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Oct 7, 2022 · A word from the Flemish Wars (cognates: Swedish belägra, Dutch belegeren "besiege," German Belagerung "siege"). The spelling influenced by unrelated league. Related: Beleaguered; beleaguering.
- Deutsch (German)
Proto-Indo-European Wurzel, die "sich hinlegen, legen"...
- 한국어 (Korean)
beleaguer 뜻: 사면꾼; 1580년대, "포위하다, 둘러싸다, 포위하다," 글자 그대로와 은유적으로,...
- Deutsch (German)
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Where does the word 'Beleaguer' come from?
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Beleaguer comes from the Dutch word belegeren. Leger means "camp" and the prefix be-means "about" or "around." Belegeren, by definition, is a neutral verb ("to camp around"); however, beleaguer implies trouble. It is also synonymous with besiege.
The earliest known use of the verb beleaguer is in the late 1500s. OED's earliest evidence for beleaguer is from around 1589, in the writing of Thomas Nashe, writer. beleaguer is a borrowing from Dutch.
- Etymology
- Pronunciation
- Verb
Borrowed from Dutch belegeren and/or Middle Low German belēgeren; equivalent to be- + lair. Compare also German belagern, Danish belejre. The English spelling was perhaps influenced by unrelated league.
(UK) IPA(key): /bɪˈliː.ɡə/, /bəˈliː.ɡə/(General American) IPA(key): /bɪˈli.ɡɚ/Rhymes: -iːɡə(ɹ)beleaguer (third-person singular simple present beleaguers, present participle beleaguering, simple past and past participle beleaguered) 1. To besiege; to surround with troops. 1.1. 1838 October, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Beleaguered City”, in Voices of the Night, Cambridge, Mass.: […] John Owen, published 1839, →OCLC, stanzas 1–2, page 22:...
The verb 'beleaguer' has an interesting etymology that traces back to the Dutch word 'belegeren,' which is a combination of 'be-' meaning 'around' and 'legeren' meaning 'to camp' or 'to station.' This Dutch term was adopted into English in the late 16th century.
From Dutch belegeren (to camp around), from be- (around) + leger (camp). Ultimately from the Indo-European root legh- (to lie or lay), which also gave us lie, lay, lair, fellow, and laager. Earliest documented use: 1589.
1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege: The enemy beleaguered the enclave. [Probably Dutch belegeren : be-, around (from Middle Dutch bie; see ambhi in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + leger, camp; see legh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots .] be·lea guer·ment n.
