Obs. For forms see below. [An OTeut. compound vb.: OE. bi-, behátan = OHG. biheiȥan, Goth. biháitan (in derivatives), f. bi-, BE- + OE. hátan = Goth. háitan to call, pa. t. haiháit, (= heháit), pa. pple. haitans. The reduplicated pa. t. appeared in OE. as heht (:—*he·hat:—*hehâ·t:—hehai·t), contr. hét (pl. héton). As there was no other Eng. vb. exactly parallel, the isolated inflexion of hátan and behátan was in ME. subjected to a remarkable series of changes, resulting finally in the loss of the original present stem, and the substitution of that of the past as a new present, with weak inflexions. 1. The OE. original forms of the pres. beháte, and pa. pple. beháten, gave regularly the ME. behote and behoten (to c. 1525). The OE. pa. t. behét gave ME. behet (-heet, -hete), found after 1400; beheht gave biheyght, -height, more usually behiȝt, -hight (-hyht, -hyght, and in 15th c. -hite). But in the course of the 14th c., the normal forms, behote, behet -height -hight, behoten, began to be disturbed under the influence of levelling, and of various assumed analogies. 2. Thus, the Present took the vowel of the then archaic past, and became behete, -heete, frequent in Wyclif, Chaucer and Lydgate. The Past was occasionally assimilated to the pple. as behotte, behote; but far more frequently the pple. was assimilated to the pa. t., first as behet, -hete, then as beheyght, behight, in 16th c. also behite. The Past behight was then made weak, as be-night-e (3 syllables; cf. forms like mighte, lighte); and finally behight (behite) was taken as present, and the pa. t. and pple. duly became in 16th c. behighted (behited); cf. lighted for earlier lighte. Rare forms of the pa. t. were c. 1400 behit (cf. lit = lighted), and in 16th c. behoted, formed on the original present behote. See further under the simple HIGHT v. Towards the end of the 16th c. behight became obsolete, but was kept up by the Spenserian archaists, who often misunderstood its meaning, and employed it in mistaken senses.]
A. Illustration of Forms.
1. Present. α. 1–3 beháte; 3–4 bi-, 3–6 behote.
a. 1000. Ælfric, Deut. xxiii. 21. Ðonne ðu behat behætst.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 161. Moni mon bihateð wel þe hit forȝeteð sone.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 8. Ȝe ne schulen nout bihoten hit, auh … doð hit as þauh ȝe hefden hit bihoten.
1340. Ayenb., 65. Ȝuyche men þet … behoteþ þing þet hi nele naȝt healde.
c. 1400. Gamelyn, 378. ffor to holden myn a-vow as I the by-hoote.
a. 1520. Myrr. Our Ladye, 61. He behoteth that … there shall be encresed peace and accorde.
[1591. Lambarde, Archeion, 141. That the Lord of Bedford … nor other of the Councell shall behote any favour.]
β. 4–6 behete, beheete.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 6872. So dud prince & als prophete As god dud to him bihete [v.r. hete, hette].
c. 1388. Wyclif, Wisd. ii. 13. He biheetith [1382 behoteth] that he hath the kunnyng of God.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Chan. Yem. Prol. & T., 154. Neuere heere after wol I with hym meete … I yow biheete [v.r. be-, by-, -hete].
a. 1400. Chester Pl., 31. I thee behette.
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 1014. Depe dampnacyon God byhetuth alle þo.
c. 1530. Hanley, in Prynne, Sov. Power Parl., II. (1643), 67. The King shall answer, I grant and behete.
γ. 4–5 behyte, 6 behyȝt, -height, -hite, Sc. hecht, 6–7 -hight.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 11. If þe pope … behiȝt ani swilk þingis. Ibid., 69. Wan þe prest … behytiþ suelk an absolucoun.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. vi. 94. I ȝou behecht [v.r. hecht].
