Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A bundle of twigs attached to a handle and used as a broom.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To sweep as with a besom.
- noun A brush of twigs for sweeping; hence, a broom of any kind.
- noun A name given to the common broom of Europe, Cytisus scoparius, and to the heather, Calluna vulgaris, because both are used for besoms.
- noun [Pron. biz′ um.] A contemptuous epithet for a low, worthless woman.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Archaic or Fig. A brush of twigs for sweeping; a broom; anything which sweeps away or destroys.
- transitive verb Archaic or Poetic To sweep, as with a besom.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a shaft. - verb archaic, poetic To
sweep .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a broom made of twigs tied together on a long handle
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Note: [1] A besom is a long handled broom with the head made out of pieces of twig lashed together.
Grotesque Smith, Mark E., 1957 Mar. 5- 1980
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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.
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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.
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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 James George Frazer 1897
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Theobald replaced the meaningless epithet 'besom' by
A Life of William Shakespeare with portraits and facsimiles Sidney Lee 1892
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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.
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All good suits have "besom" pockets - that is, a narrow edge sewn in two lines around the slit.
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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. "
The Little Minister 1898
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"besom" and there were two thousand recorded deaths beside multitudes unnoted.
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The spa offers a traditional Russian banya experience, involving a ritual of hot saunas, cold baths and an invigorating banya besom treatment—a stimulating massage using birch or oak twigs.
Latvia's Burgeoning Spa Scene Jemima Sissons 2011
yarb commented on the word besom
Mr. James sat up. "What's that? What is it you're saying? Hec, you're talking of making a pair, are you?" Amusement always made his voice sound gross. "Has he asked you to marry him then, ye shy wee besom?"
- Rebecca West, The Judge
July 29, 2009
5814738 commented on the word besom
"It is unlikely that Rhea would have seen Susan's face through the dense overgrowth of pig ivy even if the old besom had been looking in that direction, and she wasn't." From Wizard and Glass by Stephen King.
January 22, 2011
hernesheir commented on the word besom
A contemptuous designation for a low woman; a prostitute. --Dr. Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary and Supplement, 1841.
June 24, 2011
knitandpurl commented on the word besom
"The besom of reform has swept him out of office; and a worthier successor wears his dignity and pockets his emoluments."
-- From The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
March 15, 2023