Obs. exc. Sc. and north. dial. Forms: 1 býsen, bisine, 1–4 bisen, 2–3 bisne, 3 bisin, 4 bysine, -yne, 5 bysyn (bysynt), 6–7 bysin, 9 bison, byzen, bysen. [partly OE. býsen example; but the later use is exclusively northern, and apparently from the cognate ON. býsn wonder, portentous thing. See also BYSYM.]
I. 1. An example, a pattern.
c. 950. Lindisf. Gosp., John xiii. 15. Bisen [Rushw. bisine] forðon ic salde iuh.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 5. Godalmihti … sette us bisne.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 45. After þe bisne of þat eadi meiden.
a. 1240. Sawles Warde, in Cott. Hom., 245. Ure lauerd … teacheð us þurh a bisne.
a. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 1027. Þe bodys of þe world … Shewes us for bisens … How we suld serve God.
II. 2. Something monstrous or portentous; a shocking sight, sorry spectacle, disgraceful thing.
a. 1455. Holland, Houlate, ix. I am nytherit ane Owll … Bysyn of all birdis that euer body bure.
a. 1600. Montgomerie, Sonn., xxxiv. Fy, lothsome lyfe! Fy, death, that dou not [serve me] Bot quik and dedd a bysin thow must [preserve me].
1803. R. Anderson, Cumberld. Ball., 63. She’s a shem and a byzen to aw the heale town.
1874. Waugh, Jannock, ii. 13, in Lanc. Gloss. (E. D. S.). It’ll be a sham an’ a bizen, if we cannot find him a menseful of a dinner.
3. attrib. or as adj. Monstrous, shocking, conspicuously bad or disgraceful.
c. 1375. ? Barbour, St. Mathias, 29. He sal be a bysyne mane For his ill to al þat spek cane. Ibid., St. Catherine, 945. & mak a bysine wyf of þe.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VI. xiii. 59 (Jam.). Eftyre that he wes broucht on bere Til a bysynt best all lyke.
1863. Robson, Bards of Tyne, 504. A bison sight … The warst that e’er you saw.
