Past tense of bespeak; to indicate, suggest, or order something in advance; to speak for or engage beforehand.
Old English 'bespecan,' combining 'be-' (prefix) with 'speak' (to say). The past tense evolved regularly to 'bespake,' and the word developed the meaning 'to order ahead' in commercial contexts, as in 'bespoke clothing.'
'Bespoke' and its cousin 'custom-made' show how custom-ordering vocabulary traveled: the past tense 'bespake' literally means 'spoke for beforehand,' a concept so useful it survives in modern 'bespoke suits' valued at thousands of dollars.
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