bespeak

English

Etymology

From Middle English bespeken, bispeken, from Old English *bespecan, besprecan (“to speak about, speak against, accuse of, claim at law, complain”), from Proto-Germanic *bisprekaną (“to discuss, blame”), equivalent to be- +‎ speak. Cognate with Scots bespeke (“to beseech, speak or negotiate with”), West Frisian besprekke (“to discuss”), Dutch bespreken (“to discuss, review, debate”), German besprechen (“to discuss, review, talk about”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bɪˈspiːk]

Verb

bespeak (third-person singular simple present bespeaks, present participle bespeaking, simple past bespoke or bespake (archaic), past participle bespoken or bespoke (archaic))

1. (transitive) To speak about; tell of; relate; discuss.
   • 2006, Janet Jaymes, Dirty Laundry: A Memoir:

     But to bespeak of a love, heavily weighed upon a heart, toward someone opposing those sentiments encourages foolish and embarrassing repercussions he will never know about.

2. (transitive) To speak for beforehand; engage in advance; make arrangements for; order or reserve in advance.

   • to bespeak a seat in a theatre

   • Sir Walter Scott

     concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak his favour

   • 2012 August 1, Ed Yong, “Replacement Parts”, The Scientist, accessed on 2012-08-12:

     … others are attempting the more ambitious feat of engineering bespoke human organs from scratch.

3. (transitive) To stipulate, solicit, ask for, or request, as in a favour.

   to bespeak a calm hearing

   I bespeak your patience in advance.

4. (transitive, archaic) To forbode; foretell.
5. (transitive, archaic, poetic) To speak to; address.

   He thus the queen bespoke. — Dryden.

6. (transitive) To betoken; show; indicate; foretell; suggest.

   This act bespeaks his kindness.

   • Jonathan Swift

     [They] bespoke dangers […] in order to scare the allies.

   • John Locke

     When the abbot of St. Martin was born, he had so little the figure of a man that it bespoke him rather a monster.

7. (intransitive) To speak up or out; exclaim; speak.

Derived terms

• bespeaker
• bespeaking

Translations

(transitive) To speak about; tell of; relate; discuss

• Russian: обсуждать (ru) (obsuždatʹ)

(transitive) To speak for beforehand; engage in advance; make arrangements for; order or reserve in advance

• Russian: бронировать (ru) (bronirovatʹ), резервировать (ru) (rezervirovatʹ)

(transitive) To stipulate, solicit, ask for, or request, as in a favour

• Russian: просить (ru) (prositʹ)

(transitive, archaic) To forbode; foretell

• Russian: предсказывать (ru) (predskazyvatʹ)

(transitive, archaic, poetic) To speak to; address

• Russian: обращаться (ru) (obraščatʹsja)

(transitive) To betoken; show; indicate; foretell; suggest

• Russian: показывать (ru) (pokazyvatʹ), отражать (ru) (otražatʹ)

(intransitive) To speak up or out; exclaim; speak

• Russian: восклицать (ru) (vosklicatʹ)

Noun

bespeak (plural bespeaks)

1. A request for a specific performance; a benefit performance, by a patron.
   • 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby

     "By the bye, I've been thinking of bringing out that piece of yours on her bespeak night."

     "When?", asked Nicholas.

     "The night of her bespeak. Her benefit night. When her friends and patrons bespeak the play."

     "Oh! I understand", replied Nicholas.

References

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

Anagrams

• bespake

---

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bə'spɪk]
• (North Northern Scots) IPA^(key): [bə'spɛk]

Verb

tae bespeak (third-person singular simple present bespeaks, present participle bespeakin, simple past bespak, past participle bespoken)

1. to bespeak