behight means A vow; a promise. It carries an Arena rating of 1425, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, behight ranks #2,724 of 12,535 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,923 of 12,546 for Scariest Words, #3,810 of 12,324 for The Improbable, #3,976 of 12,310 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “behight” is a great word
To vow or promise solemnly, or to designate or entrust. From Middle English beheten, bihaten, behoten, from Old English behātan (to promise, vow, pledge oneself, threaten), corresponding to the prefix be- (thoroughly, about) + hātan (to command, call, promise). The noun form is derived from the verb. The word is first attested in Old English. Unlike a “behest,” which is an external command, or a common “vow,” the act to behight is the archaic, personal forging of an oath, a pledge made to oneself as much as to another. It is the knight speaking his troth before a silent altar, the king naming his heir in a candlelit hall, or the trusted weight of a signet ring pressed into another’s palm—the moment a word becomes a chain, fastening the future to a spoken intent.
Etymology
From Middle English beheten, bihaten, behoten (preterite behighte), from Old English behātan (“to promise, vow, pledge oneself, threaten”) (preterite behēhte), corresponding to be- + hight. Cognate with Scots beheit, behecht (“to promise, vow”), Middle High German beheizen (“to promise”).
verb
- To vow, promise (someone).“Thenne I behote yow sayd Balyn parte of his blood to hele youre sone with alle.”
- To be designated.“Wheea behight thee? = What is your name/to whom do you belong?”
- To give in trust; to commit; to entrust.“The keys are to thy hand behight.”
- To mean, or intend.“More than heart behighteth.”
- To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be.“But nathelesse whilst all the lookers on / Him dead behight, as he to all appeard, / All vnawares he started vp anon,”
- To call; to name; to address.“Whom […] he knew and thus behight.”
- To command; to order.“And his well proued weapons to him hent; / So taking courteous conge he behight, / Those gates to be vnbar'd, and forth he went.”