Definition

bespoke

Bespoke (pronounced bee-SPOHK) is a term used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for an individually- or custom-made product or service. Traditionally applied to custom-tailored clothing, the term has been extended to information technology, especially for software consulting services. Typically, software consulting companies offer packaged (already invented and generally applicable) software and bespoke software for client needs that can't be satisfied by packaged software. In the U.S., bespoke software is often called custom or custom-designed software.

Bespoke is a form derived from bespeak, which was used as early as 1583 to refer to the ordering of goods.

Contributor(s): Jim Kennedy, Ben Ochan, and Simon Smith
This was last updated in June 2005
Posted by: Margaret Rouse

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