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Benight vs Behight - What's the difference?

benight | behight |

As verbs the difference between benight and behight

is that benight is (label) to overtake with night while behight is (obsolete|transitive) to vow, promise (someone).

benight

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • (label) To overtake with night.
  • (label) (of a traveller etc) To be caught out by oncoming night before reaching one's destination
  • (label) To darken
  • * 1922 XXV, lines 13-14
    • The King with half the East at heel is marched from lands of morning;
    Their fighters drink the rivers up, their shafts benight the air.

    Derived terms

    * benighted * benighter * benightment

    References

    * OED 2nd edition 1989

    behight

    English

    Alternative forms

    * behote

    Verb

    (head)
  • (obsolete) To vow, promise (someone).
  • * 1485 , Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur , Book II:
    • Thenne I behote yow sayd Balyn parte of his blood to hele youre sone with alle.
  • (dialectal, Northern England) To be designated.
    • Wheea behight thee? = What is your name/to whom do you belong?
  • (obsolete) To give in trust; to commit; to entrust.
  • * Spenser
    • The keys are to thy hand behight .
  • (obsolete) To mean, or intend.
  • * Mirror for Magistrates
    • More than heart behighteth .
  • (obsolete) To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be.
  • * Spenser
    • All the lookers-on him dead behight .
  • (obsolete) To call; to name; to address.
  • * Spenser
    • Whom he knew and thus behight .
  • To command; to order.
  • * Spenser
    • He behight those gates to be unbarred.