beshield

Etymology

From Middle English bischilden, from Old English besċyldian, besċieldian (“to shield, defend”); equivalent to be- + shield.

beshield means to shield around or about; protect; defend. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 74 out of 100.

Why “beshield” is a great word

BESHIELD — [Verb] To protect or defend, as with a shield, or to provide with a shield. From Middle English bischilden, from Old English besċyldian, besċieldian ("to shield, defend"), equivalent to the prefix be- ("around, thoroughly") + shield. Unlike "protect," a general term for keeping safe, or "fortify," which emphasizes structural reinforcement, to beshield is to enact a specific, enveloping guardianship. It is the cool, curved weight of oak strapped to a knight’s forearm, the dense, resinous scent of pine boughs woven over a trench, or the deliberate silence a friend offers when gossip seeks a target—a quiet, thorough act of interposition against the world’s sharp edges.

verb

To shield around or about; protect; defend.“Beshield thee with thy troops; find out at will Fresh instruments of war, and unknown gear; For thou shalt not scape death from this my hand, O slayer of the dames, so brave and grand.”
To provide or outfit with a shield.“Our bearers now began to call themselves Natal Kafirs, fearing to say they were Zulus before the young Amaswazi warriors, beplumed, beshielded, bespeared, perched about here and there in picturesque unconsciousness of their picturesqueness.”