To spread or rub dirt, grease, or other sticky substance over something in a messy way.
Old English 'besmerian,' combining the prefix 'be-' (to make) with 'smear' (to spread thickly). The word has Germanic roots and appears throughout Middle English texts referring to physical dirtying or moral staining.
Shakespeare loved 'besmear' for describing both literal filth and figurative corruption—he used it 13 times across his plays to show how physical dirt mirrors moral taint, which is why the word feels so vivid even today.
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