bespoke
adjUK /bɪˈspəʊk/ · CA, US /bɪˈspəʊk/
Etymology In sense “custom-made”, 1755, from earlier bespoken (c. 1600), form of bespeak, in sense “arrange beforehand” (1580s), a prefixed variant of speak; compare order, made-to-order.
1
Ireland, UK Made or done in a way adjusted to the needs of a specific person or group (e.g., customer, health care patient, do-it-yourselfer), and thus specialized and, in some cases, unique.
- Near-synonyms: custom-made, tailored, tailor-made, custom-built, purpose-built; see also Thesaurus:custom-made
- Marc Valeric, a Beverly Hills milliner, sold 125 bespoke hats in two weeks to women desperate to dress properly for royal receptions.1983 March 7, Kurt Andersen, “Her Majesty in Mellowland”, in Time:
4 more examples
- Were Athenian pots bespoke, bearing images requested by Etruscans?2001, Robin Osborne, “Why Did Athenian Pots Appeal to the Etruscans?”, in World Archaeology, volume 33, number 2, Taylor & Francis, →JSTOR, page 278:
- People gathered round, since it was something of an event, their MP, in his bespoke pinstripe and red tie, clutching an old Wellington boot and about to hurl it through the air.2004, Alan Hollinghurst, chapter 10, in The Line of Beauty […], London: Picador, →ISBN:
- … others are attempting the more ambitious feat of engineering bespoke human organs from scratch.2012 August 1, Ed Yong, “Replacement Parts”, in The Scientist, archived from the original on 30 Aug 2012:
- There are 436 escalators in the London Underground, and every one is totally bespoke.2016, The Tube: Going Underground, season 1, episode 6:
- a bespoke tailor
- Derived terms
- bespokely, bespokeness