oftadv.adj.

Brit.

/ɒft/, U.S.

/ɔft/,

/ɑft/

Forms:

α. Old English– oft, Middle English of, Middle English offt, Middle English ouft, 1500s oughte, 1800s auf (English regional (Devon)); also Scottish pre-1700 hoft, pre-1700 of, pre-1700 offt, pre-1700 1700s– aft.

β. late Old English–1600s (1700s–1800s archaic) ofte, Middle English hofte, Middle English offte, Middle English ofto, Middle English ogwhte, Middle English oufte; Scottish pre-1700 ofte.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian ofta , ofte , Middle Dutch (rare) ofte (Dutch regional oft ), Old Saxon oft , ofto (Middle Low German oft , ofte ), Old High German oft , ofta , ofto (Middle High German ofte , oft , German oft ), Old Icelandic opt (Icelandic oft ), Old Swedish opt , opta (Swedish ofta ), Old Danish oft (Danish ofte ), Gothic ufta , further etymology uncertain and disputed; perhaps < an extended form of the Indo-European base of up adv.¹ Compare often adv.In late Old English oft was extended to ofte (apparently in imitation of adverbs ending in -e ), which became the prevalent southern and midland form during the Middle English period, with oft surviving mainly as a northern form. As final -e ceased to be pronounced, ofte was gradually displaced again by oft , although it continued to occur as a graphic variation until the 17th cent., and even later in deliberately archaic use. After the 16th cent. oft and ofte were superseded in standard English by often . Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. records the word in use in Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire. Sc. National Dict. s.v. aft notes that the word is now archaic and poetic, ‘but rather less so than Standard English oft ’. N.E.D. (1902) records the pronunciation as (ǫ̀ft) /ɒft/, /ɔːft/ (see etymological note s.v. O n.¹).

Now chiefly archaic, poetic, and regional.

A. adv.

1. Now archaic and regional (chiefly English regional (northern)).

a. = often adv. 1a, 2.many a time and oft: see time n., int., and conj. Phrases 5a(b).

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > [adverb]

unseldea950

oftOE

thickOE

ylomeOE

oftsithec1175

oftsithesc1175

lomec1200

oftlya1225

oft-stounds1303

continuallyc1305

oftena1325

rifely1357

oft-timesc1384

oft-timec1387

oftentimesa1393

oftentimec1395

fele-sitha1400

lightlya1400

oftentide?a1400

rifea1400

seresitha1400

many a foldc1400

often sithec1405

hauntinglyc1440

by many a foldc1450

fele-syss1489

frequently1531

feltymesc1540

oftens1567

oftenly1574

frequent1614

repeatedlya1647

(as) often as not1723

more often (or oftener) than not1723

not uncommonly1747

not infrequently1779

(at) every whip-stitch1824

oftenwhilesa1850

at short intervals1859

α.

OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xvii. 15 Domine miserere filii mei quia lunaticus est et male patitur nam saepe cadit in ignem et crebo in aquam : drihten milsa sunu mines forðon bræccec is & yfle ðolas forðon oft fallas in fyr and symle in wætre.

OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xiii. 34 Hu oft ic wolde þine bearn gegaderian swa se fugel deð his nest under his fiðerum.

OE Ælfric Homily (Cambr. Ii.4.6) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1967) I. 362 Þær wurdon oft æt þam wæterscipe mænigfealde ceastu and manslihtas.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1119 Se cyng..wæs..oft rædlice swyþe gedreht.

a1225 ( Ælfric's Homily De Duodecim Abusivis (Lamb. 487) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 109 Ac þas twa þing deriað oft þan alden.

c1330 Lai le Freine in Smith Coll. Stud. Mod. Langs. (1929) 10 iii. 1 (MED) We redeþ oft..layes þat ben in harping.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 3747 (MED) He has me don oft vn-resun.

a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Eccles. vi. 1 It is oft vsid anentis men.

a1500 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Wellcome) f. 26^v (MED) Ther is Apostume cold þat men callith a boche þat oft is in þe neke.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Cor. xi. 25 This do as oft as ye drinke it, in the remembraunce off me.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 13466 Oft went þat wegh to the water syde.

