BEHIGHT

Etymology

Verb

behight (third-person singular simple present behights, present participle behighting, simple past and past participle behighted or behight)

(obsolete, transitive) To vow, promise (someone).

(dialectal, Northern England) To be designated.

(obsolete, transitive) To give in trust; to commit; to entrust.

(obsolete) To mean, or intend.

(obsolete) To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be.

(obsolete) To call; to name; to address.

(obsolete) To command; to order.

Noun

behight (plural behights)

(obsolete) A vow; a promise.

Source: Wiktionary

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Be*hight", v. t. [imp. Behight; p. p. Behight, Behoten.] Etym: [OE. bihaten, AS. behatan to vow, promise; pref. be- + hatan to call, command. See Hight, v.] [Obs. in all its senses.]

1. To promise; to vow. Behight by vow unto the chaste Minerve. Surrey.

2. To give in trust; to commit; to intrust. The keys are to thy hand behight. Spenser.

3. To adjudge; to assign by authority. The second was to Triamond behight. Spenser.

4. To mean, or intend. More than heart behighteth. Mir. for Mag.

5. To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be. All the lookers-on him dead behight. Spenser.

6. To call; to name; to address. Whom . . . he knew and thus behight. Spenser.

7. To command; to order. He behight those gates to be unbarred. Spenser.

Be*hight", n.

Definition: A vow; a promise. [Obs.] Surrey.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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