bespeak
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
bespeak
v 1: be a signal for or a symptom of; "These symptoms indicate a
serious illness"; "Her behavior points to a severe
neurosis"; "The economic indicators signal that the euro is
undervalued" [syn: {bespeak}, {betoken}, {indicate},
{point}, {signal}]
2: express the need or desire for; ask for; "She requested an
extra bed in her room"; "She called for room service" [syn:
{request}, {bespeak}, {call for}, {quest}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Bespeak \Be*speak"\, v. t. [imp. {Bespoke}, {Bespake} (Archaic);
p. p. {Bespoke}, {Bespoken}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Bespeaking}.]
[OE. bispeken, AS. besprecan, to speak to, accuse; pref. be-
+ sprecan to speak. See {Speak}.]
1. To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage
against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a
favor.
[1913 Webster]
Concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice
was to bespeak his favor. --Sir W.
Scott.
[1913 Webster]
2. To show beforehand; to foretell; to indicate.
[1913 Webster]
[They] bespoke dangers . . . in order to scare the
allies. --Swift.
[1913 Webster]
3. To betoken; to show; to indicate by external marks or
appearances.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
4. To speak to; to address. [Poetic]
[1913 Webster]
He thus the queen bespoke. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
113 Moby Thesaurus words for "bespeak":
accost, address, announce, apostrophize, appeal to, apply for,
apply to, approach, approve, argue, ask, ask for, attest,
be construed as, be indicative of, be significant of,
be symptomatic of, beg leave, betoken, book, breathe, brief,
buttonhole, call for, call to, characterize, connote, crave,
demand, demonstrate, denominate, denote, desire, differentiate,
disclose, display, employ, engage, entail, evidence, evince,
exhibit, express, file for, furnish evidence, give evidence,
give indication of, give token, go to show, greet, hail, halloo,
highlight, hint, hire, identify, illustrate, imply, import, indent,
indicate, invoke, involve, make a request, make a requisition,
make application, manifest, mark, mean, memorialize, note, order,
point to, preengage, put in for, recruit, refer to, request,
requisition, reserve, retain, reveal, salute, set forth, show,
show signs of, sign on, sign up, sign up for, signalize, signify,
solicit, speak, speak fair, speak for itself, speak to,
speak volumes, spell, stand for, suggest, symbolize, symptomatize,
symptomize, take aside, take into employment, take on, talk to,
tell, tend to show, testify, whistle for, wish, witness
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