Bespeak
/bɪˈspiːk/noun
To request, arrange, or indicate in advance; also to be evidence of something.
Did you know?Bespeak comes from Old English *besprecan*, literally “to speak about” or “speak for,” and its older senses include arranging or commissioning something in advance, as if language itself could set events in motion.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
besprecan
“to speak about, address, or speak for”
Middle English
ME
bespeken
“to speak to, request, arrange beforehand”
14th–15th Century
English
bespeak
“to order or arrange in advance”
16th–17th Century
English
bespeak
“to indicate, show, or signify”
Modern English
English
bespeak
“to indicate or be evidence of; also to arrange or order in advance”
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