1548. Hall, Chron. (1809), 136. Promisyng and behightyng by the faith of his body.
1581. Marbeck, Bk. of Notes, 458. It bringeth and beheighteth good thinges.
1610. Barrough, Meth. Physick, I. xxviii. (1639), 45. [They] often behight and determine to kill themselves.
2. Past t. α. 1–4 behét, 2 -heot, 4 -heet, -hete, -hett.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Deut. v. 2. Drihten God behet us wed.
a. 1100. O. E. Chron., an. 1036. Ælc man yfel him behet.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 7. Swa he þurh þe witeȝa bihet.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 176. Salue ich bihet to techen ou.
c. 1300. Harrow. Hell, 199. Do me as thou bihete.
c. 1400. Gamelyn, 783. He him beheet That he wolde be redy whan the justice seet.
c. 1430. Hymns Virg., 98. He … Þat biheet me riȝt.
β. 1 beheht, 3–5 -heyght(e, 5–6 -height; 4 -hyȝt, 4–6 -hight, 5 -hite, 5–6 -hyght, 6 Sc. -hicht.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 3925. A byheste, That Darie byheyghte.
c. 1320. R. Brunne, Medit., 1027. As þou me behyȝte.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 1614. Myn owen knight Schal have his lady, as thou him bihight.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., 122. Vertuys, þe whiche he be-hite in baptyme.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 148. The lond, the wich he them byhicht.
1527. Caxton’s Trevisa’s Higden, I. lviii. 53 b. Scottes sente y3 Pyctes … and behyght them helpe.
1569. Turberv., Poems. Your comely hewe behight me hope.
γ. 4–5 be-, bi-, byhiȝte, -hyȝte, -higte, 5–6 -hyghte, -highte. After final e became mute, this was of course identified with β.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, V. 1204. He niste what he juggen of it myghte, Syn she hath broken that she hym byhighte.
1382. Wyclif, Matt. xiv. 7. He byhiȝte for to ȝeue to hir.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., 404. Wole not performe what he so behiȝte.
a. 1520. Myrr. Our Ladye, 309. Iesu hathe sente the holy goste that he behyghte.
δ. 4–5 behit.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 10. Crist … behit vs heuenly kyndom.
ε. 5 behotte, 5–6 behote.
c. 1425. Three Kings Cologne (1885), 9. And [þei] byhotten ȝiftes to þe kepers.
1493. Festivall (W. de W., 1515), 115. Thou behote me a chylde, and now is the mother deed.
ζ. 6 behoted.
1520. Caxton’s Chron. Eng., II. 15/2. Those that me other wise behoted [ed. 1480 Tho that me other wyse behyghten].
η. 6 behighted, -hited, -heighted.
1562. Foxe, A. & M., I. 456/2. For so thou behited us sometime.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, xxix. 452. Let vs see what time they beheighted for his comming.
3. Pa. pple. α. 1–3 beháten, 2–6 -hoten, 3–6 -hote.
c. 1175. Cott. Hom., 225. Swa swa him aér be-haten wes.
c. 1314. Guy Warw., 104. Bihoten Ich it haue a maiden of priis.
c. 1400. Beryn, 2528. Delyvir me of sorowe, as yee behote have.
a. 1520. Myrr. Our Ladye, 267. He hathe behote … to gyue a hundereth folde.
1562. Foxe, A. & M., I. 454/2. It was byhoten by Jeremiah.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Dec., 54. But better mought they haue behote him Hate.
β. 4 behet, 5 -hete.
a. 1400. Cursor M., 3010 (Trin.). 8. Hir son … þat was longe bihet toforn. Ibid., 13137. This childe was by-hete [v.r. bihett] many a yere Ar he were sent.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst. 31. As thou me behete hase.
γ. 4 byheght, 4–5 bihyȝt, -hyght, -hiȝt, -hight, behiȝt, -hyȝt, -hyht; 4–6 behight, -hyght, -hite.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., C. 29. Þe happes alle aȝt þat vus bihyȝt weren.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 429. God haves byheght hom. Ibid. (1388), Ecclus. viii. 16. If thou hast bihiȝt.
