† deliveradj.
Obsolete. rare and archaic after 17th cent.
1. Free, at liberty; without mental or spiritual encumbrance.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > [adjective] > free from confinement
freeOE
deliverc1300
loose1303
unironedc1450
unbandoned1487
slack1565
unshut1610
unpinioned1621
unthronged1648
untrapped1648
unconfined1649
footloose1702
unensnareda1711
uncaged1731
unlockeda1740
unfettered1748
uncramped1797
unshackled1816
unleashed1825
foot-free1837
unhandcuffed1861
c1300 St. Edmund Rich (Harl.) l. 293 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 502 He nemiȝte him wawe fot ne hond, his poer him was binome Ac delyure he hadde al his þoȝt.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 458 (MED) To the Sanguin complexion, Nature of hire inspeccion A propre hous hath in the livere, For his duellinge mad delivere.
a1425 Rule St. Benet (Lansd.) (1902) 38 (MED) Þis es þe rihte gate whare-inne þu salle life. Yef þu may halde it, cum inne; and ȝef þu ne may, ga forz al deliuir.
2. Able to move quickly and easily; skilful, nimble, agile.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > bodily movement > [adjective] > qualities of bodily movement > agile or nimble
lightOE
quiverOE
yepec1275
taitc1300
yap13..
delivera1375
swippera1387
wight1390
nimblea1400
yarea1400
yerna1400
smitherc1475
leger1483
agilea1500
liver1530
lightsome1567
wimble1579
nimble jointed1591
nimble shifting1591
agilious1599
nimbling1599
nimble spirited1611
expedite1612
fitchanta1616
airy1642
fantastic1645
volant1650
clever1691
light-limbed1695
spry1746
swack1768
swank1786
yauld1787
deliverly1820
slippy1847
nippy1849
springe1859
pantherish1869
pantherine1890
flippant1895
loose1907
Tarzanesque1933
Tarzan-like1943
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 3596 Douȝthi man & deliuer in dedes of armes.
1472 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 575 He is on the lyghtest, delyuerst, best spokyn, fayirest archer.
?a1562 G. Cavendish Life Wolsey (1959) 40 Abought the deade tyme of the nyght whan our ennemyes be most quyot at rest, shall Issue frome vs a nomber of the most delyuerest sowldyours to assault ther Campe.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. xxix. sig. Zz8 Pyrocles, of a more fine, and deliuer strength.
1632 P. Holland tr. Xenophon Cyrupædia viii. ii. 180 [Hunting] causeth them also to be most deliver and expedite in performing any service on horsebacke, by reason of the ambitious and eager desire they have to take the said beasts.
1814 W. Scott Waverley II. xix. 288 Mr. Waverley looks clean-made and deliver and like a proper lad o' his quarters, that will not cry barley in a brulzie. View more context for this quotation
1887 Eng. Illustr. Mag. Nov. 72 He is the most deliver at that exercise I have ever set eyes on.
3. Delivered (of a child); having given birth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > [adjective] > giving birth > delivered of a child
lighta1400
deliverc1400
liverc1450
green1474
well-deliveredc1515
delivered1594
travailed1843
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 1084 Alle hende þat honestly moȝt an hert glade, Aboutte my Lady watz lent, quen ho delyver were.
a1425 (c1300) Abbess Delivered (Cambr.) in J. Small Eng. Metrical Homilies (1862) 168 That this abbas suld paynes dreght, And be delyuer [c1390 Vernon dilyuered] of hir chylde.
a1500 (?c1400) Sir Triamour (Cambr.) (1937) l. 1670 Y was delyuyr of a chylde.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 197 The lady was deliuer of a loue sone.
c1650 J. Spalding Memorialls Trubles Scotl. & Eng. (1850) I. 44 His wyf being gryte with child..mynding thair to remane quhill scho war deliuer.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2020; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
deliverv.1
/dᵻˈlɪvə/, U.S. /dəˈlɪvər/, /diˈlɪvər/α. Middle English deleuyr, Middle English delevere, Middle English deliuyr, Middle English deluerd (past tense, transmission error), Middle English delyfere, Middle English delyuir, Middle English delyuire, Middle English delyuyr, Middle English delyvir, Middle English delyvyr, Middle English dilifere, Middle English diliver, Middle English dilyuere, Middle English dyliuere, Middle English dylyver, Middle English–1500s delivre, Middle English–1500s delyuere, Middle English–1500s delyure, Middle English–1500s delyvre, Middle English–1500s diliuere, Middle English–1500s dilyuer, Middle English–1500s dylyuer, Middle English–1600s deliuer, Middle English–1600s deliuere, Middle English–1600s deliure, Middle English–1600s delivere, Middle English–1600s delyuer, Middle English–1600s delyver, Middle English–1600s delyvere, Middle English–1600s diliuer, Middle English– deliver, 1500s deleuere, 1500s dyliuer, 1500s–1700s diliver; Scottish pre-1700 delayver, pre-1700 deleuer, pre-1700 delever, pre-1700 deliuer, pre-1700 deliuere, pre-1700 deliuir, pre-1700 delivir, pre-1700 delyuer, pre-1700 delyuere, pre-1700 delyuir, pre-1700 delyuyr, pre-1700 delyver, pre-1700 delyvere, pre-1700 delyvir, pre-1700 delyvre, pre-1700 delyvyr, pre-1700 delywer, pre-1700 delywring (present participle), pre-1700 diliuer, pre-1700 dilyuer, pre-1700 dyllywir, pre-1700 dylywer, pre-1700 1700s– deliver.
β. Chiefly southern and south-west midlands Middle English deliueri, Middle English deliuery, Middle English deliuri, Middle English delivery, Middle English delyuery, Middle English delyuri, Middle English delyurie, Middle English delyvri.
I. To rescue, liberate, or set free, and related senses.† 5. transitive. To expel (something) from the body; to vomit or defecate (something). Also in to deliver one's stomach: to vomit. Obsolete. rare. In early use also occasionally intransitive.† 6. transitive. To fight or joust with (a person); to agree to fight a duel with (a person), esp. as a means of solving a personal quarrel or deciding a point of honour. Obsolete.Perhaps implying that the winner will be released from a state of dishonour.† 7. transitive. To remove goods from (a ship); to unload (a ship) of cargo. Cf. liver v. 1b. Obsolete.In quot. 1486-7 delyuyrd is apparently elliptical for ‘was being delivered’.
1.
a. transitive. To liberate or save (a person, country, etc.) from (also †of) a state of evil, danger, oppression, etc. Also in weakened use: to free (a person, etc.) from something unpleasant or undesirable. Frequently with reference to God conceived as liberating humankind from evil or danger; cf. deliverer n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > rescue or deliverance > rescue or deliver (from) [verb (transitive)]
areddec885
leeseOE
reddOE
winc1220
deliver?c1225
ridc1225
quita1250
betellc1275
casta1300
to cast outa1300
liverc1330
rescuec1330
wrechec1330
borrowc1350
to put out of ——c1350
to bring awaya1400
redea1400
wreakc1400
rescourec1425
rescousa1450
savec1480
relue1483
salue1484
redeem1488
recovera1500
redressa1500
eschewc1500
rescours1511
to pull (also snatch) out of the fire1526
recourse1533
withtakec1540
redeem1549
vindicate1568
retire1578
repair1591
reprieve1605
to bring off1609
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 173 Nolde ha neauer eanes bisechen ure lauerd þet he allunge deliuerede hire þerof.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. vi. 13 And leede vs nat in to temptacioun, but delyuere vs fro yuel.
1544 Letanie in Exhort. vnto Prayer sig. Bv From all euyll and mischief, from sinne, from the craftes and assautes of the deuyll, from thy wrathe..Good lord delyuer vs.
1602 E. Hayes in J. Brereton Briefe Relation Discouerie Virginia 21 Our nauies..shall deliuer our merchants from many troubles & molestations which they now unwillingly indure.
1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1651) 199 I fell into these thoughts, of which there were two wayes to be delivered.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 205 God..had..deliver'd me from Blood-Guiltiness.
1802 Times 15 Oct. 2/1 Well calculated to..unite the subjects of every State in the common cause of delivering their country from foreign dictation.
