Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

behest

 - 3 dictionary results

be⋅hest

[bi-hest]
–noun
1. a command or directive.
2. an earnest or strongly worded request.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME bihest(e), OE behǣs promise. See be-, hest


1. order, bidding, decree, dictate, mandate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To behest
be·hest   (bĭ-hěst')   
n.  
  1. An authoritative command.

  2. An urgent request: I called the office at the behest of my assistant.


[Middle English bihest, vow, from Old English behǣs; see kei-2 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

behest 
O.E. behæs "a vow," perhaps from behatan "to promise," confused with obs. hest "command," which may account for the parasitic -t as well as the M.E. shift in meaning to "command, injunction" (c.1175).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see behest on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: