Besotting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Making someone deeply infatuated, so they are unable to think clearly or act rationally
2. Inducing a state of strong obsession or foolish love that clouds judgment
3. Causing a person to become wildly enamored or captivated, often leading to impaired reasoning

Etymology: "Besotting" is the present participle of "besot", which is formed from the prefix "be-" and the noun "sot", a fool or drunkard. The "be-" prefix here works as it does in "bewitch" or "befriend", adding the sense of acting upon someone, so to besot someone is to make them foolish. The word's older form, Middle English "assoten", meant to act foolishly, and it could also describe falling madly in love. That second sense is the one that survives: a besotting attachment is one that has taken complete hold of a person's judgement, so that they seem to lose their wits over someone or something.

Synonyms: infatuating, enchanting

Antonyms: disillusioning, repelling