Behoof
/bɪˈhuːf/noun
Benefit or advantage, usually in the phrase "for the behoof of."
Did you know?Behoof is an old English legal and literary word that survived mainly in the phrase "for the behoof of," showing how medieval English kept abstract power-words alive in formal writing.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
behōf
“Need, advantage, what is fitting or useful”
Middle English
ME
behoof
“Need, profit, benefit”
14th–17th Century
English
for the behoof of
“For the benefit or use of”
Modern English
English
behoof
“A rare formal word meaning benefit or advantage”