besom

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“
Yon's twa weavers and a mason cursing the laird, and the man wi' the besom is the Master of Crumnathie A democracy, at all events," said Gavin By no means," said the doctor, "it's an aristocracy of intellect.

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Definitions (9)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A bundle of twigs attached to a handle and used as a broom.
  2. noun Sports The broom used to sweep the ice from the path of a curling stone.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples

  • Yon's twa weavers and a mason cursing the laird, and the man wi' the besom is the Master of Crumnathie A democracy, at all events," said Gavin By no means," said the doctor, "it's an aristocracy of intellect. —  The Little Minister
  • The conjecture is confirmed by the name thunder-besom which is applied to mistletoe in the Swiss canton of Aargau, for the epithet clearly implies a close connexion between the parasite and the thunder; indeed "thunder-besom" is a popular name in Germany for any bushy nest-like excrescence growing on a branch, because such a parasitic growth is actually believed by the ignorant to be a product of lightning. —  The Golden Bough
  • Yon's twa weavers and a mason cursing the laird, and the man wi 'the besom is the Master of Crumnathie. " —  The Little Minister
  • The conjecture is confirmed by the name thunder-besom which is applied to mistletoe in the Swiss canton of Aargau, for the epithet clearly implies a close connexion between the parasite and the thunder; indeed —  The Golden Bough
  • Through besom-ling and teasel burrs —  The Life of John Clare
 

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Besom has been looked up 292 times, favorited once, listed 16 times, and commented on once.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English besma.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English besum, besem, besme, a broom, a rod, from Anglo-Saxon besema, besma, a rod, in plural a bundle of twigs or rods used as a broom, also as an instrument of punishment, = OFries. besma = Old Dutch bessem, Dutch bezem = Low German bessen = Old High German besamo, Middle High German beseme, German besen, a broom, a rod; orig. perhaps a twig, hence a bundle of twigs, a broom.
  2. from besom, n.
 

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/ˈbizəm/
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