beslaan

Beslaan is a Dutch verb with several related meanings, most commonly “to coat”, “to glaze” or “to cover with a thin layer”. In everyday language it is often used for the application of a protective or decorative film, such as the icing on a cake, the glaze on pottery, or the frost that forms on a surface. The term can also describe the act of covering a road or pathway with a layer of ice, a meaning that appears frequently in meteorological reports.

Etymologically, beslaan derives from the Middle Dutch “beslaan”, itself related to the Old Dutch “slāwan”, meaning “to slide” or “to slip”. The prefix “be-” intensifies the action, indicating a thorough or complete covering. Grammatical usage follows regular weak verb patterns: the past tense is “besloeg” and the past participle “beslagen”, which can be employed both transitively (“Hij heeft het brood beslagen met boter”) and intransitively (“Het dak is beslagen met sneeuw”).

In technical contexts, beslaan may refer to the application of a thin film in processes such as varnishing, painting, or metallizing, where uniform coverage is essential. The verb also appears in idiomatic expressions, for example “iemand beslaat de indruk” (to impress someone) in older literature, though this usage is now archaic. The word is listed in Dutch dictionaries and retains relevance in culinary, agricultural, and industrial terminology.