Where does “beleaguered” come from?

Beleaguered comes from Dutch belegeren, Old English -od, Proto-Germanic -ōdaz, Proto-Indo-European -eh₂tos, and Proto-Indo-European -tós, tracing a suffix pattern expressing a completed state.

beleaguered (English): Besieged; surrounded by enemy troops; Beset by...

Definitions

  1. Besieged; surrounded by enemy troops; Beset by...

Ancestry of “beleaguered”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbeleaguerTo besiege; to surround with troops; To vex,...
2Dutchbelegerento besiege
3Dutchlegerarmy, armed forces; form; bed, crib
4Middle Dutchleger—
5Old Dutch*leger—
6Old Norselegr—
7Proto-Germaniclegrąa lying, a place where one lies; camp
8Proto-Indo-Europeanlegʰ-to lie

Words derived from “beleaguered”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European legʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic legrą →Every word from Old Norse legr →