1551 Bible (Matthew's) 2 Cor. xi. 23 In pryson more plenteously: in death oft [a1425 Wycliffite, L.V. ofte tymes; 1526 Tyndale ofte; 1539 Great ofte; 1560 Geneva ofte; 1582 Rheims often; 1611 King James oft].

1586 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1882) IV. 478 The said setters of thair land to sic persouns sall be poynded or wairdet for ane vnlaw of fyve pund swa aft as thai failyie.

1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. f. 1^v Not only as oft as we speake..but also as oft as we doe any thing.

1642 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1871) I. 280 So aft as they be found swearing.

1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 1 Apr. (1965) I. 309 Let me hear as oft as you can.

1752 D. Hume Ess. & Treat. (1777) I. 193 [It] is commonly a painful, oft a fruitless occupation.

a1774 O. Goldsmith tr. P. Scarron Comic Romance (1775) I. v. 29 Many's the time and oft.

1837 R. Nicoll Poems (1842) 138 I've glour'd at her aft wi' a gleg e'e.

1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxviii. 128 A strife..suspended oft, but yet renewed again.

1896 J. K. Snowden Web of Old Weaver x. 118 Every so oft I could hear him say a word or two.

1922 T. S. Cairncross Scot at Hame 43 The wather's aft gey drumly, Daggy days and mochy nichts.

1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor iii. xv. 690 How oft have I burned to hear some news he had for me.

1976 Jrnl. Lakeland Dial. Soc. No. 38. 4 Anudther thankyou tiv Mary Hawes, frae Staveley, 'at gaily oft writes fer oor Journal.

1994 Canad. Workshop Sept. 70/2 Many a time and oft have I parged. And patched. And sealed.

β. lOE St. Margaret (Corpus Cambr.) (1994) 164 Sume ic slæpende beswac and sume eac wacigende..ofte þonne hio ungebletsodon wæren.c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 197 Ic eow bidde..þæt swa ofte swa ȝe faren bi ricre monnæ burines þæt ȝe sceawiæn and asmeȝen hwær heoræ wælan beoð bicumene.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 9016 Forr ȝuw birrþ upp o kirrke flor Beon fundenn offte. & lannge.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 147 (MED) Mon..ofte for his sunne swingeð him nuð [read mið] smele twige.a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 200 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 67 Ant yeld here seruise, ofte mid muchele wowe.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1680 Ofte [c1300 Otho hofte] hit ilimpð þat eft hit him of-þincheð.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 53 Þe folc of denemarch..ofte wonne engelond.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 191 He ȝaf ofte his kertel and his sserte to þe poure uor god.c1395 G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale 226 She wolde brynge Wortes or othere herbes tymes ofte [rhyme softe, lofte (so 5 MSS); c1415 Lansd., c1425 Petworth oft, soft, loft].1442 Rolls of Parl. V. 54/2 Upon the peyne of xl li., to be forfait as ogwhte as they do the contrarie.1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) xvi. xvi. sig. R.vi^v Thenne ofte [a1470 Winch. Coll. offtyn] Colgreuaunce cryed vpon syre Bors.1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 1 §4 As ofte and as many tymes as nede shall require.a1544 R. Layton Let. in T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. (1655) vi. 318 Making her believe, that..as ofte as they shold medle together, if she were..confessed by him,..she shold be cleere forgeven of God.1560 Medit. Penitent Sinner sig. Aa4, in A. L. tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias Ofte hath thy mercie washed me before, Thou madest me cleane.1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 12 The inhabitouris..because in hett weiris thay ȝok ofte with the Inglismen, thay ar ay in radines.1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. ii. 448 Round about the Desart Op, where ofte By strange Phantasmas Passengers are scoft.a1770 T. Chatterton Compl. Wks. (1971) I. 237 With daitive Steppe Relygyon dyghte yn Greie..Swyfte as a Takel throwe bryghte Heavne toke her waie And oft and ere anon dyd saie Aie mee what shall I doe.1844 C. P. Cranch Poems 9 Ofte have I nodded, filled with drowsie sleepe, Which Morpheus from his sombre land hath broughte.

b. In the comparative.

ΚΠ

eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lvi. 435 Hi beoð ðæs ðe lator ðe hi oftor ymbðeahtiað.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1114 Þæs geares syððan he ne heold hired nan oftar.

