Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

besail

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: be-sail
IPA

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To attack or assail; lunge at or toward; assault.

Archaic; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The civvies and the brakesmen, with clubs they did me besail; They marched me right straight over to the Albany Jail […]"
"The narrow besailed giants stood with long limbs rooted deep in the surface. Every so often a leg would ponderously rise and anchor itself elsewhere, as a sifter repositioned itself with the changing wind."
"No mater what besails us, no matter how much pain, loss or sorrow we endure, something deep within us rises to the occasion, in fusing us with Strength and Courage to get beyond what ever this world of earthly existence throws in our unknowing paths […]"
"He remembered a vision which once besailed him suddenly."

Etymology

From be- (“at, toward”) + sail (“to attack, assail”), from Middle English sailen (“to attack”), short for assailen (“to assail”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: be-
Root: sailen

Usage

Inflected Forms

besails (present, singular) besailing (participle, present) besailed (participle, past) besailed (past)

Questions

What does besail mean?: To attack or assail; lunge at or toward; assault.
Where does besail come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce besail

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