▪ I. within, adv., prep., (a.)
(wɪˈðɪn)
Forms (2–5 written as one or as two words): α. 1 wiþinnan, wiðinnan, 2–4 wiðinne(n, 3–5 wiþinne, etc. (see with and inne adv.); also 3 wiþ ine(n, Orm. wiþþinnenn, 3–4 widine, 4–5 withine. β. 3 wiðin, 4–5 wiþin, etc. (see with and in adv.; abbreviated 4–6 w{supt}in, 7 w{supt}{suph}in), 4– within.
[Late OE. wiþinnan, f. wiþ with prep. = innan inne, the second element being assimilated to in adv. in ME. OE. wiþinnan, wiþæftan behind, wiþforan before, wiþᵹeondan beyond, wiþhindan behind, wiþufan above, and wiþ{uacu}tan without, form a group of words peculiar to English, corresp. to and perh. partly modelled on the synonymous group beæftan, bæftan baft adv., beforan before, beᵹeondan beyond, behindan behind, beinnan, binnan bin adv., *beufan, bufan bove adv., be{uacu}tan, b{uacu}tan bout adv., of which nearly all have cognates in West Germanic. Cf. the blended forms bythinne, bythout.]
A. adv. (In most senses opp. to without adv.)
1. a. In the inner part or interior, or on the inner side (of a receptacle or other material thing); inside, internally.
| c 1000 ælfric Gen. vi. 14 Ðu wyrcst wununga binnan ðam arce & clæmst wiðinnan & wiðutan mid tyrwan. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 640 Ðe rede wid-innen toknet on Wreche ðat sal ȝet wurðen sent. a 1300 Cursor M. 523 His heued with in has eien tuin, Þe lift has son and mon wit-in. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iv. iv. (1495) e vij, By heete werkynge alwaye wythin and wythoute bodyes ben consumyd and waasted. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 48 Bake on an ovyn, & coloure with⁓ynne & wyth-oute. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. ii. 105 Set a deepe glasse of Reinish-wine on the contrary Casket, for if the diuell be within, and that temptation without, I know he will choose it. 1796 Stedman Surinam II. xviii. 51 Small annulated black spots, which are white within. 1797 Coleridge Christabel i. 127 The gate that was ironed within and without. 1815 Stephens in Shaw's Gen. Zool. IX. i. 42 At the bend of the wing, just within, is a horn-coloured spine. 1827 Faraday Chem. Manip. ix. 248 The instrument may be removed, and the fluid within transferred to any convenient vessel. 1866 Geo. Eliot F. Holt xxxiii, The tradesmen..locked their doors and barricaded their windows within. |
b. In the interior of the body or some part of it.
| c 1220 Bestiary 318 Wiðinnen he haueð brenning. 1387 Trevisa Higden I. 59 Betynge of veynes is bettre i-knowe in þe vttre parties of bodies þan ynward and in þe myddel wiþynne. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye ii. 246 How al hys glorious body muste be tormented..wythin and wythoute. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. i. 83 Why should a man whose bloud is warme within, Sit like his Grandsire, cut in Alablaster? a 1639 Carew Poems, My Mistress commanding me to return her Letters 68 Though the skin Be clos'd without, the wound festers within. [1843 Macaulay Horatius lxii, But his limbs were borne up bravely By the brave heart within.] 1844 Mrs. Browning Brown Rosary iii. xvi, The maidens' lips trembled from smiles shut within. |
c. In this writing or document; herein. Obs. exc. in technical use.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden II. 35 As hit is i-saide wiþ ynne. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 368 As is I-write with-yn. 1498–1844 [see D. a]. 1519 Indenture betw. Pynson and Horman in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1867) 365 The parties wythin namede. 1651 tr. Kitchin's Jurisd. (1653) 550 We A. B. and C. D. Coroners..do certifie the Justices within written..that we have searched the Rolles. |
† d. (with verb of motion) So as to go in or be inside: = in prep. 1. Obs. rare.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7951 Hii wiþinne turnde aȝen & hom allenome. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 19 Poure hit withinne. |
2. a. In the limits of, or in the inner part of, a space or region, esp. a city or country; in the place or realm.
