To fill or cover something with a bad smell or stench.
From Old English prefix 'be-' meaning 'to cause' or 'to cover', combined with 'stench' (a foul smell). The word emerged in Middle English to describe the act of making something smell bad.
Medieval writers used 'bestench' to describe filthy places and rotting things, and the word perfectly captures how powerful smells can overwhelm an entire area.
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