Dictionary

besit en · VERB

Etymology

From Middle English besitten, from Old English besittan (“to sit round, surround, beset, besiege, hold, council, occupy, possess”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisittjan, from Proto-Germanic *bisitjaną (“to sit near, sit among or around”), equivalent to be- + sit. Cognate with Dutch bezitten, German besitzen, Norwegian Bokmål besitte, Danish besidde, Swedish besitta, Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (bisitan).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To sit around; sit about; besiege.
   • When not deep in thought, his blue eyes dance. I feel sometimes that behind his thoughtful gaze besits a hint of strain. 2003, Lawrence Murray, The Kassandra Complex, page 473:
2. (transitive) To sit upon; occupy.
   • In such contexts, the ישבים are those who “besit” large estates and seats of judgment and power. The ישב par excellence is the king who “besits” the throne. 2006, Philip Francis Esler, Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in Its Social Context, page 157:
3. (obsolete, transitive) To sit properly upon, as clothes; to suit; become.

Forms

Relateds

beset