Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. To speak about; tell of; relate; discuss; To...

Ancestry of “bespeak”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbespeken—
2Old Englishbespecan—
3Proto-Germanicbisprekanąto speak about, discuss, blame; to discuss, blame

Words derived from “bespeak”

  • bespoke
  • bespoken
  • bespeaker
  • unbespeak
Every word from Proto-Germanic bisprekaną →