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behest. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
behest, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
behest in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
behest you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From Middle English biheste, from Old English behǣs (“vow, promise”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihaisi, from *bi- (“be-”) + *haisi (“command”), from Proto-Germanic *haisiz, from *haitaną (“to command”). Final -t by analogy with other similar words in -t. Related to Old English behātan (“to command, promise”), Middle Low German beheit, behēt (“a promise”). Compare also hest (“command”), hight.
Pronunciation
Noun
behest (plural behests)
- A command, bidding; sometimes also, an authoritative request; now usually in the phrase at the behest of and at one's behest.
c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. The First Part , 2nd edition, part 1, London: Richard Iones, , published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene i:Moſt great and puiſant Monarke of the earth,
Your Baſſoe wil accompliſh your beheſt: […]
1805, Walter Scott, “(please specify the page)”, in The Lay of the Last Minstrel: A Poem, London: [James Ballantyne] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, , and A Constable and Co., , →OCLC:to do his master's high behest
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 302:I have spells for the north, I have charms for the west, / And the south and the east must obey my behest.
1961 May, “Talking of Trains: Stourton and Stafford approved”, in Trains Illustrated, page 260:The London Midland Region has announced receipt of authority from the Ministry of Transport to resume the reconstruction of Stafford station and layout, interrupted at the Minister's behest; contracts have now been placed for the erection of the new station buildings and the yardmaster's office.
2005, Patrick Gale, Friendly Fire, London, New York: Fourth Estate, page 150:Sophie felt she should sit on too though she knew it to be an irrational fantasy of hers that these little services were held at his behest.
2007, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day:And young Mr. Fleetwood Vibe was here at the behest of his father, Wall Street eminence Scarsdale Vibe, who was effectively bankrolling the Expedition.
2009 October 15, “What a waste”, in The Economist:the House of Representatives will try to water down even this feeble effort at the behest of the unions whose members enjoy some of the most lavish policies.
2011 March 24, Owen Gibson, The Guardian:The Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is to meet with the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, at the behest of the Premier League in a bid to resolve their long-running feud.
- (obsolete) A vow; a promise.
- c. 1440, Markaryte Paston, letter to John Paston
- The time is come that I should send it her, if I keep the behest that I have made.
Derived terms
Translations
command, bidding
- Bulgarian: нареждане (bg) (nareždane), заповед (bg) (zapoved)
- Czech: příkaz (cs) m, rozkaz (cs) m, žádost (cs) f
- Dutch: bevel (nl), opdracht (nl),
- Finnish: käsky (fi), määräys (fi)
- French: demande (fr) f
- German: Geheiß (de) n, Befehl (de) f
- Greek:
- Ancient: κέλευσμα n (kéleusma)
- Hungarian: utasítás (hu), rendelkezés (hu), felszólítás (hu)
- Italian: comando (it) m, ordine (it) m
- Kazakh: өкім (kk) (ökım), қаулы (qauly), жарлық (jarlyq)
- Malay: arahan (ms)
- Middle English: heste
- Portuguese: comando (pt) m, ordem (pt) f
- Russian: кома́нда (ru) f (kománda), распоряже́ние (ru) n (rasporjažénije), директи́ва (ru) f (direktíva), указа́ние (ru) n (ukazánije)
- Serbo-Croatian: zapovjed, naredba (sh), komanda (sh), direktiva (sh)
- Slovene: ukaz (sl) m
- Spanish: solicitud (es) f, orden (es) f
- Swedish: order (sv), befallning (sv)
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Verb
behest (third-person singular simple present behests, present participle behesting, simple past and past participle behested)
- (obsolete) To promise; vow.
Anagrams