1957 Ess. & Stud. 10 18 It delivers us from too much matter-of-fact and from the dreary flats of literal-mindedness.
2000 N.Y. Mag. 18 Sept. 70/2 Chile was delivered from Pinochet's dictatorship.
2018 Jerusalem Post (Nexis) 30 Mar. 17 Our consistent reflection upon our ultimate redemption is precisely what imbues us with an appreciation that Hashem will deliver us from our ordeals.
b. transitive. Without construction. To save, rescue, release, or liberate (a person or thing); spec. to release (a prisoner) from prison. Now only with reference to God conceived as liberating humankind from evil or danger; cf. sense 1a and deliverer n. 1.
ΚΠ
a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 283 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 101 Wen wimon bet scal be..deliure hire myd menske.
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 1318 (MED) Ȝif þou deliuerest him, þou nert nouȝt Cesares ffreond.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 166 (MED) Þus þe pacient schal be delyuerid wel.
1540 R. Taverner Epist. & Gospelles Easter tyll Aduent f. xvii Let God delyuer hym if he woll haue hym.
1653 F. G. tr. ‘G. de Scudéry’ Artamenes I. ii. v. 80 She delivered me, and retained the King of Assyria.
1768 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. III. 134 That they could not upon an habeas corpus either bail or deliver a prisoner.
1855 Gospel Standard Feb. 43 It is well for us to be continually looking to him [sc. God] for our support and deliverance,..depending upon his all-sufficient arm to deliver us as we travel on.
2011 J. Meyer Living Beyond Feelings vii. 73 If we can remain constant during the ever-changing tides of life and the unwanted circumstances life brings, we will please God and find that he always delivers us.
c. transitive (reflexive). To free (oneself) from (also †of, †out of) a place, trouble, danger, etc.; to rid (oneself) of a person or prejudice. Also in weakened use. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > rescue or deliverance > rescue or deliver [verb (reflexive)]
ridc1225
save?c1225
deliverc1405
rescousa1450
acquit1595
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (1868) l. 1769 Euery man Wol helpe hym self..And eek deliuere hym self out of prison.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) ix. 208 I counseyll you that ye..delyver yourselfe of Reynawde assone as ye maye.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 511/1 I can nat delyver me of hym by no meanes.
1578 A. Golding tr. Seneca Conc. Benefyting v. ix. f. 72v I haue deliuered myself out of some daunger.
1709 G. Berkeley Ess. New Theory of Vision §51. 57 [He] may be able to deliver himself from that Prejudice.
1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre III. i. 22 This life..is hell! this is the air—those are the sounds of the bottomless pit! I have a right to deliver myself from it if I can.
1918 Rev. of Reviews June 445 I have just delivered myself from one of those ‘moods’ to which, as a Celt, I am somewhat liable.
1990 S. Morgan Homeboy ii. 27 He meant only to deliver himself from the streets, not life; he didn't count on murder.
d. transitive. To release (a person) from a place; to rescue (a person) out of a place. In early use also: spec. to release (a prisoner) from prison. Now chiefly archaic or with reference to God conceived as liberating humankind from evil or danger; cf. deliverer n. 1.In later use influenced by or merging with sense 1a.
ΚΠ
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 45 Scho delyuerd þe lordes oute of þe toure.
1543 More's Hist. Richard III in Chron. J. Hardyng f. lxxvii The lorde Stanley was deliuered out of warde.
1676 C. Packe in tr. R. de Graaf De Succo Pancreatico Transl. to Rdr. sig. (a) A man..received no more Relief, than a Criminal Person doth by the Verdict of a Jury, which delivers him from Prison, either to Death, or Banishment.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 109 The Way turn'd short East..and delivered us intirely from the Mountains.
1844 G. C. Hebbe & J. MacKay tr. ‘C. Sealsfield’ Life in New World i. ii. 16/2 I would willingly have given this tough rascal information.., on condition that he would deliver us from this execrable fever-swamp.
2007 A. Hill To live is Christ 225 They [sc. the Israelites] were not too interested in finding out about their amazing God who had delivered them out of Egypt.
2.
a. transitive. To assist (a woman or other female mammal) to give birth, or in the birth of a child or offspring. Frequently in passive. Now chiefly archaic.In early use, perhaps with the implication of freeing a woman or other female mammal from a burden.figurative in quot. 1634.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > confine or deliver [verb (transitive)] > give birth > aid in childbirth
unbindc1325
midwife1638
obstetricate1662
deliver1676
accouche1858
granny1880
born1888
c1300 St. Leonard (Laud) l. 49 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 458 Þe Quen a-non..deliuered was of childe.
c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 67 Sone after, tyme come þat she shulde bene delyuerede, and bare a sone þat was callede Arthure.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope (1967) i. ix. 79 Ther was a bytche whiche wold lyttre and be delyuerd of her lytyl dogges.
1568 E. Tilney Brief Disc. Mariage (new ed.) sig. Cviij To have thy wyfe with childe safely delyvered.
1634 T. Heywood Maidenhead Lost i, in Wks. (1874) IV. 108 My brain's in labour, and must be deliuered Of some new mischeife.
1676 J. Cooke Mellificium Chirurg. (ed. 3) 682 The third time they sent, and beg'd I would deliver her.
1802 E. Forster tr. Arabian Nights IV. 81 The queen..was in due time safely delivered of a prince.
1805 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 14 521 By making an incision in the urethra..the patient might be delivered.
2014 S. Thomas Witch Hunter's Tale 130 I was with Lucy Pierce when she was in travail... I delivered her of a stillborn child.
b. transitive. Chiefly in passive. To bring forth (a child or offspring) from its mother; to assist in the birth of (a child or offspring). Also figurative and in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > be born [verb (intransitive)]
arisec950
to come forthOE
to come into (also to) the worldOE
riseOE
breedc1200
kenec1275
birtha1325
to wax forth1362
deliver?c1450
kindlec1450
seed?a1475
issuec1515
arrive1615
born1698
to see the light1752
?c1450 in G. Müller Aus Mittelengl. Medizintexten (1929) 46 (MED) For to diliuerin a deed chyld from a woman.
1540 R. Jonas tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde (title page) All suche infyrmitees whiche happen vnto the infantes after they be delyuered.
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. i. f. 12 All beasts so soone as they are deliuered from their damme [Fr. au sortir du ventre de leurs meres] get vpon their feet.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. iii. 369 There are many euents in the womb of Time, which will be deliuered . View more context for this quotation
1705 tr. P. Portal Compl. Pract. Men & Women Midwives i. 6 The Midwife had spent a whole Hour in delivering the Child after the Head appear'd.
1846 Boston Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 15 Apr. 215 In three quarters of an hour a healthy, male child was delivered.
1982 W. Sears Creative Parenting i. 40 He may elect to perform a Caesarian section in order to deliver your baby more rapidly.
2012 Daily Advertiser (Nexis) 12 Jan. 5 On more than one occasion Dr Knight and Dr Renshaw have delivered the baby from a woman they actually saw born decades earlier.
c. transitive. To give birth to (a child or offspring). Also figurative and in figurative contexts. rare in the 17th and 18th centuries.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > birth > confinement > confine or deliver [verb (transitive)] > give birth
forthbring971
akenOE
haveOE
bearOE
to bring into the worldOE
teemOE
i-bereOE
to bring forthc1175
childc1175
reara1275
ofkenc1275
hatcha1350
makea1382
yielda1400
cleck1401
issue1447
engenderc1450
infant1483
deliver?a1518
whelp1581
world1596
yean1598
fall1600
to give (a person or thing) birth1615
to give birth to1633
drop1662
pup1699
born1703
to throw off1742
beteem1855
birth1855
parturiate1866
shell1890
to put to bed1973
bring-
?a1518 H. Watson Ualentyne & Orson (1555) xxv. sig. X.iv Or euer I was retourned the noble lady had delyuered two fayre sonnes.
1578 J. Florio Firste Fruites f. 87v Thy mother deliuered thee.
1892 Med. & Surg. Reporter 21 May 812/1 The parturient female forces..every muscle to its utmost in her desire to deliver her child.
