▪ I. send, n.1
(sɛnd)
[f. send v.1]
† 1. Sc. The action of sending; dispensation (of God). Obs.
| 1551 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 137 Thair is na evil of payne or trubil in the pepil, bot it cummis be the send of God. |
b. Sc. A message.
| 1825 Gay Goss-hawk x. in Child Ballads II. 360 Ye're bidden send your love a send. |
c. An accelerating impulse; impetus. Cf. send n.2
| 1890 Illustr. Lond. News 6 Dec. 714/1 That piston that with a mighty send gives before them and spins the great wheel above. 1894 Northumb. Gloss., Send, impetus. ‘It cam' wi' sic a send’. 1899 Somerville & Ross Exper. Irish R.M. xi. 273 Sultan came at it [sc. a wall] with the send of the hill behind him, and jumped it. |
2. Sc. A messenger sent to the bride in advance of the bridegroom (see quots.); also, the bridal party. (See Eng. Dial. Dict.)
| 1814 M. Brunton Discipline xxii. (1852) 191 The harbingers of the bridegroom, (or, to use Cecil's phrase, the send,) a party of gay young men and women, arrived. 1818 Edin. Mag. Nov. 412 A couple of envoys (Scot. sends) arrive from the bridegroom, who lead the bride to the temple of Hymen. |
▪ II. send, n.2 Naut.
(sɛnd)
Also scend.
[Belongs to send v.2 Cf. send n.1 1 c.]
1. The carrying or driving impulse of a sea or wave; more fully send of a or the sea.
| 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World 65, I have frequently thought it impossible to escape striking upon them on every send of a sea. 1805 Sir R. Lawrie in Naval Chron. XIII. 409 Much Sea running, appearing to cut us asunder at every send. 1885 R. F. Burton Arab. Nts. I. 141 We found ourselves much nearer the Loadstone Mountain, whither the waters drave us with a violent send. 1901 Clark Russell Ship's Advent. v, To each foaming scend the ship drove in a curtsey of fury. |
2. A sudden plunge (of a boat) aft, forward, etc.
| 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xix, Both fell with the send aft of the boat. 1859 J. C. Atkinson Walks Two Schoolboys xvii. 367 With many a forward send..she threw up showers of spray. 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 143 The bows will..give a send in against the ship's side. |
▪ III. send, v.1
(sɛnd)
pa. tense and pa. pple. sent (sɛnt). Forms: inf. 1 sendan, 2–3 senden, (3 seind, siende, sent), 2–6 sende, 4 Kent. zende, 5 sendyn, cendyn, Sc. sen, 3– send. 3rd sing. pres. ind. 1–3 sendeþ, 1–5 sent, 3 seint, Kent. zent, 4–5 sendith, 5 -yth, 5– sendeth; 3–7 sendes, (5 sendez, sendis), 6 sends. pa. tense 1–6 sende, 2–3 seonde, (2 sænde, sænte), Ormin sennde, 3–6 sente, 4 seende, 3–7 send, (5 sont), 3– sent; 3, 6 sendet, 4 sendyd, seended, 5 sended. pa. pple. 1 sended, 2 (ȝe) seond, (ȝe) send, 3 ysend, iseind, 3–4 isend(e, ysent, 3–6 send(e, 3 Ormin sennd, 4 i-sente, 4–5 isent, sente, (4 seynte), 5 ysende, 3– sent.
[Com. Teut. wk. verb: OE. sęndan = OFris. senda, sanda, pa. tense sante, OS. sendian, pa. tense senda, sanda (LG. senden, Du. zenden), OHG. senden, senten, pa. tense santa (MHG. senden, pa. tense sante, sande, mod.G. senden, pa. tense sandte, sendete), ON. senda (Sw. sända, Da. sende), Goth. sandjan:—OTeut. *sanđjan, f. *sanđ- (:—*sanþ-) ablaut-variant (of the grade usual in causative verbs) of the root *senþ- (:—OTeut. sent-) to go, found in Goth. sinþ-s, OE. s{iacu}ð way, journey (see sithe n.1).]
General sense: To cause to go.
I. To order or direct to go or to be conveyed.
* with a person as object.
1. a. trans. To commission, order, or request (a person) to go to or into a place or to a person. Chiefly, to dispatch as a messenger or on an errand.