| a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud) an. 1048 [Hi] ofsloᵹon æᵹðer ᵹe wiðinnan ᵹe wiðutan ma þanne .xx. manna. c 1205 Lay. 18300 Vtheres cnihtes..wereden þene tun wið innen. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 382 If a kyng wol justifie His lond and hem that beth withynne. 1474 Caxton Chesse ii. iv. (1883) 52 Scylla that was Duc of the Romayns wyth oute had many fayr victoyres agaynst the Romayns wyth Inne. 1697 Dryden æneis ix. 1034 But whom they fear'd without, they found within. 1849 Grote Greece ii. xliv. V. 359 Traitors within, as well as exiles without. 1914 Engl. Hist. Rev. Oct. 751 Support for the royal power against the barons within and the papacy without. |
b. In (or into) the house or dwelling, indoors: = in adv. 5; also, in the inner part of the house, in an inner chamber; Theatr. (esp. in stage-directions), behind the scenes.
| c 1275 Lay. 642 He..þrettede þan castle and þat folk wid ine. c 1290 Beket 1175 in S. Eng. Leg. 140 Al with-Inne seten is men as þei he lowest were. c 1430 Syr. Tryam. 531 To mete as they were sett in halle, Syr Marrok was there ferre withynne y-wys. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 32 She was within, but he was yet abrode. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iv. i. 143 stage dir., Shout within, they all start up. 1595 ― John iv. i. 85 Go stand within: let me alone with him. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage ii. xiv. 159 The mother keepeth within, six weeks. 1771 Wesley Jrnl. 26 May (1827) III. 419 The rain obliged me to preach within. 1815 Jane Austen Emma xxxii, Not being within when he called the other day. 1833 L. Ritchie Wand. Loire 131 ‘Within, there! ho!’ shouted the traveller. 1837 Dickens Pickw. xxxiv, Apartments furnished for a single gentleman. Inquire within. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xxi. IV. 559 A messenger went with the summons to the house of the Duke of Leeds, and was there informed that the Swiss was not within. |
c. transf. In the number or membership of a class or community. (Cf. B. 1 e.) rare.
| 1526 [see without adv. 2 b]. |
3. fig. In the inward being; in the mind, soul, or heart (sometimes implying ‘in one's true character as opposed to outward appearance’); inwardly.
| c 1000 ælfric Gen. vi. 6 Ᵹehrepod mid heortan sarnysse wiðinnan. c 1000 ― Hom. I. 604 We beoð fram Gode ᵹesewene æᵹðer ᵹe wiðutan ᵹe wiðinnan. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 95 Ȝif þe halia gast ne learð þes monnes heorte and his mod wið-innan. c 1200 Ormin 5751 Ȝiff þiss hallȝhe griþþ iss wel wiþþinnenn i þin herrte. a 1225 Ancr. R. 4 Vorto riwlen þe heorte wiðinnen. 1340 Ayenb. 10 Þe zixte heste uorbyet þe dede wyþ-oute, ac þis uorbyet þe grantinge wyþinne. c 1386 Chaucer Wife's T. 87 Be we neuer so vicious with-Inne We wol been holden wise. 1421 26 Pol. Poems xviii. 118 Be suche wiþ-ynne, as ȝe outward seme. a 1548 Hall Chron., 22 Hen. VIII, 187 b, His graces sight was so quike..that he saw him, ye and saw through him, both within, and without. 1617 Fletcher Valentinian iv. iv, Think not the worse.., I shed not teares, Great griefes lament within. 1676 Dryden Aurengz. iv. i, I..Stood firm collected in my Strength within. 1690 Norris Beatitudes (1692) 159 Look within, for within is the Fountain of Good. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xxxiii, Thou, that countest reason ripe In holding by the law within. |
4. Preceded by from († out of), in various senses.
| c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xv. 357 Ye shall not goo oute of wythin, wythout my leve. 1645 Gataker God's Eye on Israel 52 Nor any helper..; as no power from within, so no ayd from without. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 64 Other Powers..Fell not, but stand unshak'n, from within Or from without. 1810 Wordsw. Sonn. ‘O'erweening Statesmen’, From within proceeds a Nation's health. 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lex. 273 When the impression from without, or the stimulus from within,..excites the organs. 1896 J. Davidson Fleet St. Eclogues Ser. ii. 38 Be your own star, for strength is from within. |
† 5. Below the number or amount mentioned; less. (Cf. B. 7.) Obs.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxxvi. (Baptista) 997 Al barnis..Of twa ȝere elde & withine. a 1425 Cursor M. 11567 (Trin.) Of two ȝeer or wiþynne þus [Cott. Tua yeir or less]. 1450 Paston Lett. I. 155 To bye it at the some of C. mark or wythynne. 1509 Reg. Privy Seal Scot. I. 286/2 To the nowmer of xii personis or within. |
† 6. a. In possession or occupation. Obs. rare.
| 1573 in Hone Man. & Manor. Rec. (1906) 191 Aforesaid Agnes survived him, and kept herself within, and was, and still is, seised thereof for term of her life. |
B. prep.
1. a. In the inner part or interior of, inside of, in (a space, region, receptacle, etc.). (a) as a mere synonym of in prep. 1. arch.
