2. In modern use, a mildly imprecatory or 
merely expletive introductory exclamation, in 
the form of the imperative. 
Beshrew your heart, 
Fair daughter ! you do draw my spirits from me. 
Shak., 2 Hen. IV., ii. 3. 
Beshrew me, but it was an absolute good jest. 
B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, iii. 2. 
Beshrew the sombre pencil ! said I vauntingly. 
Sterne, Sentimental Journey. 
besides (be-sidz'), adv. and prep. [< ME. be- 
sides, bisides, < beside + adv. gen. suffix -es : see 
beside.'] I. adv. 1. Moreover; more than that; 
further. 
The match 
Were rich and honourable ; besides, the gentleman 
Is full of virtue, bounty, worth, and qualities 
Beseeming such a wife as your fair daughter. 
Shah., T. G. of V., iii. 1. 
2. In addition ; over and above ; as well. 
The men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? 
Gen. xix. 12. 
There are besides many pompous volumes, some emboss'd 
with gold, and intaglias on achats, medailes, etc. 
Evelyn, Diary, Sept. 2, 1680. 
besmear 
3. Not inc-luded in that mentioned; otherwise; 
else. 
She does write to mo 
As if her heart were mines of adamant 
To all the world besides. 
Beau, and Fl., Philaster, ill. 1. 
4f. On one side ; aside. 
To gon besydes in the weye. 
Chaucer, Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 405. 
Thou canst not fight : the blows thou mak'st at me 
Are quite besides. Beau, and FL, Maid's Tragedy, v. 4. 
Sometimes beside. 
II.l'ep. If- By the side of ; near. Spenser. 
2. Over and above ; separate or distinct from ; 
in addition to: as, besides these honors he re- 
ceived much money. 3. Other than; except; 
bating. 
No living creature ever walks in it beside* the chaplain. 
Addison, Spectator, No. 110. 
4f. Beyond; away from: as, quite besides the 
subject. Besides himself*, beside himself. Holland, 
tr. of Livy, p. 456. = Syn. Beside, Besides. See beside, II. 
besiege (be-sej'), v- t. ; pret. and pp. besieged, 
ppr. oesieglng. [< ME. besegen, biseijen, < be- + 
segen, besiege: see fte- 1 and siege, r.] 1. To lay 
siege to; beleaguer; beset or surround with 
armed forces for the purpose of compelling to 
surrender, either by famine or by violent at- 
tacks : as, to besiege a castle or city. 
Till Paris was bettiea'd, famish'd, and lost. 
Shak., > Hen. VI., i. 3. 
2. To beset ; throng around ; harass. 
All frailties that besiege all kinds of blood. 
Shak., Sonnets, cix. 
The arras, rich with horseman, hawk, and hound, 
Flutter'd in the besieging wind's uproar, 
And the long carpets rose along the gusty floor. 
Keats, Eve of St. Agnes, xl. 
= Syn. 1. To beset, hem in, invest, blockade. 
besieged (be-sejd'), p- a. In astral., said of a 
planet which is between two others, 
besiegement (be-sej'ment), n. [< besiege + 
-ment.] 1. The act of besieging. 2. A state 
of siege ; beleaguerment. 
It is not probable, however, that Pemberton would have 
permitted a close besiegement. 
U. S. Grant, Personal Memoirs, I. 485. 
besieger (be-se'jer), n. One who besieges. 
On the 27th of November, the besiegers made a despe- 
rate though ineffectual assault on the city. 
Prescott, Ferd. and Isa., ii. 23. 
besieging (be-se'jing), p. a. Surrounding in a 
hostile manner ; employed in a siege : as, a 
besieging army. 
besiegin'gly (bf-se' jing-li), adv. In a besieging 
manner. [Bare.] 
besilver (be-sil'ver), v. t. [< be-l + silver.] 
To cover with or as with silver. G. Fletcher. 
besing (be-sing'), v. t. [< 6e-l -t- sing.] To sing 
about ; celebrate in song. Carlyle. 
besitt (be-sif), v. t. [< ME. besitten, < AS. be- 
sittan, sit about, < be-, about, + sittan, sit : see 
be- 1 and sit, and cf. the causal form beset.] 1. 
To sit about; besiege. 2. To sit upon. 3. 
To sit properly upon, as clothes ; suit ; be- 
come. 
That which is for Ladies most besitting. 
Spenser, F. Q., IV. ii. 19. 
beslabbert (be-slab'er), v. t. [< ME. beslaber- 
en, also beslo6eren (= LG. beslabbern), < be- + 
slaberen, slabber, slobber : see fee- 1 and slabber, 
slobber.] To beslaver ; beslobber. Piers Plow- 
man. 
beslave (be-slav'), v. t. [< 6e-l + slave.] To 
make a slave of; enslave. 
[Covetousness] beslaves the affections. 
Quarles, Judgment and Mercy. 
beslaver (be-slav'er), v. t. [< 6e-i + slaver*. 
Cf. beslobber.] To cover with slaver, or any- 
thing suggesting slaver ; hence, to cover with 
fulsome flattery. 
beslik (bes'lik), n. Same as beshlik. 
beslime (be-slim'), v. t. [< be- 1 + slime.] To 
daub with or as with slime ; soil. 
Our fry of writers may beslime his fame. 
B. Jonson, Prol. to Poetaster. 
beslobber (be-slob'er), t'. t. [< ME. besloberen, 
same as beslaberen : see beslobber.] To besmear 
or befoul with spittle or anything running from 
the mouth ; slobber over with effusive kisses ; 
hence, to flatter in a fulsome manner or to a 
fulsome degree. 
beslubber (be-slub'er), v. t. [Var. of beslobber.'] 
To besmear or befoul. 
Beslubber our garments with it [blood]. 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV., ii. 4. 
beslurry (be-slur'i), v. t. [< 6e-l + E. dial, slurry, 
soil : see slur.] To soil. Drayton. [Rare.] 
besmear (be-smer'), v. t. [Early mod. E. also 
besmeer, besmere, besmire, etc., < ME. bismcor- 
