expectationn.
/ˌɛkspɛkˈteɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌɛkˌspɛkˈteɪʃ(ə)n/ 1. † c. Supposition with regard to what is present or past. Cf. expect v. 5. Obsolete.
a. The action or fact of anticipating or foreseeing something; the belief that something will happen or be the case.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > [noun] > instance of
expectation1523
looking for1532
aspect1587
looking forwarda1646
prejudice1748
1523 T. Wolsey in State Papers Henry VIII (1849) V. 203 Howe be it the Kinges hoope and expectacion therin was totally frustrate.
1552 Abp. J. Hamilton Catech. i. v. f. 15v Expectatioun or loking for the blys of heuin.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. iii. 202 If he do not doate on her vppon this, I will neuer trust my expectation . View more context for this quotation
1626 B. Holyday Serm. Pauls Crosse Aug. 5 1623 5 The deliuerance of a King is the greatest Epocha in the Chronicle of Gods mercies, and releeues the curiositie of expectation with a gratefull period.
1741 I. Watts Improvem. Mind i. xv. 213 This sort of Study detains the Mind by the perpetual Occurrence and Expectation of something new.
1776 N. B. Halhed tr. Code Gentoo Laws ii. 82 There is no Expectation that their Father shall ever have another Son.
1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice III. xv. 267 The rest of his letter is only about..his expectation of a young olive-branch.
a1853 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1863) 4th Ser. iii. 22 Their attitude of Expectation—they were waiting for the coming of the Lord.
1905 H. T. Sheringham Angler's Hours ix. 157 I was watching an angler..casting his May-fly right under the bridge from below, more in hope than in expectation of a rise.
2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. 7/3 There is little expectation that the bill would stimulate US-style pensions funds.
b. A preconceived idea or opinion based on what a person has hoped for or imagined regarding a future event, situation, or encounter. Chiefly in plural.See also Phrases 1, Phrases 4.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > supposition, surmise > taking for granted, presumption > [noun] > that which is presumed
presupposal1573
presupposition1579
expectation1585
presuppose1592
positum1605
assumpsita1628
assumptiona1628
prolepsis1637
reception1646
hypothesis1655
1585 R. Lane Let. 8 Sept. in Trans. & Coll. Amer. Antiquarian Soc. (1860) 4 14 Sir R. Greenfeelde, generalle, hathe demeaned him selfe..farre otherwyse then my hoope of him; thoughe very agreeable to the expectaciones and predyccions of sundry wyse..personnes of hys owene countreye.
1603 S. Daniel Panegyrike sig. B2v Where mens expectations intertaine Hopes of more good.
1696 tr. J. Abbadie Hist. Conspiracy against King 134 They..acted upon the same Principles, and were influenc'd by the same Motives and Expectations.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. Introd. p. ii Our Expectations that Others will act so and so in such Circumstances.
1778 J. Richard Tour from London to Petersburgh x. 63 A few English builders had indeed banished themselves to that country, on prospects that fell far short of their expectations.
1853 C. Brontë Villette III. xxxviii. 177 Life is so constructed, that the event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vi. §4. 301 No accession ever excited higher expectations among a people than that of Henry the Eighth.
1930 Motor Boating Mar. 122/2 Work on the property has been started and the expectation is that it will be formally opened in the spring.
1951 A. Koestler Age of Longing v. 86 She was sorry to disappoint the expectations of sensation-hungry journalists.
2008 Atlantic Monthly May 10/2 Many young women have unrealistic expectations of what they ‘should be feeling’ when they meet ‘The One’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > supposition, surmise > [noun]
weeningc900
wenc1000
susposea1325
deeming1340
supposala1425
conjecturec1460
supposing1530
supposition1565
suppose1582
surmise1593
surmisal1641
putation1649
expectation1793
1793 T. Jefferson Let. 5 May in Papers (1992) XXV. 660 The expectation that you are always from home, prevents my writing to you with regularity.
1822 E. Nathan Langreath III. 88 A fond expectation that the Duke had come in search of her.
2. † a. The action or state of waiting for something. Also occasionally as a count noun: a period of time spent waiting. Obsolete.Later quots. show the influence of sense 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > expectation, waiting > [noun]
biding1340
expectation1524
await1538
tarriance1561
tendance1591
expectance1592
expectancy1592
attendance1597
awaiting1607
attendancy1646
waiting1743
sitting out1838
1524 in State Papers Henry VIII (1849) VI. 373 If His Highnes [after] so long an exspectation had gevyn it to another,..it shold have been harde to have stoppyd mennys to[ngues].
