| 释义 |
straitness|ˈstreɪtnɪs|
[f. strait a. + -ness.]
1. The quality of being strait, in various senses.
a. Tightness; insufficiency or scantiness of breadth, area, or spatial extent, narrowness.
1382Wyclif 2 Macc. xii. 21 It was vnable to be ouer⁓cummen, and hard in goynge to, for streytnesse of places. c1391Chaucer Astrol. i. §21. 33 For the streitness of thin astrelabie. c1430Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 50 No maryner durst take on hond To cast an anker, for straytnes of passage. c1520Barclay tr. Sallust's Jugurth liv. 76 b, Thus cowde nat the soudyours..contynue togyder at their worke..for strayetnes and dyfficultie of the place. c1530Judic. Urines ii. vii. 27 Another may be by strettenes of y⊇ waies of y⊇ vryne fro y⊇ raines to y⊇ bladder. 1691T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. p. lxxxii, The great straitnes of the River. 1715Leoni Palladio's Archit. (1742) I. 13 In leaving too little space between..Columns, the streightness of the vacancy will make them appear too thick. 1849–50Alison Hist. Europe lxxxviii. §51. XIII. 155 The streets in the old part of the town are narrow,..but their straitness only renders them the more imposing. 1902Buchan Watcher by Threshold 269 He felt the torture of his collar and the straitness of his clothes.
fig.1622Bacon Adv. Holy War Misc. Tracts (1629) 132 It is a great Errour, and a Narrownesse, or Straightnesse of Minde, if any Man thinke, that Nations [etc.]. 1648Eikon Bas. xi. 95 If the straitnesse of my Conscience will not give me leave to swallow down such Camels. 1662W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. iii. xxv. §2. 215 Because of the penury and streightness of these appellations. 1868J. J. S. Perowne tr. Ps. cxxx. 7 Notes, Such is the straitness of our heart,..that it [redemption] far exceeds all our capacity.
†b. Tightness of the chest; difficulty or ‘shortness’ (of breathing). Obs.
1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxiv. (Bodl. MS.) In alle þese is..streitenes of breeþ. c1530Judic. Urines iii. iv. 49 b, If that mater..come to the throte goll, it causeth straethnys and horsenes & grete dysese. Ibid., It causeth cough & streythnes of breth. 1576Baker Gesner's Jewell of Health 72 The water..helpeth the straitnesse of the breast. 1578Lyte Dodoens iii. lxxi. 415 The disease called Asthma, whiche is a straightnesse in drawing of breath. 1580T. Newton Approved Medicines 32 b, The fume of the leaues..healpeth the coughe, & straightnes of winde. 1637Wotton Let. to Sir E. Bacon Reliq. (1672) 467 Since the late cold weather, there is complicated with it a more Asthmatical straitness of respiration then heretofore. 1683Salmon Doron Med. ii. 377 Heart-burning, Sowr Belchings, straightness of Breathing. 1710Fuller Pharmacop. 272 [The Lohoch] is of excellent service against..straitness of Breath. 1725Bradley's Family Dict. s.v. Nightingale, There is another Disease incident to these Birds, which is called the Streightness or Strangling in the Breast.
c. Strictness, rigour, severity.
c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxvii. (Machor) 406 In honest conuersacione & stratnes of relygione. c1460Play Sacram. 737, I shew yow the streytnesse of my greuance. 1551T. Wilson Logic i. G iij b, Christ..byndeth vs to a more straightnesse, that not only we should do none euill, but that also we shoulde consent to none euyll. 1603Shakes. Meas. for M. iii. ii. 269 If his owne life, Answere the straitnesse of his proceeding, It shall become him well. 1772Fletcher Appeal Wks. 1795 I. 183 The straitness of the heavenly rule will soon shew thee how very far gone thy..nature is from original righteousness. a1842Arnold Hist. Rome xliv. (1843) III. 249 The straitness of the blockade could no longer be endured.