Const. about (a business), after, for (something to be fetched), on, † of, † in (an errand, quest; the prep. is sometimes omitted). See also message n.1 2 b.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. x. 16 Heonu ic sendo iuih suæ scip in middum uulfa. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 153 He sende his patriarken and propheten for to bodien his tokume. c 1200 Ormin 17034 He sennde dun Hiss aȝhenn Sune ankennedd, To wurrþenn mann. c 1205 Lay. 26367 He sent þe his sonde wið uten gretinge. c 1290 St. Barnabas 34 in S. Eng. Leg. 27 Iesu cristes man icham, þat me gan hidere siende. a 1300 Cursor M. 711 Bot adam son was send a saand. Ibid. 14846 Þan said an þat was his frend, Hight nichodem, was sent in saand,..‘Me think’ [etc.]. 1382 Wyclif Matt. x. 5 Jhesus sente [v.r. seended] these twelue. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 11 The sone of God..was send in erde for salvacioun of man. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. iv. 120 Oh: he sends you for a Picture. 1599 ― Hen. V, iv. i. 155 A Sonne that is by his Father sent about Merchandize. 1599 ― Much Ado ii. i. 274, I will goe on the slightest arrand..that you can deuise to send me on. 1611 Bible Gen. l. 16 And they sent a messenger vnto Ioseph, saying [etc.]. 1636 Massinger Gt. Duke Flor. ii. i, I am sent..On a how doe you, as they call't. 1655 tr. Com. Hist. Francion ii. 26 If she were sent of an errand. 1722 De Foe Col. Jack i, If he was sent of an errand he would forget half of it. 1744 Birch Life Boyle 23 A gentleman of his father's, sent to convey them thither. 1776 Earl Carlisle in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) III. 144, I by no means approve of your sending a physician to her, except she is really ill. I hate the tribe. 1821 Scott Kenilw. vi, Workmen sent from London..had converted the apartments..into the semblance of a royal palace. 1834 Marryat P. Simple xv, Luff now..quarter master... Send the men aft directly. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xvi, Send her to me, the instant she comes in. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 626 To whom the Prince Reported who he was, and on what quest Sent. 1907 ‘Q.’ Poison Isl. xiv, Did he send you with that message to Captain Branscome? |
| fig. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iii. i. 141 My thoughts do harbour with my Siluia nightly, And slaues they are to me, that send them flying. 1722 Wollaston Relig. Nat. ix. 187 Commands his own thoughts, sends them to this or that place. |
b. With specified destination considered as a place of residence, or connoting a sphere or kind of employment; e.g. in to send to school, college, etc. (sometimes with the notion of defraying the expense of the person's education); to send (one or more members) to Parliament (said of a constituency).
| 1531 Elyot Gov. i. xiii. (1880) I. 113 Where theyr parentes wyll nat aduenture to sende them farre out of theyr propre countrayes. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 434 The king..sent to the sea, Lord Edmond Holland Erle of Kent, as Chefetaine of that Crewe. 1575 Gascoigne Glasse Govt. i. ii, So that we are partely perswaded to send them vnto some vniuersity. 1737 Pope Ep. Hor. i. i. 119 Send her to Court, you send her to her grave. 1769 De Foe's Tour Gt. Brit. (ed. 7) II. 49 Heightsbury, a Town..sending two Members to Parliament. 1784 Cowper Tiroc. 240 T' ensure the perseverance of his course,..Send him to college. Ibid. 872 Then..send him not to school. No—guard him better. 1834 Marryat P. Simple lii, He was sent to sea to be got rid of. 1859 Habits of Gd. Society 57 The haberdasher sits in Parliament, and sends his son to Oxford. 1882 Encycl. Brit. XIV. 835/1 The education [at Christ's Hospital] is chiefly commercial, but four boys are annually sent to the universities. |
c. In wider sense: To occasion or induce to go to a place or in a particular direction; to recommend or advise to go to a place or a person; fig. to refer (a reader) to some author or authority.
