conceptionn.

Brit.

/kənˈsɛpʃn/, U.S.

/kənˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/

Forms: Middle English concepcioun, Middle English concepciun, Middle English consepcioun, Middle English–1500s concepcion, Middle English–1500s concepcyon, Middle English–1500s consepcion, Middle English–1600s conceptyon, Middle English– conception, 1600s concepsion; also Scottish pre-1700 concepcioune, pre-1700 concepcoun, pre-1700 conceptyown, pre-1700 conseptioune.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French conception; Latin conceptiōn-, conceptiō.

Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman concepcioun, concepciun, Anglo-Norman and Middle French concepcion, conception (French conception ) action of conceiving, or fact of being conceived, in the womb (a1150, originally with reference to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary), child, fetus, offspring (13th cent.), mental capacity, comprehension (1315), idea, mental image (second half of the 15th cent.), opinion, point of view (a1462 in selon ma concepcion ), design, plan, something which is created in the mind (a1506), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin conceptiōn-, conceptiō action of conceiving in the womb, fact of having conceived, pregnancy, comprehensive system, complex, mental concept, idea, in post-classical Latin also intention, plan (Vulgate), comprehension, grasp (4th cent.), (in grammar) syllepsis of various kinds, such as use of a singular subject with a plural verb or the inclusion of the first person with the second (from 4th cent. in grammarians) < concept- , past participial stem of concipere conceive v. + -iō -ion suffix¹. Compare Old Occitan conceptio (14th cent.), Catalan concepció (14th cent.), Spanish concepción (a1260), Portuguese conceição (1364), Italian concezione (a1306), all earliest in sense 1a.In sense 3b probably after French Conception (1639 or earlier in this sense, chiefly in filles de la Conception; probably after Spanish Concepción (late 16th cent. in this sense)).

I. Senses relating to the conception of offspring.

a. The action of conceiving offspring in the womb; the fact of being conceived in this way.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > conceive [verb (transitive)]

onfangOE

underfoa1100

afanglOE

understandc1200

underfonga1300

conceptionc1350

conceivea1400

concept1603

c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 117 (MED) Þe furste [joy] was wyþ concepcioun, Þo þe angel gabryel come a-doun.

1485–6 W. Caxton tr. Laurent Ryal Bk. cxlvii. sig. sj Man..is moche foule and made of foule seed in his concepcyon. a foule sacke ful of dunge in his lyf. & mete to wormes after his deth.

a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 205 He enterid..in to the wombe of oure seint marie the virgine; & þere he lay fro tyme of his consepcion vnto the tyme of his nativite.

1545 T. Raynald in tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde i. sig. E.v In tyme of conception of the seede.

1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 394 The seede..receiueth not fashion presently vpon the conception, but remaineth for a time without any figure.

1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια iv. xiv. 232 Conception is nothing els but the wombs receiuing and imbracing of the seede.

1687 E. Settle Refl. Dryden's Plays 51 Little less Poetical, then Parsly-beds for the conception of Children.

a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 60 The virtue of them was to help conception, being laid under the Genial Bed.

1795 C. Caldwell tr. J. F. Blumenbach Elements Physiol. II. xli. 139 An albuminoid drop..appears to be indeed the principal fluid which the female contributes towards the process of conception.

1830 R. Knox tr. P. A. Béclard Elements Gen. Anat. 287 At the second month after conception [the head]..forms half the height of the body.

1854 Western Jrnl. Med. & Surg. 1 121 The changes that take place in the uterus shortly after conception.

1939 Life 13 Mar. 27/1 Born..eight months after conception, he was rushed from delivery room to premature babies' ward.

2012 S. Schwarz & K. Latimer Understanding Abortion vi. 50 Perinatology..cares for its patients from conception to about one year after birth.

b. figurative. The action of first coming into being.

ΚΠ

1613 R. Rogers et al. Garden of Spirituall Flowers: 2 Pt. (new ed.) sig. H^v Peter, first denied Christ faintly: secondly, with an Oath: thirdly, with cursing and swearing; wherefore, kill sinne in the conception.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) i. ii. 106 Ioy had the like conception in our eies, And at that instant, like a babe sprung vp.

1989 Omni Aug. 68/3 Like other volcanologists studying the geology of volcanoes from conception to extinction, Wright works in the field with active and even erupting volcanoes.

†2. That which is conceived in the womb; an embryo, fetus; a child, offspring. Also figurative. Obsolete.false conception: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun]

bairn830

childOE

foodc1225

whelp?c1225

birtha1325

first-begottenc1384

conceptiona1398

impc1412

heir1413

foddera1425

fryc1480

collop?1518

increase1552

spawn1589

under-bougha1661

prognate1663

chickadee1860

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > embryo or fetus > [noun]

childOE

birtha1325

fruit of the loinsa1340

conceptiona1398

fetusa1398

embryona1400

feture1540

embryo1576

womb-infant1611

Hans-in-kelder1640

geniture1672

shapeling1674

pudding1937

a bun in the oven1951

preborn1980

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. cxci. 1087 Seed þerof casteþ out concepcioun of wommen.

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 388 Þis concepcion with kyngis sal be callid here-efter A verra victor a-vansid.

1540 R. Jonas in tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde iii. f. lxxix^v Whether the Conception be male or female.

1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. viii. f. 132^v Women with chylde, perceauynge that they shall brynge foorth such as shal be slaues to the Christianss, vse medecines to destroy theyr conception.

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. ii. 4 Being thus deluded before the fall, it is no wonder if their conceptions were deceitfull, and could scarce speake without an error after.

1651 N. Bacon Contin. Hist. Disc. Govt. xxvi. 199 Henry the Eight was a conception, in whom the two Bloods of Yorke and Lancaster did meete.

1682 T. Gibson Anat. Humane Bodies i. xxxiii. 191 According to the different degrees of perfection that an Ovum passes from a Conception to a Foetus ready for the birth, it is nourished diversly.

1710 tr. C. Quillet Callipædiæ ii. 65 The Left is weak, and thence, as says the Wife, on the Right-side the Male Conception lyes.

1821 R. Southey Vision of Judgem. iii. 11 Some accursed conception..Ripe for its monstrous birth.

a. The fact or instance of the Virgin Mary's being conceived.Usually with reference to her being conceived without original sin; see Immaculate Conception n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > [noun]

conceivinga1382

conceptiona1400

birtha1425

conceita1500

incarnation1548

bagging1611

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 220 Þe last resun of alle þis ron Sal be of hir concepcion.

1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) 1st Prol. 5 So meruelous clene concepcion and holy byrthe.

1592 A. Willet Synopsis Papismi 403 The feasts of the Annuntiation, and Purification, may much better be receiued, because they belong and are referred vnto Christ, then the other festiuities, of the assumption and conception of Mary, the institution whereof was most superstitious.

1619 T. Preston Roger Widdringtons Last Rejoynder xv. 528 The immaculate, pure, and holy conception of the blessed Virgin.

1623 ‘T. G.’ Friers Chron. sig. C2^v In Spaine..the doctrine of the conception of our Lady without sinne, and assumption into Heauen, is newly divulged and ratified.

1712 W. Rogers Cruising Voy. 42 The Day kept for the Conception of the Virgin Mary, and a high Day of Procession.

1785 H. Shuttleworth Lect. Creed Pope Pius IV i. 21 Romish tradition again acquaints us of the immaculate conception; that the Blessed Virgin was conceived without sin.