?1548 J. Bale Image Bothe Churches (new ed.) i. Pref. sig. Biiij Dilygent expectacion in the fayth of Gods promyses.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xviii. 24 Our preparation stands, In expectation of them. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. i. 41 [You] haue sate The liue-long day, with patient expectation, To see great Pompey. View more context for this quotation
1675 R. Bentley in Mistaken Husband Bookseller to Rdr. sig. A2 This Play was left in Mr. Dryden's hands many years since... After Twelve years expectation, Mr. Dryden gave it to the Players.
1692 R. South 12 Serm. I. 356 A daily expectation at the Gate, is the readiest way to gain admittance into the House.
1703 W. Burkitt Expos. Notes New Test. Luke ii. 28 Tho' God stays long before he fulfils his Promises, he certainly comes at last, with a double Reward for our expectation.
1800 W. Wordsworth in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads II. 133 A temper known to those, who, after long And weary expectation, have been bless'd With sudden happiness beyond all hope.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxvii. 221 After another hour of cold expectation they came again.
b. Medicine. Medical treatment characterized by reaction to (rather than anticipation of) the course of nature or events; expectant medical treatment (see expectant adj. 4). Now historical and rare.Often with depreciative implication.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > types of treatment generally > [noun] > treatment by watching progress
expectation1689
1689 G. Harvey Art of curing Dis. by Expectation 2 Hence may be easily apprehended, what is meant by curing Diseases by Expectation, viz. The applying of Remedies, that do little hurt, and less good, from which the Patient, day by day frustraneously expecting relief and benefit, is at last deferred so long, that Nature, and Time, have partially, or entirely, cured the Disease.
1827 Lancet 23 June 370/2 Deciding by the evidence which may be adduced both for and against the practice of curing diseases by expectation, as well as the remedial practice, we are enabled to give a very confident assent to the superiority of the latter.
1831 Nat. Mag. 2 418 He proceeds by the simple and generally safe method of expectation—that he observes and assists, rather than stimulates the energies of languishing nature.
1866 Lancet 13 Jan. 38/1 In the other eighteen cases of young women treated by inoculation of the virus, he had not thought that the eruptions seemed to fade much more rapidly than when treated either by expectation, or..the use of hot-air baths.
1881 A. Flint Treat. Princ. Med. (ed. 5) 112 The treatment of a disease by expectation consists in watching carefully its progress, and meeting with appropriate measures unfavorable events as they arise.
1958 Lancet 25 Oct. 863/2 The Art of Expectation consisted, however, in doing nothing, and Gideon Harvey derides this also.
3. The feeling or state of mind accompanying anticipation of something, esp. eager or nervous excitement about something viewed as likely or imminent. Formerly occasionally in plural.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > [noun]
to-hopec888
weenOE
hopea1225
thoughta1350
opiniona1425
attentc1430
looking1440
presume?a1500
beliefa1522
expectation1527
expection1532
looking for1532
looking after?1537
expecting1568
imagination1582
expectance1593
suppose1596
expect1597
expectancy1609
apprehensiona1616
contemplationa1631
prospect1665
supposition1719
speculationa1797
augury1871
preperception1871
1527 T. Wolsey in State Papers Henry VIII (1830) I. 242 His Grace wolde that I shulde eftsones comme to his presence, for declaracion of my further charge, whiche, with grete expectacion, he was desirous to here.
a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 16 In such expectatyon they spend theyr lyfe.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler i. 11 I am now become so ful of expectation, that I long much to have you proceed in your discourse. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 782 No fear of worse..would torment me With cruel expectation . View more context for this quotation
1745 Fortunate Orphan 235 She is in the highest Expectations.
1782 J. Priestley Inst. Relig. (ed. 2) II. ii. App. 99 Expectation begins to awake in the infant mind.
1827 R. Pollok Course of Time II. ix. 158 Upon the tiptoe raised Of expectation.
1864 Spectator 16 Apr. 454/1 Influences..that substitute the flutter of expectation for hope.
1935 W. G. Hardy Father Abraham 370 There was about them an air of eagerness and of shuddering expectation which..fascinated even while it repelled him.
