beleaguer

WOTD – 25 April 2010

English

Etymology

From Dutch belegeren, equivalent to English be- +‎ lair.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɪˈliː.ɡə/, /bəˈliː.ɡə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /bɪˈli.ɡɚ/
• Rhymes: -iːɡə(r)

Verb

beleaguer (third-person singular simple present beleaguers, present participle beleaguering, simple past and past participle beleaguered)

1. To besiege; to surround with troops.
2. To vex, harass, or beset.

Derived terms

• beleaguerment
• beleaguership

Translations

to besiege; to surround with troops

• Armenian: պաշարել (hy) (pašarel), շրջապատել (šrǰapatel)
• Bulgarian: обсаждам (bg) (obsaždam)
• Czech: obléhat, oblehnout
• Dutch: belegeren (nl)
• Finnish: piirittää (fi)
• French: investir (fr), assiéger (fr)

• German: belagern (de), umzingeln
• Norwegian: beleire

  Norwegian Nynorsk: omleire

• Portuguese: sitiar
• Romanian: împresura (ro)
• Russian: осаждать (ru) (osaždatʹ), окружать (ru) (okružatʹ)

to vex, harass, or beset

• Armenian: անհանգստացնել (anhangstacʿnel)
• Czech: obtěžovat
• Dutch: belagen (nl)

• Finnish: kiusata (fi)
• German: bedrängen (de), belästigen (de), stören (de)
• Russian: беспокоить (ru) (bespokoitʹ), осаждать (ru) (osaždatʹ)