1853 W. Meagher Life Rev. D. Murray App. 55 Appearance of the Church of the Conception [in Dublin] at his month's-mind.

1893 Catholic News 11 Nov. 2/3 The stainless Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

1904 Irish Eccles. Rec. Dec. 498 At a very early period the Greek Church kept the feast of the Conception on December 9th.

2000 S. J. Boss in A. Hastings et al. Oxf. Comp. Christian Thought 414/1 Proverbs 8: 22–31 came to be the lection for the feast of Mary's conception.

b. An order of Roman Catholic nuns. Also in Order of the (Immaculate) Conception. Now rare and chiefly historical.The full name of the order is the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was founded by St Beatrice de Silva in Italy in 1484.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > church government > monasticism > religious order > other religions > Immaculate Conception > [noun]

Order of the (Immaculate) Conception1661

1661 in Publ. Catholic Rec. Soc. (1910) 8 236 Sister Alexious of the Conception alias Mary Penne.

c1704 in Publ. Catholic Rec. Soc. (1911) 9 377 Y^e abbess of y^e Conception Nunns heere in Paris.

1797 Abbé Mann in Archaeologia (1800) 13 270 Angela Jerningham and six others of those nuns..put themselves under the rules of the order of the Conception.

1840 Archaeologia 28 193 (title) The late English Convent at Paris of the Order of the Conception, commonly called the Blue Nuns.

1963 A. Eustis tr. F. Chevalier Land & Society Colonial Mexico vii. 252 This last convent belonged to the Order of the Immaculate Conception.

1998 N. Mayberry in F. A. De Armas Star-crossed Golden Age 85 Beatriz's order, officially called in the papal bull the order of the Conception, was the first such order permitted.

†4. The generation or production of plants or minerals; fertilization. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > minerals > [noun] > generation or formation of mineral

conception1667

mineralization1757

the world > plants > by growth or development > [noun] > generation or evolution

conception1667

phytogenesis1847

phytogeny1850

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 512 In a moment up they turnd Wide the Celestial soile, and saw beneath Th' originals of Nature in thir crude Conception .

1670 J. Evelyn Sylva (ed. 2) i. i. 6 The old remainders of Roots, and latent Stumps..sowre the ground, and poyson the Conception.

1705 Hist. Wks. Learned July 405 If this Proof were alone, it would signify little, but the manner of the Conception of Plants gives it great weight.

1744 Lit. Jrnl. 1 154 The Time necessary for that Particle of Seed to appear from its Conception to it's Maturity.

II. Senses relating to imagination or thought.

a. In general use: the action or faculty of imagining or conceiving something in the mind; the forming or creation of a mental image, idea, or concept of anything; imagination. Now rare except in beyond (also past) (all) conception at Phrases 1.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > [noun]

conceptiona1387

conceitc1405

conceptiveness1819

conceptuality1836

representationa1856

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > [noun]

sightc1175

thoughtc1175

imagination1340

thinking1340

conceptiona1387

imaginativea1398

phantasm1490

concept1536

fetch1549

conceit1556

conceiving1559

fancy1581

notion1647

fantastic1764

ideality1815

ideoplasty1884

phantastikon1917

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > [noun] > forming of ideas

thoughta1325

conceptiona1387

conceiving1559

conceiting1563

surmise1592

apprehension1597

realization1797

ideation1818

conceptualization1866

conceptualizing1897

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > [noun] > act of imagining

imagination1340

conceptiona1387

imaginingc1430

suppositiona1529

conceiving1559

picturing1562

conceiting1563

fancy1581

forgery1582

surmise1592

imagery1595

imaging1648

ideation1818

envisagement1877

visualizing1880

envisaging1883

visualization1883

envisioning1938

projecting1960

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 201 Swiftnes of þouȝtes and chaungynge of witte in þe concepcioun [L. conceptu].

?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) v. pr. v. l. 4914 Þan is þe consepcioun [L. conceptionem] of resoun veyn and fals whiche þat lookeþ and comprehendiþ þat þat is sensible and synguler as uniuersele.

1544 A. Cope Hist. Anniball & Scipio xliii. sig. U.iii^v This fayned inuention of his conception, and the superstitious myndes of the people towarde hym, he woulde nother affyrme to be true, nother saye they were false and vntrewe.

1599 J. Davies Nosce Teipsum 85 As if beasts conceiud what Reason were, And that conception should distinctly show.

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica vi. viii. 315 The one being too weake for our conception, our conception too weake for the other.

1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing v. 50 Of as difficult a conception, as the former.

1792 E. Burke Let. 19 Feb. in Corr. (1844) III. 419 He is a great man, eloquent in conception and in language.

1848 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters (ed. 2) II. ii. ii. 141 The distinctness of his powers of conception will give value, point, and truth to every fragment that he draws from memory.

1907 Interstate Med. Jrnl. Nov. 906 While throughout the lower grades of intelligence, concrete objects and acts are reproduced in thought, and the imagination is thus almost exclusively reminiscent, the further development of the power of conception implies a continually wider range of thoughts, more numerous and more varied and involved.

b. spec. in Philosophy. The action or faculty of forming an image or idea of a particular individual thing (whether present or absent, real or imaginary). Now somewhat rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition

conception1650

cognition1651

reflection1690

gnostology1846

cognizing1862

gnosiology1899

1650 T. Hobbes Humane Nature xi. 136 All evidence is conception..and all conception is imagination, and proceedeth from Sense.

1655 Duchess of Newcastle Philos. & Physical Opinions clx. sig. R3 The sensitive innated matter prints figures in the brain, and the rational innated matter creates figures in the brain after its own invention, which are imagination and conception, wherein are made imaginary worlds.

1740 I. Watts Logick (ed. 7) i. i. 8 If I were to distinguish them, I would say Perception is the Consciousness of an Object when present; Conception is the forming an Idea of the Object whether present or absent.

1792 D. Stewart Elem. Philos. Human Mind I. iii. 144 By Conception, I mean that power of the mind, which enables it to form a notion of an absent object of perception; or of a sensation which it has formerly felt.

1874 W. Wallace tr. G. W. F. Hegel Logic i. 4 The specific phenomena of feeling, perception, desire and will, as far as they are known, may be in general described under the name of Conception.

2001 K. D. Magnus Hegel & Symbolic Mediation of Spirit i. 16 Hegel..identifies the activity of conception with the creation of intuitions.

c. Philosophy. The action or faculty of grasping or creating a general idea or concept.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition > concept > forming

conception1818

1818 S. T. Coleridge Gen. Introd. or Treat. on Method 10 in Encycl. Metrop. I There are many marked differences between mathematical and physical studies; but in both a previous act and conception of the mind..is indispensably necessary.

1830 S. T. Coleridge On Constit. Church & State 4 A conception consists in a conscious act of the understanding, bringing any given object or impression into the same class with any number of other objects, or impressions, by means of some character..common to them all.

a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1860) III. vii. 120 Conception..expresses the act of comprehending or grasping up into unity the various qualities by which an object is characterised.