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 21 (MED) We sunegiet..ofter þene we scolde.

a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 116 (MED) Wimmon weped for mod ofter þanne for eni god.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 5337 Ofte siþe [a1400 Trin. Cambr. ofte seþþe; ?a1425 Digby ofte tymes] aboue he was, and bineþe ofter [v.r. oftere] mo.

c1390 G. Chaucer Nun's Priest's Tale 4618 If thow bigile me any ofter than ones.

?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 10 (MED) Wha so weddes ofter than anes, þaire childer er bastardes.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 39 That the reders be the more and the oftir remembrid.

c1475 (a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 305 (MED) Bodiliche chastite is ofte broken, but oftere chastite of soule.

a1500 St. Brendan's Confession (Lamb.) 86 in Geibun-Kenkyu (1968) 25 8 I haue ete and drunke oftir and moore þan me nedide.

1551 W. Turner Herball (1568) sig. Piij I haue not sene it in Englande ofter than ones.

1614 S. Latham Falconry i. iv. 16 The more ofter that you doe vse her vnto them, the quietter shee will be.

1673 in H. Paton Kingarth Parish Rec. (1932) 90 That she sould frequent the kirk ofter.

1743 H. Fielding Misc. I. 26 Men in the beaten Track of Life's Highway, Ofter through Passion than through Error stray.

1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh iii. 121 She laughed sometimes..But ofter she was sorrowful.

1888 W. Allingham Flower Pieces 16 Likeness, ofter found than sought Or by wit's exertion wrought.

1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 89/1 Sha'd gan ofter ti t'toon gin she wur less thrang.

c. In the superlative.

ΚΠ

OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark v. 4 Quoniam sepe compedibus et catenis uinctus : forðon oftust uel symle mið feotrum & mið hracentegum gebunden wæs.

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (1973) 113 (MED) Eauer ha hefde on hali writ ehnen oðer heorte, oftest ba togederes.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 101 (MED) Ofteste [L. frequentius] and lengeste þey were vnder þe kynges of Mercia.

c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vesp.) (1873) C. iv. 439 (MED) Oftest seiþ soþ [a1425 Huntington he þat seith most sothest].

c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 183 (MED) That is a perile to which jolyfnesse ledde me and bar me ofteste.

1480 W. Caxton Descr. Brit. 23 Netheles oftest and longest they were vnder the kyngis of Mercia.

c1598 King James VI & I Basilicon Doron (1944) I. ii. 86 Uertue follouis oftest noble bloode.

a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) 30866 Tha wer formest and oftest did maist deir On to thair fa.

a1617 Sir J. Melville Mem. Own Life (1735) 380 Such scornful and such partial Persons, as have oftest possessed your Ear and carried the Vogue in your Court.

1641 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1817) V. 502/1 Quhair they vse oftest to report.

1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 228 Rocks whereon greatest men have oftest wreck'd.

1735 H. Jacob Wks. 81 That Sex, which oftest can renew Those happy Moments, still too few!

1857 H. Parkes Murmurs of Stream 99 Sweetest of all life's sweets, which gold ne'er bought, How wisely round the poor thy charms are oftest blended!

1883 R. W. Dixon Mano iv. iii. 147 Love's all-moving power, Which oftest works but sorrow, pain, and sin.

†2. At frequent intervals of space. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > [adverb] > at frequent intervals

oft1617

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 30 Of the villages oft intermixed, some are subject to the Margrave..and some to divers Bishops.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 94 Shee is diuided and sub-diuided so oft and into so many streames.

B. adj. (usually attributive).

= often adj. Now rare.Frequently modifying verbal nouns.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > [adjective]

commona1325

ofta1382

yedera1400

oftena1450

thick?c1450

repeated1577

obvious1586

crebrousc1600

frequent1604

thick and threefold1615

oftentime1876

oft-time1895

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) 2 Paralip. xxvi. 8 His name ys puplishit vn to þe entre of egipt for his ofte victories [L. crebras victorias].

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 311 Þis hermyte..was blynde for ofte wepynge þat he usede in his beedes.

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. 3083 (MED) Þe toke her leue..With ofte kyssyng, as louers whan þei twynne.

