Etymology

beleaguer

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Today it means: To besiege; to surround with troops. Full definition →

Dutch belegeren ← Middle Low German belēgeren
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The story

  1. Middle Low German · borrowed frombelēgeren
  2. Dutch · borrowed frombelegeren
  3. English todaybeleaguer

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.