1951 Land (Sydney) 9 Mar. 31/4 The highly-strung young bitch will usually deliver her puppies a day or two early.
2014 Filipino Reporter (N.Y.) 17 Jan. 42 Her only request is for her husband to be by her side on the day she delivers their baby.
3. † b. transitive. To relieve or dispel (pain, emotion, etc.). Obsolete.
a. transitive. To rid or relieve (a person) of (also †from) something, esp. pain or discomfort; to rid (a thing) of (also †from) something undesirable. Now rare.In quot. 1562: to divest (oneself).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > state of being consoled or relieved > be relieved of [verb (transitive)] > console or relieve > relieve of suffering
lighteOE
unbindc950
alightOE
slakea1300
deliverc1325
covera1375
lissec1374
relievea1382
allegea1425
refreshc1430
alighten1530
untaste1609
mitigate1644
disaffright1676
soothe1746
shrive1899
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 2067 Deliuery we ssolle it of þis folc þat her Inne is, & of folc velle it vol of ure kunde.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 193 Anoynte þe pacient, & þis wole delyuere him fro icching.
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. met. i. l. 1739 Who so wil sowe a felde plentiuous, lat hym first delyuer it of þornes.
1562 Homilies (1859) ii. Good Friday 411 It pleased him [Christ] to deliver himself of all His godly honour.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vii. 323 A stone..which hath the vertue to deliuer a woman from her paine in child-birth.
1780 J. Wesley Let. 22 June (1931) VII. 24 It gives me very much pleasure to hear..that God has delivered you from that torturing pain.
1868 H. Bushnell Serm. Living Subj. 21 The salutation will be quite delivered of its harshness by just observing that no such bluffness of meaning is implied in the Greek.
1940 A. Nin Diary Dec. (1969) III. 74 We must find something that you love to do to deliver you of this guilt for not acting in the world.
2008 A. Hunter tr. A. Desarthe Chez Moi 40 He's delivered it [i.e. tearfulness] of its triviality, dissolving away my lack of discretion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > heal or cure [verb (transitive)] > alleviate
palea1400
delivera1413
palliate?a1425
succour1526
pallify?1543
lenify1574
subdue1591
the mind > emotion > pleasure > state of being consoled or relieved > be relieved of [verb (transitive)] > console or relieve > relieve (suffering)
lissea1000
alightOE
allayc1225
softc1225
comfort1297
laya1300
eathea1325
allegea1375
appeasec1374
laska1375
slakea1387
releasea1393
balma1400
to bete one of one's balea1400
to cool a person's caresc1400
delivera1413
leggea1425
mitigate?a1425
repress?a1425
alleviate?a1475
allevya1500
alleve1544
leviate1545
lenify1567
allevate1570
ungrieve1589
straight1604
mulcify1653
balsama1666
solace1667
meliorate1796
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 1012 Ialousye..causeles is cropen in-to yow, The harm of which I wolde fayn delyuere.
?a1425 (?1373) Lelamour Herbal (1938) f. 47 (MED) Put hit in the nose, hit makiþ to blede, delyuerþe the hede stopynge.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. ccccvv/1 A lytel medecyne ofte delyuereth a grete langour and payne.
1576 G. Baker tr. C. Gesner Newe Jewell of Health ii. f. 53v This water..delyuereth the griefe of the stone.
1632 Guillim's Display of Heraldrie (ed. 2) iv. v. 287 That so his momentary passion..might by some like intermission of time be deliuered and so languish away.
4. transitive (reflexive). To express oneself in words; to give a speech, sermon, or utterance. Also with of. Cf. sense 14.In this sense probably influenced by sense 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (reflexive)]
delivera1400
livera1500
enlarge1614
speak1833
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 20391 I delyuered me of my sermoun.
1654 tr. M. Martini Bellum Tartaricum 217 He delivered himself thus unto them, ‘I hope by your valour to obtain the Empire of the world’.
1669 J. Evelyn Hist. Three Impostors 89 He would not trust so farr to the vertue of his Messiahship, as to deliver himself in the Turkish Language.
1752 H. Fielding Amelia II. vi. vii. 240 Amelia delivered herself on the Subject of second Marriages with much Eloquence.
1869 E. M. Goulburn Pursuit of Holiness x. 91 Delivering Himself..in sentiments the very tones of which are unearthly.
1906 Bohemian Mar. 260 As Helen delivered herself of this opinion, her adorably sweet mouth went down at the corners.
2012 M. Chabon in New Yorker 13 Feb. 90/3 There were those who had felt moved..to deliver themselves of wild, unanswerable orations, complete with hand gestures and table-poundings.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > organs of excretion > defecation or urination > defecation > [verb (transitive)]
shita1382
to defy out1382
deliver?a1425
cack1485
evacuate1542
scour1577
shoot1594
foil1599
exstercorate1609
to dung outa1642
move1645
cast1704
to do one's doings1957
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming out > letting or sending out > let or send out [verb (transitive)] > eject
warpc1000
wreaka1300
out-throwa1393
excludec1400
shootc1400
spitc1400
deliver?a1425
outflingc1450
springc1480
bolka1522
vomit1552
spurge1582
out-braid1586
hurl1590
cast1601
spew1605
eject1607
ejaculate1609
spew1610
to cast out1611
throw1625
eructate1632
gullop1646
explode1660
to throw off1660
belch1668
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > digestive disorders > have digestive disorder [verb (transitive)] > vomit
spew971
aspewc1200
to gulch out?c1225
casta1300
vomea1382
brake1393
evacuec1400
to cast outa1425
deliver?a1425
voida1425
evomec1450
evomit?a1475
disgorge1477
to cast up1483
degorge1493
vomish1536
retch1538
parbreak1540
reject1540
vomit1541
evacuate1542
revomit1545
belch1558
vomit1560
to lay up1570
upvomit1582
to fetch up1599
puke1601
respew1606
inbelch1610
spew1610
to throw up1614
exgurgitate1623
out-spew1647
egurgitate1656
to throw off1660
to bring up1719
pick1828
sick1924
yark1927
barf1960
to park the tiger1970
vom1991
?a1425 (?1373) Lelamour Herbal (1938) f. 25 (MED) Flours delise is a souerayne worcher for the dropsy; as þis, kyt the rote drounwarde [read dounwarde], and he shall delyuer be nethe.
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 96v (MED) Þu shalt wele kut al þat þat is comprehended wiþ þat corde. And be it so y kutted þat þe corde be sped or deliuered [L. expediatur].
?a1500 in G. Henslow Med. Wks. 14th Cent. (1899) 69 (MED) Who-so may nouȝt wel delyuer hys mete.
1670 S. Patrick Further Contin. & Def. 76 They should be so unmannerly and clownishly despightful as this rude scholar.., who professes to have vomited his gall, or, as he calls it, delivered his stomach in my face.
1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters II. xi. 196 The brace of revellers went staggering over the azotea, delivering their stomachs.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > fight (a battle, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > challenge to single combat or duel > accept challenge offered by
deliver1440
society > morality > duty or obligation > moral or legal constraint > immunity or exemption from liability > be exempt from (a liability or obligation) [verb (transitive)] > free from obligation
freeeOE
unbind1297
quitclaima1325
acquit1340
excuse1340
loose1340
releasec1350
assoil1366
soilc1384
dischargea1387
quita1387
relieve1416
absoil1440
deliver1440
acquittance1448
quiet1450
acquiet1453
absolve?a1475
defease1475
skill1481
relax1511
redeema1513
exoner1533
exonerate1548
solvec1550
distask1592
disgage1594
upsolve1601
disoblige1603
disengage1611
to get off1623
exclude1632
supersedea1644
to let off1814
to let out1869
1440 R. Repps in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 22 The qwych knyght wyl renne a cours wyth a sharpe spere for his souereyn lady sake; qwom othyr Ser Richard Woodvyle or Ser Cristofore Talbot shall delyuer, to the wyrchip of Englond and of hem selff.
c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 1688 (MED) Ȝif þow hufe all þe daye, þou bees noghte delyuerede.
c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 77 Forto take entreprises, to answere or deliver a gentilman that desire in worship to doo armes in liestis to the utteraunce, or to certein pointis.
a1500 (?a1475) Guy of Warwick (Cambr. Ff.2.38) l. 10140 And wyth the grace of god almyght To delyuyr ther enmyes wyth ryght.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ccclxxiii. 617 Then it was sayd to all the knightes there about, Sirs, is there any of you that will delyuer this knight?.. Sir Wylliam of Fermyton..sayd..if it pleases him a lytell to rest hym, he shall anone be delyuered, for I shall arme me agaynst hym.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > leave unoccupied [verb (transitive)] > empty > empty (a vessel)
teema1400
deliver1486
untap1622
start1729
1486–7 Cely Papers in Eng. Stud. (1961) 42 149 My costys at London whyle the shyp delyuyrd.
