A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Apoplectical:
1. 1656 BLOUNT Glossogr.,
Apoplectical, pertaining to the
apoplexy. 1668 Lond. Gaz. ccxxvii/2 Dangerously ill of an Apoplectical distemper. 1779
JOHNSON in Boswell (1816) III. 455 Mr. Thrale has been in extreme danger from
an apoplectical disorder.
Approbation:
1.
The action of proving true; confirmation, attestation, proof. Obs.
1393 GOWER Conf. II. 86 With calcination Of verray approbation Do that there be
fixation. 1533 MORE Debell.
Salem Wks. 1006/1 And in approbacion of hys other saying, conclude and say
thus much ferther. 1611 SHAKES. Cymb. I. iv. 134 Would I had put my Estate..on th' approbation of
what I haue spoke. a1718 PENN Life Wks.
1726 I. 152 So great an Approbation of their Impostures.
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Asperity
1. Unevenness of surface, roughness, ruggedness; concr.
in pl. sharp, rough, or rugged
excrescences.
1491 CAXTON Vitas Patr. (W. de W.) I. xxxvii. 50 a/1, Fewe people wente for to
see him, for the grete asprete or sharp~nesse of the place. 1578
LYTE Dodoens 246 Iuyce of Mynte..taketh away the asperitie, and
roughnesse of the tongue. 1662 H.
MORE Antid. Ath. II. xii. (1712) 84 To
view the Asperities of the Moon through a Dioptrick-glass. 1743
tr. Heister's Surg. 396 If any splinters or Asperities of Bones present
themselves. 1830 LINDLEY Nat.
Syst. Bot. 25 Almost all Delimaceæ have the leaves covered with asperities.
Billet:
1.
gen. a. A short written
document; a small paper, notice, or note; a label. Obs.
[1317 in Dugdale Monast.
Angl. I. 654 Secundum quod continetur in quadam billetta inter sigillum
& scriptum ante consignationem affixa.] c1440 Promp. Parv. 36
Bylet, scrowe [v.r. Bille], matricula.
1495 Act 11 Hen. VII, x.
§2 Acquietaunce, writynges, billes, or billettis, wherby it may appere..[that]
the seid Commyssioners..have receyved the somme. 1555 Fardle Facions II.
iv. 142 Thei caried vppon their foreheades..pretie billettes of Paper..these
were called their Philacteries.
b.
A bill of fare. Obs. rare.
1577 HARRISON England II. xv. (1877) 272 Which bill [of dishes] some doo call a
memoriall, other a billet.
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Condign:
1. Equal
in worth or dignity (to). Obs.
c1470
HARDING Chron. LXXXIV. vii, This Kyng
Arthure, to whom none was condigne
Through all the world. 1490 CAXTON How to Die 6 And yet be not the passyons of this world condygne ne
worthy to the glorye to come. 1582 N.
T. (Rhem.) Rom. viii. 18 The passions
of this time are not condigne [Vulg. condignæ, WYCLIF & 16th
C. vv. worthy] to the glorie to come. 1854
S. DOBELL Balder xxiii. 116 Rank after
mingling rank..but each Condign, and in a personality Confest.
2.
Worthy, deserving. Const. of, to
do a thing. a. Of persons. Obs.
(or arch.)
1513 BRADSHAW St. Werburge II. 1744 She hath great honour..As most condigne to
beare the principalite. 1531 ELYOT Gov.
I. xxiv, There shall nat lacke here after condigne writers to registre his actes.
1585 JAMES I Ess. Poesie (Arb.)
37 He of Laurell is conding, Who wysely can with proffit, pleasure ming. 1596
SPENSER F.Q. VII. vi. 11 Her selfe of all that rule she deemed most condigne.
[1833 I. TAYLOR Fanat.
vi. 147 The persuasion that [our fellowmen] are condign objects of such
treatment.]
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Despondency:
The state of desponding; loss of hope and cessation of effort; discouragement;
depression or dejection of the mind. Feeling downcast and disheartened and
hopeless, heartsickness.
Destitute:
1.
Abandoned, forsaken, deserted. Obs.
1382 WYCLIF Rev. xviii. 17 For in oon hour so many richessis ben destitute [Vulg.
destitutæ sunt]. 1480 CAXTON Chron. Eng. ccxxvi. 233 Long large and wyde clothes destytut and
desert from al old honeste and good vsage. 1592
Nobody & Someb. (1878) 350 Great
houses long since built Lye destitute and wast, because inhabited by Nobody. 1593
SHAKES. Lucr. 441 Left their round turrets destitute and pale.
b.
Of persons: Forsaken, left friendless or helpless, forlorn. (Blending at length
with sense 3.)