| c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. x. 52 Tho ij. textis seruen and remytten or senden into other Scripturis. Ibid. i. xx. 127, Y remytte and send ech man desiring forto it leerne..into the firste parti of the book. 1550 Bale Apol. 68 He sendeth vs ther to the pedigrew of the Leuites. 1. Paralip. vi. 1751 Jortin Serm. (1771) I. i. 11 Those who send the blind out of their way. 1844 Lingard Anglo-Sax. Ch. (1858) I. iv. 144 Writers who have sent us to the laws of the Christian Emperors. |
d. fig. To describe (a person) in narrative as going (to a specified place).
| 1776 Mickle tr. Camoens' Lusiad Introd. 125 Voltaire has corrected his error in sending Camoens to the East Indies. |
e. With complementary n. (now only, introduced by as) indicating the capacity in which a person is sent.
| 1605 1st Pt. Jeronimo i. i. 77 So, so, Andrea must be sent imbassador? 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 260 You sent me Deputie for Ireland. 1711 Lond. Gaz. No. 4903/1 Signior Bentivoglio..is to be sent Nuncio into France. 1756–7 tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) III. 220 [They] sent the noble Julian and Martin ambassadors from..Japan to pope Gregory XIII. |
f. to be sent (into the world): said of a child as born for some divine purpose, or as a gift to the parents. Cf. sense 7.
| c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xxxvi. 22 By syn maternall I am send, With vyce I vaneiss. 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, i. i. 20, I, that am..sent before my time Into this breathing World. 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. xx, Being the only child..and sent late in life to bless their marriage bed. 1839 Thackeray Stubbs's Cal. Nov. Comic Tales (1841) II. 360, I..wore my red coat as naturally as if I had been sent into the world only for the purpose of being a letter-carrier. |
g. Without the notion of a destination or errand: To cause or order to depart from one; to dismiss. Chiefly with advs., away, off. to send packing: see pack v.1 10 b.
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) L vj, As an ydell vacabunde man they dyspatched and sent hym awaie. 1608 Shakes. Per. iv. vi. 148 Shee sent him away as colde as a Snoweball. 1611 Bible Luke i. 53 And the rich hee hath sent emptie away. 1668 Pepys Diary 13 Nov., It is intended to..try them for a sum of money; and, if they do not like it, then to send them going, and call another [parliament]. 1796 F. Burney Camilla I. i. iv. 85 There was no other way for him to get rid of his tutoring, without sending off Dr. Orkborne. 1908 R. Bagot A. Cuthbert xvii. 215, I will not take no from you,..and if you send me away from you I will not go! Ibid., The moment was fast coming when I should not have the strength to send him from me. |
2. a. To compel or force to go; to drive, impel. Also transf. of a circumstance, impulse, etc. Also with up.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark ix. 21, & symble hine [sc. one possessed of a devil] & in fyr & on wætro sende [Vulg. misit] þætte hine losade vel fordyde. c 1205 Lay. 14840 He hafð..isend heom [sc. his foes] ouer sæ stran. 1712–14 Pope Rape Lock iv. 64 Hail, wayward Queen!.. Who..send the godly in a pet to pray. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 609 The royal troops instantly fired such a volley of musketry as sent the rebel horse flying in all directions. 1886 Stevenson Treasure Isl. xiii, The plunge of our anchor sent up clouds of birds. |
b. To drive (a person) into some state or condition, to cause to go to (sleep); also with adj. complement.
| 1831 Society I. 179 You, both of you, will send me distracted between you. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair ii, Rebecca laughed in her face, with a horrid sarcastic demoniacal laughter, that almost sent the schoolmistress into fits. 1852 ― Esmond iii. vii, He..sent the Colonel to sleep, with a long, learned, and refreshing sermon. 1892 Tennyson Foresters iv, I had despair'd of thee—that sent me crazed. |
c. slang (orig. U.S.). To transport or arouse emotions in (a person); to enthral, delight (esp. of popular music). Also absol. Hence ˈsending ppl. a.
