bespoke

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word bespoke. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word bespoke, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say bespoke in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word bespoke you have here. The definition of the word bespoke will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofbespoke, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

In sense “custom-made”, 1755, from earlier bespoken (c. 1600), form of bespeak, in sense “arrange beforehand” (1580s), a prefixed variant of speak; compare order, made-to-order.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /bɪˈspəʊk/
  • (US) IPA(key): /bəˈspoʊk/
  • (file)
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: be‧spoke
  • Rhymes: -əʊk

Adjective

bespoke (not comparable)

(Britain, Ireland, less common in North America)

  1. Individually or custom-made.
    Synonyms: custom, custom made, purpose-built, tailored, tailor-made; see also Thesaurus:custom-made
    • 1983 March 7, Kurt Andersen, “Her Majesty in Mellowland”, in Time:
      Marc Valeric, a Beverly Hills milliner, sold 125 bespoke hats in two weeks to women desperate to dress properly for royal receptions.
    • 2001, Robin Osborne, “Why Did Athenian Pots Appeal to the Etruscans?”, in World Archaeology, volume 33, number 2, Taylor & Francis, →JSTOR, page 278:
      Were Athenian pots bespoke, bearing images requested by Etruscans?
    • 2004, Alan Hollinghurst, chapter 10, in The Line of Beauty , 1st US edition, New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:
      People gathered round, since it was something of an event, their MP, in his bespoke pinstripe and red tie, clutching an old Wellington boot and about to hurl it through the air.
    • 2012 August 1, Ed Yong, “Replacement Parts”, in The Scientist, retrieved 2012-08-12:
      … others are attempting the more ambitious feat of engineering bespoke human organs from scratch.
    • 2016, The Tube: Going Underground, season 1, episode 6:
      There are 436 escalators in the London Underground, and every one is totally bespoke.
    • 2017, “Elements Part 2: Bespoken For”, in Adventure Time:
      You need to get a nice bespoked suit. "Bespoke" means i's custom-made to fit your specific dimensions and emphasize what's flattering about your shape.
  2. Relating to someone who makes custom-made products, especially clothing items.
    a bespoke tailor

Usage notes

Primarily used for tailoring, now also used more generally, as an alternative term for custom-made, notably for software, as in a “bespoke solution”.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

bespoke

  1. simple past of bespeak
  2. (archaic) past participle of bespeak

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024), “bespoke”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.