BESOM

besom

(noun) a broom made of twigs tied together on a long handle

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

besom (plural besoms)

A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a shaft.

(Scotland, Northern England, derogatory) A troublesome woman.

Any cleansing or purifying agent.

Verb

besom (third-person singular simple present besoms, present participle besoming, simple past and past participle besomed)

(archaic, poetic) To sweep.

Anagrams

• mebos, mobes

Source: Wiktionary


Be"som, n. Etym: [OE. besme, besum, AS. besma; akin to D. bezem, OHG pesamo, G. besen; of uncertain origin.]

Definition: A brush of twigs for sweeping; a broom; anything which sweeps away or destroys. [Archaic or Fig.] I will sweep it with the besom of destruction. Isa. xiv. 23. The housemaid with her besom. W. Irving.

Be"som, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besomed.]

Definition: To sweep, as with a besom. [Archaic or Poetic] Cowper. Rolls back all Greece, and besoms wide the plain. Barlow.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 May 2025

CRITICAL

(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”


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Coffee Trivia

There are four varieties of commercially viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa, and Robusta. Growers predominantly plant the Arabica species. Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine.

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