behest
/bɪˈhɛst/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.99 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Moſt great and puiſant Monarke of the earth, Your Baſſoe wil accompliſh your beheſt: […]"
- "to do his master's high behest"
- "I have spells for the north, I have charms for the west, / And the south and the east must obey my behest."
- "Paul did not dare pronounce, let matters rest, / His master having given him no behest."
- "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."
- "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."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: biheste, behǣs, *bihaisi, *haisiz
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /bɪˈhɛst/
- British English: /bɪˈhɛst/