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mightyadj.int.n.adv. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian mechtich , Middle Dutch machtich , mechtich (Dutch machtig ), Old Saxon mahtig , (in compounds) mehtig (Middle Low German machtich , mechtich ), Old High German machtīg , mahtīc , mahtīg , magtīh (Middle High German mahtic , mehtec , mehtic , German mächtig ), Old Icelandic máttigr , Gothic mahteigs < the Germanic base of might n.1 + the Germanic base of -y suffix1.For the variation in forms see discussion s.v. might n.1; see also note s.v. might adj. With use as noun as a designation of God at sense B. 1b, compare almighty n.; with use in expressions of surprise and indignation (see sense B. 3), perhaps developed from this sense of the noun, or perhaps shortened < almighty adj., n., and adv. (compare almighty n. and God almighty n.); compare also earlier megstie int. A. adj. (and int.) 1. Possessing might or power; powerful, potent, strong. Frequently rhetorical, connoting a pre-eminent or imposing degree of power. society > authority > power > [adjective] the world > action or operation > advantage > efficacy > [adjective] > greatly eOE (Mercian) (1965) xxiii. 8 Dominus fortis et potens, dominus potens in proelio : dryhten strong & maehtig, dryhten maehtig in gefehte. OE Ælfric Homily (Vitell. C.v) in J. C. Pope (1967) I. 324 He swa mihtig is þæt he mæg forgyfan ealra manna synna. OE tr. Bede (Cambr. Univ. Libr.) i. xiv. 56 Ða wæs on þa tid Æðelbyrht cyning haten on Centrice, & mihtig. a1225 (?OE) MS Vesp. in R. Morris (1868) 1st Ser. 231 An rice king wes, strang and mihti. a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris (1868) 1st Ser. 273 (MED) Drihti[n] is mahti, strong, and kene ifihte. c1300 St. Brendan (Laud) 346 in C. Horstmann (1887) 229 (MED) Ne wenestþou nouȝt þat ore louerd beo ase miȝti here as þere? 1340 (1866) 103 He is þe riȝt guod,..þe riȝt miȝti. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) Prol. 378 Thei sein that god is myhti there, And schal ordeine what he wile. c1450 in H. Anstey (1898) I. 303 (MED) To the rigth and myghti princes, the duchesse of Suffolke. 1508 (Chepman & Myllar) sig. bviv Thai mighty men vpon mold ane riale course maid. c1540 (?a1400) 12295 Menelay the mighty, & mo other kynges, Keppit hom full cloise for cacchyng of harme. 1595 R. Southwell 72 Though it rest not in a priuate mans power, to stay the endeauours of so mightie a Prince, in so generall, and important an enterprise, as is war with England. a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) v. i. 283 Most mighty Duke, vouchsafe me speak a word. View more context for this quotation 1667 J. Milton xii. 124 God..from him will raise A mightie Nation. View more context for this quotation 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil 147 Mighty Cæsar, thund'ring from afar, Seeks on Euphrates Banks the Spoils of War. View more context for this quotation 1750 Isa. ix. 6 His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the World to come, the Prince of Peace. 1768 T. Gray Descent of Odin in 94 I know thee now, Mightiest of a mighty line. 1816–20 J. Keats 324 O mighty Princess, did you ne'er hear tell What your poor servants know but too too well? 1864 Ld. Tennyson 40 Fear not, isle of blowing woodland,..thou shalt be the mighty one yet! 1896 G. Barlow iii. iv. 92 Yea, were the sire of gods, the mighty Jove, Proud passionate Mary's kingly paramour, My soul would, seeking, mount up to the stars. 1908 31 Jan. 4/7 There is nothing analogous to the constitution and condition of that mighty republic..which has, during the last fifteen or twenty years, superseded the old oligarchy in journalism. 1986 M. Foot 142 No observer could suppose that so mighty a figure as Lloyd George..was to stay excluded from office until his dying day, twenty-two years later. 1993 439/2 The son of Earl Erlend of Orkney and grandson of Earl Thorfinn the Mighty. the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily strength > [adjective] the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > healthy eOE (Mercian) (1965) xliv. 4 Accingere gladium tuum circa femur potentissime : begyrd sweord ðin ym lendan ða maehtgestan. OE Ælfric Old Test. Summary: Judges (Laud) xiv. 5 in S. J. Crawford (1922) 410 He [sc. Samson] wearð þa mihtig on micelre strengðe, swa þæt he gelæhte ane leon be wege, þe hine abitan wolde. a1300 (c1275) (1991) 153 Ðe mire is magti: mikel ge swinkeð In sumer & in softe weder. c1385 G. Chaucer 1423 Wel koude he hewen wode..For he was yong and myghty. ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden (Harl. 2261) (1865) I. 263 (MED) Thei gette myȝhty childer. c1475 (?c1400) (1842) 111 Bi lawe cyuil, it is not leful to a miȝty body to beg. c1503 R. Arnold f. xxxijv/2 Yf ony..myghty beggar be wtin ye warde. a1525 Vergilius in W. J. Thoms II. 23 Her chyld..began to wexe bygge and stronge and myghty anough to bere armes. 1531 c. 12 If any person..beynge hole and myghty in body..be taken in begging. 1535 Gen. x. B Nemrod..was a mightie hunter. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie (1888) I. 163 The Scottis couragious, of a blyth hope, and a mychtie spirit, leipis to straikis. 1602 W. Shakespeare iii. i. 100 Your hearts are mightie. 1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 65 And syne the Bruce..cum rydand..As nobill, dreidfull, michtie campioun. 1651 T. Hobbes iii. xxxviii. 242 Those mighty men of the Earth, that lived in the time of Noah, before the floud. 1710 N. Rowe tr. Lucan ix. 1237 Some Master of the Herd, some mighty Bull. 1742 H. Fielding II. v. 99 A Cudgel which his Father had of his Grandfather, to whom a mighty strong Man of Kent had given it. View more context for this quotation 1796 R. Southey vii. 625 The mighty Talbot came, And smote his helmet: slant the weapon fell. 1827 W. Tennant 38 Whairat the mauchty knicht took fire. 1839 H. W. Longfellow i The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands. 1859 Ld. Tennyson Lancelot & Elaine 63 in For so by nine years' proof we needs must learn Which is our mightiest. 1883 R. W. Dixon i. xvii. 58 The boy was lifted on the mighty steed. 1913 H. P. Cameron tr. Thomas à Kempis iii. vi. 92 Jesus sal be wi' me as a maughty weiriour. 1926 W. Williams in B. C. Williams 48 The elegant Porthos, there recounting mighty deeds of valour or admitting minor villainies. 1972 1 June 28/3 Whatever the mighty hunter says about women is pure nonsense. 1986 C. Bukowski 203 The great movie star (who was a man mighty of muscle) growled and shook his shoulders. the world > action or operation > ability > [adjective] > able or powerful eOE (Mercian) (1965) li. 1 (3) Quid gloriaris in malitia qui potens es in iniquitatem : hwet wuldras ðu in hete ðu mæhtig earð in unrehtwisnisse. eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory (Tiber.) (Junius transcript) (1871) xv. 90 Se lareow sceolde beon mihtig to tyhtanne on halwende lare. OE (Corpus Cambr.) xxiv. 19 Se wæs wer & witega mihtig, on spæce & on weorce. c1384 (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xviii. 24 Apollo..a man eloquent,..myȝti in scripturis. c1400 (a1376) W. Langland (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. i. 150 (MED) Þeiȝ ȝe ben miȝty to mote, beþ mek of ȝour werkis. 1488 (c1478) Hary (Adv.) (1968–9) vi. l. 346 Thar feild..Quhar claryowns blew full mony mychty sonis. 1535 Psalms xxviii. 4 The voyce of the Lorde is mightie in operacion [L. Vox Domini in virtute]. 1535 Matt. xiv. 2 He is rysen agayne from the deed, therfore are his deedes so mightie. 1603 R. Mulcaster Comforting Complaint in sig. B2 A friend to peace, a prince of mightie skill. c1639 W. Mure Psalmes cl, in (1898) II. 232 Him in his mighty acts extoll. On high his glory rayse. 1663 J. Howell 62 Let the vast Universe, And therein evry thing The mighty Acts rehearse Of their immortal King. 1718 L. Echard (new ed.) II. ii. ii. 565 b Thomas Lydyat..of a great Soul and incomparable Learning; being a Match for the mighty Scaliger and Selden. 1737 A. Pope ii. i. 9 Or what remain'd, so worthy to be read By learned Criticks, of the mighty Dead. 1743 A. Pope (rev. ed.) iv. 211 Thy mighty Scholiast, whose unweary'd pains Made Horace dull. 1807 W. Wordsworth Resolution & Independence in I. 96 And mighty Poets in their misery dead. a1853 F. W. Robertson (1858) ii. 146 Out of which a mightier master of the art than Pope could scarcely have struck the notes of true passion. 1906 S. Phillips iii. iii. 82 Were I you I would be Caesar, spite of twenty mothers, And seem the mighty poet that I am. 1935 G. Blake i. 10 A fine flotilla, created by men who had the art of the thing in their blood, mighty craftsmen before the Lord. 1989 G. Daly ii. 52 The mighty art critic was reduced to a dutiful little boy tyrannized by his mother. society > authority > power > influence > [adjective] > influential OE Handbk. for Use of Confessor (Corpus Cambr. 201) in (1965) 83 32 Þus mæg mihtig man and freondspedig his dædbote mid freonda fultume micclum gelihtan. c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine (1993) 201 Þa mihtiȝe men and þa ricostæn haten heom ræste wurcean of marmanstane. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon (Calig.) (1963) 2839 Bladud..wes strong & swiðe muchel riche he wes & mæhti. c1480 (a1400) St. Agnes 105 in W. M. Metcalfe (1896) II. 349 My spouse is mychtyere þane þi son, & fere richere. 1486 in H. Littlehales (1905) 6 That the saide Preest..be chosen and presented..by iiij of the worthyest & myghtyest men of the said parissh. ?1507 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen (Rouen) in (1998) I. 49 Syne maryt I a nīchand [a1586 marcheand], myghti of gudis. 1601 R. Johnson tr. G. Botero 32 This prince is so mightie in gold and siluer. 1650 T. Fuller ii. ix. 186 They were all richly married to mighty matches of landed men. 1725 M. Davys Lady's Tale in II. 129 He was..a Person not only of great worth, but Master of a finer Estate than some Noblemen cou'd boast... What Method was to be taken towards seeing this mighty Man of worth. 1748 J. Thomson 37 The fine arts..are..The growth of labouring time, and slow increased; Unless..it should fall That mighty patrons the coy sisters call Up to the sunshine of uncumber'd ease. 1843 C. Dickens (1844) xxviii. 337 A board being an awful institution in its own sphere, and a director a mighty man. 1872 ‘M. Twain’ xiii. 112 We..talked long with that shrewd Connecticut Yankee.., a saint of high degree and a mighty man of commerce. 1922 S. Lewis xxvii. 313 Oh, yes, they were mighty fellows, and great poo-bahs of criticism! 1934 L. Charteris (1950) xii. 165 If all the mighty earth-shaking business men weren't like that they could never have built up an economic system in which the fate of nations..was locked up in bars of yellow tooth-stopping. 1991 25 Nov. 9/1 A corporate who's who, including such mighty names as Procter & Gamble Co., Colgate-Palmolive Co. and H.J. Heinz Co. the world > action or operation > advantage > efficacy > [adjective] the world > matter > constitution of matter > strength > [adjective] OE (Harl. 585) 8 Ond þu, wegbrade, wyrta modor, eastan openo, innan mihtigu. a1250 Ureisun ure Louerde (Lamb.) in R. Morris (1868) 1st Ser. 187 Min heoueneliche leche, þet makedest us of þi seolf se mihti medicine. c1390 G. Chaucer 3497 This carpenter..broghte of myghty ale a large quart. ?a1425 (c1400) (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 137 And þere groweth full gode wyn..þat is full myghty. ?1448 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark (1886) I. 367 Good and myghtty morter. c1450 in T. Austin (1888) 71 Take mighti broth of beef. 1497 in M. Oppenheim (1896) 242 lxvj boltes of Grete myghty canvas. 1576 G. Baker tr. C. Gesner iv. f. 230 Where the spyrit of the wyne shall be sufficient myghtye. 1590 E. Spenser ii. vi. sig. S He balmes and herbes thereto applyde, And euermore with mightie spels them charmd. 1610 S. Rid 22 Their Beere is..so mightie, that it serueth them in steade of meate, drinke, fire, and apparrell. 1658 A. Cokayne 159 We do prevail In plenteous Pots of mighty Ale. 1681 J. Oldham 106 Her quiet calm and peace of mind, In Wine and Company we better find... In mighty Wine, where we our senses steep, And Lull our Cares and Consciences asleep. 1781 W. Cowper 37 On every mind some mighty spell she cast. 1814 W. Scott I. vi. 83 The English exports consisting of mighty cheeses and mightier ale. View more context for this quotation 1827 W. Tennant 115 Barls o' michtie beer. 1872 A. T. de Vere Legends St. Patrick in (1884) II. 51 He swore by the wind and the broad sunshine.., By the long-backed rivers, and mighty wine. a1915 S. Phillips (1927) iii. iii. 80 From this wine of blood, to-morrow spilled, Shall spring a fortunate vintage from the Earth. A mighty brew from battle shall be made. 1928 L. Stockett x. 175 Much mystery surrounded the making of these mighty brews, and no one was permitted to watch the barkeeper at his concoctions. 1987 A. Parfrey 20 Dagon will come again, as will mighty sorceries. OE Byrhtferð (Ashm.) (1995) ii. i. 80 Þa [sc. January, March, May, etc.] sceolon habban þrittig nihta ealdne monan,..buton hyt awende se mihtiga embolismus. a1325 (c1250) (1968) l. 3797 A fier magti ðat folc fest on. a1400 (a1325) (Gött.) 9384 (MED) And all thinges was þan..wele mihtier þan þai er nou. c1440 Privity of Passion (Thornton) in C. Horstmann (1895) I. 207 (MED) Þen said he þe seuend worde, cryenge with a hye voyce & a myghty. 1535 Exod. xv. 10 They sancke downe as leed in the mightie waters. 