What is the hearing equivalent of behold?

Question

According to the Oxford definition of behold it only applies to seeing and not to hearing.

be·hold /bəˈhōld/ verb archaic literary
verb: behold; 3rd person present: beholds; past tense: beheld; past participle: beheld; gerund or present participle: beholding
see or observe (a thing or person, especially a remarkable or impressive one). "behold your king!"
synonyms: see, observe, view, look at, watch, survey, witness, gaze at/upon, regard, contemplate, inspect, eye

What is the auditory version of behold?

Related: 'Hark' and 'behold' call attention to what we can hear or see. Is there an equivalent for smell? Now, what's the English word for "A question whose title is the answer to another question"? (^_^) — RegDwigнt, Oct 24 '14 at 18:02

score 52 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 23 '14 at 20:00

52

I'd go with hark.

verb (used without object) 1. to listen attentively; hearken.

answered Oct 23 '14 at 20:00

tylerharms

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In the definition of behold it's explicit that the thing you are beholding is extremely impressive, I don't know if hark's definition is equivalent in that way – aaronman Oct 23 '14 at 20:45
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Contextually, "hark" is reserved for those awesome moments. If someone were just demanding attention, they'd probably say: "listen". – tylerharms Oct 23 '14 at 21:05
@aaronman - "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" would be fairly impressive. – Oldcat Oct 23 '14 at 22:39
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@tylerharms or even "Hey, Listen!" – JustinM Oct 23 '14 at 23:15
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"Hark! The kettle has boiled!" – Mr_Chimp Oct 24 '14 at 13:55
@Oldcat - But who is this guy Herald Angles? – Hot Licks Oct 24 '14 at 16:45
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"All right stop, collaborate and hearken" – AbraCadaver Oct 24 '14 at 20:08

score 12 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 23 '14 at 20:01

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Shakespeare answers this.

Hark, hark! the lark at heaven's gate sings,
And Phoebus 'gins arise,

Cymbeline

A modern equivalent (similar to Look! for Behold!) would be Hear that!

answered Oct 23 '14 at 20:01

Andrew Leach

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score 7 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 24 '14 at 19:11

I'd suggest Oyez!

interjection 1. hear! attend! (a cry uttered usually twice by a court officer to command silence and attention, as before court is in session, and formerly by public criers).

or it's two-word equivalent, Hear ye! Behold is archaic as well, so I see no problem with recommending an auditory analogue that is archaic.

This still is used in courtrooms, and was widely used earlier for delivering spoken messages, generally official notices or even royal proclamations.

So "Oyez, oyez" at some point meant, "Be silent and pay attention, for I will read a proclamation from the King!" Or it could mean, "Be silent and pay attention, so that you don't get arrested for poaching salmon" But generally, you'd want to be silent and pay attention, because even if it was as trivial as an announcement of discounted sugar, you'd miss out if you didn't listen.

For a modern version, I'd recommend "Listen up!"

score 2 · Answer 4 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

I also suggest (though it's as archaic as hark) hist.

(a sibilant exclamation used to attract attention).

an exclamation used to attract attention or as a warning to be silent

exclamation commanding silence, attested from 1610s; probably so chosen because the sound is both easy to hear and suddenly silent.

So "Hist! The King!" would mean "Hey sush, be quiet (and listen): the King has arrived."

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Oct 24 '14 at 20:09

Well, if you are looking for a more colloquial way to phrase this - "feast your ears". "Feast your eyes on..." is often used as a colloquial version of behold and so this is as perfect (albeit slightly improper) as you can get. Although I suspect you might be looking for something slightly more formal - 'hark', as others have suggested, is probably a good bet.

What is the hearing equivalent of behold?

5 Answers5