Definitions for siege
sidʒsiege

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.5 / 2 votes

1. siege, besieging, beleaguering, military blockadenoun

   the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. siegenoun

   seat

2. siegenoun

   military action

3. siegeverb

   To assault a blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition; to besiege.

4. Etymology: From sege, from sege, siege, seige (modern French siège), from *, ultimately from sedes.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Siegenoun

   Etymology: siege, French.

   1. The act of besetting a fortified place; a leaguer.

   Our castle’s strength
   Will laugh a siege to scorn: here let them lie,
   ’Till famine eat them up. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   It seemed, by the manner of their proceeding, that the Turks purposed rather by long siege than by assault to take the town. Richard Knolles, History of the Turks.

   The more I see pleasures about me, so much more I feel
   Torment within me, as from the hateful siege
   Of contraries. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. ix.

   2. Any continued endeavour to gain possession.

   Beat away the busy meddling fiend,
   That lays strong siege unto this wretch’s soul,
   And from his bosom purge this black despair. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

   Give me so much of your time, in exchange of it, as to lay an amiable siege to the honesty of Ford’s wife. William Shakespeare.

   Love stood the siege, and would not yield his breast. Dryd.

   3. [ Siege, French.] Seat; throne. Obsolete.

   Drawing to him the eyes of all around,
   From lofty siege began these words aloud to sound. Fa. Qu.

   4. Place; class; rank. Obsolete.

   I fetch my life and being
   From men of royal siege. William Shakespeare, Othello.

   Your sum of parts
   Did not together pluck such envy from him,
   As did that one, and that in my regard
   Of the unworthiest siege. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

   5. [ Siege, French.] Stool.

   It entereth not the veins, but taketh leave of the permeant parts, as the mouths of the meseraicks, and accompanieth the inconvertible portion unto the siege. Thomas Browne, Vulg. Errours.

2. To Siegeverb

   To besiege. A word not now in use.

   Etymology: sieger, Fr. from the noun.

   Him he had long opprest with tort,
   And fast imprisoned in sieged fort. Fairy Queen.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Siege

   A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from Latin: sedere, lit. 'to sit'. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static, defensive position. Consequently, an opportunity for negotiation between combatants is common, as proximity and fluctuating advantage can encourage diplomacy. The art of conducting and resisting sieges is called siege warfare, siegecraft, or poliorcetics. A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a quick assault, and which refuses to surrender. Sieges involve surrounding the target to block the provision of supplies and the reinforcement or escape of troops (a tactic known as "investment"). This is typically coupled with attempts to reduce the fortifications by means of siege engines, artillery bombardment, mining (also known as sapping), or the use of deception or treachery to bypass defenses. Failing a military outcome, sieges can often be decided by starvation, thirst, or disease, which can afflict either the attacker or defender. This form of siege, though, can take many months or even years, depending upon the size of the stores of food the fortified position holds. The attacking force can circumvallate the besieged place, which is to build a line of earth-works, consisting of a rampart and trench, surrounding it. During the process of circumvallation, the attacking force can be set upon by another force, an ally of the besieged place, due to the lengthy amount of time required to force it to capitulate. A defensive ring of forts outside the ring of circumvallated forts, called contravallation, is also sometimes used to defend the attackers from outside. Ancient cities in the Middle East show archaeological evidence of fortified city walls. During the Warring States era of ancient China, there is both textual and archaeological evidence of prolonged sieges and siege machinery used against the defenders of city walls. Siege machinery was also a tradition of the ancient Greco-Roman world. During the Renaissance and the early modern period, siege warfare dominated the conduct of war in Europe. Leonardo da Vinci gained as much of his renown from the design of fortifications as from his artwork. Medieval campaigns were generally designed around a succession of sieges. In the Napoleonic era, increasing use of ever more powerful cannons reduced the value of fortifications. In the 20th century, the significance of the classical siege declined. With the advent of mobile warfare, a single fortified stronghold is no longer as decisive as it once was. While traditional sieges do still occur, they are not as common as they once were due to changes in modes of battle, principally the ease by which huge volumes of destructive power can be directed onto a static target. Modern sieges are more commonly the result of smaller hostage, militant, or extreme resisting arrest situations.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. siege

