What does bethought mean?
"Bethought" is the past tense and past participle of "bethink," an archaic English verb meaning to recall, reflect upon, or bring something to mind. In its most characteristic form, the reflexive construction — as in "she bethought herself of an old friend" — it describes the act of remembering or considering something after a moment's thought, often implying that the idea arrived deliberately rather than spontaneously. The word carries a distinctly literary, even biblical flavor: it appears frequently in older prose and poetry, where writers used it to mark moments of recollection or resolution. Today, "bethought" survives almost exclusively in formal writing, historical fiction, and quotation from classic texts, lending any passage a deliberate air of antiquity. Readers encountering it should understand it simply as an elevated way of saying "remembered" or "considered," rooted in the same ancient Germanic stock as "think" itself.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'bethink')Past tense and past participle of the archaic verb 'bethink,' meaning to recall or reflect upon something, or (with 'oneself') to consider what one ought to do or say.
- (of 'bethink oneself') to consider, recollect, or call to mind; to think of something after reflection
- (rare) to cause oneself to think about what is best to do or say
"She bethought herself of an old remedy her grandmother had used."
"At last he bethought himself of a letter hidden in his desk."
"Then she bethought her of her promise and turned back."
When Hamlet says he'll 'go pray,' Shakespeare's contemporaries might well have 'bethought themselves' — a verb so literary it now lives almost entirely on the page.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bethought
"Bethought" derives from Old English "bethencan," formed from the prefix "be-" plus "þencan" ("to think"), making it a direct sibling of the modern verb "think." The prefix added a sense of intent or thoroughness to the act of thinking, yielding the meaning "to consider" or "to call to mind." It has been part of English since the earliest recorded periods, appearing in medieval religious and literary prose before settling into its reflexive use in Early Modern English. Its closest relatives are the ordinary verbs "think" and "thank," all descended from the same Germanic root.
Related word forms
How bethought is actually used
Archaic and literary; found chiefly in older literature such as the Bible and classic novels. Always used transitively, typically in the reflexive form 'bethought oneself.' Avoid in modern everyday speech.
Easily confused with bethought
'Besought' is the past tense of 'beseech,' meaning to beg urgently, while 'bethought' is the past tense of 'bethink,' meaning to remember or reflect.