1693 F. Brooks Barbarian Cruelty 8 After we had work'd there very hard all Day in delivering the Ship, they put us down in the Hold of their Ship in Irons.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §289 The Weston was delivered of her cargo.
1805 in A. Duncan Nelson 231, 26th. Delivered the Spaniard, and sunk her.
8. transitive. To empty (a prison) of prisoners in order to bring them to trial at an assize court. Also occasionally extended to other courts. Now historical.Assizes were held once a year in each county of England and Wales to administer civil and criminal law, and typically heard the most serious of cases. In 1972 the civil jurisdiction of assizes was transferred to the High Court, and the criminal jurisdiction to the Crown Court.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > trying or hearing of cause > try or hear causes [verb (intransitive)] > clear jail by bringing to trial
deliver1523
1523 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 34 To deliver any gayole wthin the towne.
1535–6 Act 27 Henry VIII c. 24 §14 in Statutes of Realm (1963) III. 557 All suche Justices..shall haue auctoritie..to delyver the same gaoles from tyme to tyme.
1666 W. Dugdale Origines Juridiciales xxxviii. 101/2 He that gives the chardge, and delivers the Gaol, doth, or ought for the most part, to continue all that Assizes the same Robes, Scarlet Gown, Hood, and Mantle.
1797 J. Holliday Life William Earl Mansfield ii. 145 A few hours only have flitted or passed away, since, in the discharge of my duty as a judge, I delivered your new gaol.
1867 Liverpool Mercury 19 Dec. 7/4 One of the registrars at the Court of Bankruptcy, attended at Liverpool borough gaol, Walton, for the purpose of delivering the prison of the debtors there incarcerated.
1890 Spectator 26 Apr. 584/2 The gaol must be delivered before the Judge leaves the assize town.
2015 W. C. Jordan From France to Eng. Notes 158 The justices who were sent to deliver the jail were remarkable in their leniency. One hundred and ninety eight people, not yet tried, were released outright.
9. Brickmaking, Ceramics, Founding, etc.† a. intransitive. Of a mould or cast: to release bricks, glass, pottery, etc. Also of bricks, glass, pottery, etc.: to come out of a mould or cast. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1783 J. Wedgwood in Philos. Trans. 1782 (Royal Soc.) 72 310 To make the clay deliver easily, it will be necessary to oil the mould.
1880 C. T. Newton Ess. Art & Archæol. vi. 272 That oil or grease had been applied..to make the mould deliver.
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. 172 A pattern hangs to the sand when it delivers with difficulty.
b. transitive. To remove (bricks, glass, pottery, etc.) from a mould. Also of a mould: to release (a brick, glass, pottery, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > brick and tile making > make bricks and tiles [verb (transitive)] > specific processes
strike1683
shinlog1703
deliver1809
hack1813
underburn1841
malm1850
off-bear1856
skintle1876
kelly1884
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > pottery-making or ceramics > make pottery [verb (transitive)] > other processes
whave1611
throw1698
slap1786
deliver1809
blungec1830
frit1832
saggar1839
sling1853
boss1860
porcelainize1863
kaolinize1874
soak1925
jigger1931
press-mould1971
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > glass-making > make glass [verb (transitive)] > specific processes
nip1559
scald1662
found1783
deliver1809
frit1832
gather1839
to wet off, up1849
marver1852
platten1875
matt1885
1809 W. Nicholson Brit. Encycl. I. at Brick The bricks are delivered from the mould and ranged on the ground.
1876 Specif. & Drawings of Patents (U.S. Patent Office) 5 Dec. 99/1 Force the plungers upward..and thus deliver the bricks from the molds.
1946 A. Monkman in H. Whetton Pract. Printing & Binding i. 18/2 The older kind of mould delivers the types with the jets attached.
1982 J. Physick Victoria & Albert Mus. viii. 118/2 They added an additional 14 guineas to their estimate as a fee..in order to touch up the terracotta when it was delivered from the mould.
2011 A. Gebhardt Understanding Additive Manufacturing i. 21 The higher rigidity of the PUR material in combination with the backed up walls leads to a mold that delivers much more precise wax patterns than could be made by a soft silicon mold.
II. To surrender or hand over, and related senses.
10.
a. transitive. To give up (also over) possession of (a person or thing); to surrender (a castle, town, hostage, etc.). Also formerly: †spec. to hand over (a person or thing) to a specified fate, ruin, destruction, etc. (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > relinquishing > relinquish or give up [verb (transitive)]
forsakec893
forlet971
to reach upOE
agiveOE
yield?c1225
uptake1297
up-yield1297
yield1297
deliverc1300
to-yielda1375
overgivec1384
grant1390
forbeara1400
livera1400
forgoc1400
upgive1415
permit1429
quit1429
renderc1436
relinquish1479
abandonc1485
to hold up?1499
enlibertyc1500
surrender1509
cess1523
relent1528
to cast up?1529
resignate1531
uprender1551
demit1563
disclaim1567
to fling up1587
to give up1589
quittance1592
vail1593
enfeoff1598
revoke1599
to give off1613
disownc1620
succumb1632
abdicate1633
delinquish1645
discount1648
to pass away1650
to turn off1667
choke1747
to jack up1870
chuck up (the sponge)1878
chuckc1879
unget1893
sling1902
to jack in1948
punt1966
to-leave-
c1300 Life & Martyrdom Thomas Becket (Harl. 2277) (1845) l. 724 The Kinges baillyf delyvri him to anhonge other to drawe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 15879 He deliuered his maister vp.
1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) lviii. 85 The moders of them shalle be delyuerd to the dolorous deth of helle.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 48/1 That..the goodes of a saintuarye man shoulde be deliuered in paiment of his dets.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II iii. i. 29 See them deliuered ouer To execution and the hand of death. View more context for this quotation
1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses II. 291 He..did seemingly plot with them..to have the Tower, Windsore Castle, and other Holds delivered to them.
1777 R. Watson Hist. Reign Philip II I. viii. 204 ‘Count Egmont,’ said Alva, ‘deliver your sword; it is the will of the king that you give it up, and go to prison.’
1877 San Francisco Chron. 21 Mar. The members of the Club determined upon delivering the prisoner over to the authorities.
1917 Encycl. Sinica 406/1 The action which forced the foreign merchants at Canton to deliver up their stocks of opium.
1998 I. Hunter Which? Guide to Employm. vii. 146 In Scotland employers can request a court order obliging the employee to deliver up the relevant property, and can ask that a search warrant be granted to Sheriff Officers, enabling them to search the employee's premises.
b. transitive (reflexive). To devote or commit (oneself) to something, esp. study or the gaining of knowledge. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > occupy or busy oneself [verb (reflexive)] > devote or apply oneself
choosea1300
yield?a1366
givea1400
employ1439
applyc1450
poura1500
intend?1504
delivera1533
addict1534
bequeath1558
bend1591
devotea1616
devow1626
surrendera1732
puzzle1751
a1533 Ld. Berners in tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1535) Prol. sig. A.iv I delyvered my selfe with greate desyre to knowe thynges.
1817 tr. Comtesse de Genlis Battuecus in Ladies' Monthly Museum May 272 He..could in no other way be diverted from an unhappy passion than by ardently delivering himself to study.
