besit

Meanings

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

present singular third person besits · participle present besitting · past besat · participle past besat · archaic participle past besitten

transitiveTo sit around; sit about; besiege.
When not deep in thought, his blue eyes dance. I feel sometimes that behind his thoughtful gaze besits a hint of strain.
2003, Lawrence Murray, The Kassandra Complex, page 473
transitiveTo sit upon; occupy.
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.
2006, Philip Francis Esler, Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in Its Social Context, page 157
obsoletetransitiveTo sit properly upon, as clothes; to suit; become.

Proto-Germanic*bisitjaną“to sit near, sit among or around”
Proto-West Germanic*bisittjan
Old Englishbesittan“to sit round, surround, beset, besiege, hold, council, occupy, possess”
Middle Englishbesitten
Englishbesit

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).

Cite this entry

APA

besit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/besit

MLA

“besit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/besit. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “besit,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/besit.

Source: besit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.