2004 J. D. Grainger Amiens Truce iii. 105 None of the working-class leaders had the authority to control the fever of expectation among their supporters.
4.
a. A mandate given by a pope or king granting advance right of succession to an ecclesiastical benefice. Cf. expectative n. 1. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > benefice > advowson > [noun] > mandate conferring right of succession to
expectative grace1488
expectation1537
expectative1539
1537 tr. H. Latimer Serm. to Clergie sig. Dv Som brought forth Canonizations, some Expectations [L. expectationes], som pluralities & vnions.
1687 tr. P. Jurieu Accomplishm. Script. Prophecies ii. viii. 96 France, not only rejected Reservations and Expectations [Fr. les expectatives], but annull'd Annats, Provisions, and all other exactions of the Court of Rome.
1764 T. Mortimer New Hist. Eng. I. 622/1 The numberless papal provisions, expectations, and reversions, which had, from the time of Clement V. done infinite damage to the nation.
1832 S. A. Dunham Hist. Spain & Portugal V. iv. i. ii. 167 This monstrous usurpation was independent of expectations, indults, annats, fifteenths, and the other endless sources of papal rapacity.
1914 H. C. Vedder Reformation in Germany iii. iii. 356 The abuses which prevailed in the Church: Abuses in dispensing with its laws... Abuses in expectations and reservations.
1995 D. Lepine Brotherhood of Canons ii. 28 The pope's intervention in the appointment of canons took the form of papal provisions and expectations.
b. In plural. Prospects of inheriting wealth or property.In later use frequently influenced by Great Expectations, the title of a novel by Dickens (see quot. 1861).
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > [noun] > a bequest or legacy > prospects of profiting by
expectations1669
1669 Lady Chaworth Let. in Hist. MSS Comm.: 12th Rep.: App. Pt. V (1889) 11 in Parl. Papers (C. 5889–II) XLIV. 393 Lord Huntingtons marriage is as good as concluded with Sir James Langhams daughter, who gives 20,000l. downe, besides expectations.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison I. xlii. 304 She has, 'tis true, reversionary expectations.
1780 R. B. Sheridan School for Scandal iii. iii. 39 I have a rich old uncle..from whom I have the greatest expectations.
1837 E. Bulwer-Lytton Ernest Maltravers I. i. xvii. 156 O yes; I have what are called expectations.
1861 C. Dickens (title) Great Expectations.
1937 A. Christie Dumb Witness xiv. 148 Got to take the rough with the smooth. As a matter of fact, if I've no expectations what about giving me a tenner now?
1980 G. Greene Dr. Fischer ix. 56 Of course, as he is my son-in-law, he may imagine he has great expectations. Expectations too are a form of wealth.
5. The action or fact of expecting something as rightfully due, appropriate, or as fulfilling an obligation. Frequently with of. Also occasionally in plural. Cf. expect v. 3a.Sometimes overlapping with sense 1b.
ΚΠ
1574 G. Fenton tr. J. Talpin Forme Christian Pollicie iv. vii. sig. 94 Touching the ciuile loane passing mutuallye betweene rich men.., it..is onlye a ciuil honesty.., wherin is no expectation of recompence [Fr. il ne faut pas attendre de recompense].
1655 in E. Nicholas Nicholas Papers (1892) II. 225 Though those princes bee punctuall in their expectations of compliments of that nature.
1688 J. Collier Office of Chaplain 29 His expectations of gratitude and observance, should not be set so high.
1712 Spectator No. 268. 190 The unwise choice people make for themselves, and an expectation of happiness from things not capable of giving it.
1781 W. Falconer Remarks on Infl. Climate iv. ii. 221 They [sc. mutual services] were done freely, and without any expectation of a return.
1829 J. R. Beard Serm. to be used in Families (ed. 2) xv. 227 Cultivate humility, lower your opinion of yourself, and consequently your expectation of deference and submission from others.
1856 Putnam's Monthly Mag. May 480/1 I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward.
1907 Cent. Mag. June 317/1 The handling of the base-ball player,..the expectation of ‘loyalty’, is comparable to the way of a nation with a soldier.
1970 Bull. Atomic Scientists Feb. 3/1 Expectation of sufficiency, if not plenty, for all..is no more an idle utopia, but a rational hope.