1975 M. Bradbury Hist. Man (1979) i. 13 Howard delivers himself to the task of persuasion.
1995 V. Chandra Red Earth & Pouring Rain (1996) 11 I delivered myself to yama in the year nineteen hundred and eleven, or in the english way, eighteen hundred and eighty nine after christ.
11. † d. transitive. With out. To distribute (something) among a group of people; to give out, share out. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To convey and hand over (something, esp. letters, parcels, or goods); to take (something) to (also †unto) a specified recipient or address. Also with double object (now rare).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > relinquishing > relinquish or give up [verb (transitive)] > hand over to another
i-taechec888
outreacheOE
sellc950
beteacha1000
areachc1000
turnc1175
handsellc1225
betakec1250
deliverc1300
beken1330
yielda1382
disposec1384
resigna1387
livera1400
to turn overa1425
deputea1440
overgive1444
quit?c1450
surrend1450
surrender1466
renderc1480
to give over1483
despose1485
refer1547
to pass over1560
to set over1585
behight1590
tip1610
consign1632
delegate1633
skink1637
to hand over1644
delate1651
to turn off1667
to turn in1822
society > travel > transport > [verb (transitive)] > cause to be conveyed or send > cause to be delivered at destination
deliverc1300
to send in1715
c1300 St. Laurence (Laud) l. 67 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 342 Schewe us þat tresour..and de-liuere it þe Aumperour!
a1425 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Linc. Inn) (1952) 1005 Jn acastel heo was y set And was deliuerid liuersoun Skarseliche and nouȝt foisoun.
1532 W. Walter tr. G. Boccaccio Guystarde & Sygysmonde sig. Aiiiv All her mynde she wrote in a lettere..And to hym she gaue it with smylynge chere Byddynge hym to bere it to her chambere And to delyuer it vnto her mayd.
c1600 Wriothesley's Chron. Eng. (1875) I. 28 Who had his pardon delyvered him on the Tower Hill.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxii. 122 To joyn in a Petition to be delivered to a Iudge, etc.
1765 tr. A.-L. Morin-Dumesnil Hist. Marquis de Roselle I. xxxv. 80 My Mistress engaged the Marquis to be with her about noon, an hour she never received him at before; being the time the post-man usually delivers the letters.
1843 W. H. Prescott Hist. Conquest Mexico I. ii. v. 302 His master..had sent him as an envoy to wait on Montezuma with a present..and a message which he must deliver in person.
1994 Star-Ledger (Newark) 20 Nov. i. 3/1 The boat was a two-masted, $400,000 Hinckley ketch, which they had been hired to deliver from Bermuda to Oxford, Md.
2009 @ThoreauPillow 16 June in twitter.com (accessed 23 Apr. 2020) I cleaned my apartment so the guys delivering my new furniture wouldn't get the right idea about my normal housekeeping habits. I am my mom.
b. intransitive, chiefly with object implied. To convey and hand over something, esp. letters, parcels, or goods. rare before 19th cent.
ΚΠ
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement iii. f. ccvii/2 I Delyuer I gyue a thyng in to ones handes to kepe, Ie liure.
1598 H. Roberts Honours Conquest sig. S4 Considering his vowe made, as his messenger deliuered,..the company would accept him.
1852 Methods of Employment 37 Further enquiries were made in the neighbourhood—the address of the postman who delivers in that district [was] obtained.
1918 Chicago Sunday Tribune 8 Dec. (Final ed.) 4/7 (advt.) We Deliver to North, South and West Sides.
2005 C. Alliott Not that Kind of Girl vii. 121 That sofa-table in the window. When would you be able to deliver?
c. transitive. figurative. To hand over or present (a person or thing). Chiefly in to deliver (a person or thing) to the world: to present (a person or thing) to the public. rare after 17th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > presence > be present at [verb (transitive)] > be in the presence of > bring (a person) into the presence of
presentc1300
representc1425
delivera1616
render1645
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. ii. 38 O that I..might not be deliuered to the world Till I had made mine owne occasion mellow. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) v. iii. 39 The sorrow that deliuers vs thus chang'd, Makes you thinke so. View more context for this quotation
1692 J. Wilson Vindiciæ Carolinæ 11 My end is to vindicate this..[Good Prince] and (according to my strength) deliver him to the World as he was: A great (if not the only) steddy Example of both Fortunes and of a Mind Unchang'd.
1771 J. Shebbeare Authentic Narr. Oppress. Islanders Jersey I. ii. 36 We deliver them [sc. characters] to the world in the same colouring with which they are portrayed on the canvas of our imaginations.
1996 Amer. Enterprise Mar. 48 The internet..not only delivers the world to us, but also delivers us to the world.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > distribute or deal out [verb (transitive)]
britteneOE
to-dealeOE
dealOE
britOE
setc1275
dispensec1374
dispendc1375
to-seta1387
dispone1429
disposec1430
sparple1435
demean1439
distributea1464
distribue1477
issuec1484
communy1530
to deal out1535
impart1545
disperse1555
retail1576
digest1578
deliver1626
to hand out1648
to dispose of1676
dispensate1701
dole1701
to give out1710
sling1860
to give away1889
to pass out1926
dish1934
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 5 The Steward is to deliuer out the victuall, according to the Captaines directions.
1758 Marquis of Kildare's Bk. in Archivium Hibernicum (2009) 62 204 I desire that..no Visitors' Servants do get any Strong Beer, except their Masters or Mistresses..are here at the time the Strong Beer is delivered out to my Servants.
1789 Charter & Regs. of Royal College Physicians Edinb. 66 The records of the proceedings of the College shall not be delivered out to any of the members..without the authority of the college.
1813 Mil. Panorama Feb. 467 Masters of transports make much difficulty in delivering out the rations to the passengers.
1908 Southern Daily Echo (Southampton) 24 Jan. 2/6 The conductor..took twopenny fares from each passenger..but delivered out no tickets whatever.
12.
a. transitive. figurative. To impart or provide (something, esp. knowledge or a service). Also in later use: to provide (something that is promised or expected). Formerly also with †down.
ΚΠ
c1300 St. Christopher (Laud) l. 42 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 272 Þe beste seruiz þat þou wolt cheose, man schal deliueri [c1300 Harl. delyurie] þe.
c1390 Cato's Distichs (Vernon) l. 241 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 572 (MED) Dredful is deþ, diliueret In eorþe to al monkunne.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Cor. xi. 2 That ye..kepe the ordinaunces even as I delyvered them to you.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. iv. 36 The superstitious idle-headed-Eld Receiu'd, and did deliuer to our age This tale of Herne the Hunter. View more context for this quotation
1763 J. Macpherson Temora Diss. p. xix I have all along expressed my doubts, concerning the veracity and abilities of those [sc. Irish and Scotch historians] who deliver down their antient history.
1882 Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. 1881–2 17 415 Dr. Reynolds delivered the course on Anatomy.
1960 Salt Lake Tribune 24 Oct. 5/4 Russian doctors are getting worried Soviet citizens will get more heart attacks if Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev delivers his promise to catch up with the bountiful American diet.
2020 Financial Times 18 Jan. 16 He..set the tone of the new government, focusing on delivering Brexit.
b. intransitive. To provide something that is promised or expected; do something well; to perform. Cf. to deliver the goods at good adj., n., adv., and int. Phrases 7a.
ΚΠ
1959 F. Astaire Steps in Time xxi. 244 I have a horror of not delivering—making good, so to speak; and I can't stand the thought of letting everybody down—studio and public as well as myself.
1985 Company Dec. 82/1 Whether you go there for the art at the Louvre,..or just plain old sightseeing, Paris certainly delivers in full.
2001 R. Cellan–Jones Dot.bomb iii. 28 Corporate Development..was staffed by young thrusters, many of them business school graduates, who were paid £60,000 a year and expected to deliver.
13. In legal contexts.
a. transitive. To hand over (goods, notices, etc.) to another person legally or formally; esp. to put (property) into the legal possession of another person. In early use chiefly in to deliver seisin; now frequently in to deliver possession.Cf. delivery n. 1a.
ΚΠ
1414–15 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 120 John shall deliuere fully & cleerly to the forsaide Thomas..all his right, state, and terme comyng in alle the forsayde tenementz.
1422 in H. M. Flasdieck Mittelengl. Originalurkunden (1926) 61 (MED) He openly deleuyryd me sesyn be yat same dede.
1601 W. Fulbecke Parallele or Conf. Law vii. f. 47v By our law the power and authoritie of deliuering goods and chattels, or putting the deuisee in possession belongeth onely to the executors.
1696 Compleat Sheriff xviii. 238 The Jury found he was Tenant of one of the Messuages, and not of the other; the Plaintiff may have Judgment, and a Writ to the Sheriff to deliver Seisin.
1791 P. Burton Pract. Office of Pleas, Court of Exchequer II. 165 Thomas Blakeway and Thomas Speke..did not deliver the possession of the said premises to her the said Katherine.
1800 W. Bleamire Remarks on Poor Laws 25 If settlement should be disputed, the reasons for appealing against the order of removal should be given in writing at time of delivering notice of appeal.
1889 Rep. Supreme Court District of Columbia 6 66 Possession was delivered by passing the key as a sign or symbol that thereby the possession was delivered.
1965 Jrnl. Indian Law Inst. 7 214 While the plaintiff was temporarily absent from Calcutta..he asked the defendant to carry it on, delivering possession of the business and its premises.
b. transitive. Of the maker of a deed or his or her attorney: to hand over (a deed), either actually or notionally, as an acknowledgement of intent to be bound by it.Cf. delivery n. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > putting in possession > put (a person) in possession [verb (transitive)] > hand over
deliver1528
addict1534
1528–30 tr. T. Littleton Tenures (new ed.) f. vi If a man make a dede of fe[o]ffemente vnto another..and delyuereth to hym the deed but no lyuery of seysyn.
a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. Cv Speake, Faustus, do you deliuer this as your deede?
1623 in New Shakspere Soc. Trans. (1885) 505 Wch said Indentr was sealled and deliuered by all the parties thervnto.
1767 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. (new ed.) II. 306 A seventh requisite to a good deed is that it be delivered, by the party himself or his certain attorney.
1845 J. Williams Princ. Law Real Prop. i. vii. 114 The words ‘I deliver this as my act and deed’, which are spoken at the same time, are held to be equivalent to delivery, even if the party keep the deed himself.
1933 Virginia Law Rev. 19 302 The plaintiff brought this action to restrain the escrow agent from delivering the deed.
2015 Toronto Star (Nexis) 21 Mar. (NH section) h6 If the property involved is not a principal residence, it will attract federal capital gains tax either when the deed is delivered or when it is registered, and tax advice should be sought in these circumstances.
III. To emit, discharge, or project, and related senses.† 16. transitive. To move (a part of the body) readily and quickly; to use (physical strength) with nimbleness or agility. Cf. deliver adj. 2, delivery n. 9. Obsolete. rare.
14. † a. intransitive. To utter or enunciate words; to speak on a subject; to pronounce a judgement, verdict, or opinion. Obsolete.In quot. 1530 with reference to sung notes.† d. transitive. With clause as object. To report or state (that something is the case). Obsolete.† e. transitive. With a person or thing as object and a clause as complement. To report or state that (a person or thing) is what is expressed by the complement. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speech-making > make a speech [verb (intransitive)]
deliverc1400
repeat1579
speak1583
perore1594
perorate1603
oratorize1620
concionatea1641
speech1684
speechify1723
oration1764
orate1780
platform1859
elocutionize1883
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > sing [verb (intransitive)]
singc825
chantc1405
carpc1425
relesch1513
deliver1530
record1590
strain1602
cherubim1748
vocalize1782
nightingalize1799
sing-song1828
outsing1877
c1400 in W. Fraser Memorials Family Wemyss (1888) II. 37 Schir Williame of Dalyhel, knycht, Alexander of Ogilvy, schirraf of Angus, Wat of Ogilvy, and Williame of Fentoun, sworn to delyuer and ordane evinly for bath the partis eftir thair knawlage and cunnyng.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 510/2 I delyver quickly, as one dothe in syngynge..I never herde boye in my lyfe delyver more quyckely.
1807 J. Robinson Archæol. Græca v. xxi. 525 They first delivered on civil affairs: afterwards the discourse turned on war.
1859 G. A. Sala Twice round Clock (1861) 97 Poor jurymen..understanding a great deal more about the case on which they have to deliver at its commencement than at its termination.
1911 Big Sandy News (Louisa, Kentucky) 27 Jan. 1/1 It must require much effort on the part of the young and inexperienced girl to rise in the center of a vast audience, make her way to a platform and there, before seven or eight hundred people, most of them strangers, deliver clearly and distinctly.
b. transitive. To report or state (something); to communicate or relate (something) in words.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > state or declare [verb (transitive)]
speakc900
sayOE
sayOE
tell?a1160
to put forth?c1225
posea1325
allegec1330
declarec1330
exponec1380
to bring fortha1382
expounda1382
terminec1384
allaya1387
express1386
proport1387
purport1389
cough1393
generalize?a1425
deliverc1454
expremec1470
to show forth1498
promisea1500
term1546
to set forward1560
attribute1563
to throw out1573
quote1575
dictate1599
rendera1616
preport1616
enunciate1623
remonstrate1625
state1642
pronunciate1652
annunciate1763
present1779
enounce1805
report1842
constate1865
lodge1885
outen1951
the mind > language > speech > narration > narrate, relate, or tell [verb (transitive)]
singc900
reckonOE
readOE
tellOE
showc1175
betellc1275
i-tellec1275
rehearsec1300
record1340
accounta1387
to chase forthc1386
retretec1400
reporta1402
count?a1425
recite1448
touch?a1450
repeat1451
deliverc1454
explikec1454
renderc1460
recount1477
to show forth1498
relate1530
to set forth1530
rechec1540
reaccount1561
recitate1568
history1600
recant1603
to run througha1616
enarrate1750
narrate1754
c1454 R. Pecock Folewer to Donet 13 (MED) If to a man in þe bigynnyng þe causis and whies schulden be delyuerid, to her resoun and to her examynacioun, her witt schulde be þerbi oppressid.
1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill 219 The Duke..himselfe unto the king, delivered what hee had seene.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. ii. 4 I..heard the old Shepheard deliuer the manner how he found it. View more context for this quotation
1690–1700 Order of Hospitalls sig. Hvi Goe to the Lord Maior, and deliuer unto him the disobedience of the said Constable.
1790 W. Paley Horæ Paulinæ i. 5 Particulars so plainly delivered..in the Acts of the Apostles.
1862 E. Daniels Marrying for Money I. xxii. 298 A budget full of news, which Algernon delivers rapidly, and without waiting for answer or comment of any kind.
1973 Tennessean 1 Aug. 1/3 Several members of the Senate committee reacted with sharp suspicion when Haldeman delivered his account.
2020 University Wire (Carlsbad) 26 Mar. These outlets do a great job of delivering the facts of what is going on in our country.
c. transitive. To utter or enunciate (words); to make (a speech); to pronounce (a judgement, verdict, or opinion). Cf. sense 4.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speech-making > deliver (a speech) [verb (transitive)]
speakc888
preacha1382
pronounce1560
deliver1576
1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 56 To a question by him propounded, this answere was deliuered.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. xiii. 101 The vowell is alwayes more easily deliuered then the consonant.
1667 S. Pepys Diary 22 July (1974) VIII. 348 He is..bold to deliver what he thinks on every occasion.
1793 J. W. Newman Lounger’s Common-place Bk. II. 71/1 If he would not sit down, while the jury were delivering their verdict,..he should be obliged to impose in some way.
1873 P. G. Hamerton Intellect. Life 150 Like an orator who knows that he can deliver a passage, and compose at the same time the one which is to follow.
1882 Times 25 Nov. 4 The Master of the Rolls, in delivering judgment, said [etc.].
1946 Catskill Mountain (Margaretville, N.Y.) News 25 Oct. 4/3 Robert A. Pollard of Roxbury delivers an excellent sermon at each service.
2010 Vanity Fair Sept. 211/2 Obama delivered a speech from the Oval Office on the oil spill in the Gulf.
ΚΠ
1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. F2v It was deliuered he hong himself for griefe.
1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall ii. 25 That they held that practise in Gallia, Cæsar expressly delivereth.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 161 Who founded these, their Annals nor their Sanscript deliver not.
ΚΠ
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. ii. ii. 154 Foure thousand Spaniards (for so the prisoner that we tooke deliuered them to be upon his saluation).
1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης i. 11 History..delivers him a deep dissembler.
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Arithm. (1691) iv. 64 The Author..delivers the Proportion..to be as Thirty to Eighty two.
1711 G. Cary Physician's Phylactic 248 This Pseudo-Ambrose doth not deliver it to be the Catholick and uninterrupted Belief and Practise of the Church; but only gives his opinion.
f. transitive. To perform (a musical rendition, dance, etc.); to execute (a part in a piece of music, dance, etc.) in a specified manner.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > perform [verb (transitive)]
perform1567
deliver1809
audition1935
1809 W. Nicholson Brit. Encycl. IV. at Musical Instruments The beautiful passages allotted to the hautboy,..being so very exquisitely delivered, commanded our admiration as much of the performer as of the music.
1900 Etude Nov. 400/1 The accompanying chord-notes are to be delivered staccato.
1977 C. Charness Hollywood Cine-dance (Ph.D. diss., N.Y. Univ.) vii. 68 He finishes the dance with a bit of tap, delivered allegro.
2012 Nelson (N.Z.) Mail (Nexis) 16 July 2 He immersed himself in the second movement of Beethoven's 2nd Piano Concerto, delivering the piece with elegance and precision.
15.
a. transitive. To aim or strike (a blow); to make or begin (an assault, attack, offensive). to deliver battle: to give battle; to make or begin an attack (now rare).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > contend in battle or give battle [verb (intransitive)]
fightc900
to bid, offer, refuse, accept, take (arch.) battle1297
to do battle1297
to give battle1297
strive13..
battle1330
to instore a battle1382
fettlec1400
pugnec1425
toilc1425
to deliver battle1433
conflict?a1475
bargain1487
mellaya1500
liverc1500
to come out1511
field1535
combat1589
to manage arms1590
sway1590
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)] > launch or make (an attack)
deliver1433
offer1530
launch1916
mount1952
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > hostile action or attack > make an attack upon [verb (transitive)] > attack with hostile words or measures > direct (hostile action or words) upon
deliver1433
bend1577
launch1865
welly1966
1433 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. July 1433 §17. m. 16 My said lorde of Bedford hath..many and diverse dayes kept þe felde, redy to have foghtyn and delivered bataille to þe kynges enemyys.
?1590 A. Munday tr. First Bk. Amadis of Gaule xxxvii. f. 173 They valiantlye thrust themselues into the skirmishe, deliuering such freendly blowes on euery side, that Galaor soone felt him selfe well assisted.
1707 W. Hope New Method Fencing vi. 173 The Blow must be delivered towards the right Thigh, Leg or Foot.
1864 Daily Tel. 19 Nov. The assaults were badly delivered.
1915 Irish Times 23 May 2/5 The French troops which were withdrawn from Kum Kale are delivering battle near Gallipoli.
1924 Courier & Advertiser (Dundee) 6 Sept. 3/3 He delivers punches from every angle.
1935 Daily Mail 7 Oct. 14/2 The Abyssinian troops have not been able to deliver battle and make a stand..before the Italian invading forces.
2005 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 5 June i. 13/1 Syria test-fired the three Scud missiles equipped with airburst warheads, reinforcing Israeli worries about Syria's ability to deliver a missile-borne chemical attack against Israeli civilian targets.
b. transitive. To discharge or release (ammunition, a missile, etc.). Also of a person: to throw or project (something held, esp. a ball).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > assail with missiles [verb (transitive)] > discharge (missile)
sendc825
to let flyOE
slenga1300
castc1325
lancec1330
throwa1382
launch?a1400
whirlc1440
fling1487
dischargec1500
to let goc1500
streek1513
deliver1574
level1592
fire1887
1574 T. Tymme tr. J. de Serres Three Partes Comm. Ciuill Warres Fraunce ii. sig. U.iij For wante of Gunnes, the men of the valleys had made them crossebowes of wood, which would deliuer stones with great force.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. iii. 55 A File of Boyes..deliuer'd such a showre of Pibbles. View more context for this quotation
1702 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) V. 207 The earl of Kent, as he was delivering his bowl upon the green at Tunbridge Wells last Wensday, fell down and immediately died.
1834 T. Medwin Angler in Wales I. 291 In delivering his harpoon he lost his balance.
1885 Manch. Examiner 15 May 5/2 The enemy..waited till Middleton's volunteers had approached very close before they delivered their fire.
1912 H. Kephart Sporting Firearms i. 11 The shooting merits of a rifle are rated by the accuracy, velocity, and force with which it delivers bullets.
2013 D. Johnson Compl. Guide Pitching 106 The deception of the sidewinder is that he is upright and then makes a drastic posture change, delivering the ball from a very odd and low angle.
c. transitive. Of a pipe, valve, or other opening: to emit (a substance, esp. water); to discharge (a substance) into a receptacle.
ΚΠ
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 270 Springes and watery places of the earth, from whence the fountaines come, which haue no meeting of hidden waters, nor hollowe places capable, readily to deliuer water from them.
1702 T. Savery Miner's Friend 24 If the great Boyler L, be more than half Exhausted, turn the small Cock N, whose Pipe will deliver Water, if the Water be above the Level of its Bottom..; if not, it will deliver Steam.
1827 M. Faraday Chem. Manip. xvi. 410 The apparatus delivering gas should always be made to turn up at the end.
1923 Jrnl. Amer. Water Works Assoc. 10 407 Water is drawn from a well about 260 feet deep by a deep-well pump that delivers water into the mains.
2014 R. Farr Fire Seekers v. 78 When the Mediterranean broke into the Black Sea, it delivered water into the Black Sea basin at a rate of ten, fifteen cubic miles a day.
d. transitive. Mining. Of a mine: to produce or yield (a commodity).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > supply > provide or supply (something) [verb (transitive)] > provide, afford, or yield
givec1200
providec1425
supporta1449
utter1547
yield1548
offer1550
afforda1568
servea1577
award1582
presenta1586
produce1585
deliver1605
officiate1667
furnish1754
to throw up1768
scale1853
1605 R. Verstegan Restit. Decayed Intelligence ii. 51 The mynes..do deliuer Gold, Siluer, Copper.
1764 Hibernicus Importance of Northern Collieries 9 The Work necessary to be done at the Colliery, will..put the Collieries into such a State as to be able to deliver Yearly the..Quantity of 120,000 Tons.
1873 R. W. Raymond Silver & Gold ix. 369 This mine delivered 150 tons of coal per day.
1981 GeoJournal Suppl. 2 2 48/2 At full production, this mine will deliver 12 Mt per annum.
2011 W. L. Pohl Econ. Geol. ii. 219/1 Today, after a long but slow decline the basin delivers each year ~300 t gold, 3000 t uranium and 1000 kg osmiridium.
e. transitive. Of a road: To discharge (traffic) to, into, or onto another road. In early use also occasionally intransitive.
ΚΠ
1895 Daily News 1 Oct. 3/1 The Committee thinking it desirable that the new thoroughfare shall deliver directly into and on a level with the Strand.
1915 Proc. Assoc. Transportation & Car Accounting Officers June 4065 When a subscriber road delivers cars..to no-subscriber connections, the delivering subscriber road shall [etc.].
1994 Guardian 26 Oct. (Society section) 2/2 Expanded trunk roads deliver more traffic on to unexpandable local roads, than they can cope with.
2014 V. Dover & J. Massengale Street Design i. 27/1 Local roads deliver traffic to collector roads, which deliver traffic to arterials, which deliver traffic to limited-access highways.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > bodily movement > move (the body or a member) [verb (transitive)] > put forth bodily action
deliver1590
1590 Sir P. Sidney Covntesse of Pembrokes Arcadia ii. vii. f. 130v Not Musidorus, no nor any man living (I thinke) could performe any action..more strongly, or deliver that Strength more nimbly.