The use with gen. in ‘þæt wiðinnan ys calicys’ (Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxiii. 26) is a literalism of translation (Vulg. quod intus est calicis = τὸ ἐντὸς τοῦ ποτηρίου).
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 89 Þa weren þer igedered wiðinne þere buruh of ierusalem trowfeste men. a 1240 Ureisun 49 in O.E. Hom. I. 193 Wið-inne paradise. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 348 Vn-welde woren..Here owen limes hem wið-in. Ibid. 555 Ðo wex a flod ðis werlde wid-hin. a 1300 Cursor M. 2678 Þou and þi childer.. And þat wons þi house witin. 1388 in Archæologia LII. 213 W{supt}in the said westre. c 1400 Anturs Arth. 136 Sei me..whi þou walkest þes wayes, þe wodes with-in? c 1489 Caxton Blanchardyn viii. heading, To passe ouer the ryuere wythin a bote. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. Prol. 116 Wythin my bed I waikynnit quhair I lay. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. i. i. 94 Schoolemasters will I keepe within my house. 1611 Bible Ps. ci. 2, I will walke within my house with a perfect heart. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 810 The Viper dead, within her Hole is found. 1768 Sterne Sent. Journ., Moulines, Her head leaning on one side within her hand. 1820 Keats Isabella xxxviii, It shall comfort me within the tomb. 1867 Morris Jason i. 86 The bath within the pool of some green rill. |
(b) with emphasis on the restriction or confinement by limits or boundaries: In the limits of, not outside or beyond. Opp. to without prep. 1. (The current use.)
| 1131 O.E. Chron. (Laud), Ealle þa ðing þa wæron wiðinne mynstre & wiðuten. c 1200 Ormin 1084 He..ȝede upp to þatt allterr þatt wass wiþþinnenn waȝherifft. c 1300 K. Horn 256 (Laud), Wit hinne þe curt and wit oute. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 307 Every thing which was honeste With⁓innen house and ek withoute. c 1400 Mandeville (1919) i. 5 The water of the see is fressch & holdeth his swetness .xx. myle within the see. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 665 In weyes and pathes..with-in burgh and with-out burgh. 1539 Bible (Great) 1 Kings vi. 23 Within the Oracle he made two Cherubims of Oliue tree. 1551 Crowley Pleas. & Payne 110 Tyll all the good and fruitfull grounde Were hedged in whythin your mownde. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. xiv. 15 Many small houses very aunciently builded within the grounde [= underground]. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 91 ¶1 Within the Liberties of the City of Westminster. 1794 Act 34 Geo. III, c. 93 §63 The Mines and Minerals lying and being within or under the said Lands. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ix. II. 437 Privileged districts, within which the Papal government had no more power than within the Louvre or the Escurial. |
b. (a) In (an inclosure or inclosing boundary); so as to be included, contained, surrounded, or confined by. Also in fig. context (cf. 9).
within board (Naut.), in the inside of a ship: see board n. 12. within the lists: see list n.3 9.
| 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. iii. (Skeat) I. 54 These broughten me within-borde of this shippe of Traveyle. a 1400 Pistill of Susan 10 Wiþ Inne the sercle of sees Of Erberi and Alees. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 211 With-in þe merris of Messedoyn. 1559 W. Cuningham Cosmogr. Glasse 17 A Circle is a plaine and flat figure comprehended within one line, which is called a circumference. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 9 Scotlande..is hail w{supt}in the sey, excepte that parte quhair it lyes to Ingland. 1598 Stow Surv. 242 First to speake of that part within the gate. 1638 Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. II.) 5 To gain beleefe, one must keepe himselfe within the bounds of likelihood. 1725 Watts Logic i. vi. §5 To leave Obscurities in the Sentence, by confining it within too narrow Limits. 1779 Mirror No. 10 ¶11 A man who has confined his turn for enjoyment within the bounds pointed out by nature. 1831 Carlyle Sart. Res. i. iii, The proud Grandee..reposes within damask Curtains. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 221 Whether the Declaration of Indulgence lay within or without the limit was the question. Ibid. v. 614 Five hundred prisoners had been crowded into the parish church of Weston Zoyland;..five expired within the consecrated walls. 1871 R. H. Hutton Theol. Ess. (1888) i. 7 Those within the circle of its influence. |
(b) Appended to names of places lying within a certain boundary or area, as Bishopsgate Within (i.e. within the walls of London), Hensington Within (i.e. within the borough of Woodstock).
