besot \bih-SOT\,
verb:
1. To infatuate; obsess.
2. To intoxicate or stupefy with drink.
3. To make stupid or foolish: a mind besotted with fear and superstition.
We mustn't besot ourselves with big words like independence and sovereignty. We must begin with small concrete tasks.
-- Piotr Rawicz and Peter Wiles, "Blood from the Sky"
He tried to appear as besot with her as he was with her father's power and money.
-- Judith Pella and Tracie Peterson, "A Hope Beyond"
The prefix be was used in Middle English to denote verbs, as in the contemporary words become and befriend. The word sot referred to an alcoholic.
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