bespeak
VerbUS[bih-speek]/bɪˈspik/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Verb (2)bespoke, bespoken, bespeaking
- be a signal for or a symptom of“These symptoms indicate a serious illness”“Her behavior points to a severe neurosis”“The economic indicators signal that the euro is undervalued”Synonyms: betokenindicatepointsignalMore general tellMore specific mark, bode, promise, beat
- express the need or desire for“She requested an extra bed in her room”“She called for room service”“when you call, always ask for Mary”Synonyms: requestask forcall forquestMore general communicate, pass onMore specific ask, demand, claim, order, apply, solicit, call, invite, petition, ask out +8 moreSimilar invite, call for
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onerousadjective
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Be·speak′ (…), transitive verb [past tense Bespoke (…), Bespake archaic; past participle Bespoke, Bespoken (…); present participle & verbal noun Bespeaking.]
Origin: OE. bispeken, AS. besprecan, to speak to, accuse; pref. be- + sprecan to speak. See Speak.
1. To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor.
Concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak his favor.— Sir Walter Scott
2. To show beforehand; to foretell; to indicate.
[They] bespoke dangers... in order to scare the allies.— Jonathan Swift
3. To betoken; to show; to indicate by external marks or appearances.
When the abbot of St. Martin was born, he had so little the figure of a man that it bespoke him rather a monster.— John Locke
4. To speak to; to address. poetic
He thus the queen bespoke.— John Dryden
Be·speak′ intransitive verb
To speak. obsolete John Milton
Be·speak′ noun
A bespeaking. Among actors, a benefit (when a particular play is bespoken.) “The night of her bespeak.” Charles Dickens
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54