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Added 10 October 2026

beset

/bɪˈsɛt/ verb

In Latin: circumsedeo Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about beset at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Annoy continually or chronically.
He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked
Assail or attack on all sides: "The zebra was beset by leopards".
Decorate or cover lavishly (as with gems).

Origin

From Middle English besetten, bisetten (“to besiege, blockade; to fill, occupy; to harass, beset; to allot, bestow; to arrange, manage; to place, set; to provide for; to treat in a certain way”), from Old English besettan, bisettan (“to surround, beset; to set near; etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisattjan, from Proto-Germanic *bisatjaną (“to fill, occupy”), from *bi- (prefix meaning ‘at; by’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi (“at; near; on”)) + *satjaną (“to place down, set”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”)). By surface analysis, be- (prefix meaning ‘around; by, close to, near, next to’) + set.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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