   A siege is a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender. It often involves various forms of assault such as battering, bombardment, or starvation.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Siegenoun

   a seat; especially, a royal seat; a throne

2. Siegenoun

   hence, place or situation; seat

3. Siegenoun

   rank; grade; station; estimation

4. Siegenoun

   passage of excrements; stool; fecal matter

5. Siegenoun

   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. Siegenoun

   hence, a continued attempt to gain possession

7. Siegenoun

   the floor of a glass-furnace

8. Siegenoun

   a workman's bench

9. Siegeverb

   to besiege; to beset

10. Etymology: [OE. sege, OF. siege, F. sige a seat, a siege; cf. It. seggia, seggio, zedio, a seat, asseggio, assedio, a siege, F. assiger to besiege, It. & LL. assediare, L. obsidium a siege, besieging; all ultimately fr. L. sedere to sit. See Sit, and cf. See, n.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Siege

   A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static defensive position. Consequently, an opportunity for negotiation between combatants is not uncommon, as proximity and fluctuating advantage can encourage diplomacy. A siege occurs when an attacker encounters a city or fortress that cannot be easily taken by a coup de main and refuses to surrender. Sieges involve surrounding the target and blocking the reinforcement or escape of troops or provision of supplies, typically coupled with attempts to reduce the fortifications by means of siege engines, artillery bombardment, mining, or the use of deception or treachery to bypass defences. Failing a military outcome, sieges can often be decided by starvation, thirst or disease, which can afflict either the attacker or defender. Sieges probably predate the development of cities as large population centres. Ancient cities in the Middle East show archaeological evidence of having had fortified city walls. During the Warring States era of ancient China, there is both textual and archaeological evidence of prolonged sieges and siege machinery used against the defenders of city walls. Siege machinery was also a tradition of the ancient Greco-Roman world. During the Renaissance and the Early Modern period, siege warfare dominated the conduct of war in Europe. Leonardo da Vinci gained as much of his renown from the design of fortifications as from his artwork.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Siege

   sēj, n. a sitting down with an army round or before a fortified place in order to take it by force: a continued endeavour to gain possession: (Shak.) a seat, throne, station: (Shak.) excrement: the floor of a glass-furnace: a workman's bench.—v.t. to lay siege to.—ns. Siege′-piece, a coin, generally of unusual shape and rude workmanship, issued in a besieged place during stress of siege; Siege′-train, the materials carried by an army for the purpose of laying siege to a place.—State of siege, a condition of things in which civil law is suspended or made subordinate to military law; Minor state of siege, a modification of the more severe rule in cases of merely domestic trouble. [O. Fr. sege (Fr. siège), seat—Low L. assedium=L. obsidium, a siege—sedēre, to sit.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. siege

   A continued endeavour, by systematic military means, such as batteries, trenches, mines, &c., to overpower the defences of a place and take possession of it.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. siege

