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Webster 1913 Edition

Behight

Be-hight′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp.
Behight
;
p. p.
Behight
,
Behoten
.]
[OE.
bihaten
, AS.
behātan
to vow, promise; pref.
be-
+
hātan
to call, command. See
Hight
,
Verb.
]
[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′

,
Noun.
A vow; a promise.
[Obs.]
Surrey.

Webster 1828 Edition

Behight

BEHI'GHT

,
Verb.
T.
behite; pret. behot.
To promise; to entrust; to call, or name; to command; to adjudge; to address; to inform; to mean; to reckon. The orthography is corrupt; it should be behite.

Definition 2024

behight

behight

English

Alternative forms

  • behote (13th-16th centuries)

Verb

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

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To vow, promise (someone).
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book II:
      Thenne I behote yow sayd Balyn parte of his blood to hele youre sone with alle.
  2. (dialectal, Northern England) To be designated.
    Wheea behight thee? = What is your name/to whom do you belong?
  3. (obsolete, transitive) To give in trust; to commit; to entrust.
    • Spenser
      The keys are to thy hand behight.
  4. (obsolete) To mean, or intend.
    • Mirror for Magistrates
      More than heart behighteth.
  5. (obsolete) To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be.
    • Spenser
      All the lookers-on him dead behight.
  6. (obsolete) To call; to name; to address.
    • Spenser
      Whom […] he knew and thus behight.
  7. To command; to order.
    • Spenser
      He behight those gates to be unbarred.

Etymology

From Middle English beheten, behoten (preterite behighte), from Old English behātan ‎(“to promise, vow, pledge oneself, threaten”) (preterite behēhte), corresponding to be- +‎ hight. Cognate with Scots beheit, behecht ‎(“to promise, vow”), Middle High German beheizen ‎(“to promise”).

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