begem means to adorn (as if) with gems. It carries an Arena rating of 1464, earned across 17 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, begem ranks #1,816 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #2,026 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,225 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #5,645 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
Why “begem” is a great word
To adorn something thoroughly as if with gems. From the English prefix be- (thoroughly, around) + gem (a precious stone). First recorded in use 1740–50. Unlike 'embellish', which suggests decorative addition of any kind, or 'bespangle', which implies a uniform scattering of glittering points, to begem is to stud a surface with distinct, singular points of concentrated worth. It is the cold, celestial fire of a medieval reliquary, the precise and arrogant brilliance of a czar's scepter, or the improbable, dew-like tracery of frost on a barren branch—a quiet insistence that even the mundane can be appointed with singular, luminous worth.
verb
- To adorn (as if) with gems.e.g.“Our Grove we illuminate, glorious to see,
With glittering Glow-worms begemming each Tree;” — 1748, Laetitia Pilkington, “Queen Mab to Pollio”, in Memoirs, Dublin, page 151:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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