| 1598 Stow Surv. 85 Aldersgate ward within and without. Ibid. 248 Faringdon Warde, Infra, or within. 1657 Howell Londinop. 87 We will..take a Survey of Bridge Ward within, so called of London-Bridge. 1745 Kent's Lond. Directory 93 Ware Nathaniel, Grocer, Bishopsgate within. 1837 Dickens Pickw. xlv, The united parishes of Saint Simon Without, and Saint Walker Within. 1899 Kelly's Direct. Oxon 323 2 Hensington Within is a civil parish, formed..from the portion of the old parish in Woodstock municipal borough. |
† c. within land: in the interior of the country, at a distance from the coast or other boundary: = inland C. Obs.
| 1614 Purchas Pilgrimage ix. iv. (ed. 2) 840 The Pories dwell an hundred miles within Land. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 141 Coventry..at this day is the fairest City within-land. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §206 Though there is plenty of the same kind of stone to be found in Strata within land; yet..the lime-burners can procure..sufficient quantity from the shelving sea-shore. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxxiv, It was too far within land, and I might have been scented. |
d. On the inner (esp. landward) side of; further in than. (Cf. without B. 1 c.) ? Obs.
| 1743 Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 120 The Cutter, being on the Beam, and four Miles within us. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. iv, Three other apartments, one for my wife and me, another for our two daughters, within our own. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §336 At 116 yards within high-water mark. c 1804 Jane Austen The Watsons in Mem. (1871) 321 The tea-room was a small room within the card-room. |
e. transf. In the membership of (a class, society, etc.); (in predicate) included in, forming a part of. (Cf. in prep. 7.)
| 1697 Jos. Woodward Relig. Soc. vi. (1701) 124 It is objected..That this is a Society within a Society, and a Refining upon a Reformed Church. 1799 Monthly Rev. XXX. 471 Compositions which may be arranged within this class. 1885 Law Times Rep. (N.S.) LII. 319/2 Criminal informations are within the mischief intended to be guarded against. |
2. To the interior of; into. Also with the boundary as obj., as in 1 b. (Cf. in prep. 31.) Obs. or arch.
| c 1205 Lay. 5812 Belin & Brennes buȝen heom fram þan fuhte wih innen are muchele dic. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3775 Alle he sunken ðe erðe wiðin. 13.. Cursor M. 2303 (Gött.) Feindes crepe þas ymagis wid-in. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 80 This Hors..Was broght withinne the Cite. 1423 Jas. I. Kingis Q. lxxvii, I was anon In broght Within a chamber. c 1480 Henryson Wolf & Wether 51 Was nouther Uolf, Uildcat, nor ȝit Tod Durst cum within thay boundis all about. 1508 Dunbar Gold. Targe 92 Full lustily thir ladyes..Enterit within this park. 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. i. v. 13 b, Going upon the friday within a certein harbour. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 11, I would Haue suncke the Sea within the Earth. 1844 Lingard Anglo-Saxon Ch. (1858) I. vii. 291 Admission within the fold. |
† 3. In or into the midst of, among, with; spec. in the house of; hence, in the hands or possession of.
| a 1240 Ureisun 26 in O.E. Hom. I. 191 Biuoren ðine leoue sune wið-innen seraphine. c 1425 Engl. Conq. Irel. 52 Whan thay myght nat wyth streynth spede, thay bethoght ham that wyth falshed & wyth treyson they wold come wyth-yn ham. 1428 Engl. Misc. (Surtees) 2 To serche what osmundes he had with in hym at yat tyme. c 1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Gilbert xx. 92 So wer þese chanones fer sette fro þe nunnes þat þei schuld not come with-inne þe nunnes..but only for ministracion of þe sacramentis. 1474 Cov. Leet Bk. 399 Yf he kepe any Bawdery withinne hym his fyne is at euery tyme vj s. viij d. 1482 in Engl. Hist. Rev. Jan. (1910) 122 He shalle bynde and repayre alle bookes needefulle wythine vs. 1490 Will J. Baker (Somerset Ho.), Elisabeth..dwelling within me. 1493 Mirk's Festyuall 151/2 Some..men y{supt} had copyes of this bokis within hem at home. 1570 Foxe A. & M. (ed. 2) 2124/2 A woman that dwelleth within vs. 1609 Tourneur Funeral Poem Sir F. Vere, When occasion did present His observation with some accident Within the enemie, that did invite The side he served in to attempt a fight. |
4. Various transf. uses, chiefly with reflexive pronoun. † a. In the limits of (not beyond or outside) the body, community, or collection of. within themselves (within ourselves, etc.): among themselves (etc.), independently of others. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1914 Wit-in þeir auen kind to brede. 1484 Cov. Leet Bk. 522 Hit shal-be determyned & orderyd by all the Mairys withyn them selff. 1496 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 516/2 They, within theymselfe, shall make Colleccion of such Somes of Money as shall be assessed..to be levyed. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iv. i. 140 If they perceyue dissention in our lookes, And that within our selues we disagree. 1654 Earl of Monmouth tr. Bentivoglio's Wars Flanders 189 They differed within themselves in their votes. 1737 [S. Berington] G. di Lucca's Mem. (1738) 113 Living entirely within themselves, free from all Mixture and Commerce with other People. |
b. within oneself (within itself, etc.): (a) so as to be self-contained or independent, without external connexion (now dial.); † (b) in self-command or self-control, not ‘beside oneself’; (c) in the limits of one's own belongings or resources, without external supply or aid (now dial.); (d) not beyond one's normal capacity of exertion; without strain, or waste of energy or effort.