1513 MORE in Grafton Chron.
(1568) II. 757 If devision, and dissencion of their friendes, had not unarmed
them, and left them destitute. 1530
PALSGR. 310/1 Destytut forsaken, destitue.
1632 SHERWOOD, To leaue destitute, destituer, abandonner en detresse. 1704 COCKER, Destitute,
left forsaken. 1706 PHILLIPS (ed.
Kersey), Destitute, deprived,
bereaved, forsaken, forlorn. 1740
DYCHE & PARDON, Destitute,
helpless, forlorn, forsaken; in want and misery. 1755 JOHNSON, Destitute..2.
Abject, friendless.
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Execrable:
1.
Expressing or involving a curse; hence, of an imprecation: Awful, fearful. Obs.
1382 WYCLIF 2 Pet. ii. 11 Aungels..beren not a
ens
hem the execrable..doom. 1580 BARET Alv.
C 1802 A Cursing and oth execrable. 1622
FLETCHER Sea Voy. II. ii, Did we then..here plant ourselves, With execrable
oaths never to look On man? c1630
in Risdon Surv. Devon §108 (1810) 100 A fearful and execrable curse on all
such as shal deminish..it.
2.
Of persons and things: Deserving to be execrated or cursed; abominable,
detestable.
1490 CAXTON Eneydos iv. (1890) 19 Full of so excecrable cruelte. 1513
MORE Rich. III, Wks. 36/2 The execrable desire of souerayntee, prouoked
him to theire destruccion. c1590
MARLOWE Faust Wks. (Rtldg.) 95/2 Thou execrable dog. 1667 MILTON P.L. XII. 64 O
execrable Son so to aspire Above his brethren. 1703 MAUNDRELL Journ. Jerus.
(1721) 68 It was..shut out of the Walls of the City, as an execrable and
polluted place. 1736 BERKELEY Disc.
Magistrates Wks. III. 427 That execrable Fraternity of Blasphemers, lately
set up within this city of Dublin. 1871
MORLEY Voltaire (1886) 169 He is either a lover of parasites..or else the
most execrable cynic. 1878 TENNYSON Q.
Mary II. ii, A knot of ruffians..With execrating execrable eyes.
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Impunely:
With impunity; without punishment.
1614 T. ADAMS Fatal Banquet i. Wks. 1861 I. 184 The blood of his enemies shall not
be impunely shed. a1711
KEN Hymns Evang. Poet. Wks. 1721 I. 118 Shall he impunely sacred Law
defie? 1715 D. JONES Hist.
House Brunswick 380 A certain Militia Captain..(and that impunedly) order'd
the Musick on his March to play, ‘The
King shall enjoy his Own again’.
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Machination:
The act of plotting. A crafty scheme or cunning design for the accomplishment of
a sinister end.
Malediction:
The calling down of a curse. To slander.
Mediatrix:
A female mediator. (Often applied to the Virgin Mary.)
1462-3 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 270 Pray the vierge immaculat To be good
mediatrix. 1577-87 HOLINSHED Chron.
III. 1183/2 As a meane or mediatrix betweene the parties, there was Christierna
dutchesse of Loraine. 1651 tr. De-las-Coveras' Don Fenise 39 She having confessed herselfe the
mediatrix of their loves. 1738 OZELL Cervantes
9 Certain..Knights..invoking them [their Ladies]..as so many Advocates and
Mediatrixes in their Conflicts and Encounters. 1753 RICHARDSON Grandison
IV. iv. 21 War seems to be declared: And will you not turn mediatrix? Ibid.
IV. xxviii. 175 Mediators and mediatrices. 1781
WARTON Hist. Eng. Poetry III. 493 The
mediatrix of the factions of France. 1846
PUSEY Let. in Liddon, etc. Life
II. 505 The [Roman] system as to the Blessed Virgin as the Mediatrix and
Dispenser of all present blessings to mankind. 1848
THACKERAY Van. Fair xi, The
friendship..lasted as long as the jovial old mediatrix was there to keep the
peace. 1880 MEREDITH Tragic Com. xi (end), Here was the mediatrix
the veritable goddess with the sword to cut the knot!
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Mollify:
b.
to
mollify the fist (? nonce-use): a jocular substitution for ‘to grease
the palm’.
1698 FRYER Acc.
E. India & P. 98 Making the Merchant dance attendance till a right
understanding be created betwixt the Shawbunder and them, which commonly follows
when the Fist is mollified.
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Palliation:
1.
The action of palliating; the cloaking or concealing (of an act, etc.); that
which serves to conceal or hide; a cloak, covering. Obs.
