▪ I. lesson, n.
(ˈlɛs(ə)n)
Forms: 3 lescun, 3–5 lessoun, lessun, (4 les(c)zoun, 5 lession, lessown), 4–5 lessone, 5, 7 lessen, 4– lesson.
[ad. OF. lecon, F. le{cced}on:—L. lectiōn-em, n. of action f. legĕre to read. Cf. lection n.]
† 1. a. The action of reading. Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. Prol., Aftir that hymself he ȝaf more to besynesse of lessoun [L. ad diligentiam lectionis] of lawe, and of profetes. |
b. A public reading; a lecture; also, a course of lectures.
Obs.| c 1340 Cursor M. 10123 heading (Laud), Lystyn now to my lesson That wille here of the concepcion. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints ii. (Paulus) 61 Ierome ws sais in his lessone þat [etc.]. a 1470 Gregory Chron. (Camd.) 230 Doctor Ive kepte the scolys at Poulys..and there he radde fulle nobylle lessonnys to preve that Cryste was lorde of alle. c 1500 in Peacock Stat. Cambr. (1841) App. A. p. xxx, The Bedell shall fett every Inceptour in Arte to Scolys to rede his solemn Lesson. 1546 R. Smith Def. Sacram. Altar title-p., Reader of the Kynges Majesties Lesson in His Grace's Universitie of Oxforde. 1599 Life More in Wordsw. Eccl. Biog. (1853) II. 52 He red openly in S{supt} Laurence churche London, S{supt} Austin's booke De Civitate Dei... His lesson was much frequented. 1724 R. Wodrow Life Jas. Wodrow (1828) 27 He waited on the divinity lessons of that great man Mr. Robert Baillie. |
| transf. c 1645 Howell Lett. (1650) I. 187 His wife falling to read him a loud lesson. |
2. Eccl. A portion of Scripture or other sacred writing read at divine service.
Now chiefly applied to the portion of the
O.T. (‘first lesson’) and to that of the
N.T. (‘second lesson’) appointed in the Church of England to be read at Morning and Evening Prayer. (For
proper lesson, see
proper a.) In the technical language of ritual, the word
lesson is not applied to the Gospel of the mass, but sometimes to the Epistle.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 22 Siggeð Dirige, mit þreo psalmes, & mit þreo lescuns eueriche niht sunderliche. c 1330 Spec. Gy Warw. 500 Þu most ben ofte in orisoun And in reding of lesczoun. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 709 Wel koude he rede a lesson or a storie. c 1400 Table in Wyclif's Bible IV. 683 Here bigynneth a rule, that tellith in whiche chapitris of the bible ȝe mai fynde the lessouns, pistlis, and gospels, that ben rad in the chirche al the ȝeer, after the vss of Salisbire. c 1422 Hoccleve Learn to Die 925 The .ix⊇. lesson which is rad In holy chirche vp-on all halwen day. 1548–9 (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer Ord. Holy Script., The olde Testament is appoynted for the first Lessons..the newe..for the second Lessons. 1691 Wood Ath. Oxon. II. 525 May it please your Maj. it is the proper lesson for the day, as appears by the Kalendar. 1802, 1865 [see lectionary]. 1883 Cath. Dict. (1897) 554/2 Our Breviary lessons for the first nocturn. Ibid. 555/1 Their [the Greeks'] daily offices contain no lessons from Scripture. 1895 H. Littlehales Prymer Pref. x, Dirige (Matins). Consisting of 3 Nocturns; each composed of:—3 Psalms..3 Lessons. |
3. a. A portion of a book or dictated matter, to be studied by the pupil for repetition to the teacher. Hence, something that is or is to be learnt.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 66 Eue..told hire [the serpent] al þet lescun þet God hire hefde ilered. a 1300 Cursor M. 6859 Suilk was þi lessun and þi lare. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 422 Catun..techyþ chyldryn þys lessun, ‘Ȝeue no charge to dremys [etc.].’ 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 118 Furst I leornede to lyȝe a lessun or tweyne, And wikkedliche or to weie was myn oþer lessun. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 34 (83) His lesson, þat he wende konne, To preyen hire is þurgh his wit y-ronne. 1486 Bk. St. Albans E ij b, Forrgeet not this lession for thyng that may fall. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 180, I beshrewe his herte y{supt} taught the that lesson. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado i. i. 295 To learne Any hard Lesson that may do thee good. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 605 This Psaphon..had let them flie into the Woods, where chanting their lesson, they inchanted the rude people. 1716 Bolingbroke Refl. Exile (1777) 352, I learned this important lesson long ago. 1727–41 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Helps, Helps in the manage.—To teach a horse his lessons, there are seven helps, or aids, to be known. These are the voice, rod [etc.]. 1818 Byron Ch. Har. iv. lxxv, The drill'd dull lesson, forced down word by word. 1838 James Robber iv, The mind moralised upon it, and the heart took the lesson home. 1861 J. Edmond Childr. Ch. at Home iii. 47 They should be industrious at their lessons. |
† b. transf. Subject of discourse.
