verb
bethink
To consider or ponder something carefully
Where it comes from
Bethink descends from Old English beþencan, formed with be- and þencan, the ancestor of think. Old English and Middle English evidence gives senses including thinking about, considering, remembering, reflecting, and pondering.
How the meaning developed
The word often became reflexive: to bethink oneself is to recall or bring something under consideration. Its inherited strong forms survive in bethought, used for both the past tense and past participle.
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Sources
- Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary: be-þencan
- Middle English Dictionary Entry: bithinken
- Bethink Definition & Meaning
Definitions adapted from Open English WordNet where applicable. License and attribution. Word-history text comes from Lexifour’s sourced social research; pages are assembled automatically, not individually fact-checked on every update.
Updated 2026-09-25. Report a correction.