instrumentn.

Brit.

/ˈɪnstrᵿm(ə)nt/, U.S.

/ˈɪnstrəmənt/

Forms: Middle English enstrement, Middle English instreument, Middle English instromente, Middle English instrymentes (plural), Middle English yensterment (in a late copy), Middle English ynstrument, Middle English–1600s instrumente, Middle English 1600s jnstrument, Middle English– instrument, 1500s enstrementtes (plural), 1500s instramente, 1500s yenstorment, 1500s ynstorment, 1500s–1600s enstrument, 1500s–1600s instrament, 1600s instruement, 1600s instrumentt, 1600s instrumenttt; also Scottish pre-1700 enstriment, pre-1700 instrewment, pre-1700 instriment, pre-1700 instroment.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French instrument; Latin instrūmentum.

Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman enstrument, Anglo-Norman and Middle French instrument, Middle French instruement, instrement, instriment (French instrument ), alteration (after classical Latin instrūmentum : see below) of Anglo-Norman enstrement , estrumant , Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French estrument tool, implement, or utensil (1119 in Old French; 15th cent. or earlier with reference to a device used to measure or observe something), device which produces musical sounds when played (first half of the 12th cent.), formal legal document (13th cent.), intermediary, means (1268 or earlier in Anglo-Norman, second half of the 14th cent. in continental French), weapon (1272 or earlier), bodily organ (a1365; late 14th cent. with specific reference to a genital organ or the genitals collectively), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin instrūmentum equipment, tools, apparatus, means, (in legal use) basis for a case, document, deed, in post-classical Latin also person as agent (from 7th cent. in British sources, also in continental sources), musical instrument, bodily organ (frequently from 12th cent. in British sources) < instruere instruct v. + -mentum -ment suffix.French forms with initial i are attested from at least the late 13th cent.; earlier French forms all have initial e, reflecting an adaptation of the Latin noun which is also found in most other Romance languages. Compare Old Occitan estrumen, esturmen (both last quarter of the 12th cent.), (rare) instrument (13th cent.; Occitan instrument), Catalan instrument (last quarter of the 13th cent. as †estrumen, †esturment), Spanish instrumento (a1250; c1200 as †estrumento), Portuguese instrumento (11th cent. as †estrumentis, plural), and (with elision of the first syllable) Italian strumento (14th cent.; 13th cent. as †stormento; also †instrumento, †istrumento). Compare also Old Frisian instrument, instrumentum (West Frisian instrument), Middle Dutch, Dutch instrument, Middle Low German instrument, insterment, Middle High German instrument (German Instrument; in early use often with Latin inflectional endings), Old Swedish, Swedish instrument, Old Danish, Danish instrument.

1. An object, device, or apparatus designed or used for a particular purpose or task.

a. A device designed or used to produce musical sounds when played; (in the 19th cent. also) spec. (with the) the piano.Conventional musical instruments typically produce sounds by the vibration of one or more strings, reeds, membranes, or other solid objects, or by the movement of breath or air through one or more pipes, tubes, or other confined spaces. Electric musical instruments typically resemble traditional ones, but when played they produce electrical signals that can be converted into sound by an amplifier or other electric speaker.keyboard instrument, percussion instrument, reed instrument, string instrument, etc.: see the first element. See also musical instrument n., wind-instrument n., etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > [noun]

organeOE

orgleeOE

gleea1225

instrumentc1300

organum1342

organyc1400

musicala1450

musical instrument?c1450

organ1772

dulcimer1890

axe1955

c1300 St. Brendan (Laud) 191 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 225 As a fiþele his wynges furde..Murie Instrument neuere nas þat his wyngen were!

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 355 (MED) Irische men beeþ connyng in tweie manere instrumentz of musyk [L. musici generis instrumentis], in harpe and tymbre þat is i-armed wiþ wire and wiþ strenges of bras.

c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 1081 Aungelles wyth instrumentes of organes and pypes.

?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 88 (MED) Next..gase all þe mynistralles..with all maner of instruments of music.

c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) li. 172 I am a mynstrell, as thou seest here by myne instrumentes.

1540 Old City Acct. Bk. in Archæol. Jrnl. (1886) 43 174 Pd to y^e clarke for playeng of y^e yensterment iiij^d.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iv. ii. 310 Canst thou hold vp thy heauie eyes a-while, and touch thy Instrument a straine or two.

1695 R. Blackmore Prince Arthur iv. 95 Choice Instruments, some Strung, and some of Wind.

1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 1 Apr. (1965) I. 331 I have often seen them..playing on a rural Instrument perfectly answering the description of the Ancient Fistula.

1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. 230 In the evening, they adjourned..to hear Marmulet, the famed Genoese musician, who performed on the psaltery, the viol d'amor, and other instruments not known till then in England.

1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice I. vi. 51 I am going to open the instrument, Eliza, and you know what follows.

1863 H. W. Longfellow Prelude xiv, in Tales Wayside Inn 15 The instrument on which he played Was in Cremona's workshops made.

1925 P. A. Scholes 2nd Bk. Gramophone Rec. p. xviii The Piano, as an instrument, records less well than other instruments.

1958 P. Oliver in P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz i. 24 For the blues singer, the most valuable instrument was the guitar.

2013 Guardian 10 May (G2 section) 12/3 The Chamberlin broke new ground in the 1940s as the first keyboard to replicate the sounds of other instruments.

b. A tool, implement, or utensil used to execute a piece of work; (now) esp. one used in delicate, precise, or skilled work, or for artistic, medical, or scientific purposes.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun]

metc1175

instrumentc1392

gauger1588

jadge1617

mensurator1645

dimensurator1675

measurer1690

society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > [noun]

toolc888

loomc900

ginc1300

instrumentc1392

machinamentc1425

work-loomc1425

oustil1477

mistera1525

appliance1565

device1570

utensil1604

conveniency1660

contrivance1667

ruler1692

machine1707

implements1767

dial1839

dog1859

c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 20 Draw ther a lyne with a sharp instrument.

a1400 (?a1325) Medit. on Supper of our Lord (Harl.) (1875) l. 884 (MED) Ful feyn þey wulde Ihesu down taken, But strengþe and ynstrumentys boþe þey lakkyn.

a1475 J. Shirley Death James (BL Add. 5467) in Miscellanea Scotica (1818) II. 26 (MED) Withe hookid ynstrumentes of yryne, fuyre hote all red glowyng, thay pynchid and twynched his theghis.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 234/2 Instrument of any handy crafte, ovtil.

1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet v. iii. 199 Here is a Frier, and Slaughter Romeos man, With Instruments vpon them, fit to open These dead mens Tombes.

1611 Bible (King James) 2 Sam. xxiv. 22 Here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments .

1658 W. Sanderson Graphice 68 Take a needle or small pointed Instrument, heated in a Candle.

1703 London Gaz. No. 3896/4 He..had about him a Fish-Skin Plaister-Box, with Silver Instruments.

1764 R. Burn Hist. Poor Laws 127 The thatchers to this day have an instrument that holds their straw, which they call a knape.

1826 J. Alderson in Trans. Soc. Arts 44 151 A mathematical instrument of my invention called a curvilinead, wherewith to describe regular curve lines.

1876 T. Bryant Pract. Surg. (ed. 2) I. iv. 142 A ‘contusion’ is caused by a blow from a blunt instrument.

1927 F. Balfour-Browne Insects ix. 225 There are certain instruments which are of general use, and amongst these are the so-called butterfly net, the sweeping net, and the beating tray.

1972 Newsweek 10 Jan. 15/1 (advt.) Cross pens and pencils are recognized as fine writing instruments.

2011 Eastern Eye 1 July 10/1 As many as a fifth of the scalpels, forceps, clamps and other instruments used in surgery would fail basic safety checks.

c. A device or apparatus for registering, measuring, or recording a physical quantity, property, or phenomenon; a device for monitoring scientific or industrial equipment, operating a machine or vehicle, sending and receiving information, etc.

ΚΠ

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) Prol. 1 Conclusions apertenyng to the same instrument [sc. the Astrolabe].

a1475 ( S. Scrope tr. Dicts & Sayings Philosophers (Bodl. 943) (1999) 154 (MED) Aristotle helde in his hande an instrument of sterres.

1538 T. Elyot Dict. Astrolabium, an Astrolabe or instrumente of astronomy.

1581 J. Frampton tr. P. de Medina Arte Nauigation vi. vi. f. 70/1 Because the compasse is an instrument so litle & so subtil, it is necessary to bring him in order with another instrument, suche a one as the sight and the reason may rectifie.

1610 H. Wotton Let. 13 Mar. in L. P. Smith Life & Lett. Sir H. Wotton (1907) I. 486 The Mathematical Professor at Padua, who by help of an optical instrument..hath discovered four new planets.

a1687 W. Petty Polit. Anat. Ireland (1691) 49 An Instrument to measure the Motion of the Wind.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Size, an Instrument used to find the Weight of fine round Pearls withal.

1782 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 72 165 The instrument I am going to describe, which I call a Lamp-Micrometer, is free from all these defects.

a1830 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) IV. 68/1 By the term Electroscope we understand an instrument which enables us to observe the presence of free electricity.

1876 R. Routledge Discov. 19th Cent. 9 The actual power of a steam engine is ascertained by an instrument called the Indicator.

1884 List of Subscribers (London & Globe Telephone Co.) Subscribers..must not allow non-subscribers to use their instruments for the transmission of messages.

1924 P. J. Risdon Wireless xxxviii. 304 These bells are kept ringing until the operator gets to his instruments, adjusts his headpiece and is ready to receive the direction signals giving the position of the vessel in distress.

1967 D. P. Davies Handling Big Jets viii. 231 The attitude indicator is the primary flight instrument for turbulence flying.

2013 Wall St. Jrnl. 9 Nov. c12/2 Satellites use various scientific instruments, such as X-ray detectors and ultraviolet and infrared light captors, to observe the planet.

d. An implement, device, or machine used in warfare; a weapon; (in early use) esp. a piece of equipment used in a siege, as a battering ram, scaling ladder, etc. Frequently in instrument of war and variants.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > [noun]

weaponc930

toolc1386

instrument?a1475

armament1741

equalizer1931

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1865) I. 357 (MED) Berenge in theire honde an instrumente callede a sparth [L. securim, id est sparth].

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xvii. 342 The ynglis host..With Instrumentis on seir maneris, As scaffatis, ledderis, and coueryngis, Pykis, howis, and ek staff-slyngis.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cclxxxviii. 431 The Englysshmen ordayned mantels and other instrumentes of warr, wherby to aproche nere to the walles.

1562 P. Whitehorne Certain Waies Orderyng Souldiers f. 36, in tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre These instrumentes helpeth muche more him that besigeth a toune, then he that is besiged.

1601 tr. M. Martínez 9th Pt. Mirrour of Knight-hood sig. Bb4 The mighty Epirabio tooke charge of the assaulting of y^e Citie: and so with all the instruments and engines requisite for such an exployte..they drew neere to y^e walls.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 147 A Crossebow,..not comparable to the Gun (an instrument they now make practice of).

1718 C. Molloy Coquet v. 92 Bring me Armour and Head-piece: Fetch me all the Instruments of War from a Pot-Gun, to a Cannon.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Freezing, a sort of ornamental painting on the upper part of a ship's quarter, stern or bow. It consists generally of armour, instruments of war, marine emblems, &c.

1833 Sydney Monitor 17 Apr. In former days when in battle..[New Zealanders had] an instrument made of a beautiful blue or green marble stone, which they call a Mary.

1880 Sabbath School Mag. (Glasgow) 1 Jan. 10 He [sc. the enemy] is right aface of you; he is strengthening his instruments of warfare.

1919 H. B. Faber Mil. Pyrotechnics I. i. v. 45 In the latter part of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth, there was great activity on the part of those enthusiastic over pyrotechnic devices as war instruments.

