bedizen
pronunciation
How to pronounce bedizen in British English:
UK [bɪ'daɪzn]
How to pronounce bedizen in American English:
US [bɪ'daɪzən]
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- Verb:
- decorate tastelessly
- dress up garishly and tastelessly
Word Origin
- bedizen
- bedizen: see distaff
- bedizen (v.)
- 1660s, from be- + dizen "to dress" (1610s), especially, from late 18c., "to dress finely, adorn," originally "to dress (a distaff) for spinning" (1520s), and evidently the verbal form of the first element in distaff. It is remarkable that neither the vb., nor the sb. as a separate word, has been found in OE. or ME., and that on the other hand no vb. corresponding to dizen is known in L.G. or Du. [OED]