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.
A stately siege of sovereign majesty, And thereon
sat a woman gorgeous gay. --Spenser.
In our great hall there stood a vacant chair . . .
And Merlin called it ``The siege perilous.''
--Tennyson.
2. Hence, place or situation; seat. [Obs.]
Ah! traitorous eyes, come out of your shameless
siege forever. --Painter
(Palace of
Pleasure).
3. Rank; grade; station; estimation. [Obs.]
I fetch my life and being From men of royal siege.
--Shak.
4. Passage of excrements; stool; fecal matter. [Obs.]
The siege of this mooncalf. --Shak.
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.
6. Hence, a continued attempt to gain possession.
Love stood the siege, and would not yield his
breast. --Dryden.
7. The floor of a glass-furnace.
8. A workman's bench. --Knught.
Siege gun, a heavy gun for siege operations.
Siege train, artillery adapted for attacking fortified
places.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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