besorrow

English

Etymology

From Middle English bisorȝen, from Old English besorgian (“to regret; be anxious about, dread, shrink from”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisorgōn, equivalent to be- +‎ sorrow. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bisúurgje (“to obtain, get, take care of”), West Frisian besoargje (“to provide, deliver”), Dutch bezorgen (“to provide, deliver, take care of”), German besorgen (“to procure, acquire, attend to, take care of”), Swedish besörja (“to deal with, attend to”).

Verb

besorrow (third-person singular simple present besorrows, present participle besorrowing, simple past and past participle besorrowed)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To sorrow about or over; care about; fill with care or sorrow; make sad.
   • 1776, Sir David Lindsay, The works of ... Sir David Lindsay of the Mount:

     Then to the woman, for her offence, God did pronounce this sore sentence: All pleasure that you had'st besorrow Shall changed be in lasting sorrow.

   • 1884, John Ames Mitchell, Life:

     The land of the West holds a maiden sweet, And the fairest face has she; But, oh! she has also Chicago feet, And that's what besorrows me.

   • 1931, William Chambers, Robert Chambers, Chambers's journal:

     Oh, heart of man, when griefs deep scar
     Ploughs through thy and sand,
     When soul and sense besorrowed are,
     Lead, lark of love, 'yond sun and star; […]

   • 1996, Wolfram Wilss, Knowledge and Skills in Translator Behavior:

     Dear Peter, newly was I with the car in the town to besorrow me this and that for the holidays.

Synonyms

• becare

Anagrams

• borrowes