Where does “besetting” come from?
Besetting comes from Old English -ing (verbal suffix) combined with beset, which derives from Old English bi- (prefix meaning "about") and sēdan (to set), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁epi (around) and sed- (to sit).
besetting (English): present participle of beset; The act of one who...
Definitions
- present participle of beset; The act of one who...
Ancestry of “besetting”, step by step
besetting traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English beset
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | beset | To surround or hem in; To attack or assail,... |
| 2 | Middle English | besetten | — |
| 3 | Old English | besettan | to set near, surround, beset; set about; to put... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bisatjaną | to occupy, fill |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | satjaną | to set, to place down |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sodéyeti | to set, to seat, to cause to sit |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -éyeti | Forms causative imperfective verbs from roots;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yeti | Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots |
via Dutch bezetting
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | bezetting | occupation; casting, the division of roles in a... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | besettinge | — |