besittan
Old English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Proto-Germanic *bisitjaną (“to sit near, sit among or around”), equivalent to be- + sittan.
Pronunciation
[edit]Verb
[edit]besittan
- to sit near; sit about, surround, beset
- 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.
- late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans
- to sit as the master of, hold, possess
Conjugation
[edit]Conjugation of besittan (strong class 5)
| infinitive | besittan | besittenne |
|---|---|---|
| indicative mood | present tense | past tense |
| first person singular | besitte | besæt |
| second person singular | besitst | besǣte |
| third person singular | besitt, besit | besæt |
| plural | besittaþ | besǣton |
| subjunctive | present tense | past tense |
| singular | besitte | besǣte |
| plural | besitten | besǣten |
| imperative | ||
| singular | besite | |
| plural | besittaþ | |
| participle | present | past |
| besittende | beseten | |