| (a) 1518 Star Chamber Cases (Selden Soc.) II. 136 He seid..that my lord of Peturburgh was lord and Kyng wythin hym self vnder the Kyng. 1727–46 Thomson Summer 772 A world within itself, Disdaining all assault. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxxvi, Some efforts..towards building houses within themselves, as they are emphatically termed. |
| (b) 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. ii. v. 75 Good Madam, keepe your selfe within your selfe. |
| (c) 1738 Earl of Oxford in Portland Papers (Hist. MSS. Comm.) VI. 171 The several officers have all within themselves for their use, cook, butler, housekeeper, wash house, laundry, brew house. 1757 [Burke] Europ. Settlem. Amer. vii. xxi. II. 239 They drive a great many cattle from North Carolina..into Virginia, to be slaughtered there; and they kill and salt some beef, and..pork, for the West Indies, within themselves. 1801 Farmer's Mag. Aug. 309 They, for the most part, live entirely upon the produce of the farm, and think they do well when they can, (in their own words) ‘live within themselves’; that is to say,..without buying any thing. 1824 Carr Craven Gloss., Within-oursells, in our possession, without purchase. |
| (d) 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1757) II. 148 The Sweat will not..appear so plentiful, provided he [sc. the horse] is quite run within himself. 1860 G. J. Whyte-Melville Mkt. Harb. x. 76 [The horse] going well on his haunches, and quite within himself. 1878 Month Aug. 463 They are rowing quite within themselves, in very good time, and have the race in hand. |
5. fig. In the (inner) being, soul, or mind of. within oneself, spec. (after say, think, etc.) = in thought, mentally, without outward expression.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Spelman) cii[i]. 1 Ealle ða ðe wiðinnan me synd [Vulg. intra me sunt]. a 1240 Lofsong in O.E. Hom. I. 211 Þi passiun acwenche þe passiun of sunnen þet wunieð wið inne me. a 1300 Cursor M. 807 Þe find..said wit hin his sari thoght, Ic haue him don to suinc for noght. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 326 Þe holy goste ys þe withynne. 1340 Ayenb. 153 Huanne þise tuo ziden of þe herte byeþ acorded..þet is þe scele and þet wyl þanne is þe man ordine wyþ-inne him-zelue. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 338 To ouyr-comen enemis þat arn þe wiþ-inne. 1382 Wyclif Matt. ix. 21 She saide with ynne hir self, Ȝif I touche oonly the clothis of hym, I shal be saaf. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxix. 22 Hald Hoip and Treuthe within the fast. 1526 Tindale Luke xxiv. 32 Did not oure hertes burne wyth in vs, whyll he talked with vs? 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. i. i. 24 The spirit of my Father, which I thinke is within mee, begins to mutinie against this seruitude. a 1668 R. Lassels Voy. Italy ii. (1698) 118 Laughing within himself. 1748 Richardson Clarissa (1768) VI. 217 They will be moved on the slightest occasions, whether those offer from within or without them. 1836 Lytton Duchess de La Vallière iii. iii, How sinks my heart within me! 1853 Rock Ch. Fathers ii. xii. (1903) IV. 179 The priest prayed—by name, but within himself—for the then pope [etc.]. 1860 Hawthorne Marble Faun vii. (1865) 55 It irks my brain and heart to think of her, all shut up within herself. 1896 A. E. Housman Shropsh. Lad xxx, And fire and ice within me fight Beneath the suffocating night. |
6. a. In the limits of (a period of time); most usually, before the end of, after not more than; also, since the beginning of, not more than{ddd}ago; or gen. between the beginning and end of, in the course of, during. So † within a word = as soon as a word was uttered, at a word.
