befight means to deprive of by fighting. It carries an Arena rating of 1327, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, befight ranks #1,976 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,123 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,950 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #3,910 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
Why “befight” is a great word
To contest with physical violence for the purpose of seizing or defending a possession, or to engage in a comprehensive, enveloping struggle. From Old English *befeohtan* ("to take by fighting"), formed from the intensive prefix *be-* ("thoroughly") + the verb *fight*. Unlike "fight," a general term for combat, or "contend," which suggests striving in wider arenas of competition, to befight is to grapple with the specific intent of deprivation or within a conflict that encircles the combatants entirely. It is the armored hand wrenching the banner from a rival's grasp, the desperate brawl over the last canteen in the desert, the ceaseless skirmish along a disputed border—a raw transaction where violence is the currency of acquisition, and the foundational ache of ownership.
Etymology
From Middle English *befighten, *befeghten, from Old English befeohtan (“to take by fighting”), equivalent to be- + fight. Cognate with Dutch bevechten (“to fight, combat”), Middle High German bevehten.
verb
- To deprive of by fighting.
- To fight against; contend; do battle with.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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