2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 9 Mar. a12/1 The willingness of plant workers to raise safety questions.., and their expectation that such questions would be properly resolved.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > [noun] > object of
bidinga1382
expectation1598
outsight1606
prospect1665
view1689
perspective1742
lookout1792
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 iii. ii. 36 The hope and expectation of thy time Is ruind. View more context for this quotation
1606 J. Hind Eliosto Libidinoso i. 72 Bragge not of thy gaines, lest by boasting of thy bootie, thou heereafter be depriued of thy expectation, and in the meane time bee deemed a pratler.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xii. 378 I understand..Why our great expectation should be call'd The seed of Woman. View more context for this quotation
1735 Lives Most Remarkable Criminals I. 155 He took Lodgings, and lived as if he had been already in Possession of his Expectation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > hope > promise, ground of hope > [noun]
i-wonc1275
wonec1290
likelinessa1450
hopec1480
likelihood1526
promise?1533
show1600
expectance1602
expectation1611
auspiciousness1649
hopefulness1651
promisingness1665
expectancy1696
brilliancy1781
1611 Bible (King James) Psalms lxii. 5 My soule, wait thou onely vpon God: for my expectation is from him. View more context for this quotation
1708 F. Atterbury Acquaintance with God 15 To whom can we betake our selves, with greater Expectations to succeed in our Addresses?
8. Mathematics (a) A quantity assigned to a given outcome of an event or trial, equal to the product of the probability of that outcome taking place and a numerical value assigned to it. (b) = expected value n. at expected adj. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > probability, likelihood > [noun] > degree of
expectancy1614
expectation1718
1718 A. de Moivre Doctr. Chances 2 The Expectation of obtaining any Thing, is estimated by the Value of that Thing multiplied by the Probability of obtaining it.
1776 W. Emerson Miscellanies i. 3 The whole expectation for any prize, is the sum of all the expectations upon the particulars.
1838 A. De Morgan Ess. Probabilities v. 97 The balance is the average required, and is known by the name of the mathematical expectation.
1886 W. A. Whitworth Choice & Chance (ed. 4) viii. 199 The term Expectation is usually limited to cases in which a person is to receive a sum of money contingent on the issue of some doubtful event.
1914 Internat. Jrnl. Ethics 24 305 We could only avoid this ambiguity by introducing the notion of expectation, i.e., the product of the probability of an event by the actual or most probable measure of its goodness.
2008 D. Griffiths Head First Statistics v. 205 The expectation tells you how much on average you can expect to win or lose with each game.
Phrases
P1.
a. according to (also †unto) (a person's) expectation(s): in a manner conforming to what was hoped for or imagined beforehand; as expected.
ΚΠ
1527 T. Wolsey in State Papers Henry VIII (1849) VI. 246 Most hertely praying me, that.., according to his expectacion, I wolde have no les good respecte unto his honour and affaires, than I have to Your Graces propre.
1553 R. Eden in tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India Ded. sig. aaiijv If dew successe..shoulde not chaunce according vnto theyr hope & expectacion.
1681 J. Worlidge Systema Agriculturæ (ed. 3) ix. 184 It framed not according to expectation.
1795 W. Jackson New Newgate Cal. II. 31 Both master and man entered the shop in pursuit of the game, and, according to expectation, they found the person wanted.
1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. i. 40 Nothing had turned out according to her expectations.
1906 Times 7 July 7/5 According to expectation, the Hungarian frontier was closed to Servian produce at midday to-day.
2012 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 5 May 23 In purely electoral terms, the results were hardly surprising. Each party performed roughly according to expectations.
b. against (also contrary to) (a person's) expectation(s): in contrast or opposition to what was hoped for or imagined beforehand.
ΚΠ
1533 T. Elyot Of Knowl. Wise Man i. f. 13v Thinkest not thou, that I spake contrary to his expectation, whiche he had of me by the reporte of my lyuinge?
1550 T. Becon Fortresse of Faythfull sig. H.vi The Lorde God..agaynste all naturall and humayne expectacion, gaue them plentye of swete waters oute of the harde stonye rocke.
1613 R. Harcourt Relation Voy. Guiana 2 We discryed her to Leeward of vs, contrary to our expectation, hauing giuen her lost.