1903 Mind 12 32 A diagram can only serve as an aid to mental conception; it does not directly show forth the real order.

2011 F. C. Beiser German Historicist Trad. iv. 189 He wields his powers of conception, which grasp all these details into a meaningful whole.

a. Anything conceived or imagined in the mind, an idea, a mental representation; a mental image, idea, or concept of anything. Now chiefly Philosophy.Sometimes with allusion to sense 2.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > idea, notion, or concept > [noun]

thoughtOE

thingOE

conceita1393

imagea1393

concept1479

conception1526

suppositiona1529

idee1542

idea1585

conceivement1599

project1600

representationa1602

notion1607

phantasma1620

conceptus1643

species1644

notice1654

revolution1675

representamen1677

vorstellung1807

brain-stuff1855

ideation1876

think1886

artefact1923

construct1933

mind1966

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition > concept

conception1526

concept1561

conceit1576

representationa1602

notion1607

dicible1656

pseudo-concept1866

cogitatum1878

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. hiii Whiche sayd spyrituall chyldre been the spyrituall concepcions of the mynde.

1567 G. Fenton tr. M. Bandello Certaine Tragicall Disc. sig. ll.v^v The harte..dothe ymparte the greatest charge to the eyes, as to the faythful messengers of the secrett conceptions of the mynde.

1650 T. Hobbes Humane Nature i. 4 There be in our Minds continually certain Images or conceptions of the things without us.

1692 W. Congreve Incognita Pref. sig. A6 The Drama is..the Midwife to Industry, and brings forth alive the Conceptions of the Brain.

1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 73. ⁋6 I had not enlarged my conceptions either by books or conversation.

1762 Ld. Kames Elements Crit. III. App. 379 I see two men..the consciousness I have of them is a perception: but the consciousness I have of their relation as father and son, is termed a conception.

1803 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) II. 991 He..delivers himself of almost all his conceptions with a Forceps.

a1863 R. Whately Misc. Remains (1864) 92 It is a conception, not perception, that we have of anything not in actual present existence.

1905 Bible Rev. Sept. 551 All conceptions are capable of coming to birth.

1953 S. K. Langer Introd. Symbolic Logic (ed. 2) iii. 66 The distinction between these two terms—‘conception’ for the mental image or symbol, ‘concept’ for the abstractable, public, essential form.

1995 A. C. Grayling in J. Biro & P. Kotatko Frege: Sense & Ref. 82 A conception is a way of thinking about a concept (or about the objects falling under it).

b. An opinion, notion, or view; a supposition.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > [noun] > a view, notion, opinion

thingOE

thoughtc1300

opinion1340

device1393

holdingc1449

opinationc1475

sense1539

apprehension1579

suppose1587

supposal1589

conception1603

notion1603

opining1611

tenet1631

respect1662

sentiment1675

perception1701

1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 26 The true and safe conceptions [Fr. opinions] which we ought to have as touching the Gods.

1678 A. Marvell Let. 13 Apr. in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 301 Your further conceptions intimated in yours of the 8^th.

1756 in H. Wood Coll. Decrees Court Exchequer in Tithe-causes (1798) II. 531 He had offered to pay her the fifteen shillings in lieu of the tithes growing upon the Upper Hoath, under a conception that it was due as an ancient rate in lieu of tithes.

1789 Parl. Reg. 1781–96 XXVI. 218 Mr. Drake remarked that..he had consented to a call of the House, from the conception that it would have insured a tolerably full attendance.

1874 A. H. Sayce Princ. Compar. Philol. vi. 245 The undeveloped conceptions that lay implicit in it have been severally marked off one from the other.

1955 G. Grigson Englishman's Flora 265 A conception that the cowslip sprang up in the meadow wherever a cow had lifted its tail.

1991 Outrage Feb. 4/2 The common conception that Hamlet is a wimp.

†c. Something imagined; a fanciful notion; a fancy. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > faint, imperfect idea > [noun] > unfounded

fancy1471

idea1593

conception1614

figment1624

hypothesis1625

notional1653

unding1932

1614 R. Brathwait Schollers Medley 68 Producing vnheard of miracles (meere conceptions of the braine) phanaticke Chymeras.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iii. iv. 153 Pray heauen it be..no conception, nor no iealous toy Concerning you.

d. An understanding or comprehension of something; an ability to conceive or imagine a specified thing. Also: a notion, an inkling. Frequently in negative contexts.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > faint, imperfect idea > [noun]

glimmeringc1380

glimpse1570

impression1613

sense1655

idea1712

conception1796

feeling1811

glimmer1837

a gleam (also glint, twinkle) in a person's eye1934

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > [noun] > understanding, comprehension > of something

intelligencec1429

sense1483

understanding1548

resentmenta1638

sensationa1659

conception1796

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > [noun] > slight knowledge

inkling1546

inkleth1568

umbrage1669

notion1698

conception1796

1796 J. Strutt Compl. View Dress & Habits People of Eng. I. i. ii. 20 The Coverchief..manifests some conception of grace and elegance in the artist.

1842 C. Dickens Let. 31 Jan. (1974) III. 43 I can give you no conception of my welcome here.

1898 L. F. Field Introd. Study Renaissance v. 175 Of the mechanism of a play he seems to have had little conception.

1925 L. O'Flaherty Informer xiii. 211 He had no conception of politics or of any problem other than hurling, football..and pitch and toss.

2005 J. M. Coetzee Slow Man xiii. 85 You have no conception of who I really am.

a. A product of the inventive faculty; a design, a plan; an original idea for a work of art, etc.Sometimes with allusion to sense 2.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [noun] > creative design or product

findalOE

ideaa1586

conception1587

creationa1616

birth1625

brainchild1631

constructurea1652

notion1742

construction1796

baby1890

1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. v. 58 The reasonable life hath his conceptions [Fr. conceptions] and breedings..wee commonly terme the doings or actions thereof by the name of Conceptions [Fr. conceptions] or Conceyts, after which maner the learned sort doe call their bookes their Children.

1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 308 I haue a yong conception in my braine.

1761 C. Churchill Rosciad 25 Just his [sc. Sheridan's] conceptions, natural and great; His feelings strong, his words enforced with weight.

1801 J. B. Burges Richard I II. ii. 82 Their host would broach his politics unsound, His sarcasms on establishments would cast, And drink to the success of his conceptions vast.

1843 W. H. Prescott Hist. Conquest Mexico II. v. vi. 434 It was a bold conception, that of constructing a fleet to be transported across forest and mountain before it was launched.

1883 19th Cent. Feb. 223 The element of satire that underlies Shakespeare's conception of the part of Benedick.

1955 O. Keepnews & W. Grauer Pict. Hist. Jazz xi. 117 They made much use of jazz and semi-jazz conceptions in their dance music.

2002 B. Risebero Story Western Archit. (ed. 3) 200 The High Level Bridge over the Tyne at Newcastle..was..a daring conception.

†b. A fanciful, ingenious, or witty expression, metaphor, turn of thought, etc.; a conceit. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > fancy or fantastic notion > [noun] > fanciful expression

conceita1522

conception1643

concetto1692

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > ornateness > [noun] > use of conceits > conceit

crink1534

conceit1589

knack1605

conception1643

concetto1692

1643 Good Newes All Quarters Kingdome 2 We must not stifle the birth, or the Poets witty conception, which is this; That the bright starre in the North, is quite extinct now by New-Castle, and shall be of no more use to Souldier or Mariner.

1693 J. Dryden Disc. conc. Satire in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires p. xiv Your Thoughts are always so remote from..the Conceptions of other Poets.

1735 L. Theobald Fatal Secret Pref. sig. A5 His [sc. Webster's] Conceptions were so eccentric, that we are not to wonder why we cannot ever trace him.

1785 T. Warton in J. Milton Poems (new ed.) Pref. p. xv But what are these conceptions [of Cowley's]? Metaphysical conceits, all the unnatural extravagancies of his English poetry.