Obs.| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 318 Now salle we turne ageyn tille our owen lessoun. c 1350 Will. Palerne 1944 But for to telle þe atiryng of þat child..It wold lengeþ þis lessoun a ful long while. |
4. a. A continuous portion of teaching given to a pupil or class at one time; one of the portions into which a course of instruction in any subject is divided.
to give, take lessons: to give, receive systematic instruction
in a specified subject. Hence
occas. in text-books, a section of such length as to be suitable to be studied continuously.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 437/216 Euereche dai bi custome he seide þis oresun, he nolde bi-leue for no scole, ne for no lessoun. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. i. (1495) 2 In the fyrste lesson that i toke thenne i lerned a. and b. And other letters by her names. 1660 Pepys Diary 21 June, Mr. Blagrave..did give me a lesson upon the flageolette. 1732 T. Lediard Sethos II. ix. 305 The conversation..was..not less profitable..than their lessons. 1854 Thackeray Newcomes I. ii. 22 A distinguished officer..engaged in London in giving private lessons on the fiddle. Ibid. Tom Newcome took no French lessons on a Sunday. |
b. transf. An occurrence from which instruction may be gained; an instructive example; a rebuke or punishment calculated to prevent a repetition of the offence.
to read (one) a lesson: see
read v. 11 b.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (1590) 119 b, She woulde giue her a lesson for walking so late, that should [etc.]. 1822 Lamb Elia Ser. i. Dist. Corresp., The kangaroos..with those little short fore puds, looking like a lesson framed by nature to the pickpocket. 1850 L. Hunt Autobiog. I. iii. 94 He [a monitor] showed me a knot in a long handkerchief, and told me I should receive a lesson from that handkerchief every day, with the addition of a fresh knot every time. 1882 J. L. Watson Life R. S. Candlish xiii. 140 His self-denial in the little things of daily life was a constant lesson. 1900 R. T. Drummond Apost. Teach. & Teach. of Christ ii. 77 Christ is their Teacher. He is also their Lesson: not His words only, but His Life. |
† 5. Mus. a. An exercise; a composition serving an educational purpose.
b. A piece to be performed, a performance.
Obs.| 1593 (title) A New Booke of Citterne Lessons. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. i. 60 My Lessons make no musicke in three parts. 1622 Dekker & Massinger Virg. Mart. i. B 3, stage direct., A lessen of Cornets. 1626 Bacon Sylva §161 Let there be a Recorder made, with two Fipples, at each end one..and let two play the same Lesson upon it, at an Unison. 1640 Brome Antipodes v. ix. stage direct., A solemne lesson upon the Recorders. 1665 Chas. II in Julia Cartwright Henrietta of Orleans (1894) 214, I have heere sent you some lessons for the guittar. 1674 Playford Skill Mus. ii. 112 Lessons for the Violin by Letters are prick't on four lines..but Lessons by Notes are prick'd upon five Lines. 1754 Richardson Grandison (1781) VI. xviii. 76 She made Lucy give us a lesson on the harpsichord. 1811 Busby Dict. Mus. (ed. 3), Lesson, a word formerly used by most composers to signify those exercises for the harpsichord or piano-forte which are now more generally called sonatas. The length, variety, and style of Lessons..entirely depend on the fancy and abilities of the composer, and the class of practitioners for whose use the pieces are designed. |
6. attrib. and
Comb., as
lesson-book,
lesson-hour,
lesson-money;
lesson-piece, a piece of material on which to practise needlework.
| 1863 W. G. Blackie Better Days Wrkng. People i. (1864) 25 Superior *lesson-books. |
| 1890 ‘L. Falconer’ M'lle. Ixe i. 24 Her *lesson-hour was not till the afternoon. |
| 1847 Medwin Life Shelley II. 59 Receiving..part of the *lesson money. |
| 1880 Plain Hints Needlework 36 Let each child work a..button-hole on her *lesson-piece in blue cotton. |
▪ II. lesson, v. (
ˈlɛsən)
[f. lesson n.] 1. trans. To give a lesson or lessons to, to instruct, teach; to admonish, rebuke. Const.
in,
on, and with
inf. or dependent clause. Also, To bring
into or
to (a certain state) by lessoning.
| 1555 W. Watreman Fardle Facions ii. x. 223 He yet bothe harkened the complainte of his felowes, and lessoned them againe. 1586 J. Hooker Hist. Irel. in Holinshed II. 87/1 Willing to lesson you with sound and sage aduise. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 110 Metaneone..had before hand lessoned him what he should say. a 1661 Fuller Worthies, Kent (1662) ii. 58 To lesson the Clergy to content themselves with Decency without sumptuousness. 1682 tr. Erastus' Treat. Excommun. 20 The Disciples..had been severely lesson'd by the Synagogue. 1763 Churchill Duellist 11, Each Stripling, lesson'd by his Sire, Knew when to close, when to retire. a 1774 Goldsm. Surv. Exp. Philos. (1776) II. 361 When the eye has been for a short time lessoned to ocular succession, there will arise [etc.]. 1795 Burke Lett., to R. Burke Wks. 1842 II. 459 It ought to lesson us into an abhorrence of the abuse of our own power in our own day. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. ii. lxviii, To rest the weary and to soothe the sad, Doth lesson happier men. 1856 Miss Warner Hills of Shatemuc xxviii. 312 If you will lesson me to find trouble is no trouble..I will thank you much for that. 1873 Symonds Grk. Poets vii. 196 Oedipus has been purged and lessoned to humility before the throne of Zeus. 1887 Ruskin Præterita II. 230 There was yet another young draughtsman in Florence, who lessoned me to purpose. |
| absol. 1807 D. Gilson Serm. Pract. Subj. x. 211 The apostle lessons well when he says that the man who provideth not for his own hath denied the faith. |
2. To teach (a thing) as a lesson, to inculcate.
| 1821 [see lessoned ppl. a. below]. |
Hence
ˈlessoned ppl. a.| 1821 J. Baillie Metr. Leg., Columbus xlii, Better than lesson'd saw. |