"besom" meaning in English

See besom in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈbiː.zəm/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-besom.wav [Southern-England] Forms: besoms [plural]
Etymology: From Middle English besme, beseme, from Old English besma, besema (“besom, broom, rod”), from Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”). Etymology templates: {{root|en|ine-pro|*bʰes-}}, {{inh|en|enm|besme}} Middle English besme, {{m|enm|beseme}} beseme, {{inh|en|ang|besma}} Old English besma, {{m|ang|besema|t=besom, broom, rod}} besema (“besom, broom, rod”), {{inh|en|gmw-pro|*besmō|t=broom}} Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”) Head templates: {{en-noun}} besom (plural besoms)
  1. A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a shaft. Categories (topical): Cleaning, Female people, Tools Translations (broom): مِقَشَّة (miqašša) [feminine] (Arabic), مَقَشَّة (magašša) [Hijazi-Arabic, feminine] (Arabic), ավել (avel) (Armenian), ցախավել (cʿaxavel) (Armenian), ঝাঁটা (jhãṭa) (Bengali), বাড়ন (baṛon) (Bengali), খেংরা (kheṅra) (Bengali), метла (alt: от пръчки) (Bulgarian), bezem [masculine] (Dutch), varpuluuta (Finnish), varsiluuta (Finnish), Besen [masculine] (German), Reisigbesen [masculine] (German), מטאטא m mataté (Hebrew), scopa di saggina (Italian), slota [feminine] (Latvian), bessem [masculine] (Limburgish), sopelime [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), sopelime [masculine] (Norwegian Nynorsk), سوپورگه (süpürge) (Ottoman Turkish), جاروب (jârub) (Persian), miotła [feminine] (Polish), vassoura [feminine] (Portuguese), метла (metla) [feminine] (Russian), sguab [feminine] (Scottish Gaelic)
    Sense id: en-besom-en-noun-HBc861YY Disambiguation of Cleaning: 54 9 26 12 Disambiguation of Female people: 33 35 32 0 Disambiguation of Tools: 47 8 21 24 Disambiguation of 'broom': 87 1 11
  2. (Scotland, Northern England, derogatory) A troublesome woman. Tags: Northern-England, Scotland, derogatory Categories (topical): Female people Translations (troublesome woman): noita-akka (Finnish), Besen [masculine] (German), rivjern [neuter] (Norwegian Bokmål), baba jaga [feminine] (Polish), czarownica [feminine] (Polish), heksa [feminine] (Polish), jędza [feminine] (Polish), wiedźma [feminine] (Polish), zołza [feminine] (Polish)
    Sense id: en-besom-en-noun-wW2iWzwN Disambiguation of Female people: 33 35 32 0 Categories (other): Northern England English, Scottish English, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 14 48 33 4 Disambiguation of 'troublesome woman': 0 97 2
  3. Any cleansing or purifying agent. Categories (topical): Female people
    Sense id: en-besom-en-noun-ztxzfbsL Disambiguation of Female people: 33 35 32 0
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: besom-head, besom pocket

Verb

IPA: /ˈbiː.zəm/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-besom.wav [Southern-England] Forms: besoms [present, singular, third-person], besoming [participle, present], besomed [participle, past], besomed [past]
Etymology: From Middle English besme, beseme, from Old English besma, besema (“besom, broom, rod”), from Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”). Etymology templates: {{root|en|ine-pro|*bʰes-}}, {{inh|en|enm|besme}} Middle English besme, {{m|enm|beseme}} beseme, {{inh|en|ang|besma}} Old English besma, {{m|ang|besema|t=besom, broom, rod}} besema (“besom, broom, rod”), {{inh|en|gmw-pro|*besmō|t=broom}} Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”) Head templates: {{en-verb}} besom (third-person singular simple present besoms, present participle besoming, simple past and past participle besomed)
  1. (archaic, poetic) To sweep. Tags: archaic, poetic
    Sense id: en-besom-en-verb-WyZZ7qFz

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for besom meaning in English (11.5kB)

