I. bə̇ˈspēk, bē- verb
( be·spoke -pōk ; or archaic be·spake -pāk ; be·spo·ken -pōkən ; or archaic bespoke ; bespeaking ; bespeaks )
Etymology: Middle English bespeken, from Old English bespecan, besprecan to speak about, accuse of, complain, from be- + specan, sprecan to speak — more at speak
intransitive verb
archaic : speak
and thus bespake sweet Christabel — S.T.Coleridge
transitive verb
1. : to arrange for in advance : hire or engage beforehand : order
if the place is not bespoken you will be welcome — O.W.Holmes †1935
the taxi bespoken by cousin Francis to drive him back again to the station — Elizabeth Bowen
: lay claim to beforehand
the Rockefellers, the Fricks, the Morgans entered the North Star Country … bespeaking the ore “forever” — Meridel Le Sueur
2. : to speak to especially with some formality : address
sends one of his friends to bespeak the girl to whom he has been betrothed — A.H.J.Prins
we were bespoken through public address megaphones and told what to do — Christopher Morley
3.
a. obsolete : to request or engage (a person) to do something
b. : request : ask for
bespeak a favor
he bespoke me a job with Flood the next time he met him — Andy Adams
bespeaking Federal assistance in the problem — New York Times
: request to know : ask about
the letter Sir Austin lifted his head from to bespeak his son's wishes — George Meredith
4.
a. : to give evidence of : testify to : indicate , signify , reveal
noise is the loud laugh that bespeaks the empty mind — O.S.J.Gogarty
shrugged in that faint way which bespoke total indifference — Marcia Davenport
these names bespeak the quality and sincerity of this compilation — J.C.Smith
b. : to speak of or show beforehand : foretell , portend
murmurings that bespoke imminent rebellion
Synonyms: see indicate
II. noun
( -s )
1. : a request (as by an actor's patrons) for the presentation of a particular play to be given usually as a benefit performance
2. Britain : a request made to a lending library by a borrower for the loan of a book when it is available