1961 Life 27 Jan. 24/2 The United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace.

2007 V. Jewiss tr. R. Saviano Gomorrah ii. 178 With his invention Mikhail Kalashnikov allowed every power and micropower group a military instrument.

2. Law.

a. Chiefly (and in later use only) Scots Law. A formal and duly authenticated record, drawn up by a notary public or a court clerk, of a fact, deed, transaction, proceeding, etc. Now historical. to take instruments (also instrument, an instrument): to cause such a formal record to be drawn up.The practice of taking instruments fell into disuse in secular contexts in the early 19th cent. It continued into the first half of the 20th cent. in the courts of the Church of Scotland as a means of formally recording administrative or judicial decisions.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal document > types of legal or official document > [noun] > record of transactions or decrees > drawn up by notary

instrument1391

protocol1463

notarial act1752

1391 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1391/5 Apon the qwilk our lorde the kynges grant the said Sir Thomas..requerit me, notare before said, to make hym ane instrument.

1405 in J. Robertson Illustr. Topogr. & Antiq. Aberdeen & Banff (1862) IV. 173 Atour this the saide Schir Dauid here apon hase tane instrument.

1444 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1844) I. 12 And upon this the alderman askit instrumentis diuerse.

1480 in Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1839) I. 52/2 Þe said William has bene dewly..chargit be our souuerain lordis lettres to haue enterit..as was previt..be autentik Instrument & document.

1535 D. Lindsay Satyre (Bannatyne MS.) 2832 To that, my lordis, planely we disconsent; Notar, thairof I tak ane instrument.

?1571 tr. G. Buchanan Detectioun Marie Quene of Scottes sig. Piij^v Upoun the quhilk..the sayd aduocate askit an Act of Court and instrumentis, and desirit of the Iustice processe conforme thairto.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 273 There were present at the sight heereof seuen publike notaries, which called witnesses and made instruments thereupon.

1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. xxiii. 184 We will take Instrument formally and authentically extended, to the end he be not, after his Decease, declared an Heretick.

1700 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Glasgow (1908) IV. 304 It might be proper for him to lay this petitione before the parliament, in the methods and termes wherein it is conceaved; as the said petitione and ane instrument taken be them and him more fully containes.

a1768 J. Erskine Inst. Law Scotl. (1773) I. ii. vii. §18 Upon this act a notarial instrument is taken by him in whose favour resignation is made, called the resignatary.

1814 W. Scott Waverley III. iii^*. 38 The Baron of Bradwardine then took instruments..bearing that all points and circumstances of the act of homage had been rite et solenniter acta et peracta .

1856 A. Menzies Conveyancing according to Law Scotl. ii. ii. 244 The procurator takes instruments in the hands of the notary-public, which is done by presenting a piece of money to him in the presence of witnesses.

1960 G. Donaldson Sc. Reformation iii. 67 For another decade or so some notaries continued to insert the pontifical year in their instruments.

1993 H. L. MacQueen Common Law & Feudal Soc. Medieval Scotl. iii. 94 First there is the notarial instrument, drawn up at the request of one or other party to a litigation, recording some procedural step or decision taken by the court in question.

b. A formal legal document entailing rights and obligations, such as a contract, deed, legislative act, etc.; any document formally drawn up so as to have legal effect.statutory instrument: see the first element. See also Instrument of Government n. at Phrases 1, instrument of ratification n. at Phrases 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > legal document > [noun]

writlOE

charterc1270

writingc1384

paper1389

monument1405

instrument1426

cartec1449

chart1616

diploma1645

diplome1669

expedition1685

law-writings1701

chirograph1844

1426 W. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 6 I haue..doon dwely examyned þe jnstrument by þe wysest I coude fynde here... Al þis processe, þough it were in dede proceded as þe instrument specifieth, is not suffisant in þe lawe of Holy Cherche.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. cclvii/1 It ought to be myn, For I haue therof an Instrument publyque.

a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. xxx The sayde Lordys shewyd an Instrument or wrytynge, at y^e which hynge many labellys with Sealys, as the Kynges Seale, syr Edwarde hys sonnys Seale w^t many other of the Nobles of the Lande.

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. clxxiv. 211 Of this ordynaunce and bondes there were made instrumentes publykes, and letters patentes, seyled by bothe Kynges.

1571 G. Buchanan Admonitioun Trew Lordis sig. A.8^v The Cardinall Betoun, quha be ane fals Instrument had takin the supreme authoritie to him self.

1660 Exact Accompt Trial Regicides 45 We shall show that Instrument, that was made under the Hand, and Seal, of the Prisoner at the Bar, as well as others, for Execution of the King: that Bloody Warrant.

1714 G. Jacob Accomplish'd Conveyancer I. (title page) The nature and kinds of all Deeds and Instruments used in Conveyancing.

1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. ix. 142 We may observe, in Madox's collection of antient instruments, some leases for years of a pretty early date.

1827 H. Hallam Constit. Hist. Eng. II. x. 100 The instrument under which he [sc. Cromwell] took his title accorded to him no unnecessary executive authority.

1852 J. R. McCulloch Treat. Taxation (ed. 2) ii. vi. §3 284 The payment of the proper duty is made essential to the validity of an instrument.

1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking v. 105 Where an instrument is drawn in a careless way, in the form of a promissory note, and accepted, and indorsed as a bill of exchange.

1945 Economist 14 July 44/2 The jurists are there to draw up the instrument of abdication and to safeguard the succession in some way that will not wholly divorce Leopold from his eldest son.

1996 Financial Times 21 Oct. 19/2 There can be few instruments of international law which have so much potential to do either good or harm as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

2014 George Washington Internat. Law Rev. 46 324 A good illustration..is the degree to which they [sc. constitutional preambles] incorporate or reference international instruments.

a. A person whose actions serve to bring about a result or accomplish a purpose; an intermediate agent through whom something is done or effected. Sometimes spec. with reference to a person who is used or exploited by another.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > (a) means > person as

ministerc1380

instrument1395

engine1548

shoeing-horn?1602

implement1629

shoehorn1630

Remonstr. against Romish Corruptions (Titus) (1851) 112 (MED) Thei that procuren siche lige men to defraude the king..defrauden the king in nedeful instrumentis to the gouernaunce of the rewme.

c1400 J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 293 (MED) Ech creature þat telliþ a man a treuþe is instrument of god to schewe him þis truþe.

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 272 Thow madest Eua brynge vs in seruage..Thyn Instrument so..Makestow of wommen whan thou wolt bigile.

a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xliv. §2. 163 His instrument, whaim he ledis as he will.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. lxviii The duke of Burgoyn was a conuenient organe and a necessary instrument to conueigh his desires to his purpose.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 415 He sweares, As he had seen't, or beene an Instrument To vice you to't.

1654 J. Bramhall Just Vindic. Church of Eng. iii. 43 God used him as an Instrument to reform his Church.

1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. v. 83 I would never be an Instrument of bringing a Free and Brave People into Slavery.

1759 W. Robertson Hist. Scotl. I. ii. 154 The French troops were to be employed as instruments for subduing the Scots, and wreathing the yoke about their necks.

1809 Brit. Critic Jan. 54 A bigot..fitted by his indolence and weakness to become a mere instrument in the hands of others.

1868 J. Bright Speeches Public Policy I. 285 To do honour to a most eminent instrument in the achievement of that freedom.

1896 Daily News 28 Apr. 3/1 The divergence between Mr. Chamberlain and his instrument in South Africa has been no less marked.

1927 Friends' Intelligencer 84 66/1 A prayer of St. Francis of Assissi [sic]: ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love.’

1989 L. Lochhead Mary Queen of Scots 20 For inside the preaching place, madam, I am not master of myself but the mere instrument of him who commands me to speak plain.

2014 Film Hist. 26 64 Anderson's character [sc. Broncho Billy] is presented as an instrument of law and order from the beginning.

b. A thing, method, course of action, etc., used to bring about a result or accomplish a purpose; a means by which something is done or effected.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > (a) means

keyOE

toolc1000

wherewithc1230

ministerc1380

meanc1390

instrumenta1425

organ?a1425

mesne1447

moyen1449

handlec1450

hackneya1500

receipta1500

operative1526

ingine1531

appliance1555

agent1579

matter1580

mids1581

wedge1581

wherewithal1583

shoeing-horn1587

engine1589

instrumental1598

Roaring Meg1598

procurement1601

organy1605

vehicle1615

vehiculuma1617

executioner1646

facility1652

operatory1660

instrumentality1663

expedient1665

agency1684

bladea1713

mechanic1924

mechanism1924

a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) 3139 It [sc. þat fire] es An instrument of Goddes ryghtwysnes, Thurgh wilk þe saule most clensed be In purgatory.

1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 49 Spekyng with the mouth whiche is instrument of the dischargyng and discouering of hertes.

1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer iii. f. ccclx Ye han in your body dyuers membres, and fyue sondrie wyttes,..whiche thynges as instrumentes ye vsen, as your handes aparte to handle.

?1533 G. Du Wes Introductorie for to lerne Frenche sig. Oi ^v This verbe, Am. The which is an instrument wherby we do expresse by our wordes all verbes passiues.

1570 T. Norton tr. A. Nowell Catechisme f. 50 Faith is not the cause but the Instrument of iustification.

1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xxiv. 167 The Gods are iust, and of our pleasant vertues. Make instruments to scourge vs.

1675 R. Baxter Catholick Theol. i. i. 107 Properly an Instrument is an efficient cause moved by the principal to an effect above its proper virtue.

1701 J. Arbuthnot Ess. Usefulness Math. Learning 19 Mathematicks are found to be the best Instrument of promoting natural knowledge.

1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations II. iv. i. 3 Among the Tartars..cattle are the instruments of commerce.

1807 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 3) II. 521 The importance of the salts as chemical instruments is very much connected with their solubility in water.

1846 T. Wright Ess. Middle Ages II. xix. 259 At all periods of English history, songs and ballads were the popular instruments equally of libel and of praise.

1905 H. G. Wells Mod. Utopia iii. 73 Gold is abused..and abolished from ideal society as though it were the cause instead of the instrument of human baseness.

1954 F. C. Barghoorn in C. G. Haines Threat of Soviet Imperialism ii. 84 The propaganda is the everchanging instrument of ideology.

2009 Independent 22 July 26/1 Grammar schools were the main instrument of upward social mobility.

4. An organ or other part of the body that performs a special function; esp. a sense organ. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > system > [noun] > organ

instrumenta1398

organ?a1425

instrumental?1541

organon1583

organum1614

corpus1706

apparatus1718

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. iii. xviii. 113 Aier..smitiþ þe gristilbon, þe firste instrument and lyme of þe heringe.

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 149 In wifhode wol I vse myn Instrument As frely as my makere hath it sent.

a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 79 Cold water dronkyn yn wynter..destruys þe Instrumentȝ of þe brest, & harmys þe longys.

1572 J. Jones Bathes of Bathes Ayde ii. f. 18^v Instrument, or organ [of taste] is a skinne pellicle, or philme, stretched in the over part of the tongue.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 310 Where hath she [sc. Nature] placed and inserted the [gnat's] instrument and organ of smelling?

1656 J. Smith Compl. Pract. Physick 28 Whatsoever is troublesome to the instruments of breathing.

1718 J. Chamberlayne tr. B. Nieuwentyt Relig. Philosopher I. xiii. i. 243 Among all the Instruments which Beasts use.., those of the external Senses are least of all known to us.

?1780 S. Freeman Ladies Friend (ed. 3) Introd. 12 From the brain cometh two sinews to the holes of the brain pan, where beginneth the concavity of the nose, and these two are the proper organs, or instruments of smelling.

1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxxiii. 355 Trophi, the different instruments or organs contained in the mouth, or closing it, and employed in manducation or deglutition. They include the Labrum, Labium, Mandibulæ, Maxillæ, Lingua, and Pharynx.

1855 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 145 292 The two tentacula of each side appear as it were enclosed in one envelope, so as to form a single tactile instrument.

2012 J. M. Henshaw Tour Senses 4 Different stimuli require different instruments. Over genetic time these instruments or organs have become highly specialized in humans and other animals.