1611 1 Esdras iv. 41 Great is trueth, and mightie aboue all things. View more context for this quotation a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) ii. v. 5 Now swayes it this way, like a Mighty Sea, Forc'd by the Tide, to combat with the Winde. View more context for this quotation 1652 J. Notstock tr. J. Andrés ii. 53 O Moore,..what thinkest thou of the Scripture which you so much reverence, that..ye..keep it like a God, and call it Alkitib Alhazim, (i.e.) a glorious book and Alcoran alhadin, (i.e.) the Mighty Alcoran. 1708 22 Undaunted he the mighty Crash would hear. 1781 W. Cowper 283 But shipwreck, earthquake, battle, fire, and flood, Are mighty mischiefs, not to be withstood. 1807 W. Wordsworth Ode in II. 156 And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore. View more context for this quotation 1839 E. Bulwer-Lytton ii. ii. 308 The pen is mightier than the sword. 1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in 42 Then he,..Because things seen are mightier than things heard, Stagger'd and shook. 1899 J. Conrad Let. 8 Nov. in A. Ingram (1986) 51 A pathetic example of mighty truth powerless before the falsehood of pretences, like the great sea before a very small rock. a1902 F. Norris (1903) vii. 259 The maelstrom..was swirling now with a mightier rush than for years past. 1919 Mar. 309/2 There came a mighty tug at the line that was communicated to the rod and the man holding it, and I could feel it move the whole boat. 1966 V. Nabokov (U.S. rev. ed.) vii. 148 The rising, rotating mass of foamy, green water violently descended from behind, knocking one off one's feet with a mighty wallop. 1987 N. Spinard (1989) 209 Transmogrified by his circuitries into the mighty electronic voice of pure unpersonified Rock and Roll itself. society > law > rule of law > [adjective] > legally valid c1460 in A. Clark (1907) 19 (MED) Þis grauntyng..with þe strengh of oure seele, we haue i-made hit myȝghty and stronge. society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > vigour or force > [adjective] a1500 Foly of Fulys & Thewis of Wysmen 86 in R. Girvan (1939) 54 His lyppis honorys sciens ay With mychtty spech full of gud fay. 1533 J. Bellenden tr. Livy (1901) I. 2/16 Brutus..gart the pepill with mychty aithis swere. 1642–7 Bp. J. Taylor 229 The Councell of Aquileia..is full and mighty in asserting the Bishops power over the Laity. 1702 C. Mather in R. H. Pearce (1956) 139 History, in general, hath had so many and mighty commendations from the Pens of those Numberless Authors, who, from Herodotus to Howel, have been the professed Writers of it, that [etc.]. 1851 N. Hawthorne xviii. 292 You..have poured out your festive eloquence to ears yet echoing with Webster's mighty organ-tones. 1879 Dec. 120/2 The judge swore a loud and mighty oath. 1941 W. J. Cash iii. i. 215 From the beginning the total effect was..toward a mighty confirmation and revivification of the individualistic outlook. 1962 H. Nemerov iv. 77 A mighty word to take upon the tongue. 1999 S. Rushdie (2000) xiii. 390 Ormus,..a sensualist rendered simon-pure by a mighty promise of abstinence. the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > largeness > [adjective] > of large volume or bulky > and solid c1375 G. Chaucer 3333 The myghty trone..That hadde the kyng Nabugodonosor. c1385 G. Chaucer 2611 With myghty maces, the bones they to breste. a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate (Arun.) (1911) 312 Amphioun..vp Parformeth..The Cite Thebes of myghty squar stonys. c1450 (?a1400) (Ashm.) 4787 (MED) Vp at a maȝtene mountane, he myns with his ost. 1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville (Caxton) (1859) iv. ii. 59 This tree is wondre stronge and myghty aretchyng in to heuen. a1525 in W. A. Craigie (1923) I. 187 With..mony michti schippis. 1587 A. Day tr. J. Amyot sig. N2, 135 Daphnis likewise tooke in charge neatlie to picke and trimme his heards,..to the intent the heard being mightie and fat. 1602 E. Hayes in J. Brereton 21 The same riuer did leade into a mightie lake, which at the entrance was fresh, but beyond, was bitter or salt. 1611 J. Speed ix. vii. 475/2 A mighty Argosey, called a Dromond. 1658 Sir T. Browne ii. 29 That large Vrne found at Ashburie, containing mighty bones. 1719 D. Defoe 255 The great Draft and Reflux of the mighty River. 1760 F. Fawkes tr. Anacreon Odes in tr. Anacreon lvii. 1 Bring hither, Boy, a mighty Bowl. 1810 W. Scott i. 7 And silence settled..On the lone wood and mighty hill. 1851 J. Ruskin I. xxviii. 327 A plain, deep-cut recess with a single mighty shadow. 1895 E. R. Suffling 6 The older farm~houses, with their mighty kitchens. 1927 A. C. Parker lxxiii. 