The Collaborative International Dictionary
Behight \Be*hight"\, v. t. [imp. Behight; p. p. Behight, Behoten.] [OE. bihaten, AS. beh[=a]tan to vow, promise; pref. be- + h[=a]tan to call, command. See Hight, v.] [Obs. in all its senses.]
-
To promise; to vow.
Behight by vow unto the chaste Minerve.
--Surrey. -
To give in trust; to commit; to intrust.
The keys are to thy hand behight.
--Spenser. -
To adjudge; to assign by authority.
The second was to Triamond behight.
--Spenser. -
To mean, or intend.
More than heart behighteth.
--Mir. for Mag. -
To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be.
All the lookers-on him dead behight.
--Spenser. -
To call; to name; to address.
Whom . . . he knew and thus behight.
--Spenser. -
To command; to order.
He behight those gates to be unbarred.
--Spenser.
Behight \Be*hight"\, n.
A vow; a promise. [Obs.]
--Surrey.
Wiktionary
vb. 1 (context obsolete transitive English) To vow, promise (someone). 2 (context dialectal Northern England English) To be designated. 3 (context obsolete transitive English) To give in trust; to commit; to entrust. 4 (context obsolete English) To mean, or intend. 5 (context obsolete English) To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be. 6 (context obsolete English) To call; to name; to address. 7 To command; to order.
Usage examples of "behight".
But nathelesse whilst all the lookers onHim dead behight, as he to all appeard,All vnawares he started vp anon,As one that had out of a dreame bene reard,And fresh assayld his foe.
Glad man was he to see that ioyous sight,For none aliue but ioy'd in Florimell,And lowly to her lowting thus behight.
Also, Sir Launcelot, Galahad prayed you to remember of this unsiker world as ye behight him when ye were together more than half a year.