What does beshrewing mean?
Beshrewing is the act of cursing — specifically, of calling down malediction upon a person or thing, usually in a mild, exasperated, or playfully archaic manner. It is the verbal noun (gerund) of the verb 'beshrew,' formed from the intensive prefix 'be-' plus 'shrew,' an Old English word for an evil or malicious person that originally denoted an evil spirit or devil. In practice, beshrewing today appears almost exclusively in literary, historical, or humorous contexts: a character might engage in beshrewing of the rain, the gods, or an unlucky card draw, conveying irritation more than genuine malice. Because the verb 'beshrew' survives chiefly in fossilized exclamations such as 'beshrew me,' the noun beshrewing is rare and carries a distinctly old-fashioned flavor. Writers reach for it when they want a quaint, Shakespearean alternative to ordinary swearing or complaining.
The action or an instance of calling down curses upon someone; the act of invoking malediction.
"The old sailor's habitual beshrewing of the storm amused his crew."
Gerundial noun derived from the verb 'beshrew'; archaic or literary.
Present participle of 'beshrew': to curse or call down evil upon someone or something.
"He sat there, muttering, beshrewing every delay on the road."
Almost always used transitively; survives mainly in archaic or jocular use.
When Shakespeare's characters cry 'A plague upon it!' they're doing exactly what 'beshrewing' names — and the word literally contains 'shrew', the very creature it once blamed for mischief.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of beshrewing
Beshrewing derives from the verb 'beshrew,' formed in Middle English from the prefix 'be-' plus 'shrew,' from Old English 'scrēawa,' meaning a shrew-mouse and, figuratively, an evil person or devil. To beshrew someone was thus to wish them the company of devils — to curse them. The construction parallels other 'be-' formations like 'bedevil.' Its most famous appearances are in early modern English drama, including Shakespeare, where phrases like 'beshrew my heart' survive as set expressions.
Related word forms
How beshrewing is actually used
Archaic and literary in register; rarely heard outside historical fiction, Shakespearean quotation, or deliberately whimsical modern prose. The tone is usually mild or comic rather than genuinely vicious.
Easily confused with beshrewing
'Bestrewing' means scattering or strewing things over a surface, while 'beshrewing' means cursing someone.