entitle

entitle, v.
  (ɛnˈtaɪt(ə)l)
  Forms: 5–7 entytle, (entytel, -titele), 5– entitle. Also 5–7 intytle, (intitele), 5–9 intitle. See also intitule.
  [a. AF. entitle-r, OF. entiteler, entituler, mod.Fr. intituler, corresp. to Pr. entitolar, intitular, It. intitolare, late L. intitulāre, f. in in + titulus title.]
  I. From title = ‘superscription, designation’.
  1. trans. To furnish (a literary work, a chapter, etc.) with a heading or superscription; in early use gen. (cf. title n.). Subsequently only in narrower sense: To give to (a book, etc.) a designation by which it is to be cited, or which indicates the nature of its contents. Chiefly with complementary obj.; also const. † by, † with.

α c 1381 Chaucer Parl. Foules 30 This booke..Entitled was right thus..Tullius of the dreame of Scipion. 1388 Wyclif Jerome's Prol. Rom., The epistil..that to Ebrues ys writen..is not entitlid with his [Paul's] name. 1483 Caxton Cato A ij b, This book..ought to be entytled the reule and gouernement of the body and of the sowle. 1581 Mulcaster Positions Ep. Ded. (1887) 5, I haue entitled the booke Positions. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. i. iii. §9 To dedicate them [books]..to private and equal friends, or to entitle the books with their names. 1792 London Rev. Nov. 363 This section Mr. S. entitles, ‘Of the Use and Abuse of general Principles in Politics’. 1888 H. Morley Eng. Writers III. 179 A book entitled ‘De Nugis Curialium’.

β 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) I. 25 In his Policraticon, whom he intitlede de Nugis Curialium. 1534 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) B iiij b, I will intitle this boke the Golden boke. 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 1 Bookes..intiteled..the psalter, primers, praiers, statutes and lawes of this realme. 1738 Birch Life Milton Wks. 1738 I. 76 The Icon was at first intitled by the King Suspiria Regalia. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. Contents 7 Extracts from a Book intitled the Storm.

  † b. To inscribe, dedicate (a book) to a person.

1460 J. Capgrave Chron. 152 Doctour Gylis..entitelid it [the bok of Governauns of Princes] to Philip, dauphin of Frauns. 1607 Hieron Wks. Ded. before p. 429 I. Pp iiij, I haue thought good to commend some of my poore labours vnto you, by a more particular entitling them to your name.

  † c. To ascribe (a literary work) to an author. With mixed notion of 5 c.

1550 Cranmer Defence 50 b, In an other booke, entitled to sainct Augustine, is written thus, etc. 1575 Fulke Confut. Doctr. Purg. (1577) 216 Ecclesiasticus and the booke of Wisdome, falsely intitled to Salomon. 1671 Stubbe Reply 17 My Adversaries will here allow no other Book to be Entitled unto the R.S. but what is licensed by their President. 1699 Bentley Phal. Introd. 14 Dionysius made a Tragedy called Parthenopæus, and intitled it to Sophocles. 1724 Swift Let. 28 Apr. The other [tract] is entitled to a Weaver..but thought to be the work of a better hand.

  † d. ? To prefix the name of (an alleged author) to. Obs. (Perh. belongs to 5.)

a 1745 Swift (T.), We have been entitled, and have had our names prefixed at length to whole volumes of mean productions.

  2. To bestow on (a person) a certain title or designation expressing his rank, office, or character; to speak of (a person) by a certain title. Formerly also, to give a certain designation to (a thing). Const. as in 1.

α 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys (1835) Introd. 3 Galfryd of Ynglond in his newe werk Entytlyd thus as I can aspye Galfridus Anglicus. 1589 R. Harvey Pl. Perc. 7 It were enough to entitle those Browne Sectaries of the Blacke Prince, with the name of traytors. 1602 W. Fulbecke Pandectes 21 The kings and Queenes of England entitling themselues kings and Queenes of Fraunce. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 171 Next favourable thou, Who highly thus to entitle me voutsaf'st. 1683 Ray Corr. (1848) 135 He entitles it Conyza acris annua alba. 1711 Hearne Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.) III. 147 Please entitle S. only Bart. 1860 Pusey Min. Proph. Joel iii. 16 Here entitled by the incommunicable name of God.

β 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, i. ii. 33 That which in meane men we intitle patience, Is pale cold cowardice. 1596 ― Tam. Shr. iv. v. 61 And now by Law, as well as reuerent age, I may intitle thee my louing Father. 1605 Camden Rem. 35 Mawd..who intitled herselfe Empresse. 1728 Morgan Algiers II. ii. 232 They intitled him Sultan.

  † 3. To write down under proper titles or headings. Obs.

α c 1430 Lydg. in Lay Folks Mass Bk. (1879) 394 Somme entytlenn hem in smale bookes of Report. 1463 Paston Lett. No. 477 II. 138 And more thinges..which I entytelyd in a scrowe. 1533 Frith Answ. More's Lett. Pref. A ij b, He desired me to entitle the somme of my wordes & wryte them for hym.

β 1533–4 Act 25 Hen. VIII, c. 21 §9 One sufficient clerke..shall intitle in his bokes and enroll of recorde such other writinges. 1582 Bentley Mon. Matrones, After the good example of the learned fathers of our time, to intitle, reduce, & applie those other godlie meditations & praiers.

  II. From title = ‘right to possession’.
  4. To furnish (a person) with a ‘title’ to an estate. Hence gen. to give (a person or thing) a rightful claim to a possession, privilege, designation, mode of treatment, etc. Const. to with n. or inf.; also simply. Now said almost exclusively of circumstances, qualities, or actions; formerly often of personal agents.

