besmear
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "I long to ſee thee backe returne from thence, That I may view theſe milk-white ſteeds of mine. All loden with the heads of killed men, And from their knees, euen to their hoofes below, Beſmer’d with blood, that makes a dainty ſhow."
- "[…] carters and coachmen, who make in imitation thereof a composition of grease and tar, with which they besmear the inside of the naves of wheels and the extremitys of the axis upon which they move."
- "The coats of black paint with which young and old in all those tribes constantly besmear themselves."
- "Novv, Sir, vvhen my Time comes, leſt they ſhou'd think it vvorth vvhile to handle my Memory vvith the ſame Freedom, I am vvilling to prevent its being ſo odly beſmear'd (or at beſt but flatly vvhite-vvash'd) by taking upon me to give the Publick This, as true a Picture of myſelf as natural Vanity vvill permit me to dravv; […]"
- "His public record is already besmeared with tawdry divorces, […]"
Etymology
From Middle English *bismerwen, from Old English besmirwan, besmierwan (“to besmear”), equivalent to be- + smear. Cognate with Dutch besmeren (“to besmear”), German beschmieren (“to besmear”).