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "besom-head"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "besom pocket"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰes-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "besme"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English besme",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "beseme"
      },
      "expansion": "beseme",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "besma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English besma",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "besema",
        "t": "besom, broom, rod"
      },
      "expansion": "besema (“besom, broom, rod”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*besmō",
        "t": "broom"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”)",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English besme, beseme, from Old English besma, besema (“besom, broom, rod”), from Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "besoms",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "besom (plural besoms)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "54 9 26 12",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Cleaning",
          "orig": "en:Cleaning",
          "parents": [
            "Home",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 35 32 0",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Female people",
          "orig": "en:Female people",
          "parents": [
            "Female",
            "People",
            "Gender",
            "Human",
            "Biology",
            "Psychology",
            "Sociology",
            "All topics",
            "Sciences",
            "Social sciences",
            "Fundamental",
            "Society"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 8 21 24",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Tools",
          "orig": "en:Tools",
          "parents": [
            "Technology",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a shaft."
      ],
      "id": "en-besom-en-noun-HBc861YY",
      "links": [
        [
          "broom",
          "broom"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "miqašša",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "مِقَشَّة"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "acw",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "magašša",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "Hijazi-Arabic",
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "مَقَشَّة"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "avel",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "ավել"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "cʿaxavel",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "ցախավել"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "roman": "jhãṭa",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "ঝাঁটা"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "roman": "baṛon",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "বাড়ন"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "roman": "kheṅra",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "খেংরা"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "alt": "от пръчки",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "метла"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "bezem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "varpuluuta"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "varsiluuta"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Besen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Reisigbesen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "מטאטא m mataté"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "scopa di saggina"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "lv",
          "lang": "Latvian",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "slota"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "li",
          "lang": "Limburgish",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "bessem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "sopelime"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "sopelime"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "ota",
          "lang": "Ottoman Turkish",
          "roman": "süpürge",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "سوپورگه"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "jârub",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "جاروب"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "miotła"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "vassoura"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "metla",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "метла"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "87 1 11",
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "sguab"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Northern England English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Scottish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 48 33 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 35 32 0",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Female people",
          "orig": "en:Female people",
          "parents": [
            "Female",
            "People",
            "Gender",
            "Human",
            "Biology",
            "Psychology",
            "Sociology",
            "All topics",
            "Sciences",
            "Social sciences",
            "Fundamental",
            "Society"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1903, Samuel Rutherford Crockett, The Dark O' the Moon: A Novel, page 130",
          "text": "\"Eh, but she was a besom, if a' tales be true !\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1917, A.S. Neill., A Dominie Dismissed, page 10",
          "text": "Janet's eyes began to look dim, and I had to frown at her very hard; then I had to turn my frown on Jean ... and Janet, the besom, took advantage of my divided attention.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1963, Margaret McLean MacPherson, The Shinty Boys, page 187",
          "text": "Uncle Angus went on about the behavior of the car. \"She's a besom, a proper besom, her and her gears. She'll be the death of me yet one of these days.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Nora Kay, Best Friends",
          "text": "\"She's a besom but no' bad at times, like now,\" Agnes said as she bit into a dough-ring.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A troublesome woman."
      ],
      "id": "en-besom-en-noun-wW2iWzwN",
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "troublesome",
          "troublesome"
        ],
        [
          "woman",
          "woman"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Scotland, Northern England, derogatory) A troublesome woman."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "derogatory"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "word": "noita-akka"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Besen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "rivjern"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "baba jaga"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "czarownica"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "heksa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "jędza"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "wiedźma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 97 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "zołza"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "33 35 32 0",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Female people",
          "orig": "en:Female people",
          "parents": [
            "Female",
            "People",
            "Gender",
            "Human",
            "Biology",
            "Psychology",
            "Sociology",
            "All topics",
            "Sciences",
            "Social sciences",
            "Fundamental",
            "Society"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1851, “A Few Words about War and the Peace Congress.”, in Littell’s Living Age, volume 28, page 364",
          "text": "The march of an army through a conquered country supposing it to be a highly civilized one, is a besom of destruction, whose havoc, moral and material, it would take at least a century to recover.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any cleansing or purifying agent."
      ],
      "id": "en-besom-en-noun-ztxzfbsL",
      "links": [
        [
          "cleansing",
          "cleanse"
        ],
        [
          "purify",
          "purify"
        ],
        [
          "agent",
          "agent"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbiː.zəm/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-besom.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "besom"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰes-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "besme"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English besme",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "beseme"
      },
      "expansion": "beseme",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "besma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English besma",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "besema",
        "t": "besom, broom, rod"
      },
      "expansion": "besema (“besom, broom, rod”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*besmō",
        "t": "broom"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”)",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English besme, beseme, from Old English besma, besema (“besom, broom, rod”), from Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "besoms",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "besoming",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "besomed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "besomed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "besom (third-person singular simple present besoms, present participle besoming, simple past and past participle besomed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1954, Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood, page 13",
          "text": "Now, in her iceberg-white, holily laundered crinoline nightgown, under virtuous polar sheets, in her spruced and scoured dust-defying bedroom in trig and trim Bay View, a house for paying guests at the top of the town, Mrs Ogmore-Prichard widow, twice, of Mr Ogmore, linolium, retired, and Mr Prichard, failed bookmaker, who maddened by besoming, swabbing and scrubbing, the voice of the vacuum-cleaner and the fume of polish, ironically swallowed disinfectant...",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To sweep."
