| 释义 |
prepossess, v.|priːpəˈzɛs|
[f. pre- A. 1 + possess.]
1. trans. To take or get possession of beforehand, or before another; to have prior possession of. Now rare.
1614Raleigh Hist. World II. v. iii. §11 408 All passages out of there Campe, Martius hath prepossessed, so that there is no way to escape. 1640Bp. Reynolds Passions xvii. 186 Honours seldome come to us but by the mortality of those that prepossessed them. 1665Manley Grotius' Low C. Warres 349 The Enemy had prepossessed all the places more inward. a1716South Serm. (1744) X. 42 Hope is that which antedates and prepossesses a future good.
†b. refl. with of or with: To possess oneself of beforehand; to take for oneself or make one's own beforehand; also in pass. to be prepossessed. Obs.
a1656Ussher Ann. (1658) 855 Pilate prepossessing himself with his horse and foot at the top of the hill. 1692R. L'Estrange Josephus, Antiq. xiv. viii. (1733) 368 Without more ado they prepossess'd themselves of the Temple. 1738tr. Guazzo's Art Conversation 79 Some..eagerly push for the chief Place, and are mightily chagrin'd if another is prepossessed of that silly Pre-eminence.
2. To possess (a person) beforehand or cause (him) to be preoccupied or pre-engaged with or by a feeling, notion, etc.; to imbue, inspire, or affect strongly beforehand. Chiefly in pass.
1639Fuller Holy War ii. xx. (1840) 75 Being prepossessed with this intent to dispossess him of his place. 1642Milton Apol. Smect. Prol., Wks. 1851 III. 258 Seeking thus unseasonably to prepossesse men of his modesty. 1657North's Plutarch Add. Lives (1676) 16 They were..prepossest with an ill opinion of him. 1730A. Gordon Maffei's Amphith. 288 Having been prepossessed in the Opinion, that they were all equal. 1738tr. Guazzo's Art Conversation 53 They prepossess their Auditors of their own Sincerity,..and under that Covert say the most spiteful Things. 1836Keble Serm. viii. (1848) 201 The Creed..had prepossessed them with these truths, before ever they thought of proving them from Holy Writ. 1862S. Lucas Secularia 375 The result of a disposition by which it [the French nobility] was fatally prepossessed.
†b. with the notion expressed by a clause. Obs.
a1677Hale Prim. Orig. Man. i. ii. 69 This brief Inventory I have here given..to pre-possess the Reader, 1. That [this] is no contemptible or unworthy enquiry. a1732Gay Fables ii. iii. 9 We're prepossest my Lord inherits, In some degree, his grandsire's merits. 1797–8Jane Austen Sense & Sens. xxxiii, Fanny and Mrs. Ferrars were both strongly prepossessed that neither she nor her daughters were such kind of women.
3. spec. To cause (a person) to have a feeling or opinion beforehand against or in favour of a person or thing; to bias, prejudice; now chiefly, To impress favourably beforehand. Chiefly in pass.
1647Trapp Comm. 1 Cor. i. 22 The reason of their rejecting the Gospel is, they are prepossessed against it. 1654Fuller Comm. Ruth (1868) 129 Who have taken bribes to prepossess the Judge. 1700T. Brown Amusem. Ser. & Com. 141 An Outside so Prepossessing us in his Favour. 1846Poe Anthon Wks. 1864 III. 45 An attempt was made..to prepossess the public against his ‘Classical Dictionary’. 1849E. B. Eastwick Dry Leaves 123, I was quite pre-possessed by his appearance. 1866G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. xiii, His talk prepossessed me still more in his favour.
Hence prepoˈssessed ppl. a., possessed by a preconceived idea; prejudiced, biased.
1633Prynne Histrio-M. i. vi. xvi. 549 The sight of one onely Stage-play, though with a prepossessed opinion against it, will draw men on to frequent, applaud, and admire others. 1670Cotton Espernon i. ii. 50 What reasons can prevail with a pre-possess'd, and exasperated multitude? 1774Fletcher Ess. Truth Wks. 1795 IV. 131 Come then my prepossessed brethren, show yourselves the children of Abraham. |