   (Fr. siege, “a seat, a sitting down”). Is the sitting of an army before a hostile town or fortress with the intention of capturing it. With certain elements, the success of a siege is beyond doubt; the result being merely a question of time. These elements are: First, the force of the besiegers shall be sufficient to overcome the besieged in actual combat, man to man. If this be not the case, the besieged, by a sortie, might destroy the opposing works and drive away the besiegers. The second element is, that the place must be thoroughly invested, so that no provisions, reinforcements, or other aliment of war can enter. The third element is, that the besiegers be undisturbed from without. For this it is essential that there shall not be a hostile army in the neighborhood; or if there be, that the operations of the besiegers be protected by a covering army able to cope with the enemy’s force in the field. The ancients executed gigantic works to produce these effects. To complete the investment they built a high and strong wall around the whole fortress; and to render themselves secure from without they built a similar wall, facing outwards, beyond their own position. The first was circumvallation, the second contravallation. It was thus that Cæsar fortified himself while besieging Alexia, and maintained 60,000 men within his ring. In modern warfare it is considered preferable to establish strong posts here and there round the place, and merely sentinels and videttes between. Let us now assume that a fortress of great strength has to be reduced, and that the force of the enemy in the vicinity has been either subdued or held in check by a covering army. By rapid movements the place is at once invested on all sides. This step constitutes merely a blockade; and if time be of little importance, it is a sufficient operation, for hunger must sooner or later cause the fortress to surrender; but if more energetic measures are required, the actual siege must be prosecuted. Advantage is taken of any hidden ground to establish the park of artillery and the engineer’s park; or, if there be none, these parks have to be placed out of range. The besieging force is now encamped just beyond the reach of the guns of the fortress; and their object is to get over the intervening ground and into the works without being torn to pieces by the concentrated fire of the numerous pieces which the defenders can bring to bear on every part. With this view, the place is approached by a series of zigzag trenches so pointed that they cannot be enfiladed by any guns in the fortress. In order to accommodate the forces necessary to protect the workers, the trenches at certain intervals are cut laterally for a great length, partly encircling the place, and affording safe room for a large force with ample battering material. These are called parallels, and they are generally three in number. The distance of the first parallel will increase as small-arms become more deadly; but with smooth-bore muskets it has been usual to break ground at 600 yards from the covered way of the fortress, while in the case of Sebastopol, ground was broken at 2000 yards. The engineers having, by reconnoissances, decided the locality of the parallel, and taken advantage of any inequalities of surface, a strong body of men is sent to the spot soon after nightfall. The attention of the garrison is distracted by false alarms in other directions. Half the men are armed cap-a-pie, and lie down before the proposed parallel; while the other half, bearing each a pick and shovel, and two empty gabions, prepare for work. Each man deposits the gabions where the parapet of the trench should be. He then digs down behind them, filling the gabions with the earth dug out, and after they are filled, throwing it over them, to widen and heighten the parapet. Before daylight the working party is expected to have formed sufficient cover to conceal themselves and the troops protecting them. During the day, they—being concealed from the garrison—widen and complete their parallel, making it of dimensions sufficient to allow of wagons and bodies of troops with guns passing along. During the same night other parties will have been at work at zigzags of approach from the depots out of range to the first parallel, which zigzags will be probably not less than 1000 yards in length. As a rule, the defenders will not expend ammunition on the first parallel, for its extent (often several miles) will render the probability of doing material damage extremely small. For this reason also, the dimensions of the parapet and its solidity are of far less importance in the first parallel than in the more advanced works of attack. The first parallel being completed, the engineers select points near its extremities, at which they erect breastworks to cover bodies of cavalry, who are kept at hand to resist sorties from the garrison. The length of the parallel is usually made sufficient to embrace all the works of

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. siege

   Song lyrics by siege -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by siege on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Blockade
   • Military

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce siege?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say siege in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of siege in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of siege in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of siege in a Sentence

1. Rabbi Mendel Cohen:

   Unfortunately, in the last 13 days, our city is under siege.

2. Kassem Eid:

   I just want to tell President Donald Trump directly : I'm a Syrian refugee who survived chemical weapons attacks, who lived under two years of siege and bombardment by The Syrian government, i would love to, like, buy you a beer, and just sit in front of you and tell you how bad it is in Syria.

3. Nabiha Idriss:

   This is a very big and great thing for us because we broke the siege of America and foreign countries. ... We are working with the help of God and our great mother Iran.

4. Abdul Azis Lomondot Jr.:

   We all grew up in Marawi City and Marawi City breaks our hearts when we hear that Marawi City is under siege.

5. De Luca:

   I know nothing about all this, anyone who thinks they can put me under a siege will receive buckets of boiling oil on their heads.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=siege
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Siege
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=siege
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siege
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=siege
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=siege
9. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=siege
10. ^ Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
    https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/59563/pg59563-images.html
11. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=siege