5. euphemistic or colloquial. The penis. In early use often in instrument of generation.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > sex organs > male sex organs > [noun] > penis

weapona1000

tarsec1000

pintleOE

cock?c1335

pillicock?c1335

yard1379

arrowa1382

looma1400

vergea1400

instrumentc1405

fidcocka1475

privya1500

virile member (or yard)?1541

prickc1555

tool1563

pillock1568

penis1578

codpiece1584

needle1592

bauble1593

dildo1597

nag1598

virility1598

ferret1599

rubigo?a1600

Jack1604

mentula1605

virge1608

prependent1610

flute1611

other thing1628

engine1634

manhood1640

cod1650

quillity1653

rammer1653

runnion1655

pego1663

sex1664

propagator1670

membrum virile1672

nervea1680

whore-pipe1684

Roger1689

pudding1693

handle?1731

machine1749

shaft1772

jock1790

poker1811

dickyc1815

Johnny?1833

organ1833

intromittent apparatus1836

root1846

Johnson1863

Peter1870

John Henry1874

dickc1890

dingusc1890

John Thomasc1890

old fellowc1890

Aaron's rod1891

dingle-dangle1893

middle leg1896

mole1896

pisser1896

micky1898

baby-maker1902

old man1902

pecker1902

pizzle1902

willy1905

ding-dong1906

mickey1909

pencil1916

dingbatc1920

plonkerc1920

Johna1922

whangera1922

knob1922

tube1922

ding1926

pee-pee1927

prong1927

pud1927

hose1928

whang1928

dong1930

putz1934

porkc1935

wiener1935

weenie1939

length1949

tadger1949

winkle1951

dinger1953

winky1954

dork1961

virilia1962

rig1964

wee-wee1964

Percy1965

meat tool1966

chopper1967

schlong1967

swipe1967

chode1968

trouser snake1968

ding-a-ling1969

dipstick1970

tonk1970

noonies1972

salami1977

monkey1978

langer1983

wanker1987

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 132 Man shal yelde to his wyf hir dette Wherwith sholde he make his paiement If he ne vsed his sely Instrument?

c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 41^v (MED) Matrix..is an instrument of generacoun lijk vn to þe instrument of þe generacioun of a man but þat it is turned ynward.

?1518 R. Copland tr. P. Gringore Complaynte them that ben to late Maryed (new ed.) sig. A.iv^v I lete her haue her repose..for thynstrument is not yet well in poynt.

1649 Man in Moon No. 28. 227 Now must Mistris Juncto dispair of her Royal Issue, since Cromwel has lost his instrument of Generation, and his Standard-bearer of Lust is shott quite off.

1728 Polly Peachum on Fire 23 When he went in unto her, he pull'd forth his Instrument of Generation, and let his Seed fall unto the Earth.

1863 Libertine Enchantress iii. 59 Pressing her up close to him, so that his instrument could not slip out of the cave of Venus, he played his part in turn.

1978 L. Kramer Faggots 105 He'd met Hubie and Hubie's eleven-inch wonderful instrument while cruising Central Park.

2016 C. Coetzee Bandit King ix. 199 Shasti can see his erection hardening in his groin. A long, thick instrument sticking into the air.

†6. With singular or plural agreement. Tools, weapons, or other devices collectively; equipment, gear. Also: collective means. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > supply > [noun] > that which is supplied > that with which anything is equipped > equipment or accoutrements

ornament?c1225

i-wendea1250

atil1297

tacklea1325

apparel1330

conreyc1330

farec1330

tirec1330

apparementc1340

apparelmentc1374

graithc1375

appurtenancec1386

geara1400

warnementa1400

stuff1406

parelling?a1440

farrements1440

stuffurec1440

skippeson1444

harnessa1450

parela1450

implements1454

reparel1466

ordinance1475

habiliments1483

ornation1483

muniments1485

mountures1489

outred1489

accomplement?c1525

trinketc1525

garnishing1530

garniture1532

accoutrementsc1550

furniments1553

tackling1558

instrument1563

ordinara1578

appointment?1578

outreiking1584

appoint1592

dighting1598

outreik1598

apparate?c1600

accomplishment1605

attirail1611

coutrement1621

apparatusa1628

equipage1648

thing1662

equipment1717

paraphernalia1736

tack1777

outfit1787

fittinga1817

fixing1820

set-out1831

rigging1837

fixture1854

parapherna1876

clobber1890

the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > (a) means > equipment for any action or undertaking

ornament?c1225

i-wendea1250

atil1297

tacklea1325

apparel1330

conreyc1330

farec1330

tirec1330

apparementc1340

apparelmentc1374

graithc1375

appurtenancec1386

geara1400

warnementa1400

stuff1406

parelling?a1440

farrements1440

stuffurec1440

skippeson1444

harnessa1450

parela1450

implements1454

reparel1466

ordinance1475

habiliments1483

ornation1483

muniments1485

outred1489

trinketc1525

garnishing1530

garniture1532

accoutrementsc1550

furniments1553

tackling1558

instrument1563

ordinara1578

appointment?1578

outreiking1584

supellectile1584

appoint1592

dighting1598

outreik1598

materialsa1600

apparate?c1600

attirail1611

coutrement1621

apparatusa1628

outrig1639

equipage1648

thing1662

equipment1717

paraphernalia1736

fixture1767

tack1777

outfit1787

fittinga1817

fixing1820

matériel1821

set-out1831

rigging1837

parapherna1876

clobber1890

1563 Ressoning Crosraguell & Knox f. 6^v All instrument that is prepared against thee, shal not prosper.

1603 H. Holland tr. R. Rollock Treat. Gods Effectual Calling xxxvi. 214 The Spirit, or grace of God is the principall efficient cause of Repentance, but the instrument are the faculties and powers of the mind.

1658 tr. D. Sennert Nine Bks. Physick & Chirurg. i. xii. 26 Smelling is an external sense discovering smells by the benefit of the Nose... Its adæquate instrument are the Nostrils.

1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iii. 387 Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm, And fragile arms, much instrument of war.

1673 Sanderson's XXI Serm. (new ed.) 192 But say all the Instrument [1656 instruments] should be perfectly well tuned; yet if the men should not agree what to play,..what a hideous hateful noise may you imagine would such a mess of musick be?

Phrases

P1.

Instrument of Government n. (a) a written constitution of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in force between 1653 and 1657, under the terms of which executive authority was exercised by the Lord Protector, and legislative authority by a unicameral parliament, elected on the basis of a property franchise; (b) a record of the name and constitution of the governing body of a school, required of every secondary school in the United Kingdom under the terms of the Education Act of 1944.

ΚΠ

1653 S. Richardson Plain Dealing 4 We enjoy as much liberty as can be expected, as much as can be given, as much as lawfully may be desired, if that which is expressed in the instrument of government be performed.

1654 O. Cromwell Last Speech Ld. Protector to Parl. 8 And to that end that no obstruction might arise thereupon, the Instrument of Government was tendered for a subscription.

1762 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (new ed.) VI. ii. 59 The instrument of government was taken in pieces, and examined, one article after another.

1884 C. H. Firth in J. M. Low & F. S. Pulling Dict. Eng. Hist. 818/1 On the whole the Petition and Advice established a far more workable distribution of political power than the instrument of government.

1944 Act 7 & 8 Geo. VI c. 31 §17 The instrument of management or the instrument of government, as the case may be, shall be in the case of a county school by an order of the local education authority.

1988 Parl. Affairs 41 347 The Civil War..led to the establishment of the Commonwealth, organised by the Instrument of Government of 1653. That, incidentally, did claim to be an entrenched constitution.

1998 Church Times 9 Oct. 20/1 Church schools are..preparing to write their new ethos statements, which will form a key part of their new instruments of government.

P2.

instrument of ratification n. chiefly International Law an instrument (sense 2b) that signals the ratification of an agreement; spec. one signed by a head of state or similar authority to ratify an international treaty, convention, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > rule of law > [noun] > validity or legal force > validation or ratification > formalities of

acknowledgement1585

instrument of ratification1587

solemnity1588

execution1776

1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 834/2 Upon the..resolution of this peace, came to the court of France the instrument of ratification.

1660 Exact Accompt Daily Proc. Parl. No. 57. 603 Their Act or Instrument of Ratification for the said Treaty of Elbing was dispatched already.

1788 New-Haven Gaz. 22 May The members present at this awful ceremony amounted to seventy-four, of which number the names of sixty-three were subscribed to the instrument of ratification.

1878 Manch. Guardian 16 Aug. 8/4 Sadoullah Bey announces..that the exchange of the Turkish instruments of ratification will take place within 15 days.

1948 Financial Times 18 Mar. 5/7 The Belgian Government shall inform the Governments..of the deposit of each instrument of ratification.

2002 K. Matinuddin Nuclearization S. Asia 299 The Secretary-General of the United Nations..shall receive signatures, instruments of ratification and instruments of accession.

Compounds

C1.

a. General attributive, esp. with reference to scientific instruments, as instrument case, instrument gauge, instrument system, instrument terminal, etc.

ΚΠ

1672 J. Josselyn New-Englands Rarities 33 Their Skins are good to cover Boxes and Instrument Cases.

1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VI. 239 His [sc. the shark] skin..being that substance which covers instrument cases.

1844 J. H. Stocqueler Hand-bk. India 341 The instrument-room, in which are arranged the various boring bars, bits, and knives.

1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 280 The upper and lower rows of terminals are used for the ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ line wires: the two intermediate rows are ‘Instrument’ terminals.

1921 Automobile Topics 23 Apr. 946/1 The instrument gauge is scaled so as to show on the right ‘gallons per hour’ and on the left the ‘economy factor’.

1987 S. M. Michaelson & J. C. Lin Biol. Effects & Health Implications Radiofrequency Radiation iii. 84 A microprocessor..sends the information to the instrument display and to analog and digital output ports.

2013 Chem. Engin. Dec. 51/1 When specifying an equipment component or instrument system, the engineer must define a specific amount of information.

2015 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 28 Oct. b1 ‘Every day should be a day of kindness,’ he said, pausing as he blew his saxophone..and thanking people who dropped pocket change into his instrument case.

b. attributive, with reference to the action of flying an aircraft while depending primarily on the aircraft's navigational instruments rather than on direct visual observation, as instrument approach, instrument flight, instrument flying, instrument landing (system), instrument rating, instrument weather, etc. Cf. blind adj. 1j.See also instrument conditions n. at Compounds 2, instrument runway n. at Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > navigation of course of aircraft > [noun] > by instruments

blind-flying1919

instrument flying1924

inertial system1952

inertial navigation1954

inertial guidance1955

society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [adjective] > automatically controlled

hands off1860

instrument1924

society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [adjective] > relating to landing by instruments

blind landing1919

instrument1924

society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [noun] > landing > by instruments or automatic

automatic landing1910

instrument landing (system)1942

society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [noun] > sudden rapid descent > descent prior to landing > landing approach > types of

blind approach1936

power approach1938

missed approach1951

instrument approach1957

society > travel > air or space travel > [noun] > a flight through air or space > other types of flight

night flight1830

solo1911

mercy flight1933

cross-country1948

general aviation1952

free flight1954

GA1974

instrument flight1988

1924 Aviation 26 May 563/2 Flying in a fog..means contour work and it means ‘instrument flying’.

1938 N.Y. Times 25 Sept. x. xx5/1 An example of the importance of instrument rating is the fact that military and naval pilots without it are not cleared from one point to another if any part of the route is classified as ‘instrument weather’.

1942 J. B. Hoag Basic Radio xxxiv. 288 At certain airports, a radio wave is transmitted..to provide a glider path for ‘blind’ or instrument landing.

1957 Encycl. Brit. I. 230/1 During World War II another system was developed for instrument approaches. This..used a talk-down technique.

