Befit

Befit is a verb meaning to be appropriate or proper for a particular person, thing, or occasion; to be suitable or fitting. It is most commonly used in formal or literary contexts to describe what is appropriate or not for a situation. For example, The ceremony befits the solemn occasion. The phrase It does not befit him to boast is another classic, though more archaic in modern speech.

Grammatically, befit is a standard verb with present tense forms such as befits (third person singular) and past forms such as befitted. The past tense is typically befitted in formal use, though befitted is also found in many texts. The verb can be used transitively, often with a noun phrase as the thing that is befit: The conduct befits a leader; The attire befits the event.

Usage and connotation: befitting language is older, more ceremonial, and is frequently encountered in literature, religious writings, or formal prose. In everyday contemporary English, speakers more often use synonyms such as suit, be appropriate for, or be suitable for. The expression befit emphasizes propriety or moral or social suitability, rather than mere usefulness.

Etymology and related forms: befIt likely originates from the be- prefix attached to the base form fit, a sense related to suitability. The precise historical roots are uncertain, but the word has been part of English since the medieval period. Related noun forms include befittingness, though such forms are rare in ordinary modern usage.

See also: befit, suit, appropriate, proper, propriety.