1447. Bokenham, Seyntys, Introd. 6. Aftyr I had behyht the ryng.
1510. Love, Bonavent. Mirr., xviii. E v. The mede of theym is behyght for to come.
1553–87. Foxe, A. & M., I. 541/1. To wakers God has behite the Crown of Life.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., I. x. 50. The keys are to thy hand behight.
δ. 6 behited, -highted, -heighted.
1574. trans. Marlorat’s Apocalips, 37. He hath behyghted vs euerlasting life.
1577. St. Aug. Manuell, 26. The light that God hath behighted them.
1606. Warner, Alb. Eng., ci. 399. His knights had all behited them fulfild.
B. Signification.
I. Proper senses. 1. To vow, to promisc.
a. trans. (with dative of the person.)
a. 1000. Ælfric, Gen. xxxviii. 17. Oð þæt þu me sende þæt þu me behætst.
c. 1300. Beket, 1010. The King bihet hem gret honur.
1369. Chaucer, Bk. Duchesse, 63. The trayteresse false and full of gyle, That al behoteth, and nothing halt.
a. 1420. Occleve, De Reg. Princ., 2337. A kyng ought … No thyng bihete but yf he it perfourme.
1556. Abp. Parker, Psalter cxvi. 16. I now will paye, My vowes that I behight.
1621. Bp. Mountagu, Diatribae, 506. I behight thee the Tenth of all my gettings.
b. with inf. or subord. cl.
c. 1205. Lay., 18396. Godde we scullen bihaten ure sunnen to beten.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 5431 (Trin.). I bihete þe riȝt hit shal be done.
a. 1450. Knt. de la Tour (1868), 92. The payens behight her … that she shulde haue a gret somme of moneye.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., ccxxi. 21. He … behiȝt hym for to done his message.
1496. Dives & Paup. (W. de W.), I. xl. 81. He that behoteth to come ayen.
1610. Barrough, Meth. Physick, I. xxviii. (1639), 45. [The melancholious] desire death, and do very often behight and determine to kill themselves.
2. trans. To encourage expectation, to hold out hope of (life, recovery, etc.).
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 788. He had … þe fevere quarteyne, Þat no mon þat sye hurre by-hette hurr þe lyff.
a. 1552. Leland, Brit. Coll., I. 231. This William … was wounded so sore that no man beheight him life.
1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. ix. 14. He behighteth himselfe saufty even in the mouth of death.
3. trans. To assure (one) of the truth of a statement; to warrant. (Cf. mod. I promise you.)
c. 1386. Chaucer, Wife’s Prol., 1034. Litel whil it last, I you biheete.
c. 1430. Syr Tryam., 18. He had a quene … Trewe as stele, y yow be-hett.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. vi. 94. Dido heyrat comouit, I ȝou behecht … followschip redy made.
II. Improper uses by the archaists of the 16th and 17th cc., when the word was becoming obsolete; cf. the simple hight, also behest.
4. trans. To grant, deliver.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., I. x. 50. The keys are to thy hand behight By wise Fidelia.
5. To command, bid, ordain.
c. 1591. Spenser, Muiopotmos, 241. It fortuned (as heavens had behight) That [etc.]. Ibid. (1596), F. Q., VI. ii. 39. He … with her marched forth, as she did him behight.
6. To call, to name.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., April, 120. They bene all Ladyes of the lake behight. Ibid., Dec., 54. Love they him called … But better mought they have behote him Hate.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuffe (1871), 72. Which … are behighted the trees of the sun and moon.
1652. Ashmole, Theat. Chem., I. 129. After Philosophy I you behyte.
7. To bespeak, invoke.
1615. T. Adams, Lycanthr., Ep. Ded. 3. I behight you in my prayers, a happy progresse in grace.