| c 1175 E.E. (Vesp.) Hom. 89 Wiðinnen feower wucan comen [hi] to him. c 1205 Lay. 4955 Wið innen a lut ȝeren Brennes hine bi-ðohte. c 1290 Beket 1500 in S. Eng. Leg. 149 Euerech Abbod of greie Monekes to þulke chapitle cam With-Inne þre ȝer. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 7047 Sone aftyrward, with-yn a lytyl. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 149 He hath wedded a wyf with-Inne þis syx monethes. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 103, I fel a-slepe with-Inne an our or two. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxv. 119 He schall hafe worde within a day and a nyght. 1535 Coverdale Acts i. 5 Ye shalbe baptysed with y⊇ holy goost, & that within this few dayes. 1548 Patten Exped. Scot. Pref. b v b, How many meanes and weys hath my lord Protectours grace, within his tyme of gouernaunce..attempted..to shonne these warres. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. To King §15 Things..which may be done in succession of ages, though not within the houre-glasse of one mans life. 1651 tr. Kitchin's Jurisd. (1653) 79 If the Owner do not come within a year and a day. 1757 E. Griffith Lett. Henry & Frances (1767) IV. 247, I am, within these three Days, recovering Spirits and Appetite. 1822 Act 3 Geo. IV c. 39 §1 Within Twenty one Days after the Execution of such Warrant of Attorney. 1869 ‘Mark Twain’ New Pilgr. Progr. xi. (1870) 85 The cry went abroad of ‘Ten minutes to dress for breakfast!’.. I was dressed within the ten minutes. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. xix. IV. 361 One of which was standing within the present generation. 1918 Act 8 Geo. V c. 2 (title), The Hours within which Marriages may be lawfully solemnized. |
† b. within night: after nightfall. Obs.
| c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 7894 The day was gon, thei hadde no lyght, For it was wel with-Inne nyght. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. (1812) I. cccxl. 533 About two houres within night they armed them. 1632 Lithgow Trav. iv. 142 The last howre of Prayer, is alwayes two or three howres within night. 1685 W. Hedges Diary (Hakl. Soc.) I. 206 We..arrived..a little within night. |
† c. (without reference to limits) At some time during: = in prep. 19. Obs.
| 1471 Acta Audit. (1839) 16/1 Þe last court quhen..þe dome was gevin was within feryale tyme onne gude Wednisday in passioun woulk. 1551–2 in Feuillerat Revels Edw. VI (1914) 74 Boughte of him within y⊇ moneth of december. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, i. ii. 60 King Pharamond..died within the yeere of our Redemption, Foure hundred twentie six. 1651 tr. Kitchin's Jurisd. (1653) 79 He to whom the property is, may take him within the year. [1850 Tennyson In Mem. xcii, Tho' it spake and bared to view A fact within the coming year.] |
d. a story within a story and varr., a story, performance, etc., complete in itself but occurring within another. Cf. play within a play s.v. play n. 14 a.
| 1961 Webster s.v. Within, A musical within a musical. 1971 J. Gores in ‘E. Queen’ Magicians of Mystery (1976) 162 A new kind of procedural detective story..it uses the dream ‘story-within-a-story’ which antedates even..The Vision of Pierce Plowman. 1976 C. Bermant Coming Home ii. ii. 125 A plump, bespectacled woman..grasped him in a tearful embrace. Was this a drama within a drama, a man who had thought he'd lost his wife and would rather that she had stayed lost? 1978 Listener 19 Jan. 86/3 Fitzgerald was featured creating one of his..short stories... This device allowed for a film within a film. 1984 B. Paul Renewable Virgin ii. 38 There was some sort of a crime-within-a-crime just waiting to be discovered. |
7. a. (a) Not beyond or above (a specified or implied amount or degree); at, in, or of less than or not more than; so as not to exceed or surpass; esp. (b) in expressions of a small difference or margin of error from a larger amount: = with a difference of not more than (so much) above or, usually, below.