1461–2 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 101 Be gret deliberacion and oft comunicacion of the seid mater, the seid Ser John Fastolff..apoynted be writi[n]g.

1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 258 Ofte, creber, frequens, nu[m]erosus.

a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 2 (MED) Many feliþ but litel desire of offte heringe of þe gospel.

?1531 R. Whitford tr. Thomas à Kempis Folowynge of Cryste iv. iii. sig. Aviii Yt ys necessary to me that..by ofte prayours and confessyons I may renewe myselfe, puryfye myselfe.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark f. 74^v I ascribe my safety to myne oft fastynges.

a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 29^v To breede occasion of ofter meeting of him and her.

1623 J. Webster Dutchesse of Malfy i. ii. sig. B4^v You see, the oft shaking of the Cedar-Tree Fastens it more at roote.

1625 F. Quarles Sions Sonets sig. E4^v Brests, (whose beautie reinuites My oft remembrance to her oft delights).

1628 J. Earle Micro-cosmogr. xlv. sig. H6^v Her oftest Gossiping are Sabaoth-dayes iourneyes.

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 382 Warn'd by oft experience.

1868 J. Salmon Gowodean 12 Wi' empty kite and dirdums aft and dour.

1895 F. A. Steel Red Rowans 84 And the parson can tak' a glass for his aft infirmities.

1960 R. Campbell Coll. Poems III. 126 Found their amusement in the oft-renewal of my sad torments.

1991 P. McGilligan George Cukor iii. 62 His oft-partner Cyril Gardner was Paris-born.

Compounds

†C1. With nouns denoting time, as oft-seasons. Cf. oftsithe n. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 7^v Thou walkest too and fro, ofteseasons in maner all y^e whole daye.

C2. Preceding a participial adjective used attributively (usually with hyphen), as oft-quoted, oft-recurring, oft-repeated, oft-told, etc. Cf. often adv. and adj. Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1560 Medit. Penitent Sinner sig. Aa3, in A. L. tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias I fallyng to the ground,..Poure forth my piteous plaint with woefull sound, With smoking sighes, & oft repeted grone.

a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. vi. sig. R8^v Partaker of this oft-blinding light.

1609 G. Markham Famous Whore 4 Mine oft sold maiden head grew stale.

1626 F. Quarles Feast for Wormes (ed. 2) v. sig. E4 With oft-repeated labours, oft attented, They..deepely delu'd the furrow'd Seas.

1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 575 Oft-invocated death.

1682 J. Dryden Religio Laici 22 Such difference is there in an oft-told tale; But truth by its own sinews will prevail.

1718 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad IV. xiii. 495 The oft-heav'd Axe.

a1722 J. Lauder Decisions (1759) I. 333 The oft debated cause of the Capers of the two prize Danish ships.

1728 J. Smedley Gulliveriana 338 That Fam'd, oft-quoted Wind! I trow, Which Good to Nobody does blow.

1798 H. Brand Conflict ii. i, in Plays & Poems 171 The oft-recurring hopes of fabled bliss.

1809 M. Holford Wallace i. vii. 6 From Solway's oft disputed deep To Stroma's wild and stormy isle.

1859 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1854–8 6 318 The attacks of an oft-recurring malady.

1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad I. v. 270 An old and oft-repeated tale.

1899 Harper's Weekly 14 Jan. 50/3 No new light is thrown upon the oft-debated question about the three-battalion organization for the infantry regiment.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xi. [Sirens] 263 Her first merciful lovesoft oftloved word.