      ],
      "id": "en-besom-en-verb-WyZZ7qFz",
      "links": [
        [
          "poetic",
          "poetic"
        ],
        [
          "sweep",
          "sweep"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, poetic) To sweep."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "poetic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbiː.zəm/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-besom.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "besom"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms derived from Old English",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰes-",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Old English",
    "English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Cleaning",
    "en:Female people",
    "en:Tools"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "besom-head"
    },
    {
      "word": "besom pocket"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰes-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "besme"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English besme",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "beseme"
      },
      "expansion": "beseme",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "besma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English besma",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "besema",
        "t": "besom, broom, rod"
      },
      "expansion": "besema (“besom, broom, rod”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*besmō",
        "t": "broom"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”)",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English besme, beseme, from Old English besma, besema (“besom, broom, rod”), from Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "besoms",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "besom (plural besoms)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a shaft."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "broom",
          "broom"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English derogatory terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Northern England English",
        "Scottish English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1903, Samuel Rutherford Crockett, The Dark O' the Moon: A Novel, page 130",
          "text": "\"Eh, but she was a besom, if a' tales be true !\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1917, A.S. Neill., A Dominie Dismissed, page 10",
          "text": "Janet's eyes began to look dim, and I had to frown at her very hard; then I had to turn my frown on Jean ... and Janet, the besom, took advantage of my divided attention.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1963, Margaret McLean MacPherson, The Shinty Boys, page 187",
          "text": "Uncle Angus went on about the behavior of the car. \"She's a besom, a proper besom, her and her gears. She'll be the death of me yet one of these days.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, Nora Kay, Best Friends",
          "text": "\"She's a besom but no' bad at times, like now,\" Agnes said as she bit into a dough-ring.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A troublesome woman."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "troublesome",
          "troublesome"
        ],
        [
          "woman",
          "woman"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Scotland, Northern England, derogatory) A troublesome woman."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "derogatory"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1851, “A Few Words about War and the Peace Congress.”, in Littell’s Living Age, volume 28, page 364",
          "text": "The march of an army through a conquered country supposing it to be a highly civilized one, is a besom of destruction, whose havoc, moral and material, it would take at least a century to recover.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any cleansing or purifying agent."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "cleansing",
          "cleanse"
        ],
        [
          "purify",
          "purify"
        ],
        [
          "agent",
          "agent"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbiː.zəm/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-besom.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "miqašša",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "مِقَشَّة"
    },
    {
      "code": "acw",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "magašša",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "Hijazi-Arabic",
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "مَقَشَّة"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "avel",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "ավել"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "cʿaxavel",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "ցախավել"
    },
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "roman": "jhãṭa",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "ঝাঁটা"
    },
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "roman": "baṛon",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "বাড়ন"
    },
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "roman": "kheṅra",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "খেংরা"
    },
    {
      "alt": "от пръчки",
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "метла"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "bezem"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "varpuluuta"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "varsiluuta"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Besen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Reisigbesen"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "מטאטא m mataté"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "scopa di saggina"
    },
    {
      "code": "lv",
      "lang": "Latvian",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "slota"
    },
    {
      "code": "li",
      "lang": "Limburgish",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "bessem"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "sopelime"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "sopelime"
    },
    {
      "code": "ota",
      "lang": "Ottoman Turkish",
      "roman": "süpürge",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "سوپورگه"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "jârub",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "جاروب"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "miotła"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "vassoura"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "metla",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "метла"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "broom",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "sguab"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "word": "noita-akka"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Besen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "rivjern"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "baba jaga"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "czarownica"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "heksa"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "jędza"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "wiedźma"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "troublesome woman",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "zołza"
    }
  ],
  "word": "besom"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms derived from Old English",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰes-",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Old English",
    "English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Cleaning",
    "en:Female people",
    "en:Tools"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bʰes-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "besme"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English besme",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "beseme"
      },
      "expansion": "beseme",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "besma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English besma",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "besema",
        "t": "besom, broom, rod"
      },
      "expansion": "besema (“besom, broom, rod”)",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*besmō",
        "t": "broom"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”)",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English besme, beseme, from Old English besma, besema (“besom, broom, rod”), from Proto-West Germanic *besmō (“broom”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "besoms",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "besoming",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "besomed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "besomed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "besom (third-person singular simple present besoms, present participle besoming, simple past and past participle besomed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English poetic terms",
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1954, Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood, page 13",
          "text": "Now, in her iceberg-white, holily laundered crinoline nightgown, under virtuous polar sheets, in her spruced and scoured dust-defying bedroom in trig and trim Bay View, a house for paying guests at the top of the town, Mrs Ogmore-Prichard widow, twice, of Mr Ogmore, linolium, retired, and Mr Prichard, failed bookmaker, who maddened by besoming, swabbing and scrubbing, the voice of the vacuum-cleaner and the fume of polish, ironically swallowed disinfectant...",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To sweep."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "poetic",
          "poetic"
        ],
        [
          "sweep",
          "sweep"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, poetic) To sweep."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "poetic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈbiː.zəm/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-besom.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-besom.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "besom"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-22 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (fc4f0c7 and c937495). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.