†c. The spontaneous forming and utterance of prayer. Obsolete.See note at conceived adj. 1b.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > prayer > kinds of prayer > [noun] > spontaneous framing and utterance of

conception1655

1655 H. Ferne Compend. Disc. upon Case xix. 99 The Form or Expression of a Prayer, whether Set, or Extemporary Conception, is equally of mans Invention.

1661 Grand Deb. Rev. & Alteration Bk. Common Prayer 57 Conceptions of Prayer by a publick person..are not to be rejected as private Conceptions.

d. The action of devising, designing, planning something. in conception: in the way something has been conceived.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [noun] > operation of

conceit1576

creation1604

fiction1605

commentation1652

contrivance1699

conception1771

coining1858

1771 J. Reynolds Disc. Royal Acad. Dec. 14 1770 15 There is a nobleness of conception, which goes beyond any thing in the mere exhibition.

1822 T. Webster Imison's Elem. Sci. & Art (new ed.) II. 396 In the conception of this ideal picture, all the little circumstances should be contrived, etc.

1859 C. Heavysege Saul (ed. 2) iii. v. ix. 288 Prompt my deeds Shall be henceforth, and close on the conception.

1915 W. H. Wright Mod. Painting 257 His well-known L'Homme au Balcon appears to us today almost Futuristic in conception.

1977 C. Wilkinson in Architect 134 It was the conception of the work that mattered rather than the construction.

2002 Observer 3 Nov. (Sport Monthly Suppl.) 35/3 In conception, Göran's plan was brilliant.

8. A general or universal concept. Chiefly Philosophy. Sometimes (esp. in early use) in general conception in the same sense.A spec. use of sense 6a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > idealism > [noun] > Kantianism > elements of

conception1701

schematism1794

categorical imperative1796

intuition1796

matter1796

receptivity1796

schema1796

dialectic1797

multifarious1798

reciprocity1799

form1803

synthesis1817

Anschauung1820

manifold?1822

category1829

modality1836

multiplex1836

predicable1838

multiple1839

multiplicity1839

presentmenta1842

elanguescence1855

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition > concept > general

conception1701

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical classification > [noun] > logical concept > general concept

notiona1398

generalty1442

intention?1545

concept1561

conceit1576

conceptus1643

conception1701

1701 N. Grew Cosmol. Sacra ii. v. 52 Theoremick Truth, or that which lies in the Conceptions we have of Things.

1785 T. Reid Ess. Intellect. Powers v. ii. 444 General terms..do not signify any individual, but what is common to many individuals; therefore we have distinct conception of things common to many individuals—that is, we have distinct general conceptions.

1843 J. S. Mill Syst. Logic II. ii. 219 We get the conception of an animal..by comparing different animals.

1889 E. Caird Crit. Philos. Kant I. 289 The object of a conception is universal, of a perception, individual.

1902 J. M. Baldwin Dict. Philos. & Psychol. II. 325/2 Kant undertook to set up his own ‘predicables of the pure understanding’, which were to be derivative conceptions under the categories.

2012 M. Winter Rethinking Virtue Ethics v.132 McDowell thinks that only an entire conception of how to live can serve the function of expressing a conception of how to act that a kind person would have.

†III. Other senses.

9. Grammar. A construction in which one case, gender, number, or person takes precedence over or contains another. Cf. conceive v. 12, syllepsis n. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > gender > [noun] > combination of genders

conceptionc1450

c1450 in D. Thomson Middle Eng. Grammatical Texts (1984) 181 How knowest concepcion of gendre? A joynyng togedre of the nounes substantyfys of diuerse gendre in reward of an adiectyf plurell.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. sig. C.iiii So moche attayne they towardes the parfection of the latine tonge..that they use also conceptyon, bothe in gendre and parsone.

Phrases

P1. beyond (also past) (all) conception and variants: (so as to be) difficult to imagine; inconceivable.

ΚΠ

1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. iii. xi. 615 Of such [things] as are beyond his conception and of a supernaturall effect.

1655 W. London Civil Wars France vi. 130 A bloody and terrible spectacle would be shewed beyond present conception.

1726 J. Swift Gulliver II. iii. iv. 48 I asserted that the Yahoos were the only governing Animals in my Country, which my Master said was altogether past his Conception.

1786 T. Baldwin Airopaidia i. 3 Those Scenes of majestic Grandeur..in most fantastic Forms and various Hues, beyond Conception glowing and transparent.

1837 London & Westm. Rev. Jan. 512 It is almost past conception that all these caresses..should have corrupted him into nothing worse than an amiable and placid self-complacency.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxv. 187 Its bounding heights were lovely beyond conception.

1920 Electr. Merchandising May 258/1 This has naturally entailed a volume of work..that is past conception.

2008 Irish Times 29 Oct. 13/5 Is it beyond all conception that the Government listen to the Opposition?

†P2. in (also to) my conception: to my understanding, in my opinion. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > personal opinion > [adverb] > in my opinion

to (my) seemingc1386

to my supposinga1393

in my mindc1400

conceitc1405

in one's own conceit1483

in my fantasy1561

to my mind1600

in my seeming1604

in (also to) my conception1650

to my way of thinking1733

if you ask me1873

1650 J. Dury Reformed Librarie-keeper 18 The end of that Imploiment, in my conception, is to keep the publick stock of Learning, which is in Books and Manuscripts to increas it.

1675 F. Fane Love in Dark ii. 24 Madam, to my Conception, this Disguise is a most prudent Veil for illicite Love.

1787 J. Bentham Def. Usury ix. 85 In my conception,..the reasoning..is just as applicable to the one sort of bargain as to the other.

1804 Ld. Castlereagh Let. 4 Mar. in Despatches Marquess Wellesley (1877) V. 309 The benefit..of a Mahratta connection has for the last four years been in my conception always over-rated.

1823 Monthly Repository Sept. 520/1 To my conception, it implies the result of choice or deliberation.

1911 R. S. Hichens Dweller on Threshold vii. 148 The man who was watched..would not, in my conception, ever clearly understand.

Compounds

conception control n. now somewhat rare birth control, contraception.

ΚΠ

1920 Probl. Population & Parenthood (U.S. National Birth-rate Comm.) p. xciv Women in the upper and middle classes..frequently employ some variety of conception control.

1930 Lambeth Conf. Encycl. Let. 44 The Conference records its strong condemnation of the use of any methods of conception-control from motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere convenience.

1971 Irish Times 13 Apr. 8/3 The Pope's conclusion that all methods of conception control other than abstinence..are contrary to the ‘order established by God’.

Conception Day n. [compare post-classical Latin dies conceptionis (from 11th cent. in British sources)] the festival of the conception of the Virgin Mary.The festival is celebrated annually on 8 December.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Conception Day (8 December) > [noun]

Our Lady day in Decemberc1300

Conception Daya1400

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 24934 Seruise..Proper of þat concepcion day.

a1600 R. Hooker Answere Supplic. W. Travers (1612) 14 Being sure shee was sanctified before birth, but vnsure how long a while after her conception, therefore vnder the name of her conception day, they honour the time of her sanctification.

1818 J. Knox Diary 8 Dec. in A. E. Blake Mem. Vanished Generation (1909) ii. 35 Went to the Church of San Giacomo to hear some fine music, it being Conception Day.