1712 C. Hornby Caveat against Whiggs: 4th Pt. 102 Without Men or Money, he had, against Expectation, conquered Kingdoms.
1826 Christian Advocate Jan. 1/1 Contrary to expectation, the number of copies subscribed for, was greater than the number printed.
1967 H. S. Thompson Hell's Angels xxi. 238 Contrary to all expectations, most of the Angels became oddly peaceful on acid.
2006 C. Stringer Homo Britannicus vii. 245 Against expectations.., the measured amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface has fallen over the last fifty years.
c. beyond (also beside, †out of) (a person's) expectation(s): in a way differing from or surpassing what was hoped for or imagined beforehand.
ΚΠ
1536 J. Gwynneth Confut. Fyrst Parte Frythes Boke i. sig. av I shall for my part therfore..show the many thynges, perchaunce not a lytell beyonde thyne expectacyon.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. clxiijv The duke of Yorke..came to the kynges tent, where beside his expectacion, and contrary to the promise made by the kyng, he found the duke of Somerset.
1563 W. Fulke Goodle Gallerye Causes Meteors v. f. 70 Some perchance, would loke that we..shold entreate of..pretious stones. Which matter though it be out of our purpose..yet seing it is not out of their expectation.
1675 H. Neville tr. N. Machiavelli Prince xiii, in tr. N. Machiavelli Wks. 217 Beyond all expectation he escaped being a Prisoner to his Enemies, because they also were defeated.
1773 S. Johnson Let. 12 Aug. (1992) II. 49 At Durham, beside all expectation, I met an old friend.
1870 H. Lonsdale Life R. Knox 65 The students..succeeded beyond expectation.
2009 Daily Tel. 1 June 29/1 Under his leadership the miners achieved rates of pay far beyond their expectations.
P2. of great (also such, etc.) expectation: showing signs of a successful future; promising. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > hope > promise, ground of hope > [adverb]
of great (also such, etc.) expectation1553
promisinglya1691
hopefully1846
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique f. 40 Your two sonnes,..beynge..of such expectation for their towardnes, that almoste it were not possible for them hereafter to satisfye the hope in their age, whyche all menne presently hadde conceyued of their youthe.
1605 R. Verstegan Restit. Decayed Intelligence viii. 246 The woorthiest names, were to bee giuen to such as were of woorthiest expectation.
1788 J. T. Dillon Hist. Reign Peter the Cruel II. vi. 87 Of all the military adventurers..none were more conspicuous or successful than the bastard de Bearne, a young soldier of great expectation.
1821 Ld. Byron Let. 4 Jan. (1831) II. 301 I just see, by the papers of Galignani, that there is a new tragedy of great expectation by Harry Cornwall.
1937 A. T. Bethell Early Settlers Bahamas (rev. ed.) 11 In a voyage of such expectation and importance every circumstance was marked.
2003 B. Rappert Non-lethal Weapons as Legitimising Forces iv. 63 (heading) Technologies of great expectation.
P3. in expectation.† a. In the state or condition of being expected. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > [adjective] > expected
futurec1374
in a possibility1523
forestalled1543
looked-for1548
anticipatec1550
expected1558
long-looked-for1562
looked1565
in expectation1570
expectable1619
expecting1621
in perspective1633
unsurprising1671
in prospect1694
perspective1710
in prospective1746–7
prospective1809
anticipated1814
presumable1825
anticipatable1872
ex ante1937
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > right to succeed to title, position, or estate > [phrase] > to be looked forward to as one's entitlement
in expectation1570
inexpectancy1643
1570 T. Norton Bull graunted to Harding (new ed.) sig. B.iiiv There is a new mischiefe in expectation.
1656 J. Smith Myst. Rhetorique Unvail'd 252 Desire..is a strange countrey..where corn is still in grasse..and birds alwayes in the shell.., all is there only in expectation.
1785 T. Reid Ess. Intellect. Powers ii. xx. 271 Belief of good or ill, either present or in expectation.
1842 H. Taylor Edwin the Fair ii. ii. 74 With hope of breaking lights..And woodland orisons and unfolding flowers, As things in expectation.
b. Law. Of property: expected to be inherited, esp. as remainder or reversion. Also of a person: expected to inherit.
ΚΠ
1831 Times 24 Jan. 4/2 145l. per annum..which was to be paid by the insolvent from property in expectation.
1878 Sat. Rev. 2 Mar. 261/2 A saving clause..guards the actual possessor, but not the possessor in expectation, of property at home from the effects of the Bill.
