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Webster 1913 Edition


Siege

Siege

,
Noun.
[OE.
sege
, OF.
siege
, F.
siège
a seat, a siege; cf. It.
seggia
,
seggio
,
zedio
, a seat,
asseggio
,
assedio
, a siege, F.
assiéger
to besiege, It. & LL.
assediare
, L.
obsidium
a siege, besieging; all ultimately fr. L.
sedere
to sit. See
Sit
, and cf.
See
,
Noun.
]
1.
A seat; especially, a royal seat; a throne.
[Obs.]
“Upon the very siege of justice.”
Shak.
A stately
siege
of sovereign majesty,
And thereon sat a woman gorgeous gay.
Spenser.
In our great hall there stood a vacant chair . . .
And Merlin called it “The
siege
perilous.”
Tennyson.
2.
Hence, place or situation; seat.
[Obs.]
Ah! traitorous eyes, come out of your shameless
siege
forever.
Painter (Palace of Pleasure).
3.
Rank; grade; station; estimation.
[Obs.]
I fetch my life and being
From men of royal
siege
.
Shakespeare
4.
Passage of excrements; stool; fecal matter.
[Obs.]
The
siege
of this mooncalf.
Shakespeare
5.
The sitting of an army around or before a fortified place for the purpose of compelling the garrison to surrender; the surrounding or investing of a place by an army, and approaching it by passages and advanced works, which cover the besiegers from the enemy’s fire. See the Note under
Blockade
.
6.
Hence, a continued attempt to gain possession.
Love stood the
siege
, and would not yield his breast.
Dryden.
7.
The floor of a glass-furnace.
8.
A workman's bench.
Knught.
Siege gun
,
a heavy gun for siege operations.
Siege train
,
artillery adapted for attacking fortified places.

Siege

,
Verb.
T.
To besiege; to beset.
[R.]
Through all the dangers that can
siege

The life of man.
Buron.

Webster 1828 Edition


Siege

SIEGE

,
Noun.
[L. sigillum.]
1.
The setting of an army around or before a fortified place for the purpose of compelling the garrison to surrender; or the surrounding or investing of a place by an army, and approaching it by passages and advanced works, which cover the besiegers from the enemy's fire. A siege differs from a blockade, as in a siege the investing army approaches the fortified place to attach and reduce it by force; but in a blockade, the army secures all the avenues to the place to intercept all supplies, and waits till famine compels the garrison to surrender.
2.
Any continued endeavor to gain possession. Love stood the siege, and would not yield his breast.
3.
Seat; throne.
4.
Rank; place; class.
5.
Stool. [Not in use.]

SIEGE

,
Verb.
T.
To besiege. [Not in use.]

Definition 2024


siége

siége

See also: siege, Siege, siégé, and siège

French

Noun

siége m (plural siéges)

  1. Alternative form of siège