327 America is a mighty expanse, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 1946 E. Bishop Quai d'Orléans in (1983) 28 Each barge on the river easily tows a mighty wake. 1987 Sept. 158/3 There's a new romance to the almost vanished world of Britain's industrial greatness, and you can see some mighty engines on display. 3. the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] c1390 W. Hilton Mixed Life (Vernon) in C. Horstmann (1895) I. 280 (MED) Þat þou miȝt haue a miȝti desyryng to vertues..me þinkeþ þat swetnes syker & soþfast þat is feled in clennes of concience be miȝti forsakyng & loþing of al sinne. 1488 (c1478) Hary (Adv.) (1968–9) ix. l. 107 The Rych reward was mychty for to se. 1586 A. Day i. sig. K2v The..mutuall societie and comforte betweene manne and wife, beeing of suche mightie efficacie. 1608 W. Shakespeare xii. 16 If the matter of this paper be certaine, you haue mighty busines in hand. View more context for this quotation 1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin (new ed.) Man. ii. i. 317 There is a mighty flux of blood. 1697 tr. (1706) 220 The difference of times makes a mighty alteration in the Events of things. 1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild ii. iv, in III. 124 That Gentleman..made such mighty Expedition that he was now upwards of twenty Miles on his Way. 1778 A. Ross (ed. 2) 23 Amo' the herds that plaid a maughty part. 1843 G. Borrow I. xi. 221 Huge serpents..which sometimes come out and commit mighty damage. 1866 C. Kingsley I. i. 31 Mighty fowling and fishing was there in the fen below. 1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus lxxxiii. 2 This to the fond weak fool seemeth a mighty delight. 1907 J. M. Synge iii. 68 Making mighty kisses with our wetted mouths. 1943 A. Rand iv. xiii. 674 An awakening society, with a new sense of humanitarian duty, made a mighty effort to rescue the underprivileged. 1976 17 Jan. 12/2 Don't disturb me, readers—I've a mighty lot of studying to do! 1988 Sept.–Oct. 69/1 Mighty beer drinking sessions at the Ancasta beer tent. 1622 (?a1513) W. Dunbar (Reidpeth) (1998) I. 243 Schir Iohne Kirkpakar, Off many cures ane michtie vndertaker. 1692 Bulstrode in (1899) App. ii. 21 He was..a mighty Tory. 1712 R. Steele No. 466. ¶7 I, who set up for a mighty Lover..of Virtue. 1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins 81 This Plastow was a mighty Favourite with the Captain. 1761 F. Sheridan I. 357 Do you fancy that by changing Mr. Arnold for you.., that I am such a mighty gainer by the bargain? 1843 G. Borrow II. xii. 271 He is a mighty liberal. a1894 R. L. Stevenson (1896) i. xiii. 128 His view of our stupidity, even he, the mighty talker, must have lacked language to express. 1900 R. W. Barbour (1909) 46 Want is a mighty leveller. 1950 E. Goudge i. iii. 42 He had kept all his teeth and was a mighty trencherman. 1992 L. Scott (1993) 158 The people came out to see the drummer Johnny Zee Zee, father of Gumbo Lai Lai, the mighty stickfighter. the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > disgrace or dishonour > [adjective] 1889 J. M. Barrie iii. 19 ‘It's most michty’, said Jess, turning on her husband, ‘'at ye should tak a pleasure in bringin' this hoose to disgrace.’ 1896 ‘I. Maclaren’ 3 Muirtown platform'll be worth seein'; it'll juist be michty. 1903 J. Mackinnon 44 ‘Jist look at that’, said Tibbie, pointing to her feet, ‘the boddams o' twa broken bottles! It's been the loons. Isn't—that—most—michty?’ 1950 Apr. 119 If something is a snodger it is ‘mighty’ in Queensland, it is ‘colossal’ in N.S.W., and just ‘very nice’ everywhere else. 1973 P. Wilson 90 ‘Good idea,’ I said. ‘Mighty. We've got to drink to our glorious victory.’ 1978 D. Ballantyne 116 ‘Grandpop was 82 this week.’ ‘That's mighty,’ Stan told Grandpop... ‘What do you think of the slippers, Stan?’ ‘Mighty,’ Stan said. 1994 D. Healy viii. 75 ‘How are you, Jack?’ he asked. ‘I'm grand.’ ‘I saw your picture in the paper,’ said the postman. ‘You looked mighty.’ 1999 C. Creedon xiv. 101 —At, 'twas mighty!.. When they were carrying out the coffin, all the old crowd were there, ya know like, the crowd from MacSweeneya, and all that. B. n. 1. society > authority > power > [noun] > powerful person or body > powerful person eOE (Mercian) (1965) lxxi. 12 Quia liberabit [read liberauit] pauperem a potente et inopem cui non erat adiutor : for ðon gefreode ðearfan from ðæm maehtgan & weðlan ðæm ne wes fultum. eOE (Mercian) (1965) cxxvi. 