Siege

n. [Fr. siēge, a seat, a siege, It. seggia, seggio, sedio, sedia, sede, a seat, asseggio, assedio, a siege, Fr. assiēger, It. assediare, Sp. assediar, to besiege, from Lat. sedes, a seat, sedere, to sit.] 1. A seat; especially, a royal seat; a throne. [Obs.] “Siege of justice.” Shak. From lofty siege began these words to sound. Spenser. 2. Hence, place or situation. [Obs.] Ah! traitorous eyes, come out of your shameless siege forever. Painter’s Palace of Pleasure. 3. Rank; grade; estimation. [Obs.] I fetch my life and being From men of loftiest siege. Shak.

4. Passage of excrements; stool. [Obs.] Browne.
5. The setting of an army around or before a fortified place for the purpose of compelling the garrison to surrender; or the surrounding or investing of a place by an army, and approaching it by passages and advanced works, which cover the besiegers from the enemy’s fire.
6. Hence, a continued attempt to gain possession.

Love stood the siege, and would not yield his breast. Dryden. Siege-train, the apparatus, consisting of cannon, mortars, &c., for conducting a siege. — To raise a siege. See RAISE.