Sunday, August 5, 2012

Episode #044, 05.08.2012: behoove, behove

Sound: /bɨˈhuːv/, /bɪˈhəʊv/
behove (esp. British) or behoove (American), impersonal transitive verb. Be incumbent on (person) to (do something).
In a sentence: “It behoves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others.” -Thomas Jefferson
What is incumbent? As a noun, it is the Holder of ecclesiastical benefice or (in the US) Holder of any office. But here they mean the adjective: resting upon a person as duty.
Long story short: behove or behoove means to suit, to befit.
Note that the British tend to spell it with one o and the Americans with two.

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