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bethought

[bih-thawt]
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verb
  1. simple past tense and past participle of bethink.
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bethink

[bih-thingk]
verb (used with object), be·thought, be·think·ing.
  1. to think; consider (used reflexively): He bethought himself a moment.
  2. to remind (oneself): to bethink oneself of family obligations.
  3. to remember; recall (used reflexively): She lives in the past now, bethinking herself of happier days.
  4. to determine; resolve: Under the circumstances I could not otherwise bethink me.
  5. Archaic. to bear in mind; remember.
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verb (used without object), be·thought, be·think·ing.
  1. Archaic. to consider; meditate.
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Origin of bethink

before 1000; Middle English bethenken, Old English bethencan. See be-, think1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bethought

Historical Examples

  • Then, he bethought himself of a subtle form of rebuke by emphasizing his generosity.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • Then he bethought him that there was one beside him who was fitter to judge on such a matter.

    The White Company

    Arthur Conan Doyle

  • All at once, Jason bethought himself of the galley's miraculous figure-head.

    Tanglewood Tales

    Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • "I may not see you folks again till supper," he bethought him to call back.

    Good Indian

    B. M. Bower

  • Mr Dorrit bethought himself that he had business at his banker's.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for bethought

bethought

verb
  1. the past tense and past participle of bethink
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bethink

verb -thinks, -thinking or -thought archaic, or dialect
  1. to cause (oneself) to consider or meditate
  2. (tr often foll by of) to remind (oneself)
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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

Word Origin and History for bethought

bethink

v.

reflexive verb, Old English beþencan "to consider," from be- + þencan "to think" (see think). Related: Bethought.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper