bespeak Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb be a signal for or a symptom of
    indicate; signal; betoken; point.
    • These symptoms indicate a serious illness
    • Her behavior points to a severe neurosis
    • The economic indicators signal that the euro is undervalued
  2. verb express the need or desire for; ask for
    call for; quest; request.
    • She requested an extra bed in her room
    • She called for room service

WordNet

Be*speak" transitive verb
Etymology
OE. bispeken, AS. besprecan, to speak to, accuse; pref. be- + sprecan to speak. See Speak.
Wordforms
imperfect Bespoke Bespake (archaic); past participle Bespoke, Bespoken ; present participle & verbal noun Bespeaking
Definitions
  1. To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor.
    Concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak his favor. Sir W. Scott.
  2. To show beforehand; to foretell; to indicate.
    [They] bespoke dangers . . . in order to scare the allies. Swift.
  3. To betoken; to show; to indicate by external marks or appearances.
    When the abbot of St. Martin was born, he had so little the figure of a man that it bespoke him rather a monster. Locke.
  4. To speak to; to address. Poetic
    He thus the queen bespoke. Dryden.
Be*speak" intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To speak. Obs. Milton.
Be*speak" noun
Definitions
  1. A bespeaking. Among actors, a benefit (when a particular play is bespoken.) "The night of her bespeak." Dickens.

Webster 1913