1907 Deb. House of Commons (Canada) 18 Mar. 4922 There is..a very wide difference between property in expectation and property in fact.
2007 Operations Res. 55 128/2 Our model also suggests that because of the negotiation cost, both parties in a bilateral contract can lose money in expectation from the contract.
P4.
a. to meet (a person's) expectation(s): to be as good as anticipated; to satisfy or fulfil a preconceived idea that has been hoped for, expected, or demanded.
ΚΠ
1658 L. Willan Orgula 17 Thy Form..meets the expectation here at the full.
1786 Morning Chron. 4 May When they had wrought their expectations as high as they could, he had the fullest confidence that he should be able to meet those expectations.
1815 D. Porter Jrnl. Cruise to Pacific Ocean I. vi If it should not meet your expectation as to style, I hope facts will amply compensate you for your disappointment.
1865 Irish Times 12 June Its Committee cannot meet the just expectations of nearly 300,000 British sojourners on the Continent without larger resources.
1921 Appleton (Wisconsin) Post-Crescent 20 Oct. 11/7 Just how far President Harding can meet expectations remains to be seen.
1992 Business Mag. Summer 16/2 Objectives must be achieved and organizational expectations met.
2010 J. Kosmas & D. Zaric Speakeasy 36 Bartenders..gravitated toward newly released single-barrel and small-batch bourbons to meet the expectations of the luxury crowd.
b. to exceed (a person's) expectation(s): (esp. of an experience, outcome, etc.) to be better than anticipated; to go beyond what was hoped for, expected, or imagined beforehand.
ΚΠ
1663 R. Boyle Some Considerations Usefulnesse Exper. Nat. Philos. ii. App. 401 There are certain Preparations and Compositions of Remedies..whose Successe doth so much exceed Expectation.
1752 G. G. Beekman Let. 23 Oct. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) I. 152 You well know by Experiance that the price often exceed our Expectation in that Commodity.
1771 T. Wood Serm. Death Mrs. Belcher 13 The Queen of Sheba, upon..hearing his [sc. Solomon's] Wisdom, confessed, that it exceeded her expectations.
1858 H. H. Wilson Hist. Brit. India 1805–35 (new ed.) III. iii. iv. 112 In an economical point of view, therefore, these territories have already exceeded expectation, and are in a state of progress to still greater improvement.
1880 Manufacturer & Builder Sept. 193/1 They are far behind in their orders, the demand from wood-pulp makers having very greatly exceeded their expectations.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 16 June 1/3 The Conference at the Foreign Office..exceeded expectations.
1970 Jrnl. Brit. Astron. Assoc. 80 219 The bands of Jupiter were observed with clarity,..the whole object far exceeded expectations.
2007 Independent 15 Jan. 3/3 That was some experience. The whole day far exceeded my expectations.
c. to come (also be, live) up to (a person's) expectation(s): = to meet (a person's) expectation(s) at Phrases 4a.
ΚΠ
1685 R. Lucas Duty of Servants i. ii. 23 Sometimes indeed there is not so much Regard had to your Ability,..and in this case, if your Capacity come not up to their Expectation, you wrong 'em not.
1798 Christian Mag. 2 July 330 Not the utmost gratification of our wishes can yield us happiness: we know not what we ask, nor does enjoyment ever come up to expectation.
1862 Chicago Tribune 20 July The Douglas ratification meeting held here yesterday was hardly up to expectations in regard to attendance.
1871 H. James in Atlantic Monthly Sept. 324/1 If you think so well of me, I shall find it hard to live up to your expectations.
1896 Mass. Ploughman 5 Dec. 5/2 Quite a number of milch cow buyers at the yards, and the trade was up to expectation.
1946 M. Fitt Death & Pleasant Voices (1950) i. i. 30 I can't help thinking that the life here won't come up to your expectations.
1954 Tide 5 June 38/3 The meeting itself lived up to expectation.
1990 Guardian (Nexis) 17 Nov. Neither the food nor the views from the windows were up to expectations.
2002 P. Long Guide to Rural Wales i. 9/1 Some 150 years later, a tower, two wards protected by a curtain wall and an outer ditch were added but the castle failed to live up to expectations.
d. to manage (a person's) expectations: to seek to prevent disappointment by recognizing or communicating in advance the limits of what is available or attainable, or of what can realistically be achieved or delivered by a project, undertaking, course of action, etc., esp. within given constraints and circumstances.
