Chapter 152

Be*seech"ing , a. Entreating urgently; imploring; as, a beseeching look . -- Be*seech"ing*ly , adv. -- Be*seech"ing*ness , n.

Beseechment <Xpage=139>

Be*seech"ment (?) , n. The act of beseeching or entreating earnestly. [R.]

Goodwin.

Beseek <Xpage=139>

Be*seek" (?) , v. t. To beseech. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Beseem <Xpage=139>

Be*seem" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beseemed (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Beseeming .] [Pref. be- + seem .] Literally: To appear or seem ( well , ill , best , etc.) for (one) to do or to have. Hence: To be fit, suitable, or proper for, or worthy of; to become; to befit.

A duty well beseeming the preachers. Clarendon.

What form of speech or behavior beseemeth us, in our prayers to God ? Hocker.

Beseem <Xpage=139>

Be*seem" , v. i. To seem; to appear; to be fitting. [Obs.] "As beseemed best."

Spenser.

Beseeming <Xpage=139>

Be*seem"ing , n. 1. Appearance; look; garb. [Obs.]

I . . . did company these three in poor beseeming . Shak.

2. Comeliness.

Baret.

Beseeming <Xpage=139>

Be*seem"ing , a. Becoming; suitable. [Archaic] -- Be*seem"ing*ly , adv. -- Be*seem"ing*ness , n.

Beseemly <Xpage=139>

Be*seem"ly , a. Fit; suitable; becoming. [Archaic]

In beseemly order sitten there. Shenstone.

Beseen <Xpage=139>

Be*seen" (?) , a. [Properly the p. p. of besee .]

1. Seen; appearing. [Obs. or Archaic]

2. Decked or adorned; clad. [Archaic]

Chaucer.

3. Accomplished; versed. [Archaic]

Spenser.

Beset <Xpage=139>

Be*set" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beset ; p. pr. & vb. n. Besetting .] [AS. besettan (akin to OHG. bisazjan , G. besetzen , D. bezetten ); pref. be- + settan to set. See Set .] 1. To set or stud (anything) with ornaments or prominent objects.

A robe of azure beset with drops of gold. Spectator.

The garden is so beset with all manner of sweet shrubs that it perfumes the air. Evelyn.

2. To hem in; to waylay; to surround; to besiege; to blockade. " Beset with foes."

Milton.

Let thy troops beset our gates. Addison.

3. To set upon on all sides; to perplex; to harass; -- said of dangers, obstacles, etc. "Adam, sore beset , replied." Milton . " Beset with ills." Addison . "Incommodities which beset old age." Burke .

4. To occupy; to employ; to use up. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Syn. -- To surround; inclose; environ; hem in; besiege; encircle; encompass; embarrass; urge; press.

Besetment <Xpage=139>

Be*set"ment (?) , n. The act of besetting, or the state of being beset; also, that which besets one, as a sin. "Fearing a besetment ."

Kane.

Besetter <Xpage=139>

Be*set"ter (?) , n. One who, or that which, besets.

Besetting <Xpage=139>

Be*set"ting , a. Habitually attacking, harassing, or pressing upon or about; as, a besetting sin .

Beshine <Xpage=139>

Be*shine" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beshone ; p. pr. & vb. n. Beshining .] To shine upon; to ullumine.

Beshow <Xpage=139>

Be*show" (?) , n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A large food fish ( Anoplopoma fimbria ) of the north Pacific coast; -- called also candlefish .

Beshrew <Xpage=139>

Be*shrew" (?) , v. t. To curse; to execrate.

Beshrew me, but I love her heartily. Shak.

&hand; Often a very mild form of imprecation; sometimes so far from implying a curse, as to be uttered coaxingly, nay even with some tenderness.

Schmidt.

Beshroud <Xpage=139>

Be*shroud" (?) , v. t. To cover with, or as with, a shroud; to screen.

Beshut <Xpage=139>

Be*shut" (?) , v. t. To shut up or out. [Obs.]

Beside <Xpage=139>

Be*side" (?) , prep. [OE. biside , bisiden , bisides , prep. and adv., beside, besides; pref. be- by + side . Cf. Besides, and see Side , n. ] 1. At the side of; on one side of. " Beside him hung his bow."

