Beleaguer comes from the Dutch word belegeren. Leger means "camp" and the prefix be- means "about" or "around." Belegeren, by definition, is a neutral verb ("to camp around"); however, beleaguer implies trouble. It is also synonymous with besiege.
the lack of funds that beleaguers schools beleaguered the castle for months
Recent Examples on the WebYet the marque isn’t immune from growing pains, as supply chain issues continue to beleaguer the industry and waiting times for some existing Air orders have increased beyond the two-to-five-month window, according to some customers. Laura Burstein, Robb Report, 19 July 2022 In the clinical world, consistency is king; gaps in data can blight the reliability of any takeaways, or beleaguer analysis. Grace Browne, Wired, 14 Mar. 2022 American officials have felt an affinity for officials in Taipei for decades, a natural sense of solidarity with a democratic government beleaguered by a communist regime. Joel Gehrke, Washington Examiner, 22 May 2020 Many Indians obeyed the rules, wary of catching the virus and not trusting India’s beleaguered health care system to save them.New York Times, 6 May 2020 The program aims to compensate for service cuts in San Francisco’s mass transit systems, while providing a boost for the city’s beleaguered taxi industry. Chronicle Staff, SFChronicle.com, 29 Apr. 2020 The disease also threatens the fragile political turmoil that has beleaguered the country for almost six years.Fox News, 20 Mar. 2020 The flat $600 federal payout was a recognition from Congress that state unemployment systems were going to be beleaguered with millions of new unemployment claims — including many from people who traditionally don’t qualify, such as gig workers.Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2020 Maryland Annapolis: Four additional residents at a nursing home beleaguered by more than 100 positive cases of COVID-19 have died, local health officials announced.USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2020 See More
Word History
Etymology
Dutch belegeren, from be- (akin to Old English be-) + leger camp; akin to Old High German legar bed — more at lair