Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BE-HAVE', v.t. [G. gehaben; Sax. gehabban, and behabban; be and have.]

1. To restrain; to govern; to subdue. [The Saxon sense of the word.] He did behave his anger ere 'twas spent. Shak. This sense is obsolete. Yet it often seems to be implied; for to behave one's self, is really to govern one's self; to have in command.
2. To carry; to conduct; used with the reciprocal pronoun; as, he behaves himself manfully. But the tendency of modern usage is to omit the pronoun; as, he behaves well.

BE-HAV'ED, pp.

Conducted.

BE-HAV'ING, ppr.

Carrying; conducting.

BE-HAV'IOR, n. [beha'vyur; See Behave.]

Manner of behaving, whether good or bad; conduct; manners; carriage of one's self, with respect to propriety, or morals; deportment. It expresses external appearance or action; sometimes in a particular character; more generally in the common duties of life; as, our future destiny depends on our behavior in this life. It may express correct or good manners, but I doubt whether it ever expresses the idea of elegance of manners, without another word to qualify it. To be upon one's behavior, is to be in a state of trial, in which something important depends on propriety of conduct. The modern phrase is to be or to be put, upon one's good behavior. Judges hold their office during good behavior; that is, during the integrity and fidelity of their official conduct.

BE-HEAD', v.t. [behed'; be and head.]

To cut off the head; to sever the head from the body, with a cutting instrument; appropriately used of the execution of men for crimes.

BE-HEAD'ED, pp. [behed'ed.]

Having the head cut off.

BE-HEAD'ING, n. [behed'ing.]

The act of separating the head from the body by a cutting instrument; decollation.

BE-HEAD'ING, ppr. [behed'ing.]

Severing the head from the body.

BE-HELD', pret.

and pp. of Behold, which see.

BE'HE-MOTH, n. [Heb. בהטות, from בהטה, a beast or brute; from an Arabic verb, which signifies, to shut, to lie hid, to be dumb. In Eth. dumb.]

Authors are divided in opinion as to the animal intended in Scripture by this name; some supposing it to be an ox, others, an elephant; and Bochart labors to prove it the hippopotamus, or river horse. The latter opinion is most probable. [See Hippopotamus.] The original word in Arabic signifies a brute or beast in general, especially a quadruped.

BE'HEN, or BEN, n. [or BEK'EN.]

A plant. The white behen is a species of Cucubalus, called Swedish Lychnis, or guns sepungar. The empalement of its flower resembles net-work, and its leaves have somewhat of the flavor of peas. Family of Plants. Encyc. The behen of the shops, or white behen, is spatling poppy. Red behen is sea lavender. Lee. Bailey. Coxe.

BE-HEST', n. [be and Sax. hæse, a command; Ger. geheiss, command, from heissen, to call, tell, or command. See Heat.]

Command; precept; mandate.

BE-HIGHT', v.t. [behite; pret. behot. Sax. behetan, to promise.]

To promise; to intrust; to call, or name; to command; to adjudge; to address; to inform; to mean; to reckon. The orthography is corrupt; it should be behite. [Obs.] Spenser. Chaucer.

BE-HIND', adv. [be and hind.]

1. Out of sight; not produced, or exhibited to view; remaining; as, we know not what evidence is behind.
2. Backward; on the back-part; as, to look behind.
3. Past in the progress of time. Forgetting those things which are behind. Phil. iii.
4. Future, or remaining to be endured. And fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh. Col. i.
5. Remaining after a payment; unpaid; as, there is a large sum behind.
6. Remaining after the departure of; as, he departed and left us behind.

BE-HIND', prep. [Sax. behindan, of be and hindan, behind; Goth. hindar, beyond, behind; hindar-leithan, to pass, præterire; Ger. hinter.]

1. At the back of another; as, to ride behind a horseman.
2. On the back part, at any distance; in the rear; as, to walk behind another.
3. Remaining; left after the departure of another, whether by removing to a distance, or by death; as, a man leaves his servant behind him, or his estate at his decease.
4. Left at a distance, in progress or improvement; as, one student is behind another in mathematics.
5. Inferior to another in dignity and excellence. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 2 Cor. xi.
6. On the side opposite the front or nearest part, or opposite to that which fronts a person; on the other side; as, behind a bed; behind a hill; behind a house, tree, or rock. Behind the back, in Scripture, signifies, out of notice, or regard; overlooked; disregarded. They cast thy laws behind their backs. Neh. xix. Is. xxxviii.

BE-HIND'-HAND, a. [behind and hand.]

In arrear; in an exhausted state; in a state in which rent or profit has been anticipated, and expenditures precede the receipt of funds to supply them. In popular use, a state of poverty, in which the means of living are not adequate to the end. Also, in a state of backwardness, in which a particular business has been delayed beyond the proper season for performing it; as, he is behindhand in his business. Behindhand with, is behind in progress; not upon equal terms in forwardness; as, to be behindhand with the fashionable world. This word is really an adjective, as it is applied to the person rather than to the verb; but like adrift, aloft, ashamed, and several other words, never precedes the noun. Shakspeare's “behindhand slackness,” therefore, according to present usage, is not a legitimate phrase.

BE-HOLD', v.i.

1. To look; to direct the eyes to an object. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, a lamb, as it had been slain. Rev. v.
2. To fix the attention upon an object; to attend; to direct or fix the mind. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Rev. iii. This word is much used in this manner for exciting attention, or admiration. It is in the imperative mode, expressing command, or exhortation; and by no means a mere exclamation.

BE-HOLD', v.t. [pret. and pp. beheld. Sax. behealdan, beheoldan, gehealdan, gehaldan, from healdan, to hold. The sense is, to hold, to have in sight, from straining, restraining. In Saxon, the verb signifies not only to look or see, but to guard; so in Latin, observo, from servo, to keep. This explication leads us to an understanding of the participle beholden, which retains the primitive sense of the verb, bound, obliged. The Germans retain the original sense in behalten, to hold or keep; as the Dutch do in gehouden, held, bound; and the Danes in beholder, to keep, retain; behold, a retreat, refuge, reservation. See Observe and Regard.]

1. To fix the eyes upon; to see with attention; to observe with care. Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. John i.
2. In a less intensive sense, to look upon; to see. When he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Num. xxi.

BE-HOLD'EN, pp. [or a. beho'ldn; The participle of behold, to keep, guard, or bind. See Behold.]

Obliged; bound in gratitude; indebted. Little are we beholden to your love. Shak.

BE-HOLD'ER, n.

Ono who beholds; a spectator; one who looks upon, or sees.

BE-HOLD'ING, ppr.

1. Fixing the eyes upon; looking on; seeing.
2. Fixing the attention; regarding with. attention.
3. Obligation. [Not used.] Carew.
4. Obliged. [A mistaken use of the word for beholden.] Bacon on Love.

BE-HOLD'ING-NESS, n.

The state of being obliged. Donne. Sidney. [An error, and not in use.]

BE-HON'EY, v.t.

To sweeten with honey. Sherwood.

BE-HOOF', n. [Sax. behofian, to want, to be necessary, to be expedient; hence, to be a duty; D. behoeven, to need; Ger. behuf, behoof; Dan. behöver, to need, to lack; behov, need, necessity, sufficiency, maintenance, that is, things needed; Sw. behof, need; behofwa, to need.]

1. Radically, need, necessity; whence, by an easy analogy, the word came to signify that which supplies want. Hence, in present usage,
2. That which is advantageous; advantage; profit; benefit. No mean recompense it brings to your behoof. Milton.

BE-HOOV'A-BLE, a.

Needful; profitable.