(pronounced bih-SPEEK)

This is the kind of word you expect to see in Old English texts or your collection of Shakespearian classics, but the word is built for the modern world too. Though it can be used in several ways – to formally address someone, to ask for or hire in advance, to request something, or to foretell or hint at beforehand – its this last, most simple, definition that’s most used today: to indicate or show. Our example sentence should quell any confusion.

Example: The multinational company’s Board of Directors was duly impressed during their final interview of the week. Stated the CEO: “Your extensive portfolio and calm confidence bespeak years of experience in the practice interior design and facility planning. We want to hire you to design our new corporate headquarters.”