"besom" meaning in English

See besom in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈbiː.zəm/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-besom.wav 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, {{inh|en|ang|besma}} Old English besma, {{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): Tools Translations (broom): مِقَشَّة (miqašša) [feminine] (Arabic), مَقَشَّة (magašša) [Hijazi-Arabic, feminine] (Arabic), ավել (avel) (Armenian), ցախավել (cʻaxavel) (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), سوپوركه (süpürge) (Ottoman Turkish), جاروب (carub) (Ottoman Turkish), مكنسه (miknese) (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 Tools: 28 11 28 33 Disambiguation of 'broom': 100 0 0
  2. (Scotland, Northern England, derogatory) A troublesome woman. Tags: Northern-England, Scotland, derogatory Categories (topical): Female people, Tools 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: 11 88 1 0 Disambiguation of Tools: 28 11 28 33 Categories (other): Northern England English, Scottish English, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 4 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Arabic translations, Terms with Armenian translations, Terms with Bengali translations, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hebrew translations, Terms with Hijazi Arabic translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Latvian translations, Terms with Limburgish translations, Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations, Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations, Terms with Ottoman Turkish translations, Terms with Persian translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 51 33 4 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 7 66 19 8 Disambiguation of Pages with 4 entries: 6 46 22 6 12 8 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 4 49 29 4 8 5 Disambiguation of Terms with Arabic translations: 8 55 31 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Armenian translations: 9 60 24 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Bengali translations: 9 58 26 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 14 55 24 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 10 53 25 12 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 10 58 25 7 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 9 61 24 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Hebrew translations: 10 57 26 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Hijazi Arabic translations: 2 80 17 1 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 7 61 24 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Latvian translations: 10 58 25 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Limburgish translations: 7 61 24 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations: 10 59 24 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations: 3 74 20 2 Disambiguation of Terms with Ottoman Turkish translations: 15 58 22 5 Disambiguation of Terms with Persian translations: 11 58 25 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 10 47 33 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 9 60 25 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 7 64 22 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations: 7 72 17 5 Disambiguation of 'troublesome woman': 0 100 0
  3. Any cleansing or purifying agent. Categories (topical): Cleaning, Tools
    Sense id: en-besom-en-noun-ztxzfbsL Disambiguation of Cleaning: 29 15 37 19 Disambiguation of Tools: 28 11 28 33
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: besomer, besom-head, besomlike, besom pocket, witch's besom

Verb

IPA: /ˈbiː.zəm/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-besom.wav 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, {{inh|en|ang|besma}} Old English besma, {{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 Categories (topical): Tools
    Sense id: en-besom-en-verb-WyZZ7qFz Disambiguation of Tools: 28 11 28 33

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "besomer"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "besom-head"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "besomlike"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "besom pocket"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "witch's 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": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "besma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English besma",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "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": "28 11 28 33",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Tools",
          "orig": "en:Tools",
          "parents": [
            "Technology",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 56:",
          "text": "As a kid I went to the Russian Bath with my own father. … Down in the cellar men moaned on the steam-softened planks while they were massaged abrasively with oak-leaf besoms lathered in pickle buckets.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a shaft."
      ],
      "id": "en-besom-en-noun-HBc861YY",
      "links": [
        [
          "broom",
          "broom"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "miqašša",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "مِقَشَّة"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "acw",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "magašša",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "Hijazi-Arabic",
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "مَقَشَّة"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "avel",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "ավել"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "cʻaxavel",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "ցախավել"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "roman": "jhãṭa",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "ঝাঁটা"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "roman": "baṛon",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "বাড়ন"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "roman": "kheṅra",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "খেংরা"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "alt": "от пръчки",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "метла"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "bezem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "varpuluuta"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "varsiluuta"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Besen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Reisigbesen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "מטאטא m mataté"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "scopa di saggina"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "lv",
          "lang": "Latvian",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "slota"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "li",
          "lang": "Limburgish",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "bessem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "sopelime"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "sopelime"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "ota",
          "lang": "Ottoman Turkish",
          "roman": "süpürge",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "سوپوركه"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "ota",
          "lang": "Ottoman Turkish",
          "roman": "carub",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "جاروب"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "ota",
          "lang": "Ottoman Turkish",
          "roman": "miknese",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "مكنسه"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "jârub",
          "sense": "broom",
          "word": "جاروب"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "miotła"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "vassoura"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "metla",
          "sense": "broom",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "метла"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0 0",
          "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": "12 51 33 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 66 19 8",
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        {
          "_dis": "6 46 22 6 12 8",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 88 1 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"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 11 28 33",
          "kind": "topical",
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            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "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": "0 100 0",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "word": "noita-akka"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Besen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "rivjern"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "baba jaga"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "czarownica"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "heksa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "jędza"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "wiedźma"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "troublesome woman",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "zołza"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "29 15 37 19",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Cleaning",
          "orig": "en:Cleaning",
          "parents": [
            "Home",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 11 28 33",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Tools",
          "orig": "en:Tools",
          "parents": [
            "Technology",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "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",
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    }
  ],
  "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": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "besma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English besma",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "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)",
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "28 11 28 33",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Tools",
          "orig": "en:Tools",
          "parents": [
            "Technology",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1954, Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood […] , New York: New Directions, 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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To sweep."
      ],
      "id": "en-besom-en-verb-WyZZ7qFz",
      "links": [
        [
          "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",
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    }
  ],
  "word": "besom"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "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 verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Arabic translations",
    "Terms with Armenian translations",
    "Terms with Bengali translations",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hebrew translations",
    "Terms with Hijazi Arabic translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Latvian translations",
    "Terms with Limburgish translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
    "Terms with Ottoman Turkish translations",
    "Terms with Persian translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations",
    "en:Cleaning",
    "en:Female people",
    "en:Tools"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "besomer"
    },
    {
      "word": "besom-head"
    },
    {
      "word": "besomlike"
    },
    {
      "word": "besom pocket"
    },
    {
      "word": "witch's 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": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "besma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English besma",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "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": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 56:",
          "text": "As a kid I went to the Russian Bath with my own father. … Down in the cellar men moaned on the steam-softened planks while they were massaged abrasively with oak-leaf besoms lathered in pickle buckets.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        },
        {
          "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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "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",
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    }
  ],
  "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": "cʻaxavel",
      "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": "سوپوركه"
    },
    {
      "code": "ota",
      "lang": "Ottoman Turkish",
      "roman": "carub",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "جاروب"
    },
    {
      "code": "ota",
      "lang": "Ottoman Turkish",
      "roman": "miknese",
      "sense": "broom",
      "word": "مكنسه"
    },
    {
      "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 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 verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Arabic translations",
    "Terms with Armenian translations",
    "Terms with Bengali translations",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hebrew translations",
    "Terms with Hijazi Arabic translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Latvian translations",
    "Terms with Limburgish translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
    "Terms with Ottoman Turkish translations",
    "Terms with Persian translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Scottish Gaelic translations",
    "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": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "besma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English besma",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "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"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1954, Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood […] , New York: New Directions, 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": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To sweep."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "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"
    }
  ],
  "word": "besom"
}

Download raw JSONL data for besom meaning in English (12.2kB)

{
  "called_from": "form_descriptions/2028",
  "msg": "more than one value in \"alt\": metla (ot prǎčki) vs. от пръчки",
  "path": [
    "besom"
  ],
  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "noun",
  "title": "besom",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (ee63ee9 and 4230888). 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.