The Collaborative International Dictionary
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.]
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To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor.
Concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak his favor.
--Sir W. Scott. -
To show beforehand; to foretell; to indicate.
[They] bespoke dangers . . . in order to scare the allies.
--Swift. -
To betoken; to show; to indicate by external marks or appearances.
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. -
To speak to; to address. [Poetic]
He thus the queen bespoke.
--Dryden.
Wiktionary
vb. (present participle of bespeak English)
Usage examples of "bespeaking".
His gray hair was subtly streaked with pale yellow, bespeaking its original blond, but it was his sharp-featured face that confounded attempts to guess his years.
Any mage bespeaking Naldeth would betray him with their magic, which left speaking to Parrail across the aether our only hope.
Sorgrad's response was too muffled to be audible and then the bespeaking shattered into glittering fragments that sank away into the mirror's reflection.
The fluid, distorted shapes were nothing like the vividness of scrying or bespeaking and I wondered what Ryshad and Usara might be seeing.
It is true that my bespeaking is greatly enhanced—but this is the most modest of the Three-Winged Circle's powers.
Then, leaning against the thick planks, he waited for his heart to stop pounding and his breadi to slow before bespeaking the Master.
Grafted upon the quaintness and oddity of his appearance, was something so indescribably engaging, and bespeaking so much worth, and there were so many little lights hovering about the corners of his mouth and eyes, that it was not a mere amusement, but a positive pleasure and delight to look at him.
Thinking it best to take the hint in good part, Nicholas descended, without further remonstrance, but with a countenance bespeaking anything rather than the hope and rapture of a passionate lover.
From some corner came a half-hearted "Olé," bespeaking in the far dark Croaker.
Yet they submitted to the Open-Book reforms to a degree bespeaking some basic sympathy with their spirit.
He heard my voice bespeaking him as a dead man's, his brother's voice.
Arek the elder, that brother whose voice he had heard in mine bespeaking him.