besom

English

Etymology

From Middle English besme, beseme, from Old English besma, besema (“besom, broom, rod”), from Proto-Germanic *besmô, *besamô (“broom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰes- (“to rub off, grind, sprinkle”). Cognate with Scots besom, bisom (“a sweeping implement, broom”), West Frisian biezem (“broom”), Dutch bezem (“broom”), Low German bessen (“broom”), German Besen (“broom”).

Pronunciation

• X-SAMPA: /bi:"z@m/

Noun

besom (plural besoms)

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

Translations

broom

• Bulgarian: метла (от пръчки)
• German: Reisigbesen (de) m

• Italian: scopa di saggina (it)
• Scottish Gaelic: sguab (gd) f

See also

• besom broom on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:besom broom

Verb

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

1. (archaic, poetic) To sweep.
   • 1954, Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood, page 13,

     Now, in her iceberg-white, holily laundered crinoline nightgown, under virtuous polar sheets, in her spruced and scoured dust-defying bedroom in trig and trim Bay View, a house for paying guests at the top of the town, Mrs Ogmore-Prichard widow, twice, of Mr Ogmore, linolium, retired, and Mr Prichard, failed bookmaker, who maddened by besoming, swabbing and scrubbing, the voice of the vacuum-cleaner and the fume of polish, ironically swallowed disinfectant...

Anagrams

• mebos, mobes