Link Centre Dictionary

beseem

be·seem

UK/bɪˈsiːm/ US/bəˈsim/ uncommon archaic

verb

1.

accord or comport with

  • “This kind of behavior does not suit a young woman!”
Synonyms

Origin

PIE word *h₁epi From Middle English bisemen (“to beseem”) [and other forms], from be-, bi- (prefix forming transitive verbs with a completive, figurative, or intensifying sense) + semen (“to seem; to be or see as appropriate; to be visible or apparent; to regard”). Semen is derived from Old Norse sœma (“to conform to; to befit, beseem”), from Proto-Germanic *sōmijaną (“to fit; to unite”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; whole”). The English word is analysable as be- (prefix with an intensifying sense) + seem.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.