Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Bespeak
Be-speak′
,Verb.
T.
[
imp.
Bespoke
, Bespake
(Archaic)
; p. p.
Bespoke
, Bespoken
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespeaking
.] 1.
To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time;
as, to
. bespeak
goods, a right, or a favorConcluding, 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′
,Verb.
I.
To speak.
[Obs.]
Milton.
Be-speak′
,Noun.
A bespeaking. Among actors, a benefit (when a particular play is bespoken.)
“The night of her bespeak.” Dickens.