α 1468 W. Worcester in Paston Lett. No. 582 II. 314, I..entitled no crettur to na place. 1530 Palsgr. 538/1 By what meanes is he entyteled unto these landes. 1649 Selden Laws Eng. i. xlvii. (1739) 77 The Emperor could entitle the Pope to no power here, because none he had. 1652 T. Whitfield Doctr. Armin. 8 His dying for the elect is a sufficient ground to entitle him. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 257 ¶8 [God] will hereafter entitle many to the Reward of Actions which they had never the Opportunity of Performing. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 289 Such a quantity as might entitle that water to the name of the Golden Lake. 1798 Ferriar Certain Varieties Man 223 Every man thinks himself entitled to observe and to publish. 1818 Cruise Digest I. 138 The first tenant in tail who is born becomes entitled to any timber felled by the tenant for life. 1826 Henry Elem. Chem. I. 635 The remaining salts of alumina have no properties sufficiently important to entitle them to a separate description. 1832 H. Martineau Demerara ii. 15 Better entitled than most of his brethren to complain of neglect. 1838 De Morgan Ess. Probab. 188 If each had been entitled to his fraction of the sum which would have become due had he lived to the end of the year. 1875 Poste Gaius iii. comm. (ed. 2) 396 The obligation by which the co-creditors are entitled.

β 1495 Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 2 §4 It shalbe laufull to every man intitled to have the seid penaltie to distreyne for it. 1571 Campion Hist. Irel. (1633) 70 Intytled to thirty thousand marks yearely. 1695 tr. Colbatch's New Light Chirurg. Put out p. iii, With how much Justice it's intitled to such a Name. 1741 Richardson Pamela I. 46 Who..thinks himself intitled to call me Bold-face. 1769 Robertson Chas. V, III. ix. 133 A higher rank in the temple of fame than either his talents or performances intitle him to hold.

  b. spec. To furnish with a title to orders.

1720 Bp. Kennett Monit. Clergy Peterbor. i. 16, I must expect and insist upon it, that you Intitle no Curate, without, etc.

  † c. To invest with an office, etc. Obs.

1584 Fenner Def. Ministers (1587) 38 Seeing you must..intitle the Magistrate with the Pastors office. 1662 Fuller Worthies (1840), Bring the last who was entitled..with that dignity.

  † d. To qualify, render apt. Const. to. Obs.

1627–77 Feltham Resolves i. xix. 33 There is a nobleness in the mind of man, which of it self, intitles it to the hatred of what is ill. 1650 Fuller Pisgah 402 The Temple..visibly intitled itself to fortification.

  † e. To assign the possession of (something) to; to settle (an estate) on a person. Obs.

1608 Hieron Defence ii. 25 The attribute ‘your Prince’, giuen to Michael, entitleth the name Michael to Christ only. 1674 R. Godfrey Inj. & Ab. Physic 145 He intitled his Inheritance on his Sister.

  † f. Phrase, to entitle and engage.

1641 Milton Ch. Discip. i. 4 To entitle and engage a glorious name to gross corruption. 1649 Nicholas Papers (1886) 149 To intitle and engage the Queen to espouse as her owne quarrell whatever reflects upon Lord Jermyn.

  † 5. To regard or treat (a person) as having a title to something. Hence, to represent (a person or thing) as the agent, cause, or subject of a particular action, effect, condition, or quality. Const. in, to, with n., rarely with inf. Obs.

α 1646 Jasper Maine Serm. agst. False Proph. 2 Never plot was hatcht to disturb the Commonwealth, but the writings of some Sybill or other were entitled to that plot. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. iii. iii. §7 Supposing Gods giving man this freedom of will, doth not entitle him to be the author of evill. 1672 Sir T. Browne Lett. Friend vii. (1881) 131, I was not so curious to entitle the stars unto any concern of his death. 1690 Locke Govt. i. xi. §154 How ready Zeal for Interest and Party is to entitle Christianity to their Designs.

β 1607–12 Bacon Ess. Praise (Arb.) 352 Wherein a man is..most defective..that will the flatterer intitle him to perforce. 1649 Jer. Taylor Gt. Exemp. ii. 100 Nor intitle God in our impotent..fansyes. 1663 J. Spencer Prodigies (1665) 359 An event to which I incline to intitle the especial agency of the Devil.

  † b. refl. To lay claim to. Obs.

1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. i. i. §4 Churches are generally ambitious to entitle themselves to Apostles, for their Founders. 1672 Bp. Lloyd Fun. Serm. Bp. Wilkins, To entitle themselves to dying men, even those, whose whole life was a testimony against them. a 1718 Penn Life Wks. 1726 I. 155 Such as intitle themselves to Christianity, whilst Strangers to the Terrors of the Lord for Sin.

  † c. To impute (something) to. Obs. Cf. 1 c.

1630 Prynne Anti-Armin. 267 What Testimonies their opposite Arminian Errors..can rake vp together, to intitle them vnto our Church. 1647 H. More Poems Pref., If we can but once entitle our opinions..to Religion. a 1662 [see entitling vbl. n.] 1665 Glanvill Sceps. Sci. 37 Intitling the Opinion of Intentional Species to Aristotle.

  Hence enˈtitled ppl. a., that has a title or qualification; qualified. enˈtitling vbl. n. enˈtitlement, a means of entitling; a designation, name. enˈtitler, one who entitles, or gives a title or name to.

1869 Daily News 9 Dec., The objections of entitled opposers. a 1662 Heylyn Life Abp. Laud (1668) 127 The entitling of these Doctrines to the name of Arminius. 1835 Tait's Mag. II. 670 Objections were raised..against so unlucky an entitlement. 1653 Ashwell Fides Apost. 225 And this may be therefore judged the..most likely to be intended by the first entitlers.

Oxford English Dictionary