A rare or archaic adjective meaning worn out, exhausted, or worn completely through; made shabby or threadbare by excessive wear.
From 'be-' (intensive prefix) + 'worn' (past participle of wear, from Old English 'werian'). The 'be-' prefix intensifies the meaning of 'worn,' suggesting something is not merely worn but thoroughly worn. It follows the pattern of other intensive constructions like 'battered' or 'bedraggled.'
While 'beworn' is obsolete, we kept 'bedraggled' and 'battered'—both using 'be-' intensively—which shows the prefix had real staying power for describing worn or damaged things. The loss of 'beworn' might have been because 'worn out' became the standard two-word phrase, but it once conveyed the specific sense of being worn TO the point of exhaustion.
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