• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What Does the Word “Siege” Mean When an Army Surrounds a City and How Did it Originate?

What Does the Word “Siege” Mean When an Army Surrounds a City and How Did it Originate?

April 3, 2020 by Karen Hill

The word siege conjures up visions of intense combat, with one force attacking a surrounded enemy with total and absolute ferocity.

So it’s interesting to note that siege means “sit” in Latin.

This origin is illustrated in the Arthurian legends where the “siege perilous” was a vacant seat at the Round Table.

The seat was supposed to be fatal to any except the knight destined to find the Holy Grail.

Since the thirteenth century, the military sense of siege has meant an army “sitting down” around a fortress to wait for those inside to surrender.

Siege came to English through Old French as sege, meaning “seat” or “throne,” and originated with sedere, the Latin word for sit.

The word siege is also related to sedentary.

Related Facts

  • What Happened To the Holy Grail and Why Is the Sacred Cup Used By Jesus At the Last Supper Important?
  • Who were the 12 knights of King Arthur’s Round Table?
  • 15 Inventions You Wish You Invented
  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • How Big Is the Population In Mexico City and Is Mexico City Larger than New York City?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Is the Difference Between “Razor” and “Raze” and What Do the Words Mean?
Next Post: Where Did the Term “Mess Hall” Come From and Why Is a Military Dining Hall Called a Mess? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy