livelinessn.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. iii. xvii. 111 'Þe syȝte' haþ þe name of viuacitas, þat is 'liflichnesse'.

a1500 Promptorium Parvulorum (King's Cambr.) 308 Liyflines [1440 Harl. Levelyheede, or qwyknesse, vivacitas].

1540 R. Jonas in tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde iii. f. lxxxii Ouer muche aboundance of water..extynguyssheth the lyuelynesse and the naturall power of the grayne and sede.

1630 W. Prynne Anti-Arminianisme 82 In present readinesse and liuelinesse of wit he excelled all the men in Europe.

1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) at Florist It will be the best way to put 'em all together into Earth, this will preserve their Livelyness.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xiv. 457 The perspicuity and liveliness of his [sc. Sherlock's] style have been praised by Prior and Addison.

1943 D. Whipple They were Sisters xiii. 174 He so constantly chivvied her to be cheerful that she began to cultivate a brittle liveliness in self-protection.

2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 10 Sept. 5/3 He is as acute on the intricate social complexities of the poetry's context as he is about the finer issues of verse form and linguistic uses, detailing both with clarity, succinctness and liveliness.

1534 W. Marshall tr. Erasmus Playne & Godly Expos. Commune Crede v. f. 130 Wherfore it is conuenient and mete, that the cheffest & principall study of a christen soldyer be, to quycken or styrre vp, and also to encreace dayly the vigoure and lyuelynes of fayth.

1584 T. Cogan Hauen of Health ccxiii. 197 The emperour [asked] by what meanes he..reteyned still the vigour or liuelinesse of body & mind.

1658 V. Marshall in R. Capel Remains To Rdr. sig. A7^v The livelinesse of his prayers.

a1677 J. Taylor Contempl. State Man (1684) ii. viii. 265 The Imagination,..encreasing the pains of the Senses, by the liveliness of it's apprehension.

1708 C. Mather in New-Eng. Historical & Geneal. Reg. (1879) 33 186 He continued unto the Ninety Fourth year of his Age, an unusual Instance of Liveliness.

1736 N. Bailey Dict. Domesticum 12 When the briskness and liveliness of malt liquors in the cask fails..let them be drawn off and bottled up.

1831 Society 1 254 Probably we are indebted to the liveliness of his imagination for the whole cream of the story.

1885 H. Dunckley in Manch. Examiner 2 Mar. 6/1 If she [sc. Russia] wishes to exhibit any liveliness it must be at a safe distance from their frontiers.

1975 Time (Canadian ed.) 23 June 8/1 Toronto has become..a place of..prodigally displayed wealth, of cosmopolitan liveliness.

2005 H. M. Nunn Staging Anatomies 204 The success of many dramas depended upon the playhouse viewers' willingness to overlook an actor's liveliness when playing a corpse.

1713 R. Steele in Guardian 23 Mar. 1/1 Any..part of her Head-dress, which by its Darkness or Liveliness might too much allay or brighten her Complexion.