Wordwyrt

bespeak

/bɪsˈpik/bih-SPEEK
/bɪsˈpik/bih-SPEEK

Meaningspeak to or address

Common meaning: suggest or indicate

Journey through time

  1. Old Englishbesprecan‘speak to or address’sourceB&T
  2. Middle Englishbispekensource
  3. Englishmeaning shiftsspeak to or address → suggest or indicatebespeak‘suggest or indicate’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English besprecan ‘speak to or address’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry BESPEAK, p. 60 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • besprecan Old English “speak to or address”

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