1999 D. Stanley S. Pacific Handbk. (ed. 7) 306/2 Public Holidays in Chile include..Conception Day (8 December).

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	conception
释义	conceptionn. Brit. /kənˈsɛpʃn/, U.S. /kənˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/ Forms: Middle English concepcioun, Middle English concepciun, Middle English consepcioun, Middle English–1500s concepcion, Middle English–1500s concepcyon, Middle English–1500s consepcion, Middle English–1600s conceptyon, Middle English– conception, 1600s concepsion; also Scottish pre-1700 concepcioune, pre-1700 concepcoun, pre-1700 conceptyown, pre-1700 conseptioune. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French conception; Latin conceptiōn-, conceptiō. Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman concepcioun, concepciun, Anglo-Norman and Middle French concepcion, conception (French conception ) action of conceiving, or fact of being conceived, in the womb (a1150, originally with reference to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary), child, fetus, offspring (13th cent.), mental capacity, comprehension (1315), idea, mental image (second half of the 15th cent.), opinion, point of view (a1462 in selon ma concepcion ), design, plan, something which is created in the mind (a1506), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin conceptiōn-, conceptiō action of conceiving in the womb, fact of having conceived, pregnancy, comprehensive system, complex, mental concept, idea, in post-classical Latin also intention, plan (Vulgate), comprehension, grasp (4th cent.), (in grammar) syllepsis of various kinds, such as use of a singular subject with a plural verb or the inclusion of the first person with the second (from 4th cent. in grammarians) < concept- , past participial stem of concipere conceive v. + -iō -ion suffix¹. Compare Old Occitan conceptio (14th cent.), Catalan concepció (14th cent.), Spanish concepción (a1260), Portuguese conceição (1364), Italian concezione (a1306), all earliest in sense 1a.In sense 3b probably after French Conception (1639 or earlier in this sense, chiefly in filles de la Conception; probably after Spanish Concepción (late 16th cent. in this sense)). I. Senses relating to the conception of offspring. 1. a. The action of conceiving offspring in the womb; the fact of being conceived in this way. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > conceive [verb (transitive)] onfangOE underfoa1100 afanglOE understandc1200 underfonga1300 conceptionc1350 conceivea1400 concept1603 c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 117 (MED) Þe furste [joy] was wyþ concepcioun, Þo þe angel gabryel come a-doun. 1485–6 W. Caxton tr. Laurent Ryal Bk. cxlvii. sig. sj Man..is moche foule and made of foule seed in his concepcyon. a foule sacke ful of dunge in his lyf. & mete to wormes after his deth. a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 205 He enterid..in to the wombe of oure seint marie the virgine; & þere he lay fro tyme of his consepcion vnto the tyme of his nativite. 1545 T. Raynald in tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde i. sig. E.v In tyme of conception of the seede. 1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 394 The seede..receiueth not fashion presently vpon the conception, but remaineth for a time without any figure. 1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια iv. xiv. 232 Conception is nothing els but the wombs receiuing and imbracing of the seede. 1687 E. Settle Refl. Dryden's Plays 51 Little less Poetical, then Parsly-beds for the conception of Children. a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 60 The virtue of them was to help conception, being laid under the Genial Bed. 1795 C. Caldwell tr. J. F. Blumenbach Elements Physiol. II. xli. 139 An albuminoid drop..appears to be indeed the principal fluid which the female contributes towards the process of conception. 1830 R. Knox tr. P. A. Béclard Elements Gen. Anat. 287 At the second month after conception [the head]..forms half the height of the body. 1854 Western Jrnl. Med. & Surg. 1 121 The changes that take place in the uterus shortly after conception. 1939 Life 13 Mar. 27/1 Born..eight months after conception, he was rushed from delivery room to premature babies' ward. 2012 S. Schwarz & K. Latimer Understanding Abortion vi. 50 Perinatology..cares for its patients from conception to about one year after birth. b. figurative. The action of first coming into being. ΚΠ 1613 R. Rogers et al. Garden of Spirituall Flowers: 2 Pt. (new ed.) sig. H^v Peter, first denied Christ faintly: secondly, with an Oath: thirdly, with cursing and swearing; wherefore, kill sinne in the conception. a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) i. ii. 106 Ioy had the like conception in our eies, And at that instant, like a babe sprung vp. View more context for this quotation 1989 Omni Aug. 68/3 Like other volcanologists studying the geology of volcanoes from conception to extinction, Wright works in the field with active and even erupting volcanoes. †2. That which is conceived in the womb; an embryo, fetus; a child, offspring. Also figurative. Obsolete.false conception: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > kinsman or relation > child > [noun] bairn830 childOE foodc1225 whelp?c1225 birtha1325 first-begottenc1384 conceptiona1398 impc1412 heir1413 foddera1425 fryc1480 collop?1518 increase1552 spawn1589 under-bougha1661 prognate1663 chickadee1860 the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > embryo or fetus > [noun] childOE birtha1325 fruit of the loinsa1340 conceptiona1398 fetusa1398 embryona1400 feture1540 embryo1576 womb-infant1611 Hans-in-kelder1640 geniture1672 shapeling1674 pudding1937 a bun in the oven1951 preborn1980 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xvii. cxci. 1087 Seed þerof casteþ out concepcioun of wommen. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 388 Þis concepcion with kyngis sal be callid here-efter A verra victor a-vansid. 1540 R. Jonas in tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde iii. f. lxxix^v Whether the Conception be male or female. 1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. viii. f. 132^v Women with chylde, perceauynge that they shall brynge foorth such as shal be slaues to the Christianss, vse medecines to destroy theyr conception. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. ii. 4 Being thus deluded before the fall, it is no wonder if their conceptions were deceitfull, and could scarce speake without an error after. View more context for this quotation 1651 N. Bacon Contin. Hist. Disc. Govt. xxvi. 199 Henry the Eight was a conception, in whom the two Bloods of Yorke and Lancaster did meete. 1682 T. Gibson Anat. Humane Bodies i. xxxiii. 191 According to the different degrees of perfection that an Ovum passes from a Conception to a Foetus ready for the birth, it is nourished diversly. 1710 tr. C. Quillet Callipædiæ ii. 65 The Left is weak, and thence, as says the Wife, on the Right-side the Male Conception lyes. 1821 R. Southey Vision of Judgem. iii. 11 Some accursed conception..Ripe for its monstrous birth. 3. a. The fact or instance of the Virgin Mary's being conceived.Usually with reference to her being conceived without original sin; see Immaculate Conception n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > conception > [noun] conceivinga1382 conceptiona1400 birtha1425 conceita1500 incarnation1548 bagging1611 a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 220 Þe last resun of alle þis ron Sal be of hir concepcion. 1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) 1st Prol. 5 So meruelous clene concepcion and holy byrthe. 1592 A. Willet Synopsis Papismi 403 The feasts of the Annuntiation, and Purification, may much better be receiued, because they belong and are referred vnto Christ, then the other festiuities, of the assumption and conception of Mary, the institution whereof was most superstitious. 1619 T. Preston Roger Widdringtons Last Rejoynder xv. 528 The immaculate, pure, and holy conception of the blessed Virgin. 1623 ‘T. G.’ Friers Chron. sig. C2^v In Spaine..the doctrine of the conception of our Lady without sinne, and assumption into Heauen, is newly divulged and ratified. 1712 W. Rogers Cruising Voy. 42 The Day kept for the Conception of the Virgin Mary, and a high Day of Procession. 