1845 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 5 ii. 530 He [a horse] must..be taught to raise his knee and deliver his leg with freedom.
17. transitive. To finish or dispose of (something) rapidly; to kill (a person) quickly. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > killing > kill [verb (transitive)]
swevec725
quelmeOE
slayc893
quelleOE
of-falleOE
ofslayeOE
aquellc950
ayeteeOE
spillc950
beliveOE
to bring (also do) of (one's) life-dayOE
fordoa1000
forfarea1000
asweveOE
drepeOE
forleseOE
martyrOE
to do (also i-do, draw) of lifeOE
bringc1175
off-quellc1175
quenchc1175
forswelta1225
adeadc1225
to bring of daysc1225
to do to deathc1225
to draw (a person) to deathc1225
murder?c1225
aslayc1275
forferec1275
to lay to ground, to earth (Sc. at eird)c1275
martyrc1300
strangle1303
destroya1325
misdoa1325
killc1330
tailc1330
to take the life of (also fro)c1330
enda1340
to kill to (into, unto) death1362
brittena1375
deadc1374
to ding to deathc1380
mortifya1382
perisha1387
to dight to death1393
colea1400
fella1400
kill out (away, down, up)a1400
to slay up or downa1400
swelta1400
voida1400
deliverc1400
starvec1425
jugylc1440
morta1450
to bring to, on, or upon (one's) bierc1480
to put offc1485
to-slaya1500
to make away with1502
to put (a person or thing) to silencec1503
rida1513
to put downa1525
to hang out of the way1528
dispatch?1529
strikea1535
occidea1538
to firk to death, (out) of lifec1540
to fling to deathc1540
extinct1548
to make out of the way1551
to fet offa1556
to cut offc1565
to make away?1566
occise1575
spoil1578
senda1586
to put away1588
exanimate1593
unmortalize1593
speed1594
unlive1594
execute1597
dislive1598
extinguish1598
to lay along1599
to make hence1605
conclude1606
kill off1607
disanimate1609
feeze1609
to smite, stab in, under the fifth rib1611
to kill dead1615
transporta1616
spatch1616
to take off1619
mactate1623
to make meat of1632
to turn up1642
inanimate1647
pop1649
enecate1657
cadaverate1658
expedite1678
to make dog's meat of1679
to make mincemeat of1709
sluice1749
finisha1753
royna1770
still1778
do1780
deaden1807
deathifyc1810
to lay out1829
cool1833
to use up1833
puckeroo1840
to rub out1840
cadaverize1841
to put under the sod1847
suicide1852
outkill1860
to fix1875
to put under1879
corpse1884
stiffen1888
tip1891
to do away with1899
to take out1900
stretch1902
red-light1906
huff1919
to knock rotten1919
skittle1919
liquidate1924
clip1927
to set over1931
creasea1935
ice1941
lose1942
to put to sleep1942
zap1942
hit1955
to take down1967
wax1968
trash1973
ace1975
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > do, deal with, acquire, etc., quickly [verb (transitive)]
deliverc1400
expedite1471
dispatchc1515
jumpa1616
to make wash-work with1637
rattlea1766
to knock off1817
rustle1844
reel1870
zip1891
rush1893
fast forward1982
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > get or be rid of > rid of something
cleansea1250
quita1387
unladea1398
deliverc1400
quiet1450
clear1535
discussa1542
free1590
unload1591
unstable1612
deonerate1623
discard1656
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1977) l. 286 Me forþynkeȝ ful much þat euer I mon made; Bot I schal delyuer and do away þat doten on þis molde.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1414 Þe mete & þe masse watȝ metely delyuered.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 3930 Þis breme best..Aȝt & tuenti men of armes onone scho delyuird.
18.
a. intransitive. To hurry, make haste. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
a1450 York Plays (1885) 279 (MED) I am douty to þis dede; delyuer! haue done!
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 510/2 I delyver, I rydde or dispatche thynges shortly out of handes, Je despeche.
b. transitive (reflexive). To hurry (oneself). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > act quickly [verb (reflexive)] > make haste
speed1390
hiea1400
hasty?a1425
enhaste1430
delivera1475
press1489
a1475 ( S. Scrope tr. Dicts & Sayings Philosophers (Bodl. 943) (1999) 30 (MED) And delyuer the [a1460 anon. tr. that ye make diligence] to ponische eville doers also soone as to the schalle appere theire delite.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cccxxvi. 510 The Romayns..sayd, Harke, ye sir cardynalles, delyuer you atones, and make a pope; Ye tary to longe.
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 302 Deliuer the..and mak na delay.
Phrases
P1. to deliver (on) the goods: see good adj., n., adv., and int. Phrases 7a.
P2. to deliver on one's promise and variants: to provide what one has promised; to keep one's word.
ΚΠ
1912 Bradford (Pa.) Era 30 July 8/2 I guess it looked to us for several days as though he was going to be able to deliver on his promise.
1970 N.Y. Times 28 Oct. 46 This autumn the President has a major opportunity to deliver on his pledge.
1988 B. Alexander Spirit Channeling 12 Secularism and scientism have conspired to demystify the universe, but they have not delivered on their promise to eradicate irrationality.
2011 Sphere Spring 56/1 We remained laser-focused on the construction of Marina Bay Sands and on delivering our promise to the Singapore government and to her people.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
† deliverv.2
Obsolete.
transitive. To consider (something) carefully; to decide (something) or conclude (that something should be done); = deliber v.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > think about, consider [verb (intransitive)]
thinkOE
thinkOE
bethinka1200
umthinka1300
to have mind ofc1300
casta1340
studya1375
delivera1382
to chew the cudc1384
to take advisementa1393
stema1400
compassc1400
advisec1405
deliberc1405
to make it wisec1405
to take deliberationc1405
enter?a1413
riddlec1426
hovec1440
devise?c1450
to study by (also in) oneself?c1450
considerc1460
porec1500
regard1523
deliberate1543
to put on one's thinking or considering cap1546
contemplate1560
consult1565
perpend1568
vise1568
to consider of1569
weigh1573
ruminate1574
dascanc1579
to lay to (one's) heart1588
pondera1593
debate1594
reflect1596
comment1597
perponder1599
revolvea1600
rumine1605
consider on, upon1606
to think twice1623
reflex1631
spell1645
ponderatea1652
to turn about1725
to cast a thought, a reflection upon1736
to wake over1771
incubatea1847
mull1857
fink1888
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > consider, deliberate [verb (transitive)]
i-thenchec897
showeOE
i-mune971
thinkOE
overthinkOE
takec1175
umbethinkc1175
waltc1200
bethinkc1220
wend?c1225
weighc1380
delivera1382
peisea1382
considerc1385
musec1390
to look over ——a1393
advise?c1400
debatec1400
roll?c1400
revert?a1425
advertc1425
deliberc1425
movec1425
musec1425
revolvec1425
contemplec1429
overseec1440
to think overc1440
perpend1447
roil1447
pondera1450
to eat inc1450
involvec1470
ponderate?a1475
reputec1475
counterpoise1477
poisea1483
traversec1487
umbecast1487
digest1488
undercast1489
overhalec1500
rumble1519
volve?1520
compassa1522
recount1526
trutinate1528
cast1530
expend1531
ruminate1533
concoct1534
contemplate1538
deliberate1540
revolute1553
chawa1558
to turn over1568
cud1569
cogitate1570
huik1570
chew1579
meditatec1580
discourse1581
speculate1599
theorize1599
scance1603
verse1614
pensitate1623
agitate1629
spell1633
view1637
study1659
designa1676
introspect1683
troll1685
balance1692
to figure on or upon1837
reflect1862
mull1873
to mull over1874
scour1882
mill1905
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) 2 Kings xxiv. 13 Now þanne delyuere [L. delibera] & see what woord I schal answern to hym.
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine (Arun. 396) (1893) i. l. 966 Delyuere this mater, so god ȝoure sovlys saue.
a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 520 Oft in his mynd revoluand to and fro, Syne at the last deliuerit hes rycht sone, To tak his tyme sen it wes oportune.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2020; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.c1300
v.1?c1225
v.2a1382