1988 Safe Skies Tomorrow (U.S. Congress) v. 99/2 Air carrier pilots fly primarily under instrument flight rules (IFR).

2003 New Yorker 9 June 75/1 During the transition to instrument flight you were a little sloppy with your tracking.

2011 M. S. Nolan Fund. Air Traffic Control (ed. 5) ii. 137 What are the basic principles of the instrument landing system?

c. Objective, esp. with reference to scientific instruments.

instrument-carrying adj.

ΚΠ

1901 G. A. Rutherford U.S. Patent 665,470 2/1 A support [for telegraphic instruments]..comprising two connected bands.., and a button projecting from the inside of one of the bands adjacent to the instrument-carrying end of the support.

1959 Daily Tel. 1 May 1/1 The programme will certainly enable Britain to put three or four instrument-carrying satellites into space.

2013 Jrnl. (Newcastle) (Nexis) 2 Mar. a 10 These rockets..are instrument-carrying rockets designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during their sub-orbital flights.

instrument maker n.

ΚΠ

1609 Will of Edward Ilsbery (Oxfordshire Hist. Centre, W 193.437; 37/2/33) This is the Will and Testament of Edward Ilsbery..joyner or instrument maker.

1770 D. Barrington Let. 24 Dec. in Philos. Trans. 1771 (Royal Soc.) (1772) 61 294 I..directed two rain-gages..to be made by your instrument-maker.

1834 Atkinson's Casket Apr. 157/2 The poor instrument-maker seemed destined to the endless task of constructing new violins.

2004 Brit. Jrnl. Hist. Sci. 37 260 The story of the atmospheric railway starts with George Medhurst, an otherwise obscure London instrument-maker.

instrument making n.

ΚΠ

?1594 J. Dee Compend. Rehearsall xiii, in Autobiogr. Tracts (1851) 40 By reason whereof I can myselfe soe oversee the workemen and workemanship, for better matter and shape of glass works, and instruments-making.]

1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 38 Willem Jansen Blaew..was entertain'd into his service for the making his Mathematical-Instruments to Observe withal; in which Instrument-making he shew'd himself..intelligent and curious.

1784 W. Coxe Trav. Poland, Russia, Sweden, & Denmark II. v. vi. 149 At the age of fourteen they are at liberty to chuse any of the following arts, divided into four classes... 4. Watch-making, turning, instrument making, casting statues.., gilding, and varnishing.

1852 G. Dubourg Violin (ed. 4) ix. 348 The Italian renown for instrument-making attained its climax by the productions of..Straduarius and Guamerius.

2006 M. W. Jackson Harmonious Triads iv. 75 There were movements within music, physics, and instrument making to standardize aesthetic characteristics.

C2.

instrument board n. †(a) (apparently) a board for holding writing implements (obsolete rare); (b) a surface of a device, into which instruments are installed; (now chiefly) a surface on which instrument gauges or displays are located, esp. one facing the driver of a motor vehicle or the pilot of an aircraft; a dashboard; cf. instrument panel n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > surface where gauges, dials, etc., are grouped

instrument board1839

instrument panel1897

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > instrument panel or dashboard

instrument board1839

instrument panel1897

dash1902

dashboard1904

fascia-board1924

fascia1955

fascia-panel1957

society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > controls and instruments > [noun] > instrument board or panel

instrument board1839

instrument panel1897

upfront controller1986

1839 Morning Chron. 7 Oct. This useful travelling appendage and parlour companion..contains instrument board, pocket for letters, and is furnished with a superior tumbler lock.

1863 E. India (Progress & Condition): Statem. 1861–2: Pt. I iv. 73 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 271) XLI. 1 Its several component parts cannot be removed from the instrument board for repair or exchange.

1917 ‘Contact’ Airman's Outings 18 Not till a pilot can fly his bus unconsciously does he keep place without repeated reference to the throttle and instrument-board.

1956 Washington Post 8 Jan. k20/1 The sports models have sports-type instrument boards with sweephand indicators.

2015 Star (South Africa) (Nexis) 22 Apr. 8 Co-pilot Bojan Zoric had spilt coffee on the instrument board due to turbulence.

instrument cluster n. a group of instrument gauges or displays on the dashboard of a vehicle.

ΚΠ

1929 Kingsport (Tennessee) Times 6 Jan. iii. 3/4 (advt.) Instrument cluster containing the following units: ammeter, speedometer, gasoline gauge, oil pressure gauge, water heat indicator.

2000 South Wales Evening Post (Nexis) 27 Mar. 13 The main instrument cluster consists of a group of needle dials set within the face of a large main chrome-bezelled dial.

instrument conditions n. (more fully instrument meteorological conditions; abbreviated IMC) weather conditions, such as poor visibility, in which a pilot must depend primarily on the aircraft's navigational instruments in order to fly.

ΚΠ

1936 Safety in Air: Hearings before Subcomm. of Comm. on Commerce: Pt. I (U.S. Senate, 74th Congr., 2nd Sess.) 693 The new A and I range..is totally independable under instrument conditions.

1957 Encycl. Brit. I. 230/1 In the United States the Civil Aeronautics administration developed a system for landing approaches under instrument conditions.

2001 Flying May 63/1 The Bay area is an ideal location for experiencing actual instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

instrument counter n. a surface or counter on which instruments, esp. medical instruments, are placed or arranged for their immediate use, or stored, displayed, etc.

ΚΠ

1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy x. 294 If..the rigid rule of having a place for everything and everything in its place, especially upon the instrument counters and floors, be attended to,..accidents cannot arise.

1902 Med. Progress July 160/1 An ignorant physician..went..to the instrument counter or exhibit and bought a dilator and curette.

1977 Jrnl. Clin. Orthodontics 11 459/1 There is an instrument counter in the operatory.

2013 D. MacGarty in D. MacGarty & D. Nott Disaster Med. iii. xv. 217 The operating table and instrument counters may have to be improvised and all should be regularly cleaned with disinfectant.

instrument panel n. a panel of a switchboard or a surface of a device, into which instruments are installed; (now chiefly) a surface on which instrument gauges or displays are located, esp. one facing the pilot of an aircraft or the driver of a motor vehicle; a dashboard; cf. instrument board n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > surface where gauges, dials, etc., are grouped

instrument board1839

instrument panel1897

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > other specific parts

armOE

button?1561

running gear1663

relax1676

collar1678

drumhead1698

long arm1717

drum1744

press cloth1745

head1785

absorber1789

bearing plate1794

crown1796

rhodings1805

press box1825

alternator1829

cushion1832

saw tooth1835

shoe1837

keyboard1839

returner1839

cross-head1844

channel shoe1845

baster1846

water port1864

shifter1869

magazine1873

entry port1874

upsetter1875

mechanism1876

tapper1876

tension bar1879

buttonholer1882

take-up1884

auger1886

instrument panel1897

balancer1904

torsion bar1937

powerhead1960

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > instrument panel or dashboard

instrument board1839

instrument panel1897

dash1902

dashboard1904

fascia-board1924

fascia1955

fascia-panel1957

society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > controls and instruments > [noun] > instrument board or panel

instrument board1839

instrument panel1897

upfront controller1986

1897 Electr. World 23 Jan. 122/2 The instrument panel [of the switchboard] carries the general station instruments.

1935 Economist 7 Dec. 1140/1 Another noteworthy development [in the motor accessory field]..is the combination instrument panel.

1958 W. R. Barrett et al. in H. W. Cremer Chem. Engin. Pract. V. 126 Large [air-compressor] installations usually have an instrument panel on which are fitted all pressure gauges and a temperature indicator.

1972 E. H. J. Pallett Aircraft Instruments iii. 43 Various items of related flight information can be placed in certain standard locations in all instrument panels.

2012 Earthmovers Apr. 17 A simple instrument panel, single light switch, throttle lever, high-backed seat with a seatbelt and joystick pods.

instrument rating n. a qualification which allows a pilot to fly an aircraft in conditions of reduced external visibility, depending primarily on navigational instruments rather than on direct visual observation.

ΚΠ

1936 N.Y. Times 19 Apr. x. 5/2 Inadequately trained pilots should be prohibited from the airways when conditions require skilled instrument training. (A special instrument rating is contemplated.)

1970 Times 17 July 4/7 Mr. Howe was fined £10 with £30 costs for flying over London below 1,000ft.; £10 for having no instrument rating;..and £10 for not showing proper registration marks.

2012 J. Graves Bluegrass Bluesman v. 51 He didn't like to fly at night until he got his instrument rating, and he didn't have radar on that plane.

instrument runway n. an airport or airfield runway specially equipped (with electronic navigational aids, visual markings, etc.) for use in poor visibility or other conditions in which a pilot must depend primarily on the aircraft's navigational instruments in order to take off or land.

ΚΠ

1938 Airport Lighting (U.S. Civil Aeronaut. Authority) 15 An instrument runway is prepared for landings in one direction.

1961 N.Y. Times 4 Sept. 30/4 Idlewild already has such radar [that indicates altitude and range of planes]..sighted for approaches to the instrument runway.