1785 H. Shuttleworth Lect. Creed Pope Pius IV i. 21 Romish tradition again acquaints us of the immaculate conception; that the Blessed Virgin was conceived without sin. 1853 W. Meagher Life Rev. D. Murray App. 55 Appearance of the Church of the Conception [in Dublin] at his month's-mind. 1893 Catholic News 11 Nov. 2/3 The stainless Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 1904 Irish Eccles. Rec. Dec. 498 At a very early period the Greek Church kept the feast of the Conception on December 9th. 2000 S. J. Boss in A. Hastings et al. Oxf. Comp. Christian Thought 414/1 Proverbs 8: 22–31 came to be the lection for the feast of Mary's conception. b. An order of Roman Catholic nuns. Also in Order of the (Immaculate) Conception. Now rare and chiefly historical.The full name of the order is the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was founded by St Beatrice de Silva in Italy in 1484. ΘΚΠ society > faith > church government > monasticism > religious order > other religions > Immaculate Conception > [noun] Order of the (Immaculate) Conception1661 1661 in Publ. Catholic Rec. Soc. (1910) 8 236 Sister Alexious of the Conception alias Mary Penne. c1704 in Publ. Catholic Rec. Soc. (1911) 9 377 Y^e abbess of y^e Conception Nunns heere in Paris. 1797 Abbé Mann in Archaeologia (1800) 13 270 Angela Jerningham and six others of those nuns..put themselves under the rules of the order of the Conception. 1840 Archaeologia 28 193 (title) The late English Convent at Paris of the Order of the Conception, commonly called the Blue Nuns. 1963 A. Eustis tr. F. Chevalier Land & Society Colonial Mexico vii. 252 This last convent belonged to the Order of the Immaculate Conception. 1998 N. Mayberry in F. A. De Armas Star-crossed Golden Age 85 Beatriz's order, officially called in the papal bull the order of the Conception, was the first such order permitted. †4. The generation or production of plants or minerals; fertilization. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > minerals > [noun] > generation or formation of mineral conception1667 mineralization1757 the world > plants > by growth or development > [noun] > generation or evolution conception1667 phytogenesis1847 phytogeny1850 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 512 In a moment up they turnd Wide the Celestial soile, and saw beneath Th' originals of Nature in thir crude Conception . View more context for this quotation 1670 J. Evelyn Sylva (ed. 2) i. i. 6 The old remainders of Roots, and latent Stumps..sowre the ground, and poyson the Conception. 1705 Hist. Wks. Learned July 405 If this Proof were alone, it would signify little, but the manner of the Conception of Plants gives it great weight. 1744 Lit. Jrnl. 1 154 The Time necessary for that Particle of Seed to appear from its Conception to it's Maturity. II. Senses relating to imagination or thought. 5. a. In general use: the action or faculty of imagining or conceiving something in the mind; the forming or creation of a mental image, idea, or concept of anything; imagination. Now rare except in beyond (also past) (all) conception at Phrases 1. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > [noun] conceptiona1387 conceitc1405 conceptiveness1819 conceptuality1836 representationa1856 the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > [noun] sightc1175 thoughtc1175 imagination1340 thinking1340 conceptiona1387 imaginativea1398 phantasm1490 concept1536 fetch1549 conceit1556 conceiving1559 fancy1581 notion1647 fantastic1764 ideality1815 ideoplasty1884 phantastikon1917 the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > [noun] > forming of ideas thoughta1325 conceptiona1387 conceiving1559 conceiting1563 surmise1592 apprehension1597 realization1797 ideation1818 conceptualization1866 conceptualizing1897 the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > [noun] > act of imagining imagination1340 conceptiona1387 imaginingc1430 suppositiona1529 conceiving1559 picturing1562 conceiting1563 fancy1581 forgery1582 surmise1592 imagery1595 imaging1648 ideation1818 envisagement1877 visualizing1880 envisaging1883 visualization1883 envisioning1938 projecting1960 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 201 Swiftnes of þouȝtes and chaungynge of witte in þe concepcioun [L. conceptu]. ?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) v. pr. v. l. 4914 Þan is þe consepcioun [L. conceptionem] of resoun veyn and fals whiche þat lookeþ and comprehendiþ þat þat is sensible and synguler as uniuersele. 1544 A. Cope Hist. Anniball & Scipio xliii. sig. U.iii^v This fayned inuention of his conception, and the superstitious myndes of the people towarde hym, he woulde nother affyrme to be true, nother saye they were false and vntrewe. 1599 J. Davies Nosce Teipsum 85 As if beasts conceiud what Reason were, And that conception should distinctly show. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica vi. viii. 315 The one being too weake for our conception, our conception too weake for the other. 1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing v. 50 Of as difficult a conception, as the former. 1792 E. Burke Let. 19 Feb. in Corr. (1844) III. 419 He is a great man, eloquent in conception and in language. 1848 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters (ed. 2) II. ii. ii. 141 The distinctness of his powers of conception will give value, point, and truth to every fragment that he draws from memory. 1907 Interstate Med. Jrnl. Nov. 906 While throughout the lower grades of intelligence, concrete objects and acts are reproduced in thought, and the imagination is thus almost exclusively reminiscent, the further development of the power of conception implies a continually wider range of thoughts, more numerous and more varied and involved. b. spec. in Philosophy. The action or faculty of forming an image or idea of a particular individual thing (whether present or absent, real or imaginary). Now somewhat rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition conception1650 cognition1651 reflection1690 gnostology1846 cognizing1862 gnosiology1899 1650 T. Hobbes Humane Nature xi. 136 All evidence is conception..and all conception is imagination, and proceedeth from Sense. 1655 Duchess of Newcastle Philos. & Physical Opinions clx. sig. R3 The sensitive innated matter prints figures in the brain, and the rational innated matter creates figures in the brain after its own invention, which are imagination and conception, wherein are made imaginary worlds. 1740 I. Watts Logick (ed. 7) i. i. 8 If I were to distinguish them, I would say Perception is the Consciousness of an Object when present; Conception is the forming an Idea of the Object whether present or absent. 1792 D. Stewart Elem. Philos. Human Mind I. iii. 144 By Conception, I mean that power of the mind, which enables it to form a notion of an absent object of perception; or of a sensation which it has formerly felt. 1874 W. Wallace tr. G. W. F. Hegel Logic i. 4 The specific phenomena of feeling, perception, desire and will, as far as they are known, may be in general described under the name of Conception. 2001 K. D. Magnus Hegel & Symbolic Mediation of Spirit i. 16 Hegel..identifies the activity of conception with the creation of intuitions. c. Philosophy. The action or faculty of grasping or creating a general idea or concept. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition > concept > forming conception1818 1818 S. T. Coleridge Gen. Introd. or Treat. on Method 10 in Encycl. Metrop. I There are many marked differences between mathematical and physical studies; but in both a previous act and conception of the mind..is indispensably necessary. 1830 S. T. Coleridge On Constit. Church & State 4 A conception consists in a conscious act of the understanding, bringing any given object or impression into the same class with any number of other objects, or impressions, by means of some character..common to them all. a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1860) III. vii. 120 Conception..expresses the act of comprehending or grasping up into unity the various qualities by which an object is characterised. 1903 Mind 12 32 A diagram can only serve as an aid to mental conception; it does not directly show forth the real order. 