bethink
/bɪˈθɪŋk/
Etymology
From Middle English bethenken, bithenchen (“to think about, consider”) from Old English beþenċan, biþenċan (“to think upon, remind, consider, remember”), from Proto-Germanic *biþankijaną; equivalent to be- + think. Akin to Old High German pidenchan (German bedenken), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (biþagkjan), Dutch bedenken.
bethink means to think about, to recollect. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
bethink is pronounced /bɪˈθɪŋk/.
Why “bethink” is a great word
BETHINK — [Verb] To cause oneself to recall or consider something; to remind oneself and reflect. From Middle English *bethenken*, from Old English *beþenċan*, *biþenċan* ("to think upon, remind, consider"), from the Germanic prefix *be-* ("about, concerning") + *þenċan* ("to think"). Cognate with Old High German *pidenchan* (German *bedenken*) and Gothic *biþagkjan*. First known use before the 12th century. Unlike "ponder," which implies a weighty, sustained meditation, or "recollect," which is a passive retrieval, to bethink is the deliberate act of turning one's attention inward to summon a thought. It is the hand pausing on the doorknob as you remember a forgotten letter, the sudden catching of your own reflection in a dark window, the quiet, willful search for a name that lingers just out of reach—a minor, sovereign command issued to a wandering mind.
verb
- To think about, to recollect.
- To think of (something or somebody) or that (followed by clause); to remind oneself, to consider, to reflect upon.“Baſ[ſanio]. Be aſſured you may. / Iew [i.e., Shylock]. I will be aſſured I may: and that I may be aſſured, I will bethinke mee, may I ſpeake with Anthonio?”
- To meditate, ponder; to consider.
- To determine, resolve.