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strew

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A verb meaning to scatter or spread things over a surface; to strew or cover with scattered objects, often flowers or natural materials.

Detailed Definition
"Bestrew" combines the intensive prefix "be-" with "strew" (scatter), creating a verb meaning to scatter things upon or over something. The term appears frequently in poetry describing pastoral scenes, ceremonial occasions, or aftermath of violence—flowers bestrewed paths, rushes bestrewed floors, bodies bestrewed battlefields. Its use often carries emotional weight, as what is scattered and how it's scattered reveals meaning. Wedding processions featured paths bestrewed with flowers; tragic scenes showed ground bestrewed with dead. Poets valued the word's ability to create visual imagery while suggesting abundance, celebration, or devastation depending on context. The prefix intensifies the action, making bestrew more emphatic than simple strew. Its archaic quality suited formal descriptions of ritual or aftermath in verse seeking elevated or ceremonial language.
Example
Example in poetry:
“She strewed rose petals on the path,” in a ceremonial lyric; In Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance... / There’s pansies, that’s for thoughts... / There’s fennel for you, and columbines... / There’s rue for you... / Here’s some violets... / I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died”; “The wind strewed leaves like forgotten letters”; “Strew not ashes where flowers may grow”; “The battlefield was strewed with broken spears”; He strewed his verses like seeds.

Maidens bestrew the path with rose petals; "Bestrew the grave with flowers sweet" is a funeral verse; The wind bestrews autumn leaves across the ground; They bestrew the altar with sacred herbs; Spring bestrews the meadow with wildflowers; Stars bestrew the heavens like scattered diamonds
Additional Notes
“Strew” implies artful or mournful scattering—flowers on graves, leaves in autumn; in ritual or elegiac contexts, it transforms randomness into ceremony, linking generosity, memory, and transience through gentle dispersal.

Bestrew appears primarily in pastoral poetry, funeral elegies, and romantic descriptions where literal or figurative scattering creates beauty or mourning. "Bestrew with flowers" is the classic construction, appearing in wedding and funeral contexts. Spenser and Milton use it for decorative natural descriptions. The prefix "be-" suggests thorough coverage, distinguishing it from simple "strew." Related to "strew," "scatter," and "besprinkle." Often implies generous, lavish distribution rather than sparse scattering. Essential for analyzing scenes of tribute, natural abundance, or ceremonial decoration. The term appears frequently in epithalamia (wedding poems) and threnodies (funeral poems), marking transitions and honoring subjects. Its pastoral associations link it to idealized nature and human harmony with natural beauty.
Also Known As
scatter spread disperse bestrew sprinkle
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