2011 F. C. Beiser German Historicist Trad. iv. 189 He wields his powers of conception, which grasp all these details into a meaningful whole. 6. a. Anything conceived or imagined in the mind, an idea, a mental representation; a mental image, idea, or concept of anything. Now chiefly Philosophy.Sometimes with allusion to sense 2. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > idea, notion, or concept > [noun] thoughtOE thingOE conceita1393 imagea1393 concept1479 conception1526 suppositiona1529 idee1542 idea1585 conceivement1599 project1600 representationa1602 notion1607 phantasma1620 conceptus1643 species1644 notice1654 revolution1675 representamen1677 vorstellung1807 brain-stuff1855 ideation1876 think1886 artefact1923 construct1933 mind1966 the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition > concept conception1526 concept1561 conceit1576 representationa1602 notion1607 dicible1656 pseudo-concept1866 cogitatum1878 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. hiii Whiche sayd spyrituall chyldre been the spyrituall concepcions of the mynde. 1567 G. Fenton tr. M. Bandello Certaine Tragicall Disc. sig. ll.v^v The harte..dothe ymparte the greatest charge to the eyes, as to the faythful messengers of the secrett conceptions of the mynde. 1650 T. Hobbes Humane Nature i. 4 There be in our Minds continually certain Images or conceptions of the things without us. 1692 W. Congreve Incognita Pref. sig. A6 The Drama is..the Midwife to Industry, and brings forth alive the Conceptions of the Brain. 1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 73. ⁋6 I had not enlarged my conceptions either by books or conversation. 1762 Ld. Kames Elements Crit. III. App. 379 I see two men..the consciousness I have of them is a perception: but the consciousness I have of their relation as father and son, is termed a conception. 1803 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) II. 991 He..delivers himself of almost all his conceptions with a Forceps. a1863 R. Whately Misc. Remains (1864) 92 It is a conception, not perception, that we have of anything not in actual present existence. 1905 Bible Rev. Sept. 551 All conceptions are capable of coming to birth. 1953 S. K. Langer Introd. Symbolic Logic (ed. 2) iii. 66 The distinction between these two terms—‘conception’ for the mental image or symbol, ‘concept’ for the abstractable, public, essential form. 1995 A. C. Grayling in J. Biro & P. Kotatko Frege: Sense & Ref. 82 A conception is a way of thinking about a concept (or about the objects falling under it). b. An opinion, notion, or view; a supposition. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > [noun] > a view, notion, opinion thingOE thoughtc1300 opinion1340 device1393 holdingc1449 opinationc1475 sense1539 apprehension1579 suppose1587 supposal1589 conception1603 notion1603 opining1611 tenet1631 respect1662 sentiment1675 perception1701 1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 26 The true and safe conceptions [Fr. opinions] which we ought to have as touching the Gods. 1678 A. Marvell Let. 13 Apr. in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 301 Your further conceptions intimated in yours of the 8^th. 1756 in H. Wood Coll. Decrees Court Exchequer in Tithe-causes (1798) II. 531 He had offered to pay her the fifteen shillings in lieu of the tithes growing upon the Upper Hoath, under a conception that it was due as an ancient rate in lieu of tithes. 1789 Parl. Reg. 1781–96 XXVI. 218 Mr. Drake remarked that..he had consented to a call of the House, from the conception that it would have insured a tolerably full attendance. 1874 A. H. Sayce Princ. Compar. Philol. vi. 245 The undeveloped conceptions that lay implicit in it have been severally marked off one from the other. 1955 G. Grigson Englishman's Flora 265 A conception that the cowslip sprang up in the meadow wherever a cow had lifted its tail. 1991 Outrage Feb. 4/2 The common conception that Hamlet is a wimp. †c. Something imagined; a fanciful notion; a fancy. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > faint, imperfect idea > [noun] > unfounded fancy1471 idea1593 conception1614 figment1624 hypothesis1625 notional1653 unding1932 1614 R. Brathwait Schollers Medley 68 Producing vnheard of miracles (meere conceptions of the braine) phanaticke Chymeras. a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iii. iv. 153 Pray heauen it be..no conception, nor no iealous toy Concerning you. View more context for this quotation d. An understanding or comprehension of something; an ability to conceive or imagine a specified thing. Also: a notion, an inkling. Frequently in negative contexts. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > faint, imperfect idea > [noun] glimmeringc1380 glimpse1570 impression1613 sense1655 idea1712 conception1796 feeling1811 glimmer1837 a gleam (also glint, twinkle) in a person's eye1934 the mind > mental capacity > understanding > [noun] > understanding, comprehension > of something intelligencec1429 sense1483 understanding1548 resentmenta1638 sensationa1659 conception1796 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > [noun] > slight knowledge inkling1546 inkleth1568 umbrage1669 notion1698 conception1796 1796 J. Strutt Compl. View Dress & Habits People of Eng. I. i. ii. 20 The Coverchief..manifests some conception of grace and elegance in the artist. 1842 C. Dickens Let. 31 Jan. (1974) III. 43 I can give you no conception of my welcome here. 1898 L. F. Field Introd. Study Renaissance v. 175 Of the mechanism of a play he seems to have had little conception. 1925 L. O'Flaherty Informer xiii. 211 He had no conception of politics or of any problem other than hurling, football..and pitch and toss. 2005 J. M. Coetzee Slow Man xiii. 85 You have no conception of who I really am. 7. a. A product of the inventive faculty; a design, a plan; an original idea for a work of art, etc.Sometimes with allusion to sense 2. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [noun] > creative design or product findalOE ideaa1586 conception1587 creationa1616 birth1625 brainchild1631 constructurea1652 notion1742 construction1796 baby1890 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. v. 58 The reasonable life hath his conceptions [Fr. conceptions] and breedings..wee commonly terme the doings or actions thereof by the name of Conceptions [Fr. conceptions] or Conceyts, after which maner the learned sort doe call their bookes their Children. 1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 308 I haue a yong conception in my braine. View more context for this quotation 1761 C. Churchill Rosciad 25 Just his [sc. Sheridan's] conceptions, natural and great; His feelings strong, his words enforced with weight. 1801 J. B. Burges Richard I II. ii. 82 Their host would broach his politics unsound, His sarcasms on establishments would cast, And drink to the success of his conceptions vast. 1843 W. H. Prescott Hist. Conquest Mexico II. v. vi. 434 It was a bold conception, that of constructing a fleet to be transported across forest and mountain before it was launched. 1883 19th Cent. Feb. 223 The element of satire that underlies Shakespeare's conception of the part of Benedick. 1955 O. Keepnews & W. Grauer Pict. Hist. Jazz xi. 117 They made much use of jazz and semi-jazz conceptions in their dance music. 2002 B. Risebero Story Western Archit. (ed. 3) 200 The High Level Bridge over the Tyne at Newcastle..was..a daring conception. †b. A fanciful, ingenious, or witty expression, metaphor, turn of thought, etc.; a conceit. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > fancy or fantastic notion > [noun] > fanciful expression conceita1522 conception1643 concetto1692 society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > ornateness > [noun] > use of conceits > conceit crink1534 conceit1589 knack1605 conception1643 concetto1692 1643 Good Newes All Quarters Kingdome 2 We must not stifle the birth, or the Poets witty conception, which is this; That the bright starre in the North, is quite extinct now by New-Castle, and shall be of no more use to Souldier or Mariner. 1693 J. Dryden Disc. conc. Satire in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires p. xiv Your Thoughts are always so remote from..the Conceptions of other Poets. 