ˈpastance Obs. exc. arch.
Also 6 pastaunce.
[app. a phonetic repr. of F. passe-temps (in 15–16th c. also passetamps, passetans, Godef.), f. passe vb. imper. (passe-) + temps time, in It. passatempo. For the final -ce, cf. tense, in early use also tence. See also passe-temps and pastime.]
Recreation; = pastime n. 1.
| 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. i. 409 Quhat gudlie pastance? and quhat menstralie? 15.. Skelton P. Sparowe 1095 To haue in remembraunce Her goodly dalyaunce, And her goodly pastaunce. c 1525 Hen. VIII Pastance vitht gude companye i, For my pastance, hunt, syng, & daunce, my hart is sett! Ibid. ii, Youthe must haue sum daliance Off good or yll, sum pastance. 1598 Yong Diana i. i, They haue no kind of pastaunce Which you think not to excuse. 1873 Dixon Two Queens II. xii. iii. 298 His fine ballad, ‘Pastance with good company’, rank[s] among the better known. 1906 Outlook 7 Apr. 471/2 During the dog-days..the grouse, the pheasant, and the fox are..withdrawn by the needs of Nature from their altruistic task of providing pastance for the gentlemen of England. |