Assiéger
Example: Les soldats vont assiéger la ville pendant plusieurs jours.
Definition
"Assiéger" means to surround a place, especially a city or fortress, with armed forces to cut off supplies and compel surrender during a military operation, as in the example phrase where soldiers are going to besiege the city for several days.
Etymology
The word "assiéger" comes from the Old French term "assieger," which itself derives from the Latin "sedere" meaning 'to sit.' Originally, it conveyed the idea of 'sitting down' around a place, referring to the practice of encircling and blockading an enemy position. Did you know that the concept of 'sitting' around a city eventually evolved into the military action of laying siege?
Learn to use this word actively
"Assiéger" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 210 commonly used words.
Would you like to not only understand these words, but also remember them and use them actively? Create a free account and select French as the language you want to learn.
Create a free account