1577 PATERICKE tr. Gentillet
(1602) 228 They make her [justice] serve..as a palliation or coverture, for all
assassi[n]ments, murders, and vengeances. 1649
MILTON Eikon. xxvii. 1660 H. MORE Myst. Godl.
To Rdr. 9 The generality of Christians make the external frame of Religion but a
palliation for sin. 1794 SULLIVAN View
Nat. V. 344 Candour would wish to throw a veil over the failings of an
illustrious character; but deliberately perpetrated crimes have no claim to
palliation.
2.
The action of disguising or seeking to make less conspicuous, the enormity of (a
crime, etc.) by excuses and apologies; extenuation; excuse; often in phrase in
palliation of.
1605 BACON Adv. Learn. II. xi. §3 Herein comes in crookedly and dangerously, a
palliation of a great part of Ceremoniall Magicke. 1766 GOLDSM. Vic. W. xxx,
This..though not a perfect excuse, is such a palliation of his fault as induces
me to forgive him. 1867 FREEMAN Norm.
Conq. I. vi. 570 He could not..invoke even the tyrant's plea of necessity in
palliation of his evil deeds.
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Paralytical:
1586
BRIGHT Melanch. xxiv. 138 The
muscle..receiueth a kynde of paraliticall disposition for the time. 1606
Proc. agst. Late Traitors 392 The state of this..Island..was in a
manner paraliticall. 1650 C.
ELDERFIELD Tythes 89 Many a
paralytical or spasmatical fit. 1788
REID Active Powers II. i. 532 Some
persons have recovered the power of speech after they had lost it by a
paralytical stroke.
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Pragmatical:
Skilled in business, especially in law and state affairs, systematic. Of or
pertaining to business or to affairs; of the nature of business; practical;
material; businesslike in habit or manner.
Repining:
The action of the vb., or an instance of this; discontent, grumbling, fretting.
1550 LEVER Serm. (Arb.) 34 It is not therefore repynyng, rebellyng, or
resistyng gods ordinance, that wyll amende euyll rulers. 1617 MORYSON Itin. I. 266
After some repining he was satisfied therewith. 1663 PEPYS Diary 15 May,
Which the world takes notice of, even to some repinings. 1712 ADDISON Spect. No.
387
2 Repinings, and secret Murmurs of Heart. 1810
CRABBE Borough xxi. 342 Let thy
repinings cease, Oh! man of sin, for they thy guilt increase. 1867
PARKMAN Jesuits N. Amer. i. (1875) 6 Workmen.., who gave him at times no
little trouble by their repinings and complaints.
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Rustic:
A rural person or a person regarded as crude, coarse, or simple.
Sagacious:
1.
Acute in perception, esp. by the sense of smell. Const. of. Obs.
1607 TOPSELL Four-f. Beasts Ep. Ded. A5, The Bees seeke out their King if he
loose himselfe, and by a most sagacious smelling-sence, neuer cease till he be
found out. 1656 BLOUNT Glossogr.,
Sagacious,..quick of scent, taste or sight. 1667 MILTON P.L. x. 281 So
sented the grim Feature, and upturn'd His Nostril wide into the murkie Air,
Sagacious of his Quarry from so farr. 1700
DRYDEN Cock & Fox 751 With Might
and Main they chas'd the murd'rous Fox,..Nor wanted Horns t' inspire sagacious
Hounds. 1732 POPE Ess.
Man I. 214 And hound sagacious on the tainted green.
2.
Gifted with acuteness of mental discernment; having special aptitude for the
discovery of truth; penetrating and judicious in the estimation of character and
motives, and in the devising of means for the accomplishment of ends; shrewd.
1650 BULWER Anthropomet. 145 It would seem a wonder if sagacious Nature should
faulter only in the forming of that part. 1682
SIR T. BROWNE Chr. Mor. I. §6 True
Charity is sagacious, and will find out hints for beneficence. 1704
RAY Creation I. (ed. 4) 95 The Study and Endeavours of the most
sagacious Naturalists. 1756 C. LUCAS Ess.
Waters III. 125 Our very sagacious author found them in this condition. 1781
COWPER Conversat. 742 The world grown
old, her deep discernment shows, Claps spectacles on her sagacious nose. 1794
S. WILLIAMS Vermont 136 He appeared to the greatest advantage, sagacious in
distinguishing and observing. 1849
MACAULAY Hist. Eng. vii. II. 194 He
had been urged by an adviser less sagacious and more impetuous than himself, to
try a bolder course. 1863 GEO. ELIOT Romola
xix, Bardi was entirely under the ascendency of his sagacious and practical
friend.
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Sluicing:
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Veneration:
The highest degree of respect and reverence.