Behoove, also spelled behove in British English, nowadays is an impersonal verb meaning “it is necessary or proper (for someone to do something).” Behoove comes from Middle English bihoven "to need, be contrained; to be needed or required."  Bihofen, already mostly used as an impersonal verb in Middle English, and it comes from the Old English word behōfian, meaning "to need, require", which in turn comes from the word behōf. 

The earliest known use of the verb behove is in the Old English period (pre-1150).  The word behove is inherited from Germanic.

Examples of behoove used in English: 
* "It would behoove you to study hard and work for the future you desire." 
* "It would behoove the legislature to pass a law behooving citizens to pay their taxes earlier." 
* "He argued that he should have done this beforehand, but neglected that it behooved him to act at once." 
* "It behooved them perhaps to be prepared to make a full exhibit of their principles, giving the ultimatum on which they proposed to stand." 
* "It would behoove us to leave before midday's heat hinders you." 
* "Again it does not behoove the historian to speculate or embroider on the precise significance of the words employed." 
* "With all the articles Celiac.com has published regarding the link between this disease and depression, it would behoove any new celiac to register on a celiac forum and soak up as much advice and sympathy as possible.
* "Better yet, if you find an emo on the street who's style you admire, it may behoove you to find out who their stylist is to avoid a most unnecessary bad hair day."

1 hour ago, drpaladin said:

One might imagine to behoove would be to transform normal feet into hooves. Moo or baa as the case may be.

I just received notice that a discrimination suit is being filed against you by the ASPA and ACLU because you ignored a number of other hooved animal species in your last comment.  It would behoove you to make amends and apologize immediately before you get run over by a reindeer, stampeded by a wild horse, or headbutted by a pissed-off goat, just to name a few of the other hooved creatures you slighted.  I understand that they're so riled up that they are tempted to leave hoof prints all over your body, so do the right thing before it's too late!  😠