| 1388 Wyclif 1 Chron. xxvii. 23 Dauid nolde noumbre hem with ynne twenti ȝeer [1382 fro twenty ȝeer and benethen]. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxx. 137 Faire damysellz within þe elde of xv. ȝere. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 290 Wether þei ben cosynnes wythinne degre of mariage or no. 1489 Acta Audit. (1839) 131/2 Þe sereffis quhilkis prisit his gudis haid prisit þaim gretly within þe avale of þaim. 1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 20 Preamble, Beyng of kyn..unto the said John..within the second and third degree. 1727 Swift Let. to very young Lady Misc. II. 337, I think you ought to be well informed how much your Husband's Revenue amounts to, and be so good a Computer as to keep within it. 1783 Ld. Percy in G. Rose's Diaries (1860) I. 58 Being..determined to live within my income. 1851, 1887 [see mark n.1 12 c]. 1885 Law Rep. 29 Chanc. Div. 453 The actions were commenced within a few days of each other. |
| (b) 1556 J. Heywood Spider & F. lxxvi. 28 Thousands..are gone..Till all: within fortie, weare flowne quight awaie. 1601 Holland Pliny xiii. xv. I. 395 The..diametre..was foure foot within three quarters of an inch. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. ii. 126 He is very yong, and yet will he within three pound lift as much as his brother Hector. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 91 ¶1 She has a tall Daughter within a Fortnight of Fifteen. 1886 E. C. Robins Temple Sol. (1887) 15 The extreme length of Solomon's Temple..is made (in his restoration of it) to agree with that of the Temple of Pæstum within 2 inches. 1920 Conquest Apr. 168 The unit of electrical current..was obtained..to within one point in 20,000. |
† b. within age = of less than full age, under age. Obs.
| c 1400 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) iv. xxxviii. (1859) 64 They..gouerne hym, ryght as he were to yonge within age. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye iii. 317 Chyldren..that dye wythin age vncrystened. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. (1812) II. ci. [xcvii.] 295 When kynge Rycharde was crowned..he was within age, and a kynge ought nat to gouerne a royalme tyll he be xxi. yeres of age. 1596 Bacon Use Com. Law iii. (1630) 35 Leauing their heire within age, a Male within 21. and a female within 14. yeares. |
c. Not beyond or outside (a specified distance); at or to a distance of less, or not more, than; nearer or not farther away than.
Often in fig. phrases, as within an ace, within a hair's breadth of.
| c 1440 Generydes 3044 As sone as Ermones..Sawe that he was withynne his wepons length, Anon he smote Att hym. 1537 Layton in Lett. Suppr. Monast. (Camden) 157 Other doctor Lee or I have familier acqwayntance within x. or xij. mylles of hit. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 25 [We] came within foure degrees of the æquinoctiall. 1700 T. Brown tr. Fresny's Amusem. 23 The least false Step brings them within an Ace of Death. 1726, 1839 [see inch n.1 2]. 1755, 1767 [see hair's-breadth, hairbreadth]. 1794 Act 34 Geo. III c. 93 §64 Within the Distance of Ten Yards. 1812 Jefferson Writ. (1830) IV. 178 Almost within striking distance of each other. 1863 G. J. Whyte-Melville Gladiators xxxvii, The German would not permit Esca to approach within spear's-length of his post. 1865 A. Trollope Belton Est. xiii, Keeping within a few yards of his sister's chair. |
8. a. In expressions referring to the physical range of some action or perception: Not beyond, not farther than the extent of: as within call, near enough to hear a call; within reach, near enough to reach, or to be reached; within sight, or within hearing, near enough to see or hear, to be seen or heard; etc. Often const. of (the agent or percipient, or the object of the action or perception). Cf. in prep. 9 d.
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lv. 188 He slewe..all that came within his stroke. a 1533– [see sight n.1 4 e]. 1580– [see cannon-shot 3]. 1581 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. i. (1586) 25 Shoote not at every bird, but onely at those that are within reach to be hit. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. v. iv. 127 Come not within the measure of my wrath. 1607– [see earshot]. 1623 Massinger Dk. Milan iv. iii, Be within call. 1687 Prior Hind. & P. Transv. 5 Stand off and come not within my Swords point. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 311 ¶4 A Man..talking loud within her Hearing. 1766, 1862 [see hearing vbl. n. 1 b]. 1826 J. F. Cooper Last of Mohicans xv, There is also a powerful force within a few hours' march of us. 1856 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. II. 280, I will never be ‘within wind’ of Scotsbrig without going to see Jamie. |
b. Inside the guard, defence, or point of; near enough to come to grips with; Fencing, on the inside of (one's sword, arm, etc.). Also fig. Now rare or Obs.
