besay

besay means to say about (someone or something); get something across verbally or by saying; relay; signify; declare.

Etymology

From Middle English besayen, biseggen, from Old English beseċġan (“to announce, introduce; defend, excuse oneself; accuse”), from Proto-Germanic *bisagjaną, equivalent to be- (“about, concerning, across”) + say. Cognate with Dutch bezeggen, German besagen (“to say”).

verb

To say about (someone or something); get something across verbally or by saying; relay; signify; declare.e.g.“"Laughter," reproved Najib, cut to the soul by his chief's ridicule, "laughter is for hyenas — and for women! as I have besaid of often.” — 1925, Albert Payson Terhune, Najib:

Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

undersay 65% match — To say by way of derogation or contradiction. vs besay →
betell 64% match — To speak or tell about; declare; narrate; describe. vs besay →
bespeak 62% match — To speak about; tell of; relate; discuss. vs besay →
oversay 61% match — To say over again; to repeat. vs besay →
sayee 59% match — The person to whom something is said; the addressee of spoken words. vs besay →
yeasay 58% match — To say yes to; to agree with, or approve. vs besay →
beshare 57% match — To share about; share across or share with; distribute among others; share. vs besay →
daresay 57% match — Chiefly in the form I daresay: to say something boldly; to affirm or assert. vs besay →