5 (4) Sicut sagittae in manu potentis : swe swe strelas in honda maehtges. OE 71 Mid þy þe Hælend þa eode on þa ceastre, eal seo burh wæs onstyred, & þa ceasterware cegdon & cwædon, ‘Hwæt is þes mihtiga þe her þus mærlice fereþ?’ a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris (1868) 1st Ser. 129 Drihten alesde þene wrechan of þan mehtiȝan. a1382 (Bodl. 959) 1 Paralip. xi. 12 Eleazar..þat was among þe þre myȝti [a1425 L.V. miȝti men; 1611 the three mighties; L. inter tres potentes]. 1508 (Chepman & Myllar) sig. aviv Quhy thai saw that mighty [sc. the king] sa mouit in his mynde. 1574 R. Robinson Marke this wel you mighties whome, the Lord appointes to rule. 1602 W. Watson 200 Emperors and kings and the mighties of the world. 1606 W. Crashaw E ij Our royall Dauid and many of his Mighties. 1610 II. Ecclus. xxi. 25 The foote of a foole goeth easely into his neighbours house: & a cunning man wil be abashed at the person of the mightie. 1611 Prov. xvi. 32 He that is slow to anger, is better then the mighty: and he that ruleth his spirit, then he that taketh a citie. View more context for this quotation 1647 J. Trapp (1 Cor. i. 26) Hence so many mighties miscarry. 1796 J. Bennett i. vi. 29 But those he chose were humble, poor, and meek, These were the Mighties, Christ vouchsaf'd to seek. 1839 J. Galt iv. 24 Aw'd Fancy..there beheld all perishing around Those mighties, fodderless, whose mould'ring bones Perplex philosophy, as famish'd die Helpless. 1841 P. Macgregor 195 Strong art thou, son of the mighty, though not so dreadful as Morven's prince. 1901 ‘I. Maclaren’ iv Speug's officers, such mighties as Bauldie and Johnston,..clustered round their commander. 1957 P. Goodman 8 Little spoke the three Mighties on their way to fetch the water from the well of Bethlehem. 1988 41 402 Submission to feminine allurements on the part of such mighties as Jupiter, Hercules, Paris, Adam, David, Solomon, and Herod Antipas resulted in far greater wickedness than the poet's. OE 299 Þa wearð se mihtiga gebolgen, hehsta heofones waldend, wearp hine of þan hean stole. OE 721 Swa hine se mihtiga het þæt þurh synne cræft susle amæte. 1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Ep. Ded. sig. *iv The welbeloued Sonne of God..must stande for all:..the mightie for the vnmightye. 1667 J. Milton i. 99 That fixt mind And high disdain..That with the mightiest rais'd me to contend. View more context for this quotation 1879 G. MacDonald xlii I wadna dee the like again to save my life. But the Michty carried me throu'. the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > fame or renown > famous or eminent person > [noun] 1853 T. Parker 82 He does not belong at all to the chief men of that department,—with Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Leibnitz, Newton, Des Cartes, and the other mighties. 1865 Feb. 201/2 The seed of the Muses has run out. No more Pleiades at Hartford; no three ‘mighties’, like Hosmer, Ellsworth, and Johnson. 1905 10 553 Noah Webster..spoke of him [sc. Oliver Ellsworth] as one of the ‘three mighties’ of the Connecticut bar. 1978 65 774 Current quotables..such as Peter Berger, Emil Durkheim,..Joachim Wach..these mighties obliquely sanction..Albanese's thesis. 2. OE Homily (Corpus Cambr. 421) in A. S. Napier (1883) 263 Ðeah þe ða mihtegestan and þa ricestan hatan him reste gewyrcan of marmanstane. OE x. 251 Deposuit potentes de sede et exaltauit humiles : he niðerasette þa mihtigan of setle & he upahof þa eadmodan. 1484 W. Caxton tr. i. vi. 11 The poure ought not to hold felauship with the myghty. c1485 ( G. Hay (2005) 280 Of the riche to the pure, of the mychty to wayke. a1500 (?a1400) (Harl. 3909) (1926) 273 (MED) Miȝty deposet from hor se. 1534 W. Tyndale i. 52 He putteth downe the myghty from their seates. c1540 (?a1400) 12482 Hit happit..mony of þo mighty to misse of hor purpos. 1612 Bp. J. Hall I. ii. vii. 340 Conniuence at the outrages of the mighty. 1651 T. Hobbes ii. xxx. 180 As well the rich, and mighty, as poor and obscure persons. 1671 J. Milton 1272 God into the hands of thir deliverer Puts invincible might To quell the mighty of the Earth. View more context for this quotation 1719 T. Tickell 44 Ne'er to these chambers where the mighty rest, Since their foundation, came a nobler guest. 1733 A. Pope iii. 297 Where Small and Great, where Weak and Mighty, made To serve, not suffer, strengthen, not invade, More pow'rful each, as needful to the rest, And in proportion as it blesses, blest, Draw to one point. 1757 J. Woolman May (1971) iv. 67 I..felt easy to leave it all to him who alone is able to turn the hearts of the mighty and make way for he spreading of Truth in the earth. 