Milton.

2. Aside from; out of the regular course or order of; in a state of deviation from; out of.

[You] have done enough To put him quite beside his patience. Shak.

3. Over and above; distinct from; in addition to. [In this use besides is now commoner.]

Wise and learned men beside those whose names are in the Christian records. Addison.

To be beside one's self , to be out ob one's wits or senses.

Paul, thou art beside thyself . Acts xxvi. 24.

Syn. -- Beside , Besides . These words, whether used as prepositions or adverbs, have been considered strictly synonymous, from an early period of our literature, and have been freely interchanged by our best writers. There is, however, a tendency, in present usage, to make the following distinction between them: 1. That beside be used only and always as a preposition, with the original meaning "by the side of; " as, to sit beside a fountain; or with the closely allied meaning "aside from", "apart from", or "out of"; as, this is beside our present purpose; to be beside one's self with joy. The adverbial sense to be wholly transferred to the cognate word. 2. That besides , as a preposition, take the remaining sense "in addition to", as, besides all this; besides the considerations here offered. "There was a famine in the land besides the first famine." Gen. xxvi. 1 . And that it also take the adverbial sense of "moreover", "beyond", etc., which had been divided between the words; as, besides , there are other considerations which belong to this case. The following passages may serve to illustrate this use of the words: --

Lovely Thais sits beside thee. Dryden.

Only be patient till we have appeased The multitude, beside themselves with fear. Shak.

It is beside my present business to enlarge on this speculation. Locke.

Besides this, there are persons in certain situations who are expected to be charitable. Bp. Porteus.

And, besides , the Moor May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril. Shak.

That man that does not know those things which are of necessity for him to know is but an ignorant man, whatever he may know besides . Tillotson.

See Moreover .

Besides, Beside <Xpage=139>

Be*sides" (?) , Be*side" (?) , adv. [OE. Same as beside , prep.; the ending -s is an adverbial one, prop. a genitive sign.] 1. On one side. [Obs.]

Chaucer. Shak.

2. More than that; over and above; not included in the number, or in what has been mentioned; moreover; in addition.

The men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides ? Gen. xix. 12.

To all beside , as much an empty shade, An Eugene living, as a C\'91sar dead. Pope.

&hand; These sentences may be considered as elliptical.

Besides <Xpage=139>

Be*sides (?) , prep. Over and above; separate or distinct from; in addition to; other than; else than. See Beside , prep ., 3, and Syn. under Beside .

Besides your cheer, you shall have sport. Shak.

Besiege <Xpage=139>

Be*siege" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Besieged (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Besieging .] [OE. bisegen ; pref. be- + segen to siege. See Siege .] To beset or surround with armed forces, for the purpose of compelling to surrender; to lay siege to; to beleaguer; to beset.

Till Paris was besieged , famished, and lost. Shak.

Syn. -- To environ; hem in; invest; encompass.

Besiegement <Xpage=139>

Be*siege"ment (?) , n. The act of besieging, or the state of being besieged.

Golding.

Besieger <Xpage=139>

Be*sie"ger (?) , n. One who besieges; -- opposed to the besieged .

Besieging <Xpage=139>

Be*sie"ging (?) , a. That besieges; laying siege to. -- Be*sie"ging*ly , adv.

Besit <Xpage=139>

Be*sit" (?) , v. t. [Pref. be- + sit .] To suit; to fit; to become. [Obs.]

Beslabber <Xpage=139>

Be*slab"ber (?) , v. t. To beslobber.

Beslave <Xpage=139>

Be*slave" (?) , v. t. To enslave. [Obs.]

Bp. Hall.

Beslaver <Xpage=139>

Be*slav"er (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beslavered (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Beslavering .] To defile with slaver; to beslobber.

Beslime <Xpage=139>

Be*slime" (?) , v. t. To daub with slime; to soil. [Obs.]

B. Jonson.

Beslobber <Xpage=139>

Be*slob"ber (?) , v. t. To slobber on; to smear with spittle running from the mouth. Also Fig.: as, to beslobber with praise.

