v. t. [ imp. Behight; p. p. Behight, Behoten. ] [ OE. bihaten, AS. behātan to vow, promise; pref. be- + hātan to call, command. See Hight, v. ] [ Obs. in all its senses. ] 1. To promise; to vow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Behight by vow unto the chaste Minerve. Surrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To give in trust; to commit; to intrust. [ 1913 Webster ]

The keys are to thy hand behight. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To adjudge; to assign by authority. [ 1913 Webster ]

The second was to Triamond behight. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To mean, or intend. [ 1913 Webster ]

More than heart behighteth. Mir. for Mag. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be. [ 1913 Webster ]

All the lookers-on him dead behight. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To call; to name; to address. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whom . . . he knew and thus behight. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To command; to order. [ 1913 Webster ]

He behight those gates to be unbarred. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A vow; a promise. [ Obs. ] Surrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A variant of Height. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ imp. Hight, Hot p. p. Hight, Hote (&unr_;), Hoten (&unr_;). See Hote. ] [ OE. heiten, highten, haten, hoten; also hight, hatte, hette, is called, was called, AS. hātan to call, name, be called, to command, promise; also hātte is called, was called; akin to G. heissen to call, be called, bid, Goth. haitan to call, in the passive, to be called. ] 1. To be called or named. [ Archaic & Poetic. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the form hight, it is used in a passive sense as a present, meaning is called or named, also as a preterite, was called or named. This form has also been used as a past participle. See Hote. [ 1913 Webster ]

The great poet of Italy,
That highte Dante. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bright was her hue, and Geraldine she hight. Surrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

Entered then into the church the Reverend Teacher.
Father he hight, and he was, in the parish. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Childe Harold was he hight. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To command; to direct; to impel. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

But the sad steel seized not where it was hight
Upon the child, but somewhat short did fall. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To commit; to intrust. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet charge of them was to a porter hight. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To promise. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He had hold his day, as he had hight. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. That which heightens. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Variant of Height. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Hoity-toity. [ 1913 Webster ]