King James Bible Dictionary

BEST, adjective superlative. [Eng.but; ] Literally, most advanced, Hence,

1. Most good; having good qualities in the highest degree; applied indifferently to physical or moral subjects; as, the best man; the best road; the best cloth; the best abilities. This, like most, and other attributes, is often used without its noun, when the noun is obvious; as, men are all sinners; the best of them fail in the performance of duty.

2. Most advanced; most accurate; as the best scholar.

3. Most correct or complete; as the best view of a landscape, or of a subject.

4. The best This phrase is elliptical, and may be variously interpreted; as, the utmost power; the strongest endeavor; the most, the highest perfection; as, let a man do his best; let him do a thing to the best of his power.

5. At best in the best manner, in the utmost degree or extent, applicable to the case; as, life is at best very short.

To make the best of, to carry to its greatest perfection; to improve to the utmost; as, to make the best of a sum of money, or a piece of land. Also, to permit the least possible inconvenience; as, to make the best of ill fortune or a bad bargain.

The best of the way. We had made the best of our way to the city; that is, the most, the greatest part of the distance. [This is the primary sense of the word.]

BEST, adverb In the highest degree; beyond all other; as, to love one best; to like this best; to please best

1. To the advantage; with the most ease; as, 'which instrument can you best use?'

2. With most profit or success; as, money is best employed in manufactures; this medicine will answer best in the present case.

3. Most intimately or particularly; most correctly; as, what is expedient is best known to himself.

BESTA'IN, verb transitive [be and stain.] To mark with stains; to discolor, either the whole surface of a thing, or in spots.

The rendering in Isaiah 8:21, where alone it occurs, of a Hebrew word meaning to oppress, or be in circumstances of hardship.

BESTEAD', verb transitive bested' preterit tense and participle passive bested. [be and stead.] To profit.

How little you bestead

1. To accommodate.

They shall pass through it, hardly bestead Isaiah 8:21.

That is, distressed; perplexed.

2. To dispose.

BES'TIAL, adjective [from beast.]

1. Belonging to a beast, or to the class of beasts.

2. Having the qualities of a beast; brutal; below the dignity of reason or humanity; carnal; as a bestial appetite.

General references
Exodus 22:19; Leviticus 18:23; Leviticus 20:16
Sodomy

BESTIAL'ITY, noun The quality of beasts; the state or manners of man which resemble those of brutes.

1. Unnatural connection with a beast.

BES'TIALIZE, verb transitive To make like a beast.

BES'TIALLY, adverb Brutally; in a manner below humanity.

BESTICK', verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive bestuck. [be and stick.]

To stick over, as with sharp points; to mark, by infixing points or spots here and there.

Truth shall retire, bestuck with slanderous darts.

BESTIR', verb transitive bestur' [be and stir.] To put into brisk or vigorous action; to move with life and vigor; usually with the reciprocal pronoun; as, rise and bestir yourselves.

BESTIR'RED, participle passive Roused into vigorous action; quickened in action.

BESTIR'RING, ppr. Moving briskly; putting into vigorous action.

BEST'NESS, noun The state of being best. [Not used.]

BESTOR, verb transitive [be and stow, a place. See Stow. Literally, to set or place.]

1. To give; to confer; to impart; with the sense of gratuity, and followed by on or upon.

Consecrate yourselves to the Lord, that he may bestow on you a blessing. Exodus 32:1.

Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. 1 Corinthians 13:3.

This word should never be followed by to.

2. To give in marriage; to dispose of.

I could have bestowed her upon a fine gentleman.

3. To apply; to place for the purpose of exertion, or use; as, to bestow our whole force upon an object.

4. To lay out, or dispose of; to give in payment for; as, to bestow money for what we desire. Deuteronomy 14:26.

5. To lay up in store; to deposit for safe keeping; to stow; to place.

I have no room where to bestow my fruits. Luke 12:1.

BESTORM', verb intransitive [be and storm.] To storm; to rage. [Not used.]

BESTOWAL, noun A conferring; disposal. [Little used.

BESTOWED, participle present tense Given gratuitously; conferred; laid out; applied; deposited for safe-keeping.

BESTOWER, noun One who bestows; a giver; a disposer.

BESTOWING, participle present tense Conferring gratuitously; laying out; applying; depositing in store.

BESTOWMENT, noun The act of giving gratuitously; a conferring.

God the father had committed the bestowment of the blessings purchased, to his son.

If we consider this bestowment of gifts in this view.

Whatever may be the secret counsel of his will respecting his own bestowment of saving grace.

1. That which is conferred, or given; donation.

They strengthened his hands by their liberal bestowments on him and his family.

The free and munificent bestowment of the Sovereign Judge.

BESTRAD'DLE, verb transitive To bestride. [See Straddle.]

BESTRAUGHT', adjective Distracted; mad. [Not used.]

BESTREW', verb transitive preterit tense bestrewed; participle passive bestrewed, bestrown. [be and strew.] To scatter over; to besprinkle; to strow.

BESTREW'ED, participle passive of bestrew.

BESTRI'DE, verb transitive preterit tense bestrid; participle passive bestrid, bestridden. [be and stride.]

1. To stride over; to stand or sit with any thing between the legs, or with the legs extended across; as, to bestride the world, like a colossus; to bestride a horse.

2. To step over; as, to bestride a threshold.

Bestriding sometimes includes riding, or defending, as Johnson remarks; but the particular purposes to the act, which depend on the circumstances of the case, can hardly be reduced to definition.

BESTRI'DING, participle present tense Extending the legs over any thing, so as to include it between them.

BESTROWN, participle passive of bestrew. Sprinkle over.

BEST-TEM'PERED, adjective Having the most kind or mild temper.

BESTUCK', participle passive of bestick. Pierced in various places with sharp points.

BESTUD', verb transitive [be and stud.] To set with studs; to adorn with bosses; as, to bestud with stars.

BESTUD'DED, pp. Adorned with studs.

BESTUD'DING, participle present tense Setting with studs; adorning as with bosses.