1954 O. Nash Face is Familiar (rev. ed.) 115 The oft-quoted remark of the prominent and respectable dignitary.

1976 M. Butterworth Remains to be Seen i. 11 The wary air of an oft-disappointed augur reading entrails.

1997 N.Y. Times 10 June b1/1 An oft-told apocryphal story of a mother who, spying her child trapped under a school bus, finds the strength to lift the vehicle.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	oft
释义	oftadv.adj. Brit. /ɒft/, U.S. /ɔft/, /ɑft/ Forms: α. Old English– oft, Middle English of, Middle English offt, Middle English ouft, 1500s oughte, 1800s auf (English regional (Devon)); also Scottish pre-1700 hoft, pre-1700 of, pre-1700 offt, pre-1700 1700s– aft. β. late Old English–1600s (1700s–1800s archaic) ofte, Middle English hofte, Middle English offte, Middle English ofto, Middle English ogwhte, Middle English oufte; Scottish pre-1700 ofte. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian ofta , ofte , Middle Dutch (rare) ofte (Dutch regional oft ), Old Saxon oft , ofto (Middle Low German oft , ofte ), Old High German oft , ofta , ofto (Middle High German ofte , oft , German oft ), Old Icelandic opt (Icelandic oft ), Old Swedish opt , opta (Swedish ofta ), Old Danish oft (Danish ofte ), Gothic ufta , further etymology uncertain and disputed; perhaps < an extended form of the Indo-European base of up adv.¹ Compare often adv.In late Old English oft was extended to ofte (apparently in imitation of adverbs ending in -e ), which became the prevalent southern and midland form during the Middle English period, with oft surviving mainly as a northern form. As final -e ceased to be pronounced, ofte was gradually displaced again by oft , although it continued to occur as a graphic variation until the 17th cent., and even later in deliberately archaic use. After the 16th cent. oft and ofte were superseded in standard English by often . Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. records the word in use in Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire. Sc. National Dict. s.v. aft notes that the word is now archaic and poetic, ‘but rather less so than Standard English oft ’. N.E.D. (1902) records the pronunciation as (ǫ̀ft) /ɒft/, /ɔːft/ (see etymological note s.v. O n.¹). Now chiefly archaic, poetic, and regional. A. adv. 1. Now archaic and regional (chiefly English regional (northern)). a. = often adv. 1a, 2.many a time and oft: see time n., int., and conj. Phrases 5a(b). ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > [adverb] unseldea950 oftOE thickOE ylomeOE oftsithec1175 oftsithesc1175 lomec1200 oftlya1225 oft-stounds1303 continuallyc1305 oftena1325 rifely1357 oft-timesc1384 oft-timec1387 oftentimesa1393 oftentimec1395 fele-sitha1400 lightlya1400 oftentide?a1400 rifea1400 seresitha1400 many a foldc1400 often sithec1405 hauntinglyc1440 by many a foldc1450 fele-syss1489 frequently1531 feltymesc1540 oftens1567 oftenly1574 frequent1614 repeatedlya1647 (as) often as not1723 more often (or oftener) than not1723 not uncommonly1747 not infrequently1779 (at) every whip-stitch1824 oftenwhilesa1850 at short intervals1859 α. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xvii. 15 Domine miserere filii mei quia lunaticus est et male patitur nam saepe cadit in ignem et crebo in aquam : drihten milsa sunu mines forðon bræccec is & yfle ðolas forðon oft fallas in fyr and symle in wætre. OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xiii. 34 Hu oft ic wolde þine bearn gegaderian swa se fugel deð his nest under his fiðerum. OE Ælfric Homily (Cambr. Ii.4.6) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1967) I. 362 Þær wurdon oft æt þam wæterscipe mænigfealde ceastu and manslihtas. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1119 Se cyng..wæs..oft rædlice swyþe gedreht. a1225 ( Ælfric's Homily De Duodecim Abusivis (Lamb. 487) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 109 Ac þas twa þing deriað oft þan alden. c1330 Lai le Freine in Smith Coll. Stud. Mod. Langs. (1929) 10 iii. 1 (MED) We redeþ oft..layes þat ben in harping. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 3747 (MED) He has me don oft vn-resun. a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Eccles. vi. 1 It is oft vsid anentis men. a1500 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Wellcome) f. 26^v (MED) Ther is Apostume cold þat men callith a boche þat oft is in þe neke. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Cor. xi. 25 This do as oft as ye drinke it, in the remembraunce off me. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 13466 Oft went þat wegh to the water syde. 1551 Bible (Matthew's) 2 Cor. xi. 23 In pryson more plenteously: in death oft [a1425 Wycliffite, L.V. ofte tymes; 1526 Tyndale ofte; 1539 Great ofte; 1560 Geneva ofte; 1582 Rheims often; 1611 King James oft]. 1586 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1882) IV. 478 The said setters of thair land to sic persouns sall be poynded or wairdet for ane vnlaw of fyve pund swa aft as thai failyie. 1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. f. 1^v Not only as oft as we speake..but also as oft as we doe any thing. 1642 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1871) I. 280 So aft as they be found swearing. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 1 Apr. (1965) I. 309 Let me hear as oft as you can. 1752 D. Hume Ess. & Treat. (1777) I. 193 [It] is commonly a painful, oft a fruitless occupation. a1774 O. Goldsmith tr. P. Scarron Comic Romance (1775) I. v. 29 Many's the time and oft. 1837 R. Nicoll Poems (1842) 138 I've glour'd at her aft wi' a gleg e'e. 1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xxviii. 128 A strife..suspended oft, but yet renewed again. 1896 J. K. Snowden Web of Old Weaver x. 118 Every so oft I could hear him say a word or two. 1922 T. S. Cairncross Scot at Hame 43 The wather's aft gey drumly, Daggy days and mochy nichts. 1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor iii. xv. 690 How oft have I burned to hear some news he had for me. 1976 Jrnl. Lakeland Dial. Soc. No. 38. 4 Anudther thankyou tiv Mary Hawes, frae Staveley, 'at gaily oft writes fer oor Journal. 1994 Canad. Workshop Sept. 70/2 Many a time and oft have I parged. And patched. And sealed. β. lOE St. Margaret (Corpus Cambr.) (1994) 164 Sume ic slæpende beswac and sume eac wacigende..ofte þonne hio ungebletsodon wæren.c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 197 Ic eow bidde..þæt swa ofte swa ȝe faren bi ricre monnæ burines þæt ȝe sceawiæn and asmeȝen hwær heoræ wælan beoð bicumene.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 9016 Forr ȝuw birrþ upp o kirrke flor Beon fundenn offte. & lannge.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 147 (MED) Mon..ofte for his sunne swingeð him nuð [read mið] smele twige.a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 200 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 67 Ant yeld here seruise, ofte mid muchele wowe.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1680 Ofte [c1300 Otho hofte] hit ilimpð þat eft hit him of-þincheð.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 53 Þe folc of denemarch..ofte wonne engelond.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 191 He ȝaf ofte his kertel and his sserte to þe poure uor god.c1395 G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale 226 She wolde brynge Wortes or othere herbes tymes ofte [rhyme softe, lofte (so 5 MSS); c1415 Lansd., c1425 Petworth oft, soft, loft].1442 Rolls of Parl. V. 54/2 Upon the peyne of xl li., to be forfait as ogwhte as they do the contrarie.1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) xvi. xvi. sig. R.vi^v Thenne ofte [a1470 Winch. Coll. offtyn] Colgreuaunce cryed vpon syre Bors.1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 1 §4 As ofte and as many tymes as nede shall require.a1544 R. Layton Let. in T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. (1655) vi. 318 Making her believe, that..as ofte as they shold medle together, if she were..confessed by him,..she shold be cleere forgeven of God.1560 Medit. Penitent Sinner sig. Aa4, in A. L. tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias Ofte hath thy mercie washed me before, Thou madest me cleane.1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 12 The inhabitouris..because in hett weiris thay ȝok ofte with the Inglismen, thay ar ay in radines.1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. ii. 448 Round about the Desart Op, where ofte By strange Phantasmas Passengers are scoft.a1770 T. Chatterton Compl. Wks. (1971) I. 237 With daitive Steppe Relygyon dyghte yn Greie..Swyfte as a Takel throwe bryghte Heavne toke her waie And oft and ere anon dyd saie Aie mee what shall I doe.1844 C. P. Cranch Poems 9 Ofte have I nodded, filled with drowsie sleepe, Which Morpheus from his sombre land hath broughte. b. In the comparative. ΚΠ eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lvi. 435 Hi beoð ðæs ðe lator ðe hi oftor ymbðeahtiað. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1114 Þæs geares syððan he ne heold hired nan oftar. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 21 (MED) We sunegiet..ofter þene we scolde. a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 116 (MED) Wimmon weped for mod ofter þanne for eni god. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 5337 Ofte siþe [a1400 Trin. Cambr. ofte seþþe; ?a1425 Digby ofte tymes] aboue he was, and bineþe ofter [v.r. oftere] mo. c1390 G. Chaucer Nun's Priest's Tale 4618 If thow bigile me any ofter than ones. ?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 10 (MED) Wha so weddes ofter than anes, þaire childer er bastardes. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 39 That the reders be the more and the oftir remembrid. c1475 (a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 305 (MED) Bodiliche chastite is ofte broken, but oftere chastite of soule. a1500 St. Brendan's Confession (Lamb.) 86 in Geibun-Kenkyu (1968) 25 8 I haue ete and drunke oftir and moore þan me nedide. 1551 W. Turner Herball (1568) sig. Piij I haue not sene it in Englande ofter than ones. 1614 S. Latham Falconry i. iv. 16 The more ofter that you doe vse her vnto them, the quietter shee will be. 1673 in H. Paton Kingarth Parish Rec. (1932) 90 That she sould frequent the kirk ofter. 1743 H. Fielding Misc. I. 26 Men in the beaten Track of Life's Highway, Ofter through Passion than through Error stray. 1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh iii. 121 She laughed sometimes..But ofter she was sorrowful. 1888 W. Allingham Flower Pieces 16 Likeness, ofter found than sought Or by wit's exertion wrought. 1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 89/1 Sha'd gan ofter ti t'toon gin she wur less thrang. c. In the superlative. ΚΠ OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark v. 4 Quoniam sepe compedibus et catenis uinctus : forðon oftust uel symle mið feotrum & mið hracentegum gebunden wæs. c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (1973) 113 (MED) Eauer ha hefde on hali writ ehnen oðer heorte, oftest ba togederes. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 101 (MED) Ofteste [L. frequentius] and lengeste þey were vnder þe kynges of Mercia. c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vesp.) (1873) C. iv. 439 (MED) Oftest seiþ soþ [a1425 Huntington he þat seith most sothest]. c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 183 (MED) That is a perile to which jolyfnesse ledde me and bar me ofteste. 1480 W. Caxton Descr. Brit. 23 Netheles oftest and longest they were vnder the kyngis of Mercia. c1598 King James VI & I Basilicon Doron (1944) I. ii. 86 Uertue follouis oftest noble bloode. a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) 30866 Tha wer formest and oftest did maist deir On to thair fa. a1617 Sir J. Melville Mem. Own Life (1735) 380 Such scornful and such partial Persons, as have oftest possessed your Ear and carried the Vogue in your Court. 1641 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1817) V. 502/1 Quhair they vse oftest to report. 1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 228 Rocks whereon greatest men have oftest wreck'd. View more context for this quotation 1735 H. Jacob Wks. 81 That Sex, which oftest can renew Those happy Moments, still too few! 1857 H. Parkes Murmurs of Stream 99 Sweetest of all life's sweets, which gold ne'er bought, How wisely round the poor thy charms are oftest blended! 1883 R. W. Dixon Mano iv. iii. 147 Love's all-moving power, Which oftest works but sorrow, pain, and sin. †2. At frequent intervals of space. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being scattered or dispersed > [adverb] > at frequent intervals oft1617 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 30 Of the villages oft intermixed, some are subject to the Margrave..and some to divers Bishops. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 94 Shee is diuided and sub-diuided so oft and into so many streames. B. adj. (usually attributive). = often adj. Now rare.Frequently modifying verbal nouns. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > [adjective] commona1325 ofta1382 yedera1400 oftena1450 thick?c1450 repeated1577 obvious1586 crebrousc1600 frequent1604 thick and threefold1615 oftentime1876 oft-time1895 a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) 2 Paralip. xxvi. 8 His name ys puplishit vn to þe entre of egipt for his ofte victories [L. crebras victorias]. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 311 Þis hermyte..was blynde for ofte wepynge þat he usede in his beedes. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. 3083 (MED) Þe toke her leue..With ofte kyssyng, as louers whan þei twynne. 