Beslubber <Xpage=139>

Be*slub"ber (?) , v. t. To beslobber.

Besmear <Xpage=139>

Be*smear" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Besmeared (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Besmearing .] To smear with any viscous, glutinous matter; to bedaub; to soil.

Besmeared with precious balm. Spenser.

Besmearer <Xpage=139>

Be*smear"er (?) , n. One that besmears.

Besmirch <Xpage=139>

Be*smirch" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Besmirched (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Besmirching .] To smirch or soil; to discolor; to obscure. Hence: To dishonor; to sully.

Shak.

Besmoke <Xpage=139>

Be*smoke" (?) , v. t. 1. To foul with smoke.

2. To harden or dry in smoke.

Johnson.

Besmut <Xpage=139>

Be*smut" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Besmutted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Besmutting .] [Pref. be- + smut : cf. AS. besm\'c6tan , and also OE. besmotren .] To blacken with smut; to foul with soot.

Besnow <Xpage=139>

Be*snow" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Besnowed (#) .] [OE. bisnewen , AS. besn\'c6wan ; pref. be- + sn\'c6wan to snow.] 1. To scatter like snow; to cover thick, as with snow flakes. [R.]

Gower.

2. To cover with snow; to whiten with snow, or as with snow.

Besnuff <Xpage=139>

Be*snuff" (?) , v. t. To befoul with snuff.

Young.

Besogne <Xpage=139>

Be*sogne" (?) , n. [F. bisogne .] A worthless fellow; a bezonian. [Obs.]

Besom <Xpage=139>

Be"som (?) , n. [OE. besme , besum , AS. besma ; akin to D. bezem , OHG pesamo , G. besen ; of uncertain origin.] A brush of twigs for sweeping; a broom; anything which sweeps away or destroys. [Archaic or Fig.]

I will sweep it with the besom of destruction. Isa. xiv. 23.

The housemaid with her besom . W. Irving.

Besom <Xpage=139>

Be"som , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Besomed (#) .] To sweep, as with a besom. [Archaic or Poetic]

Cowper.

Rolls back all Greece, and besoms wide the plain. Barlow.

Besomer <Xpage=139>

Be"som*er (?) , n. One who uses a besom. [Archaic]

Besort <Xpage=139>

Be*sort" (?) , v. t. To assort or be congruous with; to fit, or become. [Obs.]

Such men as may besort your age. Shak.

Besort <Xpage=139>

Be*sort" , n. Befitting associates or attendants. [Obs.]

With such accommodation and besort As levels with her breeding. Shak.

Besot <Xpage=139>

Be*sot" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Besotted (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Besotting .] To make sottish; to make dull or stupid; to stupefy; to infatuate.

Fools besotted with their crimes. Hudibras.

Besotted <Xpage=139>

Be*sot"ted , a. Made sottish, senseless, or infatuated; characterized by drunken stupidity, or by infatuation; stupefied. " Besotted devotion." Sir W. Scott . -- Be*sot"ted*ly , adv. -- Be*sot"ted*ness , n.

Milton.

Besottingly <Xpage=139>

Be*sot"ting*ly , adv. In a besotting manner.

Besought <Xpage=139>

Be*sought" (?) , p. p. of Beseech .

Bespangle <Xpage=139>

Be*span"gle (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bespangled (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespangling (#) .] To adorn with spangles; to dot or sprinkle with something brilliant or glittering.

The grass . . . is all bespangled with dewdrops. Cowper.

Bespatter <Xpage=139>

Be*spat"ter (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bespattered (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespattering .] 1. To soil by spattering; to sprinkle, esp. with dirty water, mud, or anything which will leave foul spots or stains.

2. To asperse with calumny or reproach.

Whom never faction could bespatter . Swift.

Bespawl <Xpage=139>

Be*spawl" (?) , v. t. To daub, soil, or make foul with spawl or spittle. [Obs.]

Milton.