2013 Aeronaut. Information Man. Study Guide Private Pilot ii. 25 The runway edge lights are white, except on instrument runways yellow replaces white on the last 2,000 feet or half the runway length, whichever is less, to form a caution zone for landings.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	instrument
释义	instrumentn. Brit. /ˈɪnstrᵿm(ə)nt/, U.S. /ˈɪnstrəmənt/ Forms: Middle English enstrement, Middle English instreument, Middle English instromente, Middle English instrymentes (plural), Middle English yensterment (in a late copy), Middle English ynstrument, Middle English–1600s instrumente, Middle English 1600s jnstrument, Middle English– instrument, 1500s enstrementtes (plural), 1500s instramente, 1500s yenstorment, 1500s ynstorment, 1500s–1600s enstrument, 1500s–1600s instrament, 1600s instruement, 1600s instrumentt, 1600s instrumenttt; also Scottish pre-1700 enstriment, pre-1700 instrewment, pre-1700 instriment, pre-1700 instroment. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French instrument; Latin instrūmentum. Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman enstrument, Anglo-Norman and Middle French instrument, Middle French instruement, instrement, instriment (French instrument ), alteration (after classical Latin instrūmentum : see below) of Anglo-Norman enstrement , estrumant , Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French estrument tool, implement, or utensil (1119 in Old French; 15th cent. or earlier with reference to a device used to measure or observe something), device which produces musical sounds when played (first half of the 12th cent.), formal legal document (13th cent.), intermediary, means (1268 or earlier in Anglo-Norman, second half of the 14th cent. in continental French), weapon (1272 or earlier), bodily organ (a1365; late 14th cent. with specific reference to a genital organ or the genitals collectively), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin instrūmentum equipment, tools, apparatus, means, (in legal use) basis for a case, document, deed, in post-classical Latin also person as agent (from 7th cent. in British sources, also in continental sources), musical instrument, bodily organ (frequently from 12th cent. in British sources) < instruere instruct v. + -mentum -ment suffix.French forms with initial i are attested from at least the late 13th cent.; earlier French forms all have initial e, reflecting an adaptation of the Latin noun which is also found in most other Romance languages. Compare Old Occitan estrumen, esturmen (both last quarter of the 12th cent.), (rare) instrument (13th cent.; Occitan instrument), Catalan instrument (last quarter of the 13th cent. as †estrumen, †esturment), Spanish instrumento (a1250; c1200 as †estrumento), Portuguese instrumento (11th cent. as †estrumentis, plural), and (with elision of the first syllable) Italian strumento (14th cent.; 13th cent. as †stormento; also †instrumento, †istrumento). Compare also Old Frisian instrument, instrumentum (West Frisian instrument), Middle Dutch, Dutch instrument, Middle Low German instrument, insterment, Middle High German instrument (German Instrument; in early use often with Latin inflectional endings), Old Swedish, Swedish instrument, Old Danish, Danish instrument. 1. An object, device, or apparatus designed or used for a particular purpose or task. a. A device designed or used to produce musical sounds when played; (in the 19th cent. also) spec. (with the) the piano.Conventional musical instruments typically produce sounds by the vibration of one or more strings, reeds, membranes, or other solid objects, or by the movement of breath or air through one or more pipes, tubes, or other confined spaces. Electric musical instruments typically resemble traditional ones, but when played they produce electrical signals that can be converted into sound by an amplifier or other electric speaker.keyboard instrument, percussion instrument, reed instrument, string instrument, etc.: see the first element. See also musical instrument n., wind-instrument n., etc. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > [noun] organeOE orgleeOE gleea1225 instrumentc1300 organum1342 organyc1400 musicala1450 musical instrument?c1450 organ1772 dulcimer1890 axe1955 c1300 St. Brendan (Laud) 191 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 225 As a fiþele his wynges furde..Murie Instrument neuere nas þat his wyngen were! a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 355 (MED) Irische men beeþ connyng in tweie manere instrumentz of musyk [L. musici generis instrumentis], in harpe and tymbre þat is i-armed wiþ wire and wiþ strenges of bras. c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 1081 Aungelles wyth instrumentes of organes and pypes. ?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 88 (MED) Next..gase all þe mynistralles..with all maner of instruments of music. c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) li. 172 I am a mynstrell, as thou seest here by myne instrumentes. 1540 Old City Acct. Bk. in Archæol. Jrnl. (1886) 43 174 Pd to y^e clarke for playeng of y^e yensterment iiij^d. a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iv. ii. 310 Canst thou hold vp thy heauie eyes a-while, and touch thy Instrument a straine or two. View more context for this quotation 1695 R. Blackmore Prince Arthur iv. 95 Choice Instruments, some Strung, and some of Wind. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 1 Apr. (1965) I. 331 I have often seen them..playing on a rural Instrument perfectly answering the description of the Ancient Fistula. 1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. 230 In the evening, they adjourned..to hear Marmulet, the famed Genoese musician, who performed on the psaltery, the viol d'amor, and other instruments not known till then in England. 1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice I. vi. 51 I am going to open the instrument, Eliza, and you know what follows. View more context for this quotation 1863 H. W. Longfellow Prelude xiv, in Tales Wayside Inn 15 The instrument on which he played Was in Cremona's workshops made. 1925 P. A. Scholes 2nd Bk. Gramophone Rec. p. xviii The Piano, as an instrument, records less well than other instruments. 1958 P. Oliver in P. Gammond Decca Bk. Jazz i. 24 For the blues singer, the most valuable instrument was the guitar. 2013 Guardian 10 May (G2 section) 12/3 The Chamberlin broke new ground in the 1940s as the first keyboard to replicate the sounds of other instruments. b. A tool, implement, or utensil used to execute a piece of work; (now) esp. one used in delicate, precise, or skilled work, or for artistic, medical, or scientific purposes. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] metc1175 instrumentc1392 gauger1588 jadge1617 mensurator1645 dimensurator1675 measurer1690 society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > [noun] toolc888 loomc900 ginc1300 instrumentc1392 machinamentc1425 work-loomc1425 oustil1477 mistera1525 appliance1565 device1570 utensil1604 conveniency1660 contrivance1667 ruler1692 machine1707 implements1767 dial1839 dog1859 c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 20 Draw ther a lyne with a sharp instrument. a1400 (?a1325) Medit. on Supper of our Lord (Harl.) (1875) l. 884 (MED) Ful feyn þey wulde Ihesu down taken, But strengþe and ynstrumentys boþe þey lakkyn. a1475 J. Shirley Death James (BL Add. 5467) in Miscellanea Scotica (1818) II. 26 (MED) Withe hookid ynstrumentes of yryne, fuyre hote all red glowyng, thay pynchid and twynched his theghis. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 234/2 Instrument of any handy crafte, ovtil. 1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet v. iii. 199 Here is a Frier, and Slaughter Romeos man, With Instruments vpon them, fit to open These dead mens Tombes. View more context for this quotation 1611 Bible (King James) 2 Sam. xxiv. 22 Here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments . View more context for this quotation 1658 W. Sanderson Graphice 68 Take a needle or small pointed Instrument, heated in a Candle. 1703 London Gaz. No. 3896/4 He..had about him a Fish-Skin Plaister-Box, with Silver Instruments. 1764 R. Burn Hist. Poor Laws 127 The thatchers to this day have an instrument that holds their straw, which they call a knape. 1826 J. Alderson in Trans. Soc. Arts 44 151 A mathematical instrument of my invention called a curvilinead, wherewith to describe regular curve lines. 1876 T. Bryant Pract. Surg. (ed. 2) I. iv. 142 A ‘contusion’ is caused by a blow from a blunt instrument. 1927 F. Balfour-Browne Insects ix. 225 There are certain instruments which are of general use, and amongst these are the so-called butterfly net, the sweeping net, and the beating tray. 1972 Newsweek 10 Jan. 15/1 (advt.) Cross pens and pencils are recognized as fine writing instruments. 2011 Eastern Eye 1 July 10/1 As many as a fifth of the scalpels, forceps, clamps and other instruments used in surgery would fail basic safety checks. c. A device or apparatus for registering, measuring, or recording a physical quantity, property, or phenomenon; a device for monitoring scientific or industrial equipment, operating a machine or vehicle, sending and receiving information, etc. ΚΠ c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) Prol. 1 Conclusions apertenyng to the same instrument [sc. the Astrolabe]. a1475 ( S. Scrope tr. Dicts & Sayings Philosophers (Bodl. 943) (1999) 154 (MED) Aristotle helde in his hande an instrument of sterres. 1538 T. Elyot Dict. Astrolabium, an Astrolabe or instrumente of astronomy. 1581 J. Frampton tr. P. de Medina Arte Nauigation vi. vi. f. 70/1 Because the compasse is an instrument so litle & so subtil, it is necessary to bring him in order with another instrument, suche a one as the sight and the reason may rectifie. 1610 H. Wotton Let. 13 Mar. in L. P. Smith Life & Lett. Sir H. Wotton (1907) I. 486 The Mathematical Professor at Padua, who by help of an optical instrument..hath discovered four new planets. a1687 W. Petty Polit. Anat. Ireland (1691) 49 An Instrument to measure the Motion of the Wind. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Size, an Instrument used to find the Weight of fine round Pearls withal. 1782 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 72 165 The instrument I am going to describe, which I call a Lamp-Micrometer, is free from all these defects. a1830 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) IV. 68/1 By the term Electroscope we understand an instrument which enables us to observe the presence of free electricity. 1876 R. Routledge Discov. 19th Cent. 9 The actual power of a steam engine is ascertained by an instrument called the Indicator. 1884 List of Subscribers (London & Globe Telephone Co.) Subscribers..must not allow non-subscribers to use their instruments for the transmission of messages. 1924 P. J. Risdon Wireless xxxviii. 304 These bells are kept ringing until the operator gets to his instruments, adjusts his headpiece and is ready to receive the direction signals giving the position of the vessel in distress. 1967 D. P. Davies Handling Big Jets viii. 231 The attitude indicator is the primary flight instrument for turbulence flying. 2013 Wall St. Jrnl. 9 Nov. c12/2 Satellites use various scientific instruments, such as X-ray detectors and ultraviolet and infrared light captors, to observe the planet. d. An implement, device, or machine used in warfare; a weapon; (in early use) esp. a piece of equipment used in a siege, as a battering ram, scaling ladder, etc. Frequently in instrument of war and variants. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > [noun] weaponc930 toolc1386 instrument?a1475 armament1741 equalizer1931 ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1865) I. 357 (MED) Berenge in theire honde an instrumente callede a sparth [L. securim, id est sparth]. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xvii. 342 The ynglis host..With Instrumentis on seir maneris, As scaffatis, ledderis, and coueryngis, Pykis, howis, and ek staff-slyngis. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cclxxxviii. 431 The Englysshmen ordayned mantels and other instrumentes of warr, wherby to aproche nere to the walles. 1562 P. Whitehorne Certain Waies Orderyng Souldiers f. 36, in tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre These instrumentes helpeth muche more him that besigeth a toune, then he that is besiged. 1601 tr. M. Martínez 9th Pt. Mirrour of Knight-hood sig. Bb4 The mighty Epirabio tooke charge of the assaulting of y^e Citie: and so with all the instruments and engines requisite for such an exployte..they drew neere to y^e walls. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 147 A Crossebow,..not comparable to the Gun (an instrument they now make practice of). 1718 C. Molloy Coquet v. 92 Bring me Armour and Head-piece: Fetch me all the Instruments of War from a Pot-Gun, to a Cannon. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Freezing, a sort of ornamental painting on the upper part of a ship's quarter, stern or bow. It consists generally of armour, instruments of war, marine emblems, &c. 1833 Sydney Monitor 17 Apr. In former days when in battle..[New Zealanders had] an instrument made of a beautiful blue or green marble stone, which they call a Mary. 1880 Sabbath School Mag. (Glasgow) 1 Jan. 10 He [sc. the enemy] is right aface of you; he is strengthening his instruments of warfare. 1919 H. B. Faber Mil. Pyrotechnics I. i. v. 45 In the latter part of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth, there was great activity on the part of those enthusiastic over pyrotechnic devices as war instruments. 1961 Life 27 Jan. 24/2 The United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace. 2007 V. Jewiss tr. R. Saviano Gomorrah ii. 178 With his invention Mikhail Kalashnikov allowed every power and micropower group a military instrument. 