1813 P. B. Shelley iii. 38 Where is the fame Which the vain-glorious mighty of the earth Seek to eternize? 1847 H. W. Longfellow ii. 42 Might took the place of right, and the weak were oppressed, and the mighty Ruled with an iron rod. 1889 ‘M. Twain’ xxxix. 503 There was simply nothing to be done, now, but..bring out the superbest of the superb, the mightiest of the mighty, the great Sir Launcelot himself! 1930 23 Apr. 469/2 Sometimes I studied the works of the mighty And sometimes detectional stuff. 1956 S. Selvon 125 Moses sit down there wondering how this sort of thing happening in a place where only the high and the mighty is. 1994 2 May 93/2 Most of the chapters are built around the doings of the mighty rather than the hithering and thithering of countless little subalterns and consuls. 1539 2 Sam. i. 19 Oh howe are the myghtie ouerthrowen. 1611 2 Sam. i. 19 The beauty of Israel is slaine vpon thy high places: how are the mightie fallen! View more context for this quotation 1727 W. Somervile 81 Prostrate on Earth the bleeding Warrior lies, And Israel's Beauty on the Mountains dies; How are the Mighty fallen! 1787 17 Oct. 2/3 America held a most elevated rank among the powers of the earth; but how are the mighty fallen! disgraced have we rendered ourselves abroad, and ruined at home. 1794 19 Nov. 1/1 At that time a nod from David Bradford was sufficient to destroy a man or his property—he now, from the latest accounts, is wandering the banks of the Ohio, with only a single domestic. How are the mighty fallen! 1824 C. G. Garnett 197 How are the mighty fallen!—in yon grove Where droop the clusters of the pliant vine,..The hordes of Elb their giant limbs recline. 1848 C. Dickens lix. 589 ‘How are the mighty fallen!’ remarks Cook. ‘Pride shall have a fall, and it always was and will be so!’ observes the housemaid. 1891 T. Hardy I. i. 8 Your family consisted of numerous branches... ‘How are the mighty fallen’. 1922 J. Joyce ii. xii. [Cyclops] 280 How are the mighty fallen! Collector of bad and doubtful debts. 1977 12 Feb. 17/1 How the mighty are fallen. Shel Talony..is reduced to dealing with a non-voice churning out four mock country toons for a 99p line. 1985 B. Zephaniah 18 Leroy stood next to a wall This is how the mighty fall. 1867 W. Gregor (Philol. Soc.) 114 Michtie, interj. expressive of surprise. Michtie me is another form. 1869 A. Macdonald (1877) 61 (E.D.D.) Eh, mighty! that surely canna be. 1874 T. Hardy II. ii. 18 Mighty me! Won't mis'ess storm..when she comes back! 1913 J. L. Waugh 12 Michty me, that's a deevilish lot o' siller. 1922 J. Joyce ii. xiv. [Oxen of the Sun] 406 Peep at his wearables. By mighty! What's he got? 1955 J. Beith 207 ‘Michty me!’ exclaimed Uncle John dryly, ‘a verra fine leddy we have here!’ 1989 i. 19 Oh michty me! I-Is there going to be shooting? C. adv.the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] a1400 (a1325) (Vesp.) 14396 Þair blisced lauerd..þat..was..Sa mighti meke, sa mild o mode. 1535 Exod. ix. 18 Tomorow..wyll I cause a mightie greate hayle to rayne. 1602 J. Marston v. sig. H4v I was mightie strong in thought we should haue shut vp night with an ould Comedie. 1693 W. Congreve i. i. 7 Mr. your Son's mighty like his Grace, has just his smile and air of's Face. 1714 tr. I. Barrow (rev. ed.) Pref. The mighty near affinity that is between Arithmetick and Geometry. 1715 D. Defoe I. i. iv. 106 You are a mighty good, obedient thing. 1767 T. Gray Let. 31 Dec. in (1971) III. 991 To this purpose..would I write, & mighty respectfully withall. 1838 C. Dickens III. xlviii. 222 This is all mighty fine. 1844 G. W. Kendall I. 32 ‘You'll be mighty apt to get wet’, said a thorough~bred Texan. 1862 J. W. Carlyle III. 105 I myself know always mighty well what I want. 1883 R. L. Stevenson vi. xxix. 241 It's..mighty like a horn-pipe in a rope's end at Execution Dock. 1931 W. G. McAdoo ii. 23 That seemed to me to be mighty good pay. 1958 16 Oct. 17/1 They left it till mighty near no-side before they got their noses thankfully in front. 1979 W. Kennedy vii. 227 It was a mighty nice little room. 1990 Dec. 15/4 The environmental bandwagon is feeling mighty crowded. the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] ?a1425 f. 199 (MED) Medicynes..beþ maad be weiȝtes forto make þe complexioun of þe medicyne acordinge & helpinge a mannes complexioun þe myȝtier to discruyen [read distruyen] his seknesse. c1450 King Ponthus (Digby) in (1897) 12 56 (MED) Who that has the beste and the myghtest foghten of thes lij knyghtes. 