| 156. Robin Hood, Play (ed. W. Copland) H ij b, Well I wote the horeson lepte within me And fro me he toke my purse. 1589 P. Ive Fortif. 105 The Spanyards with their Targets entred within our Switzers, under their Pikes, and constrained them to forsake their Pikes. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. v. i. 34 Some get within him, take his sword away. a 1697 South Serm., Rom. i. 32 II. 256 When by such Insinuations they have once got within him, and are able to drill him on from one Lewdness to another. 1707 Sir W. Hope New Method Fencing 99 The Single Feint within and above the Sword, called in the Schools Volte Coupé. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 109 ¶3 He came within the Target of the Gentleman who rode against him. 1809 Roland Fencing 34 When, upon joining blades with your adversary, you find your sword in a line between his sword-arm and the left side of his body..it is termed being within the arm. 1876 R. F. Burton New Syst. Sword Exerc. 52 When the point is passed well under and within the sword-arm. |
9. fig. In the extent of (something abstract figured as a region, or as having extension); esp. in, or not beyond, the scope or sphere of action of (authority, power, knowledge, a law, etc.). Cf. in prep. 8, 9 d.
| 1493 Acta Dom. Conc. (1839) 272/2 He wes within our souerane lordis warde. 1512 Act 4 Hen. VIII c. 2 §1 Suche as ben within holy orders only excepte. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 38 Wythin hys jurisdiction. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, i. ii. 289 But this lyes all within the wil of God. 1610 B. Jonson Alch. i. i, You will bring him in Within the statute? 1643 [see sphere n. 6 b]. a 1648 Ld. Herbert Hen. VIII (1683) 357 That none should have the benefit of this recourse to the Ordinary, but those who were within holy Orders. a 1654 Selden Table-t. (Arb.) 88 Eat within your Stomack, act within your Commission. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 201 ¶1 As they live within Rules, and as they transgress them. 1769 Blackstone Comm. IV. xxviii. 365 Within the benefit of clergy. 1820 Broderip & Bingham's Rep. I. 436 Whether the party was a trader within the bankrupt laws. 1823 Scott Quentin D. viii, Who..will assert that..their place of retirement is within my knowledge? 1862 Spencer First Princ. i. ii. §14. 43 Even..Atheism comes within the definition. 1869 Freeman Norm. Conq. xiii. III. 288 Did they deem the enterprise within his power? 1891 Law Times' Rep. LXIII. 776/1 The contract and the label together constituted a written warranty within the meaning of the above section. |
C. adj. That is within; † (of a letter or document) enclosed. rare.
| 1748 Richardson Clarissa (1768) III. 258 This is a favour you'll see by the within Letter. a 1766 F. Sheridan Sidney Bidulph IV. 233 Give him the within letter. 1794 Bloomfield's Rep. 11 Agreeably to the command of the within Writ. 1806 Gen. Wilkinson in Coues Exped. Z. M. Pike (1895) II. 574 You will not fail, in addition to the within talk, to enhance our paternal regard for this nation. |
D. Comb. a. of the adv.; in quots. in sense 1 c, as † within-bounden, within-named adjs. b. of the prep.: within-bound a. (nonce-wd.), confined or experienced within bounds (in a school).
| 1498 Cov. Leet Bk. 593 The condicion of þis obligacion is such that whereas certayn trauers is dependyng betwixt þe withinbounden Maire & Cominalte on the on partie and þe priour & Couent..on þe oþer partie [etc.]. 1570 in G. F. Townsend Leominster (n.d.) 300 The w{supt}hin-named John Ingle. 1706 De Foe True Relat. Pref., Wks. (1889) 436 The house in which the within-named Mrs. Bargrave lived. 1708 Rec. Stitchill (S.H.S. 1905) 159 The within-designed George Hamilton. 1834 Chitty Forms 165 As well the within-named plaintiff as the within-named defendant. 1839 W. Howitt Boy's Country-Bk. xvi. 227 What are all their within-bound enjoyments..to their monthly rural walks? 1844 A. B. Corner Forms of Writs, etc. 43 To be indorsed ‘By Rule of Court,’ (if so). At the instance of the within-named Appellants (or Respondents). |
▪ II. within, n.
(wɪˈðɪn)
[f. the adv.]
That which is within or inside (esp. fig.).
| 1912 J. Stephens Crock of Gold xiii. 166 It [sc. anger] is not the beneficent blindness which prevents one from seeing without, but it is that desperate darkness which cloaks the within, and hides the heart and the brain from each other's husbandly and wifely recognition. 1938 L. MacNeice Mod. Poetry 28 Wyndham Lewis maintains that it is the artist's or writer's business to depict the Without of people and not their Within. 1973 Times 26 Nov. 15/8 Having every intention of looking again and again before the exhibition finally departs for its permanent home in the ‘Great Within’, or wherever—I feel I must compliment the compilers of the excellent catalogue. |