2. Law. a. Chiefly (and in later use only) Scots Law. A formal and duly authenticated record, drawn up by a notary public or a court clerk, of a fact, deed, transaction, proceeding, etc. Now historical. to take instruments (also instrument, an instrument): to cause such a formal record to be drawn up.The practice of taking instruments fell into disuse in secular contexts in the early 19th cent. It continued into the first half of the 20th cent. in the courts of the Church of Scotland as a means of formally recording administrative or judicial decisions. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal document > types of legal or official document > [noun] > record of transactions or decrees > drawn up by notary instrument1391 protocol1463 notarial act1752 1391 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1391/5 Apon the qwilk our lorde the kynges grant the said Sir Thomas..requerit me, notare before said, to make hym ane instrument. 1405 in J. Robertson Illustr. Topogr. & Antiq. Aberdeen & Banff (1862) IV. 173 Atour this the saide Schir Dauid here apon hase tane instrument. 1444 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1844) I. 12 And upon this the alderman askit instrumentis diuerse. 1480 in Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1839) I. 52/2 Þe said William has bene dewly..chargit be our souuerain lordis lettres to haue enterit..as was previt..be autentik Instrument & document. 1535 D. Lindsay Satyre (Bannatyne MS.) 2832 To that, my lordis, planely we disconsent; Notar, thairof I tak ane instrument. ?1571 tr. G. Buchanan Detectioun Marie Quene of Scottes sig. Piij^v Upoun the quhilk..the sayd aduocate askit an Act of Court and instrumentis, and desirit of the Iustice processe conforme thairto. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 273 There were present at the sight heereof seuen publike notaries, which called witnesses and made instruments thereupon. 1693 T. Urquhart & P. A. Motteux tr. F. Rabelais 3rd Bk. Wks. xxiii. 184 We will take Instrument formally and authentically extended, to the end he be not, after his Decease, declared an Heretick. 1700 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Glasgow (1908) IV. 304 It might be proper for him to lay this petitione before the parliament, in the methods and termes wherein it is conceaved; as the said petitione and ane instrument taken be them and him more fully containes. a1768 J. Erskine Inst. Law Scotl. (1773) I. ii. vii. §18 Upon this act a notarial instrument is taken by him in whose favour resignation is made, called the resignatary. 1814 W. Scott Waverley III. iii^. 38 The Baron of Bradwardine then took instruments..bearing that all points and circumstances of the act of homage had been rite et solenniter acta et peracta* . View more context for this quotation 1856 A. Menzies Conveyancing according to Law Scotl. ii. ii. 244 The procurator takes instruments in the hands of the notary-public, which is done by presenting a piece of money to him in the presence of witnesses. 1960 G. Donaldson Sc. Reformation iii. 67 For another decade or so some notaries continued to insert the pontifical year in their instruments. 1993 H. L. MacQueen Common Law & Feudal Soc. Medieval Scotl. iii. 94 First there is the notarial instrument, drawn up at the request of one or other party to a litigation, recording some procedural step or decision taken by the court in question. b. A formal legal document entailing rights and obligations, such as a contract, deed, legislative act, etc.; any document formally drawn up so as to have legal effect.statutory instrument: see the first element. See also Instrument of Government n. at Phrases 1, instrument of ratification n. at Phrases 2. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal document > [noun] writlOE charterc1270 writingc1384 paper1389 monument1405 instrument1426 cartec1449 chart1616 diploma1645 diplome1669 expedition1685 law-writings1701 chirograph1844 1426 W. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 6 I haue..doon dwely examyned þe jnstrument by þe wysest I coude fynde here... Al þis processe, þough it were in dede proceded as þe instrument specifieth, is not suffisant in þe lawe of Holy Cherche. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. cclvii/1 It ought to be myn, For I haue therof an Instrument publyque. a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. xxx The sayde Lordys shewyd an Instrument or wrytynge, at y^e which hynge many labellys with Sealys, as the Kynges Seale, syr Edwarde hys sonnys Seale w^t many other of the Nobles of the Lande. 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. clxxiv. 211 Of this ordynaunce and bondes there were made instrumentes publykes, and letters patentes, seyled by bothe Kynges. 1571 G. Buchanan Admonitioun Trew Lordis sig. A.8^v The Cardinall Betoun, quha be ane fals Instrument had takin the supreme authoritie to him self. 1660 Exact Accompt Trial Regicides 45 We shall show that Instrument, that was made under the Hand, and Seal, of the Prisoner at the Bar, as well as others, for Execution of the King: that Bloody Warrant. 1714 G. Jacob Accomplish'd Conveyancer I. (title page) The nature and kinds of all Deeds and Instruments used in Conveyancing. 1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. ix. 142 We may observe, in Madox's collection of antient instruments, some leases for years of a pretty early date. 1827 H. Hallam Constit. Hist. Eng. II. x. 100 The instrument under which he [sc. Cromwell] took his title accorded to him no unnecessary executive authority. 1852 J. R. McCulloch Treat. Taxation (ed. 2) ii. vi. §3 284 The payment of the proper duty is made essential to the validity of an instrument. 1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking v. 105 Where an instrument is drawn in a careless way, in the form of a promissory note, and accepted, and indorsed as a bill of exchange. 1945 Economist 14 July 44/2 The jurists are there to draw up the instrument of abdication and to safeguard the succession in some way that will not wholly divorce Leopold from his eldest son. 1996 Financial Times 21 Oct. 19/2 There can be few instruments of international law which have so much potential to do either good or harm as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. 2014 George Washington Internat. Law Rev. 46 324 A good illustration..is the degree to which they [sc. constitutional preambles] incorporate or reference international instruments. 3. a. A person whose actions serve to bring about a result or accomplish a purpose; an intermediate agent through whom something is done or effected. Sometimes spec. with reference to a person who is used or exploited by another. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > (a) means > person as ministerc1380 instrument1395 engine1548 shoeing-horn?1602 implement1629 shoehorn1630 Remonstr. against Romish Corruptions (Titus) (1851) 112 (MED) Thei that procuren siche lige men to defraude the king..defrauden the king in nedeful instrumentis to the gouernaunce of the rewme. c1400 J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 293 (MED) Ech creature þat telliþ a man a treuþe is instrument of god to schewe him þis truþe. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 272 Thow madest Eua brynge vs in seruage..Thyn Instrument so..Makestow of wommen whan thou wolt bigile. a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xliv. §2. 163 His instrument, whaim he ledis as he will. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. lxviii The duke of Burgoyn was a conuenient organe and a necessary instrument to conueigh his desires to his purpose. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 415 He sweares, As he had seen't, or beene an Instrument To vice you to't. View more context for this quotation 1654 J. Bramhall Just Vindic. Church of Eng. iii. 43 God used him as an Instrument to reform his Church. 1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. v. 83 I would never be an Instrument of bringing a Free and Brave People into Slavery. 1759 W. Robertson Hist. Scotl. I. ii. 154 The French troops were to be employed as instruments for subduing the Scots, and wreathing the yoke about their necks. 1809 Brit. Critic Jan. 54 A bigot..fitted by his indolence and weakness to become a mere instrument in the hands of others. 1868 J. Bright Speeches Public Policy I. 285 To do honour to a most eminent instrument in the achievement of that freedom. 1896 Daily News 28 Apr. 3/1 The divergence between Mr. Chamberlain and his instrument in South Africa has been no less marked. 1927 Friends' Intelligencer 84 66/1 A prayer of St. Francis of Assissi [sic]: ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love.’ 1989 L. Lochhead Mary Queen of Scots 20 For inside the preaching place, madam, I am not master of myself but the mere instrument of him who commands me to speak plain. 2014 Film Hist. 26 64 Anderson's character [sc. Broncho Billy] is presented as an instrument of law and order from the beginning. b. A thing, method, course of action, etc., used to bring about a result or accomplish a purpose; a means by which something is done or effected. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > (a) means keyOE toolc1000 wherewithc1230 ministerc1380 meanc1390 instrumenta1425 organ?a1425 mesne1447 moyen1449 handlec1450 hackneya1500 receipta1500 operative1526 ingine1531 appliance1555 agent1579 matter1580 mids1581 wedge1581 wherewithal1583 shoeing-horn1587 engine1589 instrumental1598 Roaring Meg1598 procurement1601 organy1605 vehicle1615 vehiculuma1617 executioner1646 facility1652 operatory1660 instrumentality1663 expedient1665 agency1684 bladea1713 mechanic1924 mechanism1924 a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) 3139 It [sc. þat fire] es An instrument of Goddes ryghtwysnes, Thurgh wilk þe saule most clensed be In purgatory. 1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 49 Spekyng with the mouth whiche is instrument of the dischargyng and discouering of hertes. 1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer iii. f. ccclx Ye han in your body dyuers membres, and fyue sondrie wyttes,..whiche thynges as instrumentes ye vsen, as your handes aparte to handle. ?1533 G. Du Wes Introductorie for to lerne Frenche sig. Oi ^v This verbe, Am. The which is an instrument wherby we do expresse by our wordes all verbes passiues. 1570 T. Norton tr. A. Nowell Catechisme f. 50 Faith is not the cause but the Instrument of iustification. 1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xxiv. 167 The Gods are iust, and of our pleasant vertues. Make instruments to scourge vs. View more context for this quotation 1675 R. Baxter Catholick Theol. i. i. 107 Properly an Instrument is an efficient cause moved by the principal to an effect above its proper virtue. 1701 J. Arbuthnot Ess. Usefulness Math. Learning 19 Mathematicks are found to be the best Instrument of promoting natural knowledge. 1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations II. iv. i. 3 Among the Tartars..cattle are the instruments of commerce. 1807 T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 3) II. 521 The importance of the salts as chemical instruments is very much connected with their solubility in water. 1846 T. Wright Ess. Middle Ages II. xix. 259 At all periods of English history, songs and ballads were the popular instruments equally of libel and of praise. 1905 H. G. Wells Mod. Utopia iii. 73 Gold is abused..and abolished from ideal society as though it were the cause instead of the instrument of human baseness. 1954 F. C. Barghoorn in C. G. Haines Threat of Soviet Imperialism ii. 84 The propaganda is the everchanging instrument of ideology. 2009 Independent 22 July 26/1 Grammar schools were the main instrument of upward social mobility. 4. An organ or other part of the body that performs a special function; esp. a sense organ. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > system > [noun] > organ instrumenta1398 organ?a1425 instrumental?1541 organon1583 organum1614 corpus1706 apparatus1718 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. iii. xviii. 113 Aier..smitiþ þe gristilbon, þe firste instrument and lyme of þe heringe. c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 149 In wifhode wol I vse myn Instrument As frely as my makere hath it sent. a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 79 Cold water dronkyn yn wynter..destruys þe Instrumentȝ of þe brest, & harmys þe longys. 1572 J. Jones Bathes of Bathes Ayde ii. f. 18^v Instrument, or organ [of taste] is a skinne pellicle, or philme, stretched in the over part of the tongue. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 310 Where hath she [sc. Nature] placed and inserted the [gnat's] instrument and organ of smelling? 1656 J. Smith Compl. Pract. Physick 28 Whatsoever is troublesome to the instruments of breathing. 1718 J. Chamberlayne tr. B. Nieuwentyt Relig. Philosopher I. xiii. i. 243 Among all the Instruments which Beasts use.., those of the external Senses are least of all known to us. ?1780 S. Freeman Ladies Friend (ed. 3) Introd. 12 From the brain cometh two sinews to the holes of the brain pan, where beginneth the concavity of the nose, and these two are the proper organs, or instruments of smelling. 1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. III. xxxiii. 355 Trophi, the different instruments or organs contained in the mouth, or closing it, and employed in manducation or deglutition. They include the Labrum, Labium, Mandibulæ, Maxillæ, Lingua, and Pharynx. 1855 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 145 292 The two tentacula of each side appear as it were enclosed in one envelope, so as to form a single tactile instrument. 2012 J. M. Henshaw Tour Senses 4 Different stimuli require different instruments. Over genetic time these instruments or organs have become highly specialized in humans and other animals. 5. euphemistic or colloquial. The penis. In early use often in instrument of generation. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > sex organs > male sex organs > [noun] > penis weapona1000 tarsec1000 pintleOE cock?c1335 pillicock?c1335 yard1379 arrowa1382 looma1400 vergea1400 instrumentc1405 fidcocka1475 privya1500 virile member (or yard)?1541 prickc1555 tool1563 pillock1568 penis1578 codpiece1584 needle1592 bauble1593 dildo1597 nag1598 virility1598 ferret1599 rubigo?a1600 Jack1604 mentula1605 virge1608 prependent1610 flute1611 other thing1628 engine1634 manhood1640 cod1650 quillity1653 rammer1653 runnion1655 pego1663 sex1664 propagator1670 membrum virile1672 nervea1680 whore-pipe1684 Roger1689 pudding1693 handle?1731 machine1749 shaft1772 jock1790 poker1811 dickyc1815 Johnny?1833 organ1833 intromittent apparatus1836 root1846 Johnson1863 Peter1870 John Henry1874 dickc1890 dingusc1890 John Thomasc1890 old fellowc1890 Aaron's rod1891 dingle-dangle1893 middle leg1896 mole1896 pisser1896 micky1898 baby-maker1902 old man1902 pecker1902 pizzle1902 willy1905 ding-dong1906 mickey1909 pencil1916 dingbatc1920 plonkerc1920 Johna1922 whangera1922 knob1922 tube1922 ding1926 pee-pee1927 prong1927 pud1927 hose1928 whang1928 dong1930 putz1934 porkc1935 wiener1935 weenie1939 length1949 tadger1949 winkle1951 dinger1953 winky1954 dork1961 virilia1962 rig1964 wee-wee1964 Percy1965 meat tool1966 chopper1967 schlong1967 swipe1967 chode1968 trouser snake1968 ding-a-ling1969 dipstick1970 tonk1970 noonies1972 salami1977 monkey1978 langer1983 wanker1987 c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 132 Man shal yelde to his wyf hir dette Wherwith sholde he make his paiement If he ne vsed his sely Instrument? c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 41^v (MED) Matrix..is an instrument of generacoun lijk vn to þe instrument of þe generacioun of a man but þat it is turned ynward. ?1518 R. Copland tr. P. Gringore Complaynte them that ben to late Maryed (new ed.) sig. A.iv^v I lete her haue her repose..for thynstrument is not yet well in poynt. 1649 Man in Moon No. 28. 227 Now must Mistris Juncto dispair of her Royal Issue, since Cromwel has lost his instrument of Generation, and his Standard-bearer of Lust is shott quite off. 1728 Polly Peachum on Fire 23 When he went in unto her, he pull'd forth his Instrument of Generation, and let his Seed fall unto the Earth. 1863 Libertine Enchantress iii. 59 Pressing her up close to him, so that his instrument could not slip out of the cave of Venus, he played his part in turn. 1978 L. Kramer Faggots 105 He'd met Hubie and Hubie's eleven-inch wonderful instrument while cruising Central Park. 2016 C. Coetzee Bandit King ix. 199 Shasti can see his erection hardening in his groin. A long, thick instrument sticking into the air. †6. With singular or plural agreement. Tools, weapons, or other devices collectively; equipment, gear. Also: collective means. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > supply > [noun] > that which is supplied > that with which anything is equipped > equipment or accoutrements ornament?c1225 i-wendea1250 atil1297 tacklea1325 apparel1330 conreyc1330 farec1330 tirec1330 apparementc1340 apparelmentc1374 graithc1375 appurtenancec1386 geara1400 warnementa1400 stuff1406 parelling?a1440 farrements1440 stuffurec1440 skippeson1444 harnessa1450 parela1450 implements1454 reparel1466 ordinance1475 habiliments1483 ornation1483 muniments1485 mountures1489 outred1489 accomplement?c1525 trinketc1525 garnishing1530 garniture1532 accoutrementsc1550 furniments1553 tackling1558 instrument1563 ordinara1578 appointment?1578 outreiking1584 appoint1592 dighting1598 outreik1598 apparate?c1600 accomplishment1605 attirail1611 coutrement1621 apparatusa1628 equipage1648 thing1662 equipment1717 paraphernalia1736 tack1777 outfit1787 fittinga1817 fixing1820 set-out1831 rigging1837 fixture1854 parapherna1876 clobber1890 the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > (a) means > equipment for any action or undertaking ornament?c1225 i-wendea1250 atil1297 tacklea1325 apparel1330 conreyc1330 farec1330 tirec1330 apparementc1340 apparelmentc1374 graithc1375 appurtenancec1386 geara1400 warnementa1400 stuff1406 parelling?a1440 farrements1440 stuffurec1440 skippeson1444 harnessa1450 parela1450 implements1454 reparel1466 ordinance1475 habiliments1483 ornation1483 muniments1485 outred1489 trinketc1525 garnishing1530 garniture1532 accoutrementsc1550 furniments1553 tackling1558 instrument1563 ordinara1578 appointment?1578 outreiking1584 supellectile1584 appoint1592 dighting1598 outreik1598 materialsa1600 apparate?c1600 attirail1611 coutrement1621 apparatusa1628 outrig1639 equipage1648 thing1662 equipment1717 paraphernalia1736 fixture1767 tack1777 outfit1787 fittinga1817 fixing1820 matériel1821 set-out1831 rigging1837 parapherna1876 clobber1890 1563 Ressoning Crosraguell & Knox f. 6^v All instrument that is prepared against thee, shal not prosper. 1603 H. Holland tr. R. Rollock Treat. Gods Effectual Calling xxxvi. 214 The Spirit, or grace of God is the principall efficient cause of Repentance, but the instrument are the faculties and powers of the mind. 1658 tr. D. Sennert Nine Bks. Physick & Chirurg. i. xii. 26 Smelling is an external sense discovering smells by the benefit of the Nose... Its adæquate instrument are the Nostrils. 1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iii. 387 Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm, And fragile arms, much instrument of war. View more context for this quotation 1673 Sanderson's XXI Serm. (new ed.) 192 But say all the Instrument [1656 instruments] should be perfectly well tuned; yet if the men should not agree what to play,..what a hideous hateful noise may you imagine would such a mess of musick be? Phrases P1. Instrument of Government n. (a) a written constitution of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in force between 1653 and 1657, under the terms of which executive authority was exercised by the Lord Protector, and legislative authority by a unicameral parliament, elected on the basis of a property franchise; (b) a record of the name and constitution of the governing body of a school, required of every secondary school in the United Kingdom under the terms of the Education Act of 1944. ΚΠ 1653 S. Richardson Plain Dealing 4 We enjoy as much liberty as can be expected, as much as can be given, as much as lawfully may be desired, if that which is expressed in the instrument of government be performed. 1654 O. Cromwell Last Speech Ld. Protector to Parl. 8 And to that end that no obstruction might arise thereupon, the Instrument of Government was tendered for a subscription. 1762 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (new ed.) VI. ii. 59 The instrument of government was taken in pieces, and examined, one article after another. 1884 C. H. Firth in J. M. Low & F. S. Pulling Dict. Eng. Hist. 818/1 On the whole the Petition and Advice established a far more workable distribution of political power than the instrument of government. 1944 Act 7 & 8 Geo. VI c. 31 §17 The instrument of management or the instrument of government, as the case may be, shall be in the case of a county school by an order of the local education authority. 1988 Parl. Affairs 41 347 The Civil War..led to the establishment of the Commonwealth, organised by the Instrument of Government of 1653. That, incidentally, did claim to be an entrenched constitution. 1998 Church Times 9 Oct. 20/1 Church schools are..preparing to write their new ethos statements, which will form a key part of their new instruments of government. P2. instrument of ratification n. chiefly International Law an instrument (sense 2b) that signals the ratification of an agreement; spec. one signed by a head of state or similar authority to ratify an international treaty, convention, etc. ΘΚΠ society > law > rule of law > [noun] > validity or legal force > validation or ratification > formalities of acknowledgement1585 instrument of ratification1587 solemnity1588 execution1776 1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 834/2 Upon the..resolution of this peace, came to the court of France the instrument of ratification. 1660 Exact Accompt Daily Proc. Parl. No. 57. 603 Their Act or Instrument of Ratification for the said Treaty of Elbing was dispatched already. 1788 New-Haven Gaz. 22 May The members present at this awful ceremony amounted to seventy-four, of which number the names of sixty-three were subscribed to the instrument of ratification. 1878 Manch. Guardian 16 Aug. 8/4 Sadoullah Bey announces..that the exchange of the Turkish instruments of ratification will take place within 15 days. 1948 Financial Times 18 Mar. 5/7 The Belgian Government shall inform the Governments..of the deposit of each instrument of ratification. 2002 K. Matinuddin Nuclearization S. Asia 299 The Secretary-General of the United Nations..shall receive signatures, instruments of ratification and instruments of accession. Compounds C1. a. General attributive, esp. with reference to scientific instruments, as instrument case, instrument gauge, instrument system, instrument terminal, etc. ΚΠ 1672 J. Josselyn New-Englands Rarities 33 Their Skins are good to cover Boxes and Instrument Cases. 1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VI. 239 His [sc. the shark] skin..being that substance which covers instrument cases. 1844 J. H. Stocqueler Hand-bk. India 341 The instrument-room, in which are arranged the various boring bars, bits, and knives. 1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 280 The upper and lower rows of terminals are used for the ‘Up’ and ‘Down’ line wires: the two intermediate rows are ‘Instrument’ terminals. 1921 Automobile Topics 23 Apr. 946/1 The instrument gauge is scaled so as to show on the right ‘gallons per hour’ and on the left the ‘economy factor’. 1987 S. M. Michaelson & J. C. Lin Biol. Effects & Health Implications Radiofrequency Radiation iii. 84 A microprocessor..sends the information to the instrument display and to analog and digital output ports. 2013 Chem. Engin. Dec. 51/1 When specifying an equipment component or instrument system, the engineer must define a specific amount of information. 2015 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 28 Oct. b1 ‘Every day should be a day of kindness,’ he said, pausing as he blew his saxophone..and thanking people who dropped pocket change into his instrument case. b. attributive, with reference to the action of flying an aircraft while depending primarily on the aircraft's navigational instruments rather than on direct visual observation, as instrument approach, instrument flight, instrument flying, instrument landing (system), instrument rating, instrument weather, etc. Cf. blind adj. 1j.See also instrument conditions n. at Compounds 2, instrument runway n. at Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > navigation of course of aircraft > [noun] > by instruments blind-flying1919 instrument flying1924 inertial system1952 inertial navigation1954 inertial guidance1955 society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [adjective] > automatically controlled hands off1860 instrument1924 society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [adjective] > relating to landing by instruments blind landing1919 instrument1924 society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [noun] > landing > by instruments or automatic automatic landing1910 instrument landing (system)1942 society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [noun] > sudden rapid descent > descent prior to landing > landing approach > types of blind approach1936 power approach1938 missed approach1951 instrument approach1957 society > travel > air or space travel > [noun] > a flight through air or space > other types of flight night flight1830 solo1911 mercy flight1933 cross-country1948 general aviation1952 free flight1954 GA1974 instrument flight1988 1924 Aviation 26 May 563/2 Flying in a fog..means contour work and it means ‘instrument flying’. 1938 N.Y. Times 25 Sept. x. xx5/1 An example of the importance of instrument rating is the fact that military and naval pilots without it are not cleared from one point to another if any part of the route is classified as ‘instrument weather’. 1942 J. B. Hoag Basic Radio xxxiv. 288 At certain airports, a radio wave is transmitted..to provide a glider path for ‘blind’ or instrument landing. 1957 Encycl. Brit. I. 230/1 During World War II another system was developed for instrument approaches. This..used a talk-down technique. 1988 Safe Skies Tomorrow (U.S. Congress) v. 99/2 Air carrier pilots fly primarily under instrument flight rules (IFR). 2003 New Yorker 9 June 75/1 During the transition to instrument flight you were a little sloppy with your tracking. 2011 M. S. Nolan Fund. Air Traffic Control (ed. 5) ii. 137 What are the basic principles of the instrument landing system? c. Objective, esp. with reference to scientific instruments. instrument-carrying adj. ΚΠ 1901 G. A. Rutherford U.S. Patent 665,470 2/1 A support [for telegraphic instruments]..comprising two connected bands.., and a button projecting from the inside of one of the bands adjacent to the instrument-carrying end of the support. 1959 Daily Tel. 1 May 1/1 The programme will certainly enable Britain to put three or four instrument-carrying satellites into space. 2013 Jrnl. (Newcastle) (Nexis) 2 Mar. a 10 These rockets..are instrument-carrying rockets designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during their sub-orbital flights. instrument maker n. ΚΠ 1609 Will of Edward Ilsbery (Oxfordshire Hist. Centre, W 193.437; 37/2/33) This is the Will and Testament of Edward Ilsbery..joyner or instrument maker. 1770 D. Barrington Let. 24 Dec. in Philos. Trans. 1771 (Royal Soc.) (1772) 61 294 I..directed two rain-gages..to be made by your instrument-maker. 1834 Atkinson's Casket Apr. 157/2 The poor instrument-maker seemed destined to the endless task of constructing new violins. 2004 Brit. Jrnl. Hist. Sci. 37 260 The story of the atmospheric railway starts with George Medhurst, an otherwise obscure London instrument-maker. instrument making n. ΚΠ ?1594 J. Dee Compend. Rehearsall xiii, in Autobiogr. Tracts (1851) 40 By reason whereof I can myselfe soe oversee the workemen and workemanship, for better matter and shape of glass works, and instruments-making.] 1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 38 Willem Jansen Blaew..was entertain'd into his service for the making his Mathematical-Instruments to Observe withal; in which Instrument-making he shew'd himself..intelligent and curious. 