Word of the Day for Tuesday, February 21, 2012
bespeak \bih-SPEEK\, verb:
1. To show; indicate.
2. To ask for in advance.
3. To reserve beforehand; engage in advance; make arrangements for.
4. Literary. To speak to; address.
5. Obsolete. To foretell; forebode.
Let the crooked flower bespeak its purpose in straightness — to seek the light.
-- Allen Ginsberg, "Journals Mid-Fifties"
"In the execution of this universal gesture, most people bring down their thumb to signify the hammer's dropping, but Sean actually pulls his trigger finger, which I find much more threatening, since it seems to bespeak a genuine familiarity with the real thing.
-- Jonathan Tropper, "The Book of Joe"
Bespeak is derived from the Old English word besprecan. It developed a wide range of meanings, such as request, discuss, or arrange.
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