Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

beleaguer

/bɪˈli.ɡɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.11 in modern English

Syllables: be-lea-guer
IPA: /bɪˈli.ɡɚ/

12

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To besiege; to surround with troops.

verb

To vex, harass, or beset.

verb

Example Sentences

"I have read in some old marvellous tale, / Some legend strange and vague, / That a midnight host of spectres pale / Beleaguered the walls of Prague. // Beside the Moldau's rushing stream, / With the wan moon overhead, / There stood, as in an awful dream, / The army of the dead."

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch belegeren and/or Middle Low German belēgeren; equivalent to be- + lair. Compare also German belagern, Danish belejre. The English spelling was perhaps influenced by unrelated league.

Origin

Source language: Dutch

Word Breakdown

Prefix: be
Root: belegeren, belēgeren

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /bɪˈli.ɡɚ/
British English: /bɪˈliː.ɡə/

Inflected Forms

beleaguers (present, singular) beleaguering (participle, present) beleaguered (participle, past) beleaguered (past) beleagure (alternative)

Derived Forms

beleaguerer beleaguerment

Synonyms

beset belay encircle invest lay siege to badger harry plague bait bedevil beleaguer persecute

Rhymes With

eager meager seeger seager leaguer seger eger rieger reger steger segar sieger

Questions

How do you pronounce beleaguer?: The recorded pronunciation is /bɪˈli.ɡɚ/.
What does beleaguer mean?: To besiege; to surround with troops.
Where does beleaguer come from?: It is traced to Dutch.

How to pronounce beleaguer

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