besittan

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Old English

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Etymology

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From Proto-Germanic *bisitjaną (to sit near, sit among or around), equivalent to be- +‎ sittan.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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besittan

  1. to sit near; sit about, surround, beset
  2. to besiege
    • late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans
      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.
  3. to sit as the master of, hold, possess

Conjugation

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Descendants

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  • Middle English: besitten