Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1923
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
BYSEN, BIZEN, Besyne, Bysene, n. Obs. in Eng. except in north. dial. [′bɑɪzən, ′bɪzən]
1. A person presenting a ludicrous or disgusting spectacle.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
She's that dress't, she's a fair bysen.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
Hei got monimental drunk, an' made a perfect bizen o' his-sel.
†2. “Whore, baud” (Rxb. 1802 J. Sibbald Gloss., besyne, bysene, quoted by Watson Rxb. W.-B. 1923).
†3. Hence (1) bysenfu', “disgusting” (Rxb. 1825 Jam.2; 1923 Watson W.-B., obs.); (2) bysenless, “extremely worthless, without shame in wickedness” (Clydes. 1825 Jam.2).
[O.Sc. bysyn(e), bysin(e), a monster (D.O.S.T.); O.E. bis(e)n, an example (Sweet), O.N. bȳsn, wonder, portent (Zoëga).]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Bysen n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bysen>
