bespeak

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

Verb[edit]

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 (1771-1832)
      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.
  6. (transitive) To betoken; show; indicate; foretell; suggest.
    This act bespeaks his kindness.
    • Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)
      [They] bespoke dangers […] in order to scare the allies.
    • John Locke (1632-1705)
      When the abbot of St. Martin was born, he had so little the figure of a man that it bespoke him rather a monster.
    • 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter 1, The Purchase Price:
      This new-comer was a man who in any company would have seemed striking. […] He was smooth-faced, and his fresh skin and well-developed figure bespoke the man in good physical condition through active exercise, yet well content with the world's apportionment.
  7. (intransitive) To speak up or out; exclaim; speak.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Scots[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Verb[edit]

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

  1. to bespeak
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