/bɪˈstrəʊ/, and bestraw (obsolete). Past participle bestrewed; bestrewn, bestrown. For the forms see strew n.bestrewv.
/bɪˈstruː//bɪˈstrəʊ/, and bestraw (obsolete). Past participle bestrewed; bestrewn, bestrown. For the forms see strew n. 1.
a. To strew (a surface) with; to cover more or less with things scattered about and lying flat. Often in past participle as adjective.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > scatter [verb (transitive)] > scatter loosely or strew > strew (a surface) with something
bestrewa1000
strawc1175
straw13..
strewc1384
snowc1400
overstrewc1450
strew1540
a1000 Job ii. 12 Ettm. 5. 38 Hi mid duste heora heafod bestreowodon.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 5 Heo..nomen þa twigga and..bistreweden al þane weye.
c1420 Pallad. on Husb. iii. 889 On a floor with chaf bystrowed.
1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions i. v. 75 They all to bestrawe the carckesse with salte.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) Induct. ii. 39 Say thou wilt walke: we wil bestrow the ground. View more context for this quotation
1706 J. Potter Archæologia Græca (ed. 2) I. ii. iv. 231 Having..bestrawed their heads with the Fruits of Ceres.
1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey V. xxii. 273 Yon' fierce man no more With bleeding Princes shall bestrow the floor.
1815 W. Wordsworth White Doe of Rylstone i. 10 The dewy turf with flowers bestrown.
1837 N. Hawthorne Amer. Notebks. (1972) ii. 37 The brook, its current is bestrewn with stones.
b. transferred and figurative.
ΚΠ
1612 J. Speed Theatre of Empire of Great Brit. iii. i. 131/1 The Counties contained in this Kingdome [of Scotland] are..euery where bestrewed with Cities, Townes, and Burrows.
1660 T. Watson in C. H. Spurgeon Treasury of David (1871) II. Ps. xxxii. 1 He who is pardoned, is all bestrewed with mercy.
1859 A. Helps Friends in Council New Ser. I. i. 30 His daily work thickly bestrewed with trouble and worry.
2. To strew or scatter (things) about.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > scatter [verb (transitive)] > scatter loosely or strew
strew971
strayOE
strawc1175
instriec1420
streak?c1440
overstrewc1450
straw1549
bestrew1667
spurna1722
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 311 So thick bestrown Abject and lost lay these, covering the Flood. View more context for this quotation
1796 J. Barlow Hasty-pudding i, in N.Y. Mag. Jan. 42 The yellow flour, bestrew'd and stir'd with haste.
3. Of things: To lie scattered over (a surface).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > scatter [verb (transitive)] > scatter loosely or strew > be strewn upon
strew1513
overstrew1558
straw1593
bestrew1715
1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. ii. 266 Thin Hairs bestrew'd his long mis-shapen Head.
1794 W. Wordsworth Guilt & Sorrow in Wks. I. 107 In a dry nook where fern the floor bestrows.
1832 H. Martineau Ella of Garveloch vii. 83 To sweep away the sand and rubbish which bestrewed it.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1887; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
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