ΚΠ
1967 I. Ehrenpreis Swift II. xix. 382 The series of disappointments taught him to manage his expectations.
1972 N. Berry Polit. Configurations v. 63 The capability of a government in managing expectations..depends upon the nature of its political configuration.
1978 L. M. Miller Behavior Managem. vi. 135 The manager must manage expectations. When bonus, incentive, or profit-sharing programs are instituted managers often make the mistake of overstating the potential rewards.
1985 Computerworld (Nexis) 9 Sept. id5 The key is to manage the expectations of the programming staff.
2012 J. Stafford et al. in J. R. Wilson et al. Rail Human Factors around World 807 It is important to manage expectations at corporate level rather than leave it to front-line staff to deal with the consequences.
P5. expectation of life: = life expectancy n. at life n. Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > [noun] > expectation of life
expectation of life1725
life expectancy1848
life expectation1867
liveability1914
1725 A. de Moivre Annuities upon Lives Pref. p. iv The Expectation of Life, is that Duration which may justly be expected from a Life of a given Age.
1795 C. Hutton Math. & Philos. Dict. I. Expectation of Life..is the..number of years of life, which a person of a given age may, upon an equality of chance, expect to enjoy.
1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. ii. 418 The expectation of life among the government annuitants.
1874 Edinb. Med. Jrnl. (1875) 20 i. 527 The expectation of life was 22 years, but he died within 1 year of effecting his insurance.
1916 Mich. Alumnus Dec. 132 The expectation of life at the age of one is considerably better than at birth.
1994 Univ. Toronto Law Jrnl. 44 140 However, the courts did take into account sub-heads of non-pecuniary loss: usually for pain and suffering, loss of expectation of life, and loss of amenities.
Compounds
expectation value n. chiefly Physics (in quantum mechanics) the expected value of a given operator corresponding to some physical state.
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the world > matter > physics > quantum theory > quantum mechanics > [noun] > expected value of property
expectation value1936
1936 Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 3 329 The number of photons has not definite values. But we can calculate its average or expectation value.
1968 G. Ludwig Wave Mech. i. iv. 49 The expectation value of A must then be calculated.
2008 Nature 19 June 1005/2 Entanglement witnesses are observables whose expectation value can indicate something about the entanglement in a given state.
Expectation Week n. [after post-classical Latin septimana expectationis (12th cent.), hebdomada expectationis (13th cent.)] now historical the week beginning on the Sunday after Ascension Day, observed as a festival of the Christian Church in commemoration of the week in which the disciples awaited the Holy Spirit promised by Christ.
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1655 A. Sparrow Rationale Bk. Common Prayer 78 Sund. after Ascens. This is called Expectation week; for now the Apostles were earnestly expecting the fulfilling of that promise of our Lord.
1737 tr. Ceremonies & Relig. Customs Var. Nations VI. 70 The Sunday after the Ascension, and the following Days, are called Expectation Week, because the Apostles expected the fulfilling of our Lord's Promise.
1849 J. E. Tyler Medit. Fathers First Five Cent. II. 268 The Church bids us prepare through this week, called ‘Expectation Week’, for the due and pious celebration of the next great festival of Whitsuntide.
2007 J. S. Lang Everyday Biblical Literacy 36 In times past, the period between the Ascension and Pentecost was called Expectation Week, because the disciples waited for the sending of the Holy Spirit.
Derivatives
ˌexpecˈtational adj. of, relating to, or characterized by expectation or expectations.
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1852 Cleveland (Ohio) Herald 7 Feb. She [sc. the minister's wife] must be the paragon of all excellence..to meet the wishes of what Carlyle would probably call the Expectational Epoch in the Sublime Cosmos.
1974 Jrnl. Finance 29 187 It is possible to improve the goodness of fit..by introducing expectational variables such as forecasts of long-term earnings growth.
2014 Times (Nexis) 1 Mar. You have to let go of your expectational mindsets and pre-judgments about who your child will turn out to be.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1523- indestructibilities
- indestructibility
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- indetectable
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- indeterminableness
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- indeterminate analysis
- indeterminate equation
- indeterminate form
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- indeterminately
- indeterminateness
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- indetermination
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