Old English · verb
besittan
- Part of speech
- verb
- Verb class
- strong class V
- IPA
- /beˈsit.tɑn/
- Syllables
- be · ˈsit · tɑn (3 syllables)
- Modern English
- besitsitbesiegebeset
Meaning
-
to sit near; sit about, surround, beset
-
to besiege
Æfter þǣm Rōmeburg ġetimbred wæs V hunde wintrum ⁊ XXXIII, Hannibal, Pena cyning, besǣt Saguntum Ispania burg...
533 years after Rome was built, Hannibal, king of the Carthaginians, laid siege to Saguntum, a city in Hispania.
late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans -
to sit as the master of, hold, possess
Conjugation
| Present | Past | |
|---|---|---|
| Indicative | ||
| 1st singular | besitte | besæt |
| 2nd singular | besitst | besǣte |
| 3rd singular | besittbesit | besæt |
| Plural | besittaþ | besǣton |
| Subjunctive | ||
| Singular | besitte | besǣte |
| Plural | besitten | besǣten |
| Form | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | besittan |
| Inflected infinitive | besittenne |
| Imperative singular | besite |
| Imperative plural | besittaþ |
| Present participle | besittende |
| Past participle | beseten |
All forms (15)
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *bisitjaną (“to sit near, sit among or around”), equivalent to be- + sittan.
Descendants
besit
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