from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Siege \Siege\, n. [OE. sege, OF. siege, F. si[`e]ge a seat, a
siege; cf. It. seggia, seggio, zedio, a seat, asseggio,
assedio, a siege, F. assi['e]ger to besiege, It. & LL.
assediare, L. obsidium a siege, besieging; all ultimately fr.
L. sedere to sit. See {Sit}, and cf. {See}, n.]
1. A seat; especially, a royal seat; a throne. [Obs.] "Upon
the very siege of justice." --Shak.
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A stately siege of sovereign majesty,
And thereon sat a woman gorgeous gay. --Spenser.
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In our great hall there stood a vacant chair . . .
And Merlin called it "The siege perilous."
--Tennyson.
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2. Hence, place or situation; seat. [Obs.]
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Ah! traitorous eyes, come out of your shameless
siege forever. --Painter
(Palace of
Pleasure).
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3. Rank; grade; station; estimation. [Obs.]
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I fetch my life and being
From men of royal siege. --Shak.
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4. Passage of excrements; stool; fecal matter. [Obs.]
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The siege of this mooncalf. --Shak.
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5. 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}.
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6. Hence, a continued attempt to gain possession.
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Love stood the siege, and would not yield his
breast. --Dryden.
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7. The floor of a glass-furnace.
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8. A workman's bench. --Knught.
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{Siege gun}, a heavy gun for siege operations.
{Siege train}, artillery adapted for attacking fortified
places.
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