bestead¹

[bih-sted]

See more synonyms for bestead on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), be·stead·ed, be·stead·ed or be·stead, be·stead·ing.

to help; assist; serve; avail.

Origin of bestead¹

First recorded in 1575–85; be- + stead

bestead²

[bih-sted]

adjective

Archaic. placed or situated, often unfavorably or in difficulty.

Origin of bestead²

1300–50; Middle English bisted, bistad, equivalent to bi be- + sted, variant of stad placed < Old Norse staddr, past participle of stethja to place, derivative of stathr place

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bestead

Historical Examples

Oh, sure never was a poor maid so bestead with blind men—well, fetch thy beechnuts.
Standish of Standish
Jane G. Austin

Word Origin and History for bestead

v.

"to help, support, prop," 1580s, from be- + stead (v.); see stead.

bestead.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}bestead1

bestead2

Origin of bestead2