behest

From Middle English, from Old English behǣs (“vow, promise”), from Proto-Germanic *bi (“be-”), *haisiz (“command”), from *haitaną (“to command”). Final -t by analogy with other similar words in -t. Related to Old English behātan (“to command, promise”), Middle Low German beheit, behēt (“a promise”). Compare also hest (“command”), hight.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɪˈhɛst/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /biˈhɛst/

behest (plural behests)

1. A command, bidding; sometimes also, an authoritative request; now usually in the phrase at the behest of. [from 12th c.]
   • Sir Walter Scott

     to do his master's high behest

   • 1977, translation of Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, Penguin Classics, p. 278:

     Paul did not dare pronounce, let matters rest, / His master having given him no behest.

   • 2007, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day:

     And young Mr. Fleetwood Vibe was here at the behest of his father, Wall Street eminence Scarsdale Vibe, who was effectively bankrolling the Expedition.

   • 2009, “What a waste”, The Economist, 15 Oct 2009:

     the House of Representatives will try to water down even this feeble effort at the behest of the unions whose members enjoy some of the most lavish policies.

   • 2011, Owen Gibson, The Guardian, 24 Mar 2011:

     The Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is to meet with the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, at the behest of the Premier League in a bid to resolve their long-running feud.

2. (obsolete) A vow; a promise.
   • Paston

     The time is come that I should send it her, if I keep the behest that I have made.

behest (third-person singular simple present behests, present participle behesting, simple past and past participle behested)

1. (obsolete) To promise; vow.

• Bethes, Thebes, Thêbes, bethes, thebes