Bespeak <Xpage=139>

Be*speak" (?) , v. t. [ imp. Bespoke (?) , Bespake (Archaic) ; p. p. Bespoke , Bespoken (<?/) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespeaking .] [OE. bispeken , AS. besprecan , to speak to, accuse; pref. be- + sprecan to speak. See Speak .] 1. To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor .

Concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak his favor. Sir W. Scott.

2. To show beforehand; to foretell; to indicate.

[They] bespoke dangers . . . in order to scare the allies. Swift.

3. To betoken; to show; to indicate by external marks or appearances.

When the abbot of St. Martin was born, he had so little the figure of a man that it bespoke him rather a monster. Locke.

4. To speak to; to address. [Poetic]

He thus the queen bespoke . Dryden.

Bespeak <Xpage=139>

Be*speak" , v. i. To speak. [Obs.]

Milton.

Bespeak <Xpage=139>

Be*speak" , n. A bespeaking. Among actors, a benefit (when a particular play is bespoken.) "The night of her bespeak ."

Dickens.

Bespeaker <Xpage=139>

Be*speak"er (?) , n. One who bespeaks.

Bespeckle <Xpage=139>

Be*spec"kle (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bespeckled (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespeckling .] To mark with speckles or spots.

Milton.

Bespew <Xpage=139>

Be*spew" (?) , v. t. To soil or daub with spew; to vomit on.

Bespice <Xpage=139>

Be*spice" (?) , v. t. To season with spice, or with some spicy drug.

Shak.

Bespirt <Xpage=139>

Be*spirt" (?) , v. t. Same as Bespurt .

<page="140"> Page 140

<page="140"> Page 140

Bespit <Xpage=140>

Be*spit (?) , v. t. [ imp. Bespit ; p. p. Bespit , Bespitten (<?/) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespitting .] To daub or soil with spittle.

Johnson.

Bespoke <Xpage=140>

Be*spoke" (?) , imp. & p. p. of Bespeak .

Bespot <Xpage=140>

Be*spot" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bespotted (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespotting .] To mark with spots, or as with spots.

Bespread <Xpage=140>

Be*spread" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bespread ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespreading .] To spread or cover over.

The carpet which bespread His rich pavilion's floor. Glover.

Besprent <Xpage=140>

Be*sprent" (?) , p. p. [OE. bespreynt , p. p. of besprengen , bisprengen , to besprinkle, AS. besprengan , akin to D. & G. besprengen ; pref. be- + sprengan to sprinkle. See Sprinkle .] Sprinkled over; strewed.

His face besprent with liquid crystal shines. Shenstone.

The floor with tassels of fir was besprent . Longfellow.

Besprinkle <Xpage=140>

Be*sprin"kle (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Besprinkled (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Besprinkling (#) .] To sprinkle over; to scatter over.

The bed besprinkles , and bedews the ground. Dryden.

Besprinkler <Xpage=140>

Be*sprin"kler (?) , n. One who, or that which, besprinkles.

Besprinkling <Xpage=140>

Be*sprin"kling (?) , n. The act of sprinkling anything; a sprinkling over.

Bespurt <Xpage=140>

Be*spurt" (?) , v. t. To spurt on or over; to asperse. [Obs.]

Milton.

Bessemer steel <Xpage=140>

Bes"se*mer steel` (<?/) . Steel made directly from cast iron, by burning out a portion of the carbon and other impurities that the latter contains, through the agency of a blast of air which is forced through the molten metal; -- so called from Sir Henry Bessemer , an English engineer, the inventor of the process.

Best <Xpage=140>

Best (?) , a. ; superl . of Good. [AS. besta , best , contr. from betest , betst , betsta ; akin to Goth. batists , OHG. pezzisto , G. best , beste , D. best , Icel. beztr , Dan. best , Sw. b\'84st . This word has no connection in origin with good . See Better .] 1. Having good qualities in the highest degree; most good, kind, desirable, suitable, etc.; most excellent; as, the best man; the best road; the best cloth; the best abilities.

When he is best , he is a little worse than a man. Shak.

Heaven's last, best gift, my ever new delight. Milton.

2. Most advanced; most correct or complete; as, the best scholar; the best view of a subject.

3. Most; largest; as, the best part of a week .