beset, set upon
(verb) assail or attack on all sides: āThe zebra was beset by leopardsā
encrust, incrust, beset
(verb) decorate or cover lavishly (as with gems)
harass, hassle, harry, chivy, chivvy, chevy, chevvy, beset, plague, molest, provoke
(verb) annoy continually or chronically; āHe is known to harry his staff when he is overworkedā; āThis man harasses his female co-workersā
Source: WordNet® 3.1
beset (third-person singular simple present besets, present participle besetting, simple past and past participle beset)
(transitive) To surround or hem in.
(transitive, sometimes, figurative) To attack or assail, especially from all sides.
(transitive) To decorate something with jewels etc.
(nautical) Of a ship, to get trapped by ice.
• Beets, Beste, beest, beets, tsebe
Source: Wiktionary
Be*set", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beset; p. pr. & vb. n. Besetting.] Etym: [AS. besettan (akin to OHG. bisazjan, G. besetzen, D. bezetten); pref. be- + settan to set. See Set.]
1. To set or stud (anything) with ornaments or prominent objects. A robe of azure beset with drops of gold. Spectator. The garden is so beset with all manner of sweet shrubs that it perfumes the air. Evelyn.
2. To hem in; to waylay; to surround; to besiege; to blockade. "Beset with foes." Milton. Let thy troops beset our gates. Addison.
3. To set upon on all sides; to perplex; to harass; -- said of dangers, obstacles, etc. "Adam, sore beset, replied." Milton. "Beset with ills." Addison. "Incommodities which beset old age." Burke.
4. To occupy; to employ; to use up. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Syn.
– To surround; inclose; environ; hem in; besiege; encircle; encompass; embarrass; urge; press.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
22 February 2025
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., āthe father of the brideā instead of āthe brideās fatherā
Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be ādancingā after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. Thatās how the first coffee drink was born.
