behest
/bɪˈhɛst
/noun literary
A person’s orders or command: they had assembled at his behest...
- To say what was done was done at the behest of officials is totally incorrect.
- He was merely rebalancing his portfolio, at the behest of his financial adviser.
- The items were sold at the behest of his descendants and fetched much more than the auctioneers had bargained for.
Synonyms
instruction, bidding, request, requirement, wish, desire;
command, order, decree, edict, rule, ruling, directive, direction, charge, will, dictate, demand, insistence, injunction, mandate, precept
informal say-so
rare rescript
Origin
Old English behǣs 'a vow', from a Germanic base meaning 'bid'; related to hight.