bestill means to make quiet or still; calm; pacify. It carries an Arena rating of 1685, earned across 97 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, bestill ranks #734 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,652 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,067 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #5,604 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
Why “bestill” is a great word
BESTILL — [Verb] To impose a profound and commanding quiet or stillness upon something restless. From Middle English bistillen, bystillen ("to silence"), equivalent to the intensive prefix be- + still. It is perhaps an alteration of earlier Middle English istillen, ȝestillen ("to make still, calm"), from Old English ġestillan ("to calm, quieten, pacify, stop"). Unlike "agitate," which stirs disturbance, or "quiet," which may merely lower sound, to bestill is a deliberate act of deep pacification. It is the firm hand on a trembling shoulder, the glassy calm that follows a squall on a lake, or the moment a fretful child yields to the rhythm of steady breath—a conscious edict against the world’s inherent tremor.
Etymology
From Middle English bistillen, bystillen (“to silence”), equivalent to be- + still. Perhaps and alteration of earlier Middle English istillen, ȝestillen (“to make still, calm”), from Old English ġestillan (“to calm, quieten, pacify, stop”).
verb
- To make quiet or still; calm; pacify.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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