1735 L. Theobald Fatal Secret Pref. sig. A5 His [sc. Webster's] Conceptions were so eccentric, that we are not to wonder why we cannot ever trace him. 1785 T. Warton in J. Milton Poems (new ed.) Pref. p. xv But what are these conceptions [of Cowley's]? Metaphysical conceits, all the unnatural extravagancies of his English poetry. †c. The spontaneous forming and utterance of prayer. Obsolete.See note at conceived adj. 1b. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > prayer > kinds of prayer > [noun] > spontaneous framing and utterance of conception1655 1655 H. Ferne Compend. Disc. upon Case xix. 99 The Form or Expression of a Prayer, whether Set, or Extemporary Conception, is equally of mans Invention. 1661 Grand Deb. Rev. & Alteration Bk. Common Prayer 57 Conceptions of Prayer by a publick person..are not to be rejected as private Conceptions. d. The action of devising, designing, planning something. in conception: in the way something has been conceived. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [noun] > operation of conceit1576 creation1604 fiction1605 commentation1652 contrivance1699 conception1771 coining1858 1771 J. Reynolds Disc. Royal Acad. Dec. 14 1770 15 There is a nobleness of conception, which goes beyond any thing in the mere exhibition. 1822 T. Webster Imison's Elem. Sci. & Art (new ed.) II. 396 In the conception of this ideal picture, all the little circumstances should be contrived, etc. 1859 C. Heavysege Saul (ed. 2) iii. v. ix. 288 Prompt my deeds Shall be henceforth, and close on the conception. 1915 W. H. Wright Mod. Painting 257 His well-known L'Homme au Balcon appears to us today almost Futuristic in conception. 1977 C. Wilkinson in Architect 134 It was the conception of the work that mattered rather than the construction. 2002 Observer 3 Nov. (Sport Monthly Suppl.) 35/3 In conception, Göran's plan was brilliant. 8. A general or universal concept. Chiefly Philosophy. Sometimes (esp. in early use) in general conception in the same sense.A spec. use of sense 6a. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > idealism > [noun] > Kantianism > elements of conception1701 schematism1794 categorical imperative1796 intuition1796 matter1796 receptivity1796 schema1796 dialectic1797 multifarious1798 reciprocity1799 form1803 synthesis1817 Anschauung1820 manifold?1822 category1829 modality1836 multiplex1836 predicable1838 multiple1839 multiplicity1839 presentmenta1842 elanguescence1855 the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition > concept > general conception1701 the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical classification > [noun] > logical concept > general concept notiona1398 generalty1442 intention?1545 concept1561 conceit1576 conceptus1643 conception1701 1701 N. Grew Cosmol. Sacra ii. v. 52 Theoremick Truth, or that which lies in the Conceptions we have of Things. 1785 T. Reid Ess. Intellect. Powers v. ii. 444 General terms..do not signify any individual, but what is common to many individuals; therefore we have distinct conception of things common to many individuals—that is, we have distinct general conceptions. 1843 J. S. Mill Syst. Logic II. ii. 219 We get the conception of an animal..by comparing different animals. 1889 E. Caird Crit. Philos. Kant I. 289 The object of a conception is universal, of a perception, individual. 1902 J. M. Baldwin Dict. Philos. & Psychol. II. 325/2 Kant undertook to set up his own ‘predicables of the pure understanding’, which were to be derivative conceptions under the categories. 2012 M. Winter Rethinking Virtue Ethics v.132 McDowell thinks that only an entire conception of how to live can serve the function of expressing a conception of how to act that a kind person would have. †III. Other senses. 9. Grammar. A construction in which one case, gender, number, or person takes precedence over or contains another. Cf. conceive v. 12, syllepsis n. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > gender > [noun] > combination of genders conceptionc1450 c1450 in D. Thomson Middle Eng. Grammatical Texts (1984) 181 How knowest concepcion of gendre? A joynyng togedre of the nounes substantyfys of diuerse gendre in reward of an adiectyf plurell. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. sig. C.iiii So moche attayne they towardes the parfection of the latine tonge..that they use also conceptyon, bothe in gendre and parsone. Phrases P1. beyond (also past) (all) conception and variants: (so as to be) difficult to imagine; inconceivable. ΚΠ 1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. iii. xi. 615 Of such [things] as are beyond his conception and of a supernaturall effect. 1655 W. London Civil Wars France vi. 130 A bloody and terrible spectacle would be shewed beyond present conception. 1726 J. Swift Gulliver II. iii. iv. 48 I asserted that the Yahoos were the only governing Animals in my Country, which my Master said was altogether past his Conception. 1786 T. Baldwin Airopaidia i. 3 Those Scenes of majestic Grandeur..in most fantastic Forms and various Hues, beyond Conception glowing and transparent. 1837 London & Westm. Rev. Jan. 512 It is almost past conception that all these caresses..should have corrupted him into nothing worse than an amiable and placid self-complacency. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxv. 187 Its bounding heights were lovely beyond conception. 1920 Electr. Merchandising May 258/1 This has naturally entailed a volume of work..that is past conception. 2008 Irish Times 29 Oct. 13/5 Is it beyond all conception that the Government listen to the Opposition? †P2. in (also to) my conception: to my understanding, in my opinion. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > personal opinion > [adverb] > in my opinion to (my) seemingc1386 to my supposinga1393 in my mindc1400 conceitc1405 in one's own conceit1483 in my fantasy1561 to my mind1600 in my seeming1604 in (also to) my conception1650 to my way of thinking1733 if you ask me1873 1650 J. Dury Reformed Librarie-keeper 18 The end of that Imploiment, in my conception, is to keep the publick stock of Learning, which is in Books and Manuscripts to increas it. 1675 F. Fane Love in Dark ii. 24 Madam, to my Conception, this Disguise is a most prudent Veil for illicite Love. 1787 J. Bentham Def. Usury ix. 85 In my conception,..the reasoning..is just as applicable to the one sort of bargain as to the other. 1804 Ld. Castlereagh Let. 4 Mar. in Despatches Marquess Wellesley (1877) V. 309 The benefit..of a Mahratta connection has for the last four years been in my conception always over-rated. 1823 Monthly Repository Sept. 520/1 To my conception, it implies the result of choice or deliberation. 1911 R. S. Hichens Dweller on Threshold vii. 148 The man who was watched..would not, in my conception, ever clearly understand. Compounds conception control n. now somewhat rare birth control, contraception. ΚΠ 1920 Probl. Population & Parenthood (U.S. National Birth-rate Comm.) p. xciv Women in the upper and middle classes..frequently employ some variety of conception control. 1930 Lambeth Conf. Encycl. Let. 44 The Conference records its strong condemnation of the use of any methods of conception-control from motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere convenience. 1971 Irish Times 13 Apr. 8/3 The Pope's conclusion that all methods of conception control other than abstinence..are contrary to the ‘order established by God’. Conception Day n. [compare post-classical Latin dies conceptionis (from 11th cent. in British sources)] the festival of the conception of the Virgin Mary.The festival is celebrated annually on 8 December. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Conception Day (8 December) > [noun] Our Lady day in Decemberc1300 Conception Daya1400 a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 24934 Seruise..Proper of þat concepcion day. a1600 R. Hooker Answere Supplic. W. Travers (1612) 14 Being sure shee was sanctified before birth, but vnsure how long a while after her conception, therefore vnder the name of her conception day, they honour the time of her sanctification. 1818 J. Knox Diary 8 Dec. in A. E. Blake Mem. Vanished Generation (1909) ii. 35 Went to the Church of San Giacomo to hear some fine music, it being Conception Day. 1999 D. Stanley S. Pacific Handbk. (ed. 7) 306/2 Public Holidays in Chile include..Conception Day (8 December). This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.c1350
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