†d. Parsimony, stinginess. Obs.
c1460J. Metham Wks. (1916) 94 Yff this cornere be iuste off bothe lynys metyng to-gydyr scharp..yt sygnyfyith couetyse and streytnes in kepyng off money. 1461Paston Lett. II. 38 Ther shal no thyng hurte hym but youre streytnesse of mony to hym. 1653Whitelocke Swed. Amb. (1772) I. 47 This straightnes of the councell raysed many serious thoughts in Whitelocke.
†e. Scantiness, limited amount. Obs.
c1698Locke Cond. Underst. §3 Wks. 1714 III. 391 The Straitness of the Conveniences of Life amongst them. 1725N. Bailey Fam. Colloq. Erasm. (1733) 120 You see, not the Affluence, but the Straitness of my Fortune. 1772[Shrubsole & Denne] Hist. Rochester 105 By the straitness of its income..is this diocese unluckily distinguished from almost every other see in the kingdom.
† f. straitness of time: = ‘straits of time’, strait n. 2 c. Obs. (Very common in the 16–17th c.)
1545R. Ascham Toxoph. i. (Arb.) 48 These two thinges, straytenesse of tyme, and euery man his trade of liuing, are the causes that so fewe men shotes. 1570Dee Math. Pref. A iiij b, Though I haue ben pinched with straightnes of tyme. 1621H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 5 The colleccions are made soe well as the streightnes of the tyme woulde permitte. 1657in Burton's Diary (1828) II. 229 In regard of the straitness of time, you have always let loose that rule by a proviso.
g. Straitened condition (of circumstances). rare.
1740Ld. Harrington Let. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. i. 275 The extreme Streightness of my Family Circumstances. 1829Everett Orat. (1850) II. 13 He was never employed in [public affairs],..the straitness of his circumstances keeping him close to his trade.
†2. concr. A strait place. Obs.
1625Purchas Pilgrims ii. 1124 Where..is the narrowest and streightest passage of the Streight. This streightnesse [Bab-el-Mandeb], of the neighbouring people..is called Albabo.
†3. Want of room. Obs.
1586in J. Morris Troubles Cath. Forefathers (1875) 76 And as many [are] pestered into every chamber as it will receive, by reason of which throng and straitness oftentimes infectious sicknesses do reign amongst vs. 1611Bible Job xxxvi. 16 Euen so would he haue remooued thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitnesse. 1633T. Stafford Pac. Hib. ii. x. 192 The rest of the Armie..lodged there..although with great straightnesse, the place contayning not aboue two hundred houses. 1775Ann. Reg. 137* Having been before much incommoded by the streightness in which they were confined in Boston.
4. Hardship, distress; privation, straitened circumstances. (Cf. 1 g.) arch.
a1340Hampole Psalter xvii. 22 When we suffire fleysly straytnes, he ledis vs in gastly breed. 1436Rolls of Parlt. IV. 498/2 They have suffred right grete streitenesse, as well in their Persones as in their Godes. 1535Coverdale Job xxxvi. 15 The poore delyuereth he out of his straytnesse, and comforteth soch as be in necessite and trouble. 1737Whiston Josephus, Wars vi. ix. §3 An army which..occasioned so great a straitness among them that there came..a famine. 1742T. Barnard Char. Lady E. Hastings 41 Add..free and frequent Remission of Debts, in Cases of Straitness or Insolvency. 1845J. H. Newman Development 302 The need and straitness of the Church had been great. 1879C. Rossetti Seek & Find 211 In these two passages [of the Bible] summer wears an aspect of..hope..; winter, one which forebodes aggravated affliction, straitness, trial.
plural.a1676Hale Hist. Common Law xi. (1713) 212 The Laws of the Twelve Tables..had many other Streightnesses and Hardships which were successively remedied. 1868Browning Ring & Bk. iv. 643 They needs must..publish all abroad The straitnesses of Guido's household life. |