Dictionary

bestand en · VERB

Etymology

From Middle English bistanden, bestanden, from Old English bestandan, from Proto-West Germanic *bistandan, from Proto-Germanic *bistandaną (“to surround, support”). Equivalent to be- (“around, by”) + stand.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To stand by or near; stand around.
2. (transitive) To beset; stand around in hostility; harass.
   • [...] that is my lord and uncle King Arthur, for he is full straitly bestood [sore beset] with a false traitor, which is my half brother Sir Mordred, [...] 1880, Sidney Lanier, Alfred Kappes, Sir Thomas Malory, The Boy's King Arthur:
3. (transitive) To surround; encompass.
   • Wherefore the Brittishe bisshops, bestood with weapons and enemies, when thei coulde not execute all functions, and perceaved that the prelates their neighbours weare prompte to assiste them, [...] 1846, Polydore Vergil, Sir Henry Ellis, Polydore Vergil's English history:
4. (transitive) To serve; be of service to; be ready to serve or aid.
   • Would not children come kindly to such out-of-door lessons, and to such practical knowledge as would always bestand them well? 1907, Donald Grant Mitchell, The works of Donald G. Mitchell:
   • [...] and, inherited Puritan crust of stiffness that rarely left him, and which bestood him well under the ceremonials of his mission, whether at London (1846- 49) or later (1867-74) in Berlin. 1904, Donald Grant Mitchell, American Lands and Letters:

Forms

Synonyms

bestead (to serve)