Etymograph

English

behove

Behove comes from Middle English behoven ‘to be necessary or requisite’, from Old English behōfian ‘to need’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘to grab, seize’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1‘to grab, seize’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bihōfōną1‘to benefit, behove, need’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150behōfian1‘to need’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500behoven1‘to be necessary or requisite’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1560behove1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English behove
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1560, John Knox et al., Confessio Fidei Scoticana I. The Scotch Confession of Faith.: “It behooved that the Sonne of God suld descend…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, English behove‘to grab, seize’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bihōfōnąWiktionary, English behove‘to benefit, behove, need’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150behōfianWiktionary, English behove‘to need’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500behovenWiktionary, English behove‘to be necessary or requisite’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1560behoveWiktionary, English behove. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1560, John Knox et al., Confessio Fidei Scoticana I. The Scotch Confession of Faith.: “It behooved that the Sonne of God suld descend…”

The story

The word is cognate with Old Frisian bihōvia (‘to need’), Middle Low German behôven (‘to need’) and Old Saxon *bihōvōn, Dutch behoeven (‘to need’), obsolete German behufen.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘to grab, seize’

had, case, head, except, capital, heavy, cash, captain, catch, accept, capacity, chapter, escape, receive, capable, cable, heavily, chase, capture, achieve, cape, behavior, chef, recipe, reception, occupation, perception, cattle, cabin, chapel, capitol, recipient, haven, capita, hawk, anticipation, anticipate, caption, capsule, susceptible, 176 more

Today it means

verb To befit, to suit.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “behove”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / behove

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