| 1932 Melody Maker Oct. 836/1, I enclose the following wire which Louis (Musicmouth) Armstrong sent to Big John... ‘My boy Earl was marvellous as ever yessir he sent me.’ 1935 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Nov. 71/3 Hot artists or bands that can put across their licks successfully are ‘senders’; they ‘send’. 1937 Amer. Speech XII. 47/1 The action of this trumpet really sends me and that's no jive. 1943 N.Y. Times 9 May ii. 5/4 There has [sic] been some really solid trumpet players who can really send; some like Louis Armstrong who had a trumpet like heaven. Ibid., Jimmy has a sending band and when he plays, brother, even the seats jump. 1955 V. Nabokov Lolita i. xxiv. 138, I do not know if in these tragic notes, I have sufficiently stressed the peculiar ‘sending’ effect that the writer's good looks..had on women of every age and environment. 1956 B. Holiday Lady sings Blues (1973) ix. 86 Meade Lux Lewis knocked them out; Ammons and Johnson flipped them..Newton's band sent them. 1959 C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 16 A film we went to ages ago that rather sent us. 1975 N. Mitchison All change Here iv. 39 So much modern poetry is ironic or deliberately held on a low note; that may be artistically admirable, but it doesn't send the reader. |
3. To cause (a person) to be carried or conducted to a destination. a. To direct to be conveyed as a prisoner or a slave; to commit or consign officially to prison, the gallows, death, etc.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 237 Mid þy þe hie me sendon on þis carcern. c 1205 Lay. 26981 Petreiun heo nomen & heore inume allen and mid þreo hundred sweinen in to wude senden. a 1300 Cursor M. 4445 Was tua men in þe kinges hus To prisun sent for þair misdede. a 1380 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1878) 38/2, I am sent hider to beo slayn. a 1500 Contin. Brut 509 Þe Mair..sont þo þat cried so to Newgate. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, ii. iii. 42 [Thou] That hast..slaine our Citizens, And sent our sonnes and Husbands captiuate. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 76 They took him, and with other Slaves sent him to Constantinople. 1706 E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 2 [A ship of war is] the New-Bridewell of the Nation, where all the incorrigible Roages [printed Viages] are sent. 1834 Marryat P. Simple lvi, Miller was sent on board of the frigate, and under surveillance. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair lxvii, I tell you they are rascals; men fit to send to the hulks. |
b. To consign (a departed spirit) to (a place or condition).
| c 1400 Rule St. Benet (Prose) Prol. iii. 3 For þi he giuis us respit, þat we sal mende ure sinne and siþin to þe ioy be sent. 1671 Milton P.R. iv. 632 To torment sent before thir time. 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. v, The abode to which departed spirits are sent after this life. |
c. In various phrases with the meaning to kill, put to death.
| a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 211 b, I..sent him to feede fishes. 1592 Soliman & Pers. v. ii. 110 What, is thy hand to weake? then mine shall helpe To send them down to euerlasting night. 1599 Massinger, etc. Old Law v. i. (1656) 59 He must make yong [judges] or none, for all the old ones Her father he hath sent a fishing. 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. v. 78 Thus was I..sent to my account With all my imperfections on my head. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 102 Ere they could strangle him, he sent three of them to the Deuill. 1711 W. King tr. Naude's Ref. Politics iii. 100 Quintus Fabius sent a hundred thousand Gauls into the other world. |
** With a thing as object.
4. a. To cause (a thing) to be conveyed or transmitted by an intermediary to another person or place.
| Beowulf 471 (Gr.) Sende ic Wylfingum ofer wæteres hrycᵹ ealde madmas. a 1225 Ancr. R. 416 Gif heo mei sparien eni poure schreaden, sende ham al derneliche ut of hire woanes. a 1300 Cursor M. 4162 His kyrtil sal we..til his fader seind. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 426 Ful redy hadde he his Apothecaries To sende him [i.e. the sick man] drogges. 1471 Marg. Paston in P. Lett. III. 25, I shal sende yw mony to bye wyth soch stwfe as I wull have. 1536 Cromwell Let. 30 Apr. in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) II. 11, I sende your lordship certain Crampe ringes to be bestowed there amonges your Freendes. 1663 Boyle Usef. Exp. Nat. Philos. Advt., Though it come not forth before, divers parts were sent to the Press in 1660, or 1661. 1670 Marvell Corr. clxiv. Wks. 1875 II. 353, I sent my letter to the post. 1743 Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 5 We sent on Board the Pearl twelve Butts..of Water. 1825 T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Passion & Princ. viii, Stages go every hour..by which Mr. W. may send his trunk with safety. 1826 Museum Criticum I. 137 Mr. Blomfield's edition of the Persæ of æschylus will very shortly be sent to Press. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 544 Since the knight Came not to us, of us to claim the prize, Ourselves will send it after. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus xii. 11 Or most speedily send me back the napkin. |
b. To cause (food, wine) to be handed (to a guest).
