Obs. Also 1 bisene, 1–4 bisne, 4 bisen, 5 byson(e, bysom, 6 bysome, bisme, 7 beasom, beesome, (north. dial. beesen, beezen.) [OE. (Northumb.) bísene, a difficult word, of doubtful etymology. Comparison with Du. bij-ziend short-sighted, lit. ‘near-seeing, seeing (close) by,’ has suggested that it was a corruption of bíséonde, f. bi-, BY + séonde seeing. Another suggestion is that the original form was bíséne, f. bí- pref. + (ʓe)síene, -sýne, -séne manifest, conspicuous, visible. See Skeat. The former explanation has various etymological difficulties; the latter appears to fail in the sense, since ‘visible close by’ is not = ‘seeing only close at hand,’ still less = ‘blind.’]
1. Destitute of sight; blind.
c. 950. Lindisf. Gosp., Matt. ix. 27. Gefylʓdon hine tuoeʓe bisene.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 2822. Quo made bisne, and quo lockende?
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 682. A byson mon dwelt fast hym by; Þe whyche hadde ben bleynte alle his lyve.
1548. Udall, Erasm. Par. Mark viii. 22. Not poreblynde, or a litell appayred, and decayed in sight, but as bysome as was possible to be.
1552. Huloet, Blynde or beasom borne, cæcigenus.
1559. Mirr. Mag., 478. As thou art bisme, so are thy actions blind.
b. In the following the sense is perh.: Purblind.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 243. A dai thu art blind other bisne.
c. 1450. in Rel. Ant., II. 240. Now the bysom ledys the bleynde.
1607. Shaks., Cor., II. i. 70. What harme can your beesome Conspectuities gleane out of this Charracter.
2. ? Blinding.
1602. Shaks., Ham., II. ii. 529. [The mobled queen] Threatning the flame With Bisson Rheume.
