besot

[ bih-sot ]

verb (used with object)

, be·sot·ted, be·sot·ting.

1. to intoxicate or stupefy with drink.
2. to make stupid or foolish:

   The stories had besotted her mind with fear and superstition.

3. to infatuate; obsess:

   Youth and beauty have a tendency to besot middle-aged men; charm and tenderness does it for women of all ages.

Other Words From

• be·sotting·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of besot¹

First recorded in 1575–85; be + sot

Example Sentences

It was more common for girls in my year group at school to be besotted with them than not.

From BBC

Even though staff have long been besotted with the chick, seeing the love he’s attracted from the public has been an absurd experience, they say.

From BBC

Like all besotted lovers, they seem to exist in a private realm, one that the French-Senegalese filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy illuminates with cozy framing, daubs of strong colors and a bold, graphic sensibility.

From New York Times

The voice of Michael McDonald has been compared to velvet, silk and sandpaper, melted chocolate and last year, by a besotted 11-year-old girl, an angel.

From New York Times

Guadagnino’s latest, “Challengers,” is about a continually changing love triangle involving two besotted men and a sharp, beautiful woman with killer instincts and personal style.

From New York Times

Related Words

• astound
• bemuse
• bewilder
• flabbergast
• nonplus