behoof
- use; advantage; benefit: The money was spent for his own behoof.
Origin of behoof
behoove
- to be necessary or proper for, as for moral or ethical considerations; be incumbent on: It behooves the court to weigh evidence impartially.
- to be worthwhile to, as for personal profit or advantage: It would behoove you to be nicer to those who could help you.
- Archaic. to be needful, proper, or due: Perseverance is a quality that behooves in a scholar.
Origin of behoove
Synonyms
See more synonyms for behoove on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for behooves
Contemporary Examples
I will still say that it behooves us not to forget that Morsi was no democrat.
Given that said government is now spending almost a quarter of our annual income, it behooves us to keep an eye on it.
Historical Examples
And so, my lads, it behooves us to be cautious with a very great caution.
The Rock of ChickamaugaJoseph A. Altsheler
It behooves me all the more to see to it that I am not duped in the end.
Casanova's HomecomingArthur Schnitzler
It behooves the materialists to use language with more precision and accuracy than this.
Life: Its True GenesisR. W. Wright
We know nothing about it, and, therefore, it behooves us to say nothing.
Homeward BoundJames Fenimore Cooper
It behooves us, gentlemen, to think first of the cities of our King.
Sir Henry Morgan, BuccaneerCyrus Townsend Brady
behoof
- rare advantage or profit
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for behooves
behoof
n.
c.1200, "use, benefit, advantage;" Old English had bihoflic "useful," implying *bihof "advantage, utility;" from Proto-Germanic *bi-hof "that which binds, requirement, obligation" (cf. Old Frisian bihof "advantage," Dutch behoef, Middle High German bihuof "useful thing," German Behuf "benefit, use, advantage"). In the common Germanic compound, the first element, likely intensive, is cognate with be- and the second with Old English hof, past tense of hebban "to raise" (see heave (v.)). The original sense is perhaps, then, "taking up (for oneself)."
behoove
v.
Old English behofian "to have need of, have use for," verbal form of the ancient compound word represented by behoof.
Historically, it rimes with move, prove, but being now mainly a literary word, it is generally made to rime with rove, grove, by those who know it only in books. [OED]