What does bethinking mean?
Bethinking is the present participle of the now largely archaic verb "bethink," meaning to ponder, reflect upon, or turn something over in the mind. In its most characteristic historical form, the reflexive "bethink oneself," it means to recollect or call something to mind — or to deliberately set oneself thinking, often about what course of action to take. The prefix "be-" intensifies the base verb "think," a pattern common in Old and Middle English. Though rare in everyday modern speech, the word retains a strong literary pedigree: it appears throughout the King James Bible and in Shakespeare's plays, where characters repeatedly "bethink themselves" at moments of decision. Today, using "bethinking" lends a passage a deliberately formal, antique, or biblical flavor. Writers who want a weightier alternative to "reflecting" or "remembering" may reach for it precisely because of its resonance with earlier centuries of English prose.
verbPresent participle of "bethink": to ponder or reflect upon something; in its chiefly archaic reflexive form ("bethink oneself"), to recollect, remember, or call something to mind.
- To ponder, consider, or reflect upon something (present participle).
- (Archaic, usually reflexive as "bethinking oneself") To recollect, remember, or call something to mind.
- (Archaic, reflexive) To cause oneself to consider, especially with resolve — often rendered "bethink oneself what to do."
"Sitting by the fire that evening, she found herself bethinking the promise she had made years ago."
"He sat alone for an hour, quietly bethinking every choice that had led him there."
"Bethinking herself of her grandmother's advice, she chose patience over anger."
Before "think" stood alone, English speakers said "bethink" — and Shakespeare's characters still do, pausing to "bethink themselves" at the play's most dramatic moments.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bethinking
Bethinking derives from the verb "bethink," formed in Middle English from the Old English prefix "be-" attached to "thencan" (to think), where the prefix adds an intensive or reflexive force. It is cognate with other old "be-" formations and is distantly related to the fossilized expression "methinks" ("it seems to me"), which shares the same ancient root for thinking found across Germanic languages. The reflexive idiom "bethink oneself" became especially common in early modern English, flourishing in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century prose and drama.
Related word forms
How bethinking is actually used
The word is literary and largely archaic in modern usage. The simple transitive sense ("bethinking the matter") is rare; the reflexive construction "bethink oneself of/what/how" is the form most often encountered, particularly in older literature such as the King James Bible and Shakespeare. In contemporary English it survives mainly for deliberate stylistic, biblical, or period effect.
Easily confused with bethinking
"Betrothing" means becoming engaged to marry, while "bethinking" means pondering or recalling a matter.
"Beseeching" means earnestly begging or imploring someone, whereas "bethinking" means reflecting on or remembering something.