1602 J. Marston v. iii. sig. I3v He is mightie on our part. 1981 L. Bangs in G. Marcus (1987) 348 They did it doggie-style and rocked so mighty they damn near broke the bedposts. Compounds C1. Parasynthetic. a1425 (Cambr.) (1968) 7 Mightiboned men..be dulwitted in þe naturel ordere of men. 1892 W. Watson Lachrymæ Musarum in (1898) 21 Mightiest-brained Lucretius. a1846 G. Darley (1889) 137 Bard. Mighty-hearted! mighty-handed! 1855 T. T. Lynch lxxxii. 120 How came it, men of faith, to pass That ye were mighty-handed? 1638 R. Brathwait iii. 144 There, mighty-hearted men lay foil'd, and falling, slept their sleep. 1858 T. H. Gill 60 From Thy mighty-hearted lover, Ingrate, wouldst Thou vainly turn? 1921 V. Lindsay 13 He is fair, and loved of women, Mighty-hearted, born to sing: Thieving, weeping, erring, praying, Radiant royal rebel-king. 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas i. v. 156 A large and mighty-limbed Steed..Can neuer mannage halfe so readilie As Spanish Iennet. 1887 Mar. 802/1 Under its branches a turbaned mighty-limbed Prophet brandished a drawn sword. a1914 A. Crapsey (1977) 106 The clustered Gods, the marching lads, The mighty-limbed, deep-bosomed Three. ?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer (new ed.) xix. 294 This Minos Son, (The mighty-minded King Deucalion) Was Sire to me. 1865 A. C. Swinburne 1009 I am not mighty-minded, nor desire Crowns. 1875 J. Miller xxii. 100 The mighty-minded Genoese Drew three tall ships and led his men From land. 1997 (Electronic ed.) 18 July The Special Administrative Region was top of the class, even when compared with the mighty-minded mites of Japan, China, Korea and Singapore. 1863 Ld. Tennyson Milton in Dec. 707 O mighty-mouth'd inventor of harmonies. 1881 J. Todhunter 25 Bringing two stone-ware mighty-mouthed flagons. 2000 (Electronic ed.) 19 Mar. 3 f Contestants receive super-sized collagen injections, then pucker up against mighty-mouthed celebrity gladiators. 1907 J. London 27 Sept. (1966) 251 He is a huge, mighty-muscled cry-baby. 1991 14 515 I began a picture of a mighty-muscled potentate, seated on his throne. 1839 G. Mazzini Byron & Goethe in II. 251 We feel the necessity of protesting earnestly against those sentiments of reaction inconsiderately raised by some ardent spirits against the mighty-souled..that..serve for a cloak to the grovelling spite of mediocrity. 1849 T. B. Read 82 Shall he be worthy deemed To walk..Linked with the mighty-souled philosopher. 1903 W. B. Yeats 55 The genius of the tribe, or it may be, when he was mighty-souled enough, the genius of the world. 1619 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher v. sig. K3 Though he be mightie spirited, and forward To all great things. C2. c1390 G. Chaucer 478 God liste to shewe his wonderful myracle..for we sholde seen his myghty werkes.] 1568 Matt. xi. 20 Then began he to vpbrayd the cities which most of his mightie workes were done in, because they repented not. Wo vnto thee Chorazin, wo vnto thee Bethsaida: for if the mightie workes which were shewed in you had ben done in Tyre or Sidon, they had repented long ago in sackcloth and asshes. 1568 Mark vi. 5 And he coulde there shewe no mightie worke: but layde his handes vpon a fewe sicke folke, and healed them. 1611 Matt. xiii. 54 Whence hath this man this wisedome, and these mighty works ? View more context for this quotation 1682 J. Bunyan 47 He could do no mighty work there because of their unbelief. View more context for this quotation 1756 T. Amory I. 120 Then as to miracles, they are to be sure a means of proving and spreading the christian religion, as they shew the divine mission of the Messiah, and rouze the mind to attend to the power by which these mighty works were wrought. 1778 H. Brooke Impostor i. i, in (1789) IV. 4 Yet, my friend, Even all his mighty works to me import, But as they greatly serve to authorize The mightier words he utter'd. 1872 S. A. Foot II. 310 Withdrawing from this over-whelming view of His mighty works, and returning to the planet on which we are placed, we see that, [etc.]. 1881 Mark ix. 39 For there is no man which shall do a mighty work [c1384 Wycliffite, E.V. vertu; 1535 Coverdale, 1611 a miracle] in my name. [So also Acts 2:22.] 1985 M. Green 42 The Spirit, active in an upsurge of prophecy, active in the birth of John and Jesus, rests upon Jesus and in its power he carries out his mighty works and after the resurrection imparts that same Spirit to his disciples. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2002; most recently modified version published online June 2022). <  adj.int.n.adv.eOE |
