besit

See also: bəsit

English

Etymology

From Middle English besitten, from Old English besittan (“to sit round, surround, beset, besiege, hold, council, occupy, possess”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisittjan, from Proto-Germanic *bisitjaną (“to sit near, sit among or around”), equivalent to be- +‎ sit. Cognate with Dutch bezitten, German besitzen, Norwegian Bokmål besitte, Danish besidde, Swedish besitta, Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍃𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (bisitan).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪt

Verb

besit (third-person singular simple present besits, present participle besitting, simple past besat, past participle besat or (archaic) besitten)

1. (transitive) To sit around; sit about; besiege.
   • 2003, Lawrence Murray, The Kassandra Complex, page 473:

     When not deep in thought, his blue eyes dance. I feel sometimes that behind his thoughtful gaze besits a hint of strain.

2. (transitive) To sit upon; occupy.
   • 2006, Philip Francis Esler, Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in Its Social Context, page 157:

     In such contexts, the ישבים are those who “besit” large estates and seats of judgment and power. The ישב par excellence is the king who “besits” the throne.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To sit properly upon, as clothes; to suit; become.

Related terms

• beset

Anagrams

• Betsi, Steib, biset, bites, ebits

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay besit (“to switch; to hit”) (Perak Malay).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /bəˈsit/ [bəˈsɪt̪̚]
• Rhymes: -it
• Syllabification: be‧sit

Verb

besit (active membesit, reflexive passive terbesit, ordinary passive dibesit, imperative besit, emphatic-jussive besitlah)

1. to whip

Etymology 2

Unknown (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Root

besit

1. occured

Derived terms

• terbesit

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Dutch bezit (“possession; assets”).

Noun

besit

1. property

Further reading

• “besit”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beˈsit/

Verb

besit

1. third-person singular present indicative of besittan