dizen

English

Alternative forms

• disen, dysyn, dizzen

Etymology

From dialectal dize (“to put tow on a distaff”), from Middle English *disen, from Old English *disan, *disian, from *dise, *disen (“bunch of flax on a distaff”), from Proto-Germanic *disanō (“distaff”), of unknown origin, equivalent to dize +‎ -en. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Diezene (“bundle of flax, distaff”), Middle Low German dise, disene (“distaff”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪzən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

dizen (third-person singular simple present dizens, present participle dizening, simple past and past participle dizened)

1. (transitive) To dress with flax for spinning.
2. (transitive) To dress with clothes; attire; deck; bedizen.
   • 1774, Oliver Goldsmith, “Retaliation”, in The Complete Poetical Works of Oliver Goldsmith‎^[1], published 1906:

     Like a tragedy queen he has dizen'd her out, / Or rather like tragedy giving a rout.

3. (transitive, UK dialectal) To dress showily; adorn; dress out.
   • 1871, George Meredith, chapter XXXIX, in The Adventures of Harry Richmond‎^[2]:

     I tell you, these Englishwomen have either no life at all in them, or they're nothing but animal life. 'Gad, how they dizen themselves! They've no other use for their fingers. The wealth of this country's frightful!'

Derived terms

• bedizen

Spanish

Verb

dizen

1. Archaic spelling of dicen.

Turkish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈzen/
• Hyphenation: di‧zen

Noun

dizen

1. second-person singular possessive of dize

West Frisian

Noun

dizen

1. plural of dize