betine means to hedge about; enclose; shut up. It carries an Arena rating of 1287, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Why “betine” is a great word
To hedge about or enclose with a barrier, or, in an archaic sense, to set alight. From Middle English betinen, from Old English betȳnan ("to hedge in, enclose"), from Proto-West Germanic *bitūnijan ("to inclose, hedge about"), equivalent to the prefix be- (around) + tine (to enclose). Unlike "enclose" (a general term for surrounding) or "ignite" (a common verb for combustion), to betine is to circumscribe with the specific, living architecture of a hedge, or to invoke flame with an air of forgotten ritual. It is the deliberate weaving of hawthorn and blackthorn into a green wall against the moor; the sudden, deliberate touch of a torch to dry thatch that turns a homestead into a beacon; the quiet, stubborn work of making a place separate from the wild—a word that contains the twin impulses of boundary and blaze, a contained warmth that can become a consuming fire.
Etymology
From Middle English betinen, betynen, bitunen, bituinen, from Old English betȳnan (“to hedge in, enclose, shut, bury; shut out; conclude, end”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitūnijan (“to inclose, hedge about”), equivalent to be- + tine. Cognate with Middle Dutch betuinen, Middle Low German betü̂nen, Middle High German beziunen (German bezäunen (“to fence in, surround, border”)).
verb
- To hedge about; enclose; shut up.“This year began Ida to reign, from whom arose the royal race of Northumbria; and he reigned twelve years and 'getimbered' Bebbanburh, which at first was 'betined' with a wall.”
- To set fire to.