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Behest is an ancient word: it is almost a thousand years old. It was formed from the prefix be- and the verb hātan ("to command" or "to promise"), and its Old English ancestor was used exclusively in the sense of "promise," a now-obsolete meaning that continued on in Middle English especially in the phrase "the land of behest." The "command" meaning of behest is also ancient but it's still in good use, typically referring to an authoritative order. Behest is now also used with a less weighty meaning; it can refer to an urgent prompting, as in "a repeat performance at the behest of the troupe's fans."
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Examples of behest in a Sentence
Kim Velsey, Curbed, 29 Jan. 2025
McClain would repeatedly refer people for ComEd jobs at Madigan’s behest.
—Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
At the behest of Holmes’ will, Watson returns to Pittsburgh to open the Holmes Clinic in the city’s largest hospital.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 Jan. 2025
Lorne has never banned anyone from the show On Halloween 1981, at the behest of John Belushi, L.A. punk band Fear pummeled a national audience with one of SNL’s most raucous performances.
—Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Behest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behest. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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behest
noun
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