Behoven

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An archaic past participle meaning that something was necessary, proper, or fitting for a particular person to do
2. Old-fashioned wording for something that was required or right to be done by someone in a given situation
3. Obsolete form describing an action that had been needed, becoming, or obligatory for the one concerned

Etymology: "Behoven" is an archaic past participle of "behove," a verb meaning to be necessary or fitting for someone. The verb came into Middle English from Old English "behofian," which was built on "hof," a word for need or usefulness, and the prefix "be-" that often marked a verb as acting upon or affecting something. In its older sense, a thing that "behoved" you was one you needed or ought to do, so the phrase "it behoves me" meant something close to "it is my duty." The participle "behoven" was once a normal way of completing the verb's forms, as in "it had behoven" for "it had been necessary." Over time, the verb faded from everyday speech and survived mainly in formal, legal, and literary writing, where "behoove" (a later spelling that altered the vowel) became the common form. "Behoven" now appears almost exclusively in older texts and archaic styles.

Synonyms: behoove, need