1784 W. Coxe Trav. Poland, Russia, Sweden, & Denmark II. v. vi. 149 At the age of fourteen they are at liberty to chuse any of the following arts, divided into four classes... 4. Watch-making, turning, instrument making, casting statues.., gilding, and varnishing. 1852 G. Dubourg Violin (ed. 4) ix. 348 The Italian renown for instrument-making attained its climax by the productions of..Straduarius and Guamerius. 2006 M. W. Jackson Harmonious Triads iv. 75 There were movements within music, physics, and instrument making to standardize aesthetic characteristics. C2. instrument board n. †(a) (apparently) a board for holding writing implements (obsolete rare); (b) a surface of a device, into which instruments are installed; (now chiefly) a surface on which instrument gauges or displays are located, esp. one facing the driver of a motor vehicle or the pilot of an aircraft; a dashboard; cf. instrument panel n. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > surface where gauges, dials, etc., are grouped instrument board1839 instrument panel1897 society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > instrument panel or dashboard instrument board1839 instrument panel1897 dash1902 dashboard1904 fascia-board1924 fascia1955 fascia-panel1957 society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > controls and instruments > [noun] > instrument board or panel instrument board1839 instrument panel1897 upfront controller1986 1839 Morning Chron. 7 Oct. This useful travelling appendage and parlour companion..contains instrument board, pocket for letters, and is furnished with a superior tumbler lock. 1863 E. India (Progress & Condition): Statem. 1861–2: Pt. I iv. 73 in Parl. Papers (H.C. 271) XLI. 1 Its several component parts cannot be removed from the instrument board for repair or exchange. 1917 ‘Contact’ Airman's Outings 18 Not till a pilot can fly his bus unconsciously does he keep place without repeated reference to the throttle and instrument-board. 1956 Washington Post 8 Jan. k20/1 The sports models have sports-type instrument boards with sweephand indicators. 2015 Star (South Africa) (Nexis) 22 Apr. 8 Co-pilot Bojan Zoric had spilt coffee on the instrument board due to turbulence. instrument cluster n. a group of instrument gauges or displays on the dashboard of a vehicle. ΚΠ 1929 Kingsport (Tennessee) Times 6 Jan. iii. 3/4 (advt.) Instrument cluster containing the following units: ammeter, speedometer, gasoline gauge, oil pressure gauge, water heat indicator. 2000 South Wales Evening Post (Nexis) 27 Mar. 13 The main instrument cluster consists of a group of needle dials set within the face of a large main chrome-bezelled dial. instrument conditions n. (more fully instrument meteorological conditions; abbreviated IMC) weather conditions, such as poor visibility, in which a pilot must depend primarily on the aircraft's navigational instruments in order to fly. ΚΠ 1936 Safety in Air: Hearings before Subcomm. of Comm. on Commerce: Pt. I (U.S. Senate, 74th Congr., 2nd Sess.) 693 The new A and I range..is totally independable under instrument conditions. 1957 Encycl. Brit. I. 230/1 In the United States the Civil Aeronautics administration developed a system for landing approaches under instrument conditions. 2001 Flying May 63/1 The Bay area is an ideal location for experiencing actual instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). instrument counter n. a surface or counter on which instruments, esp. medical instruments, are placed or arranged for their immediate use, or stored, displayed, etc. ΚΠ 1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy x. 294 If..the rigid rule of having a place for everything and everything in its place, especially upon the instrument counters and floors, be attended to,..accidents cannot arise. 1902 Med. Progress July 160/1 An ignorant physician..went..to the instrument counter or exhibit and bought a dilator and curette. 1977 Jrnl. Clin. Orthodontics 11 459/1 There is an instrument counter in the operatory. 2013 D. MacGarty in D. MacGarty & D. Nott Disaster Med. iii. xv. 217 The operating table and instrument counters may have to be improvised and all should be regularly cleaned with disinfectant. instrument panel n. a panel of a switchboard or a surface of a device, into which instruments are installed; (now chiefly) a surface on which instrument gauges or displays are located, esp. one facing the pilot of an aircraft or the driver of a motor vehicle; a dashboard; cf. instrument board n. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > surface where gauges, dials, etc., are grouped instrument board1839 instrument panel1897 society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > other specific parts armOE button?1561 running gear1663 relax1676 collar1678 drumhead1698 long arm1717 drum1744 press cloth1745 head1785 absorber1789 bearing plate1794 crown1796 rhodings1805 press box1825 alternator1829 cushion1832 saw tooth1835 shoe1837 keyboard1839 returner1839 cross-head1844 channel shoe1845 baster1846 water port1864 shifter1869 magazine1873 entry port1874 upsetter1875 mechanism1876 tapper1876 tension bar1879 buttonholer1882 take-up1884 auger1886 instrument panel1897 balancer1904 torsion bar1937 powerhead1960 society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > instrument panel or dashboard instrument board1839 instrument panel1897 dash1902 dashboard1904 fascia-board1924 fascia1955 fascia-panel1957 society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > parts of aircraft > controls and instruments > [noun] > instrument board or panel instrument board1839 instrument panel1897 upfront controller1986 1897 Electr. World 23 Jan. 122/2 The instrument panel [of the switchboard] carries the general station instruments. 1935 Economist 7 Dec. 1140/1 Another noteworthy development [in the motor accessory field]..is the combination instrument panel. 1958 W. R. Barrett et al. in H. W. Cremer Chem. Engin. Pract. V. 126 Large [air-compressor] installations usually have an instrument panel on which are fitted all pressure gauges and a temperature indicator. 1972 E. H. J. Pallett Aircraft Instruments iii. 43 Various items of related flight information can be placed in certain standard locations in all instrument panels. 2012 Earthmovers Apr. 17 A simple instrument panel, single light switch, throttle lever, high-backed seat with a seatbelt and joystick pods. instrument rating n. a qualification which allows a pilot to fly an aircraft in conditions of reduced external visibility, depending primarily on navigational instruments rather than on direct visual observation. ΚΠ 1936 N.Y. Times 19 Apr. x. 5/2 Inadequately trained pilots should be prohibited from the airways when conditions require skilled instrument training. (A special instrument rating is contemplated.) 1970 Times 17 July 4/7 Mr. Howe was fined £10 with £30 costs for flying over London below 1,000ft.; £10 for having no instrument rating;..and £10 for not showing proper registration marks. 2012 J. Graves Bluegrass Bluesman v. 51 He didn't like to fly at night until he got his instrument rating, and he didn't have radar on that plane. instrument runway n. an airport or airfield runway specially equipped (with electronic navigational aids, visual markings, etc.) for use in poor visibility or other conditions in which a pilot must depend primarily on the aircraft's navigational instruments in order to take off or land. ΚΠ 1938 Airport Lighting (U.S. Civil Aeronaut. Authority) 15 An instrument runway is prepared for landings in one direction. 1961 N.Y. Times 4 Sept. 30/4 Idlewild already has such radar [that indicates altitude and range of planes]..sighted for approaches to the instrument runway. 2013 Aeronaut. Information Man. Study Guide Private Pilot ii. 25 The runway edge lights are white, except on instrument runways yellow replaces white on the last 2,000 feet or half the runway length, whichever is less, to form a caution zone for landings. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021). instrumentv. Brit. /ˈɪnstrᵿm(ə)nt/, /ˈɪnstrᵿmɛnt/, U.S. /ˈɪnstrəmənt/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: instrument n. Etymology: < instrument n. Compare French instrumenter to draw up (a legal document or instrument) (a1399 in Middle French; also intransitive), to play (a musical instrument) (1507 in an isolated attestation).Specific senses. In sense 3 perhaps after French instrumenter (although this is apparently first attested slightly later than in English: 1823 in this sense) or its probable models Italian strumentare (a1835) or (now rare) istrumentare (a1835; 1764 as †instrumentare ). With sense 4b compare earlier instrumented adj. Pronunciation. N.E.D. (1900) also gives a pronunciation (instrume·nt) /ɪnstruːˈmɛnt/ with stress on the final syllable; this is still given in some recent pronouncing dictionaries, but appears to be obsolescent. With this pronunciation compare similar historical variation at compliment v. †1. transitive. To fashion or use (something) for a particular purpose or task. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > render instrumental [verb (transitive)] instrumentalize1594 instrument1623 1623 G. Fletcher Reward of Faithfull 21 The soule..is now still infused into euery one of our bodies, when they are perfectly instrumented, and made fit for the soule to dwell in. 1661 J. Jameson Rebellio Debellata 24 That Army whom they had Instrumented in the oppressing, ruinating, murthering of many. †2. Scots Law. a. transitive. To formally request or require (a person) to do something by means of an instrument (instrument n. 2). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > action of courts in claims or grievances > carry on or institute (an action) [verb (transitive)] > petition by instrument instrument?1700 ?1700 Answers in Behalf of Wellwishers to Prosperity Nation (single sheet) (verso) And the Queen..Instrumented the very Provost of Edinburgh..Protesting, for the Safty of Leith's Interest, and for Cost, Skaith, and Damnage. 1711 in J. Lauder Decisions Lords of Council (1761) II. 682 Mr Dunlop had officiously come and instrumented the clerks of the bills not to accept of the caution offered. 1732 J. Louthian Form of Process vii. 77 When the 60 Days are run, and no Indictment execute, then the Prisoner instruments the Advocate and private Party, and..gives in a Petition to any of the Lords for Letters of Liberation. 1782 in T. Orem Descr. of Chanonry in Old Aberdeen in Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica No. 3. 170 Principal Chalmers seeing that the action would go against him, instrumented young Echt that he should do nothing in that action; and also instrumented colonel Buchan that he neither should do any thing in that affair. b. intransitive. To cause an instrument to be drawn up; to draw up an instrument. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > law > legal document > [verb (intransitive)] instrument1711 1711 R. Wodrow Analecta (1842) I. 328 The Presbitry instrumented, in terms of the act of parliament, to make patent dores for them. 1713 R. Wodrow Analecta (1842) II. 197 Mr Scrimgeour..brought some Jacobites with him, and publick nottars to instrument, if he should be refused, as he it seems expected. 3. transitive. Music. To arrange or score (a piece of music) for instruments, esp. for an orchestra; to orchestrate. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > composing music > compose [verb (transitive)] > score or orchestrate instrument1822 score1839 rescore1846 instrumentalize1855 orchestrate1861 symphonize1932 overscore1947 1822 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Oct. 443/1 These he [sc. Rossini] hastily wrote down upon scraps of paper, and next morning arranged them; or, to make use of his own term, instrumented them. 1845 E. Holmes Life Mozart 136 Mozart..is deep in a ‘Miserere’..to contain three choruses, a fugue, and a duet, and to be instrumented for a large orchestra. 1879 G. Grove Dict. Music I. 35/2 The Te Deum and Acis were instrumented by Mendelssohn. 1921 Musical Q. Apr. 246 Beethoven instrumented the close of the aria too thinly. 1987 A. Comini Changing Image Beethoven iv. 303 Wagner..lamented that Beethoven had instrumented his orchestral works on exactly the same assumptions..as had Haydn and Mozart before him. 2000 K. Allen Elgar in Love 13 Although the work [sc. The Severn Suite] was built on earlier sketches and instrumented by another hand, Shaw was hugely delighted to be its dedicatee. 4. †a. transitive. Apparently: to equip (a piano) with one or more mechanisms, so as to enhance the quality of its sound and to make it a more sophisticated and versatile instrument. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1880 A. J. Hipkins in G. Grove Dict. Music II. 723/2 Reference to Pedals will show the radical change that took place between 1830 and 1850 in ‘instrumenting’ the pianoforte, giving it what we may call colour of tone. b. transitive. To equip or provide (a machine, laboratory, experiment, etc.) with instruments for observing, measuring, etc. Cf. instrumented adj. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > provide with tools [verb (transitive)] arm1860 implement1886 tool1927 instrument1946 1946 Times 23 Jan. 10/1 For instance, 1,500,000 speedometers and mileage recorders..were supplied for use on staff cars, mechanical transport vehicles, tanks, [etc.]... The light coastal craft, whose exploits so thrilled us during the war,..were also instrumented by this company. 1959 Instrument Pract. 13 194/1 The methods [of analysis] are used specifically for production control and merely to instrument them for laboratory use may be to dally unnecessarily halfway. 1970 Physics Bull. Mar. 107/1 It would be too costly to instrument and monitor the whole process. 2012 S. Ghamari-Tabrizi in Uncertain Empire xii. 286 The SRL [= Systems Research Laboratory] psychologists..instrumented the simulation environment. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.c1300v.1623
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instrumentn.

Phrases

Compounds

instrumentv.