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Behove vs Incumbent - What's the difference?

behove | incumbent |

As a verb behove

is to suit; to befit.

As an adjective incumbent is

imposed on someone as an obligation, especially due to one's office.

As a noun incumbent is

the current holder of an office, such as ecclesiastical benefice or an elected office.

behove

English

Alternative forms

*

Verb

(behov)
  • To suit; to befit.
  • * 1803 , , Letter to Benjamin Rush April 21.
    • It behoves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others; or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own.
  • * 1936 , , More Poems , II., lines 11-12:
    • No fire-faced prophet brought me word
    Which way behoved me go.
  • * 2001 January 16, , in the House of Commons Hansard Debates for 16 Jan 2001 (pt 23),
    • It behoves the Government to take note of that.
  • * 2003 November 3, , “Resistance is the first step towards Iraqi independence”, ] [[wikipedia:The Guardian, The Guardian] ,
    • Nor does it behove western commentators whose countries are occupying Iraq to lay down conditions for those opposing it.

    incumbent

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Imposed on someone as an obligation, especially due to one's office.
    • Proper behavior is incumbent on all holders of positions of trust.
  • * Sprat
    • All men, truly zealous, will perform those good works that are incumbent on all Christians.
  • Lying; resting; reclining; recumbent.
  • * Sir H. Wotton
    • two incumbent figures, gracefully leaning upon it
  • * Addison
    • to move the incumbent load they try
  • (botany, geology) Resting on something else; in botany, said of anthers when lying on the inner side of the filament, or of cotyledons when the radicle lies against the back of one of them.
    • (Gray)
  • (zoology) Bent downwards so that the ends touch, or rest on, something else.
    • the incumbent toe of a bird
  • Being the current holder of an office or a title.
    • If the incumbent senator dies, he is replaced by a person appointed by the governor.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The current holder of an office, such as ecclesiastical benefice or an elected office.
  • *2012 , The Economist, 06 Oct 2012 issue, The first presidential debate: Back in the centre, back in the game
  • *:Mr Obama’s problems were partly structural. An incumbent' must defend the realities and compromises of government, while a challenger is freer to promise the earth, details to follow. Mr Obama’s odd solution was to play both ' incumbent and challenger, jumping from a defence of his record to indignation at such ills as over-crowded classrooms and tax breaks for big oil companies.
  • (business) A holder of a position as supplier to a market or market segment that allows the holder to earn above-normal profits.
  • *2012 , , Sep 29th 2012 issue, Schumpeter: Fixing the capitalist machine
  • *:American capitalism is becoming like its European cousin: established firms with the scale and scope to deal with a growing thicket of regulations are doing well, but new companies are withering on the vine or selling themselves to incumbents .

    • See also

    * ("incumbent" on Wikipedia) ----