Befitted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To convey that a particular quality or trait is well-suited to a person or situation requires an acknowledgment of suitability and appropriateness in context and circumstances
2. Met the requirements or was a good match for a particular person or situation
3. Was fitting and proper in connection with someone's qualities or a given circumstance

Etymology: This is an inflected form, so the account of "befit" itself is what matters. "Befitted" is simply the past tense and past participle of "befit," meaning "was suitable for." The verb is built from the prefix "be-" and the word "fit," and the prefix is the older element here. "Be-" descends from Old English, where it attached to verbs and nouns to add a sense of "around," "over," or "thoroughly," and it survives in many English verbs such as "bedeck" and "bespeak." The base "fit" arrived in English in the Middle English period, when it could mean "a struggle" or "a bout of illness," before settling into the sense of being suitable or adapted to something. Combining it with "be-" gave "befit," which carries the notion of a thing being thoroughly matched to its circumstances. The past forms "befitted" and "befitting" follow the usual pattern for verbs ending in a single consonant after a stressed syllable, doubling the "t" before the endings.

Synonyms: suited, fitted, appropriate, apt

Antonyms: unsuitable, inappropriate