Link Centre Dictionary

bespeak

bes·peak

UK/bɪˈspiːk/ US/bɪˈspik/ uncommon archaic formal

verb

1.

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
2.

express the need or desire for; ask for

  • “She requested an extra bed in her room”
  • “She called for room service”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English bespeken, bispeken, from Old English *bespecan, besprecan (“to speak about, speak against, accuse of, claim at law, complain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisprekan (“to discuss, blame”), from Proto-Germanic *bisprekaną (“to speak about, discuss, blame”), equivalent to be- + speak. Cognate with Scots bespeke (“to beseech, speak or negotiate with”), Saterland Frisian bispreke (“to discuss”), West Frisian besprekke (“to discuss”), Dutch bespreken (“to discuss, review, debate”), German besprechen (“to discuss, review, talk about”).

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.