1461–2 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 101 Be gret deliberacion and oft comunicacion of the seid mater, the seid Ser John Fastolff..apoynted be writi[n]g. 1483 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 89074) (1881) 258 Ofte, creber, frequens, nu[m]erosus. a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 2 (MED) Many feliþ but litel desire of offte heringe of þe gospel. ?1531 R. Whitford tr. Thomas à Kempis Folowynge of Cryste iv. iii. sig. Aviii Yt ys necessary to me that..by ofte prayours and confessyons I may renewe myselfe, puryfye myselfe. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark f. 74^v I ascribe my safety to myne oft fastynges. a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 29^v To breede occasion of ofter meeting of him and her. 1623 J. Webster Dutchesse of Malfy i. ii. sig. B4^v You see, the oft shaking of the Cedar-Tree Fastens it more at roote. 1625 F. Quarles Sions Sonets sig. E4^v Brests, (whose beautie reinuites My oft remembrance to her oft delights). 1628 J. Earle Micro-cosmogr. xlv. sig. H6^v Her oftest Gossiping are Sabaoth-dayes iourneyes. 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 382 Warn'd by oft experience. View more context for this quotation 1868 J. Salmon Gowodean 12 Wi' empty kite and dirdums aft and dour. 1895 F. A. Steel Red Rowans 84 And the parson can tak' a glass for his aft infirmities. 1960 R. Campbell Coll. Poems III. 126 Found their amusement in the oft-renewal of my sad torments. 1991 P. McGilligan George Cukor iii. 62 His oft-partner Cyril Gardner was Paris-born. Compounds †C1. With nouns denoting time, as oft-seasons. Cf. oftsithe n. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 7^v Thou walkest too and fro, ofteseasons in maner all y^e whole daye. C2. Preceding a participial adjective used attributively (usually with hyphen), as oft-quoted, oft-recurring, oft-repeated, oft-told, etc. Cf. often adv. and adj. Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1560 Medit. Penitent Sinner sig. Aa3, in A. L. tr. J. Calvin Serm. Songe Ezechias I fallyng to the ground,..Poure forth my piteous plaint with woefull sound, With smoking sighes, & oft repeted grone. a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. vi. sig. R8^v Partaker of this oft-blinding light. 1609 G. Markham Famous Whore 4 Mine oft sold maiden head grew stale. 1626 F. Quarles Feast for Wormes (ed. 2) v. sig. E4 With oft-repeated labours, oft attented, They..deepely delu'd the furrow'd Seas. 1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 575 Oft-invocated death. View more context for this quotation 1682 J. Dryden Religio Laici 22 Such difference is there in an oft-told tale; But truth by its own sinews will prevail. 1718 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad IV. xiii. 495 The oft-heav'd Axe. a1722 J. Lauder Decisions (1759) I. 333 The oft debated cause of the Capers of the two prize Danish ships. 1728 J. Smedley Gulliveriana 338 That Fam'd, oft-quoted Wind! I trow, Which Good to Nobody does blow. 1798 H. Brand Conflict ii. i, in Plays & Poems 171 The oft-recurring hopes of fabled bliss. 1809 M. Holford Wallace i. vii. 6 From Solway's oft disputed deep To Stroma's wild and stormy isle. 1859 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1854–8 6 318 The attacks of an oft-recurring malady. 1864 J. H. Burton Scot Abroad I. v. 270 An old and oft-repeated tale. 1899 Harper's Weekly 14 Jan. 50/3 No new light is thrown upon the oft-debated question about the three-battalion organization for the infantry regiment. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xi. [Sirens] 263 Her first merciful lovesoft oftloved word. 1954 O. Nash Face is Familiar (rev. ed.) 115 The oft-quoted remark of the prominent and respectable dignitary. 1976 M. Butterworth Remains to be Seen i. 11 The wary air of an oft-disappointed augur reading entrails. 1997 N.Y. Times 10 June b1/1 An oft-told apocryphal story of a mother who, spying her child trapped under a school bus, finds the strength to lift the vehicle. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online June 2022). > as lemmas OFT OFT n. British Office of Fair Trading. ΚΠ 1978 Jrnl. Industr. Econ. 27 123 This is based upon an initial appraisal of an individual case undertaken by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). 1996 Sunday Tel. 4 Feb. (Business section) 1/4 I am incandescent at the way the OFT has acted. It has changed its mind and I feel betrayed. extracted from On.¹ < adv.adj.eOE as lemmas
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oftadv.adj.

Compounds

> as lemmas