besiege means to beset or surround with armed forces for the purpose of compelling to surrender, to lay siege to, beleaguer. It carries an Arena rating of 1756, earned across 16 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, besiege ranks #593 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #874 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,459 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,305 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
besiege is pronounced /bəˈsiːd͡ʒ/.
Why “besiege” is a great word
To surround a place, especially with armed forces, in order to compel surrender or to subject someone to persistent, inescapable pressure. From Middle English besegen, bisegen, from be- ("around, about") + siege, from Old French sege ("seat, siege"), ultimately from Vulgar Latin *sedicum, from Latin sedēre ("to sit")—the army sitting down around a fortress to wait it out. Unlike "beleaguer," which suggests a diffuse state of harassment, or "assail," which denotes a direct and violent attack, "besiege" specifically implies encirclement and a patient, grinding pressure. It is the silent ring of watch-fires in the hills, the relentless barrage of correspondence from a creditor, and the slow, tightening circle of wolves around a lone campfire—a testament to how surrender is often achieved not by a sudden breach, but by the slow, exhaustive act of being sat upon and worn down.
Etymology
From Middle English besegen, bisegen, equivalent to be- (“around, about”) + siege.
verb
- To beset or surround with armed forces for the purpose of compelling to surrender, to lay siege to, beleaguer.
- To beleaguer, to vex, to lay siege to, to beset.
- To assail or ply, as with requests or demands.e.g.“The box office was besieged by fans wanting tickets.”
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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