Definition of BEHEST

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Behest first appeared in 12th century Old English as behλst, which is formed from the prefix be- and the Old English verb hātan ("to command" or "to promise"). While the word was originally used only in the sense of "promise," it acquired the additional sense of "command" among speakers of Middle English. Among contemporary English speakers, behest is no longer used in the sense of "promise" but rather denotes an authoritative or urgent request or command. Old English hātan also gave English the now-archaic words hest (meaning "command") and hight ("being called or named").

Examples of behest in a Sentence

I only made the change at the author's behest.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s Dean Martin, who plays a big fish in a little pond, the richest man MacLaine is meant to marry at the behest of her mother. — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "An Ode to the Campiest Film You’ve Probably Never Seen," 19 Apr. 2019 It has also been reported that the player was pursued at Mauricio Pochettino's behest and an agreement already said to be in place. — SI.com, "English Report Delivers 'Truth' About Spurs' Move for Boca Juniors Star Wilmar Barrios," 18 June 2018 The State Department’s determination to extradite Andrés Felipe Arias, a former Colombian agriculture minister, at the behest of a left-wing Colombian Supreme Court, marks a new low for Foggy Bottom. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, "A One-Sided Treaty With Colombia," 3 Mar. 2019 At Grindle’s behest, tights were added to Elastigirl’s suit. — Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "'Incredibles 2' star Elastigirl is 'thicc': Why that's a good thing," 21 June 2018 With left fielder Franchy Cordero playing back at Green’s behest to guard against a double, Evan Longoria flared a single into shallow left field to score Slater. — Kevin Acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres manager Green says Brad Hand was 'best choice right there'," 1 May 2018 At Colbert’s behest, Foucault had plundered monastic archives and intimidated their librarians. — Jacob Soll, The New Republic, "How Islam Shaped the Enlightenment," 12 Apr. 2018 Canadian authorities arrested Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Dec. 1, at the behest of U.S. authorities and under the terms of a U.S.-Canada extradition treaty. — Paul Vieira, WSJ, "Canada’s China Envoy: U.S. Extradition Case for Huawei CFO Isn’t a Sure Thing," 23 Jan. 2019 Wearing Indian-inspired attire to a wedding at the behest of an Indian bride is a paradigmatic example of an action that is neither economically nor psychologically harmful to the source community. — Nadra Nittle, Vox, "The cultural appropriation debate has changed. But is it for the better?," 18 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'behest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.