Where does “bespeak” come from?
Bespeak comes from Old English bespecan, from specan, from sprecan, from Proto-Germanic sprekaną, from Proto-Indo-European spreg-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)per-.
bespeak (English): To speak about; tell of; relate; discuss; To...
Definitions
- To speak about; tell of; relate; discuss; To...
Ancestry of “bespeak”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bespeken | — |
| 2 | Old English | bespecan | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | bisprekaną | to speak about, discuss, blame; to discuss, blame |