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behest

American  
[bih-hest] / bɪˈhɛst /

noun

  1. a command or directive.

    Synonyms:
    mandate, dictate, decree, bidding, order

  2. an earnest or strongly worded request.

behest British  
/ bɪˈhɛst /

noun

  1. an authoritative order or earnest request

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of behest

before 1000; Middle English bihest ( e ), Old English behǣs promise. See be-, hest

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.