| 1770 Foote Lame Lover iii. 52 Why, Madam..—shan't I send you a biscuit? 1825 T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Passion & Princ. v, Perhaps, Miss Rodney, you will let me send you wine... What wine do you take? Ibid., General,..you eat nothing; let Mr. Rodney send you some lamb. |
c. To serve up (food, a course, meal): only with in, up, and in phr. to send to table.
| 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 64 The Countrey cannot produce Apples or other Fruits that are worth sending up to the Table. 1687 Miege Gt. Fr. Dict. ii. s.v. Send, Bid the Steward to send in Dinner. 1806 A. Hunter Culina (ed. 3) 25 It should..be sent in hot and hot. 1825 T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Passion & Princ. v, What paper is that, in which those cutlets have been sent to table? 1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Childr. ii, He found the cook just resting after sending up the late dinner. |
d. Of a country: To export.
| 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 16 It sendes to the Easte cuntreyes verie fatt Rye. 1785 Cowper Task iii. 583 Those [sc. greenhouse plants] Ausonia claims,..th' Azores send Their jessamine. |
e. transf. and fig. Also with up.
| a 1200 Moral Ode 51 in O.E. Hom. I. 163 Al þet beste þet we hefden þider [sc. to heaven] we hit solde senden. 1340 Ayenb. 73 Todel þine zaule uram þe bodye be þoȝte, zend þine herte in-to þe oþre wordle. 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 409 We from the West will send destruction Into this Cities bosome. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 195 When all things that breath,..send up silent praise To the Creator. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. ii. 67 The sky overcast with Clouds, that now and then sent us some drops of Rain. 1780 Cowper Progr. Err. 256 Has some sickly eastern waste Sent us a wind to parch us at a blast? 1825 Scott Talism. i, That sea which holds no living fish..and..sends not, like other lakes, a tribute to the ocean. |
5. To dispatch (a boat, carriage, etc.). Also with out.
| a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1101, And se cyng syððan scipa ut on sæ sende his broðer to dære & to lættinge. c 1200 Ormin 8701, & Drihhtin sennde an karrte himm [sc. Helyas] to. a 1352 Minot Poems (ed. Hall) i. 19 Þai sent þaire schippes on ilka side With flesch and wine. 1594 Kyd Cornelia iii. iii. 182 The Merchant, that for priuate gaine, Doth send his Ships to passe the maine. 1743 Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 3 The Commodore sent out a Privateer Sloop. 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xi, There would be two boats sent for them. |
6. a. To dispatch (a message, letter, telegram, etc.) by messenger, post, or other means of communication. So to send cards (of invitation).
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxxii. 213 Ne ðeah eow hwelc ærendᵹewrit cume, suelce hit from us send sie. c 1200 Ormin 2851 Þatt Drihhtin haffde sennd hiss word Till hire. a 1225 Ancr. R. 422 Ȝe ne schulen senden lettres..buten leaue. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 972 rubric, How dindimus sendyd an answere to alixandre by letter. c 1460 Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. xiv. (1885) 143 Þat all supplicacions wich shalbe made to þe kynge..be sende to the same counsell. 1513 Douglas æneis xiii. vi. title, Kyng Latyne till Eneas send message For peax. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 86 The Embassador..sent intelligence of the same into England. 1711 Swift Jrnl. to Stella 13 Apr., I sent my excuses, adorned with about thirty compliments, and got off as fast as I could. 1770 Foote Lame Lover ii. 49 She very well knows that I have not sent cards but twice the whole season. 1842 W. C. Taylor Anc. Hist. xvii. §5 (ed. 3) 519 Heliogabalus being thus victorious, sent intelligence of his success..to the senate. 1859 Lytton What will he do xii. xi, I sent a telegram. 1908 R. Bagot A. Cuthbert xviii. 225, I sent him a line..just to say that I had succeeded in finding you. |
b. to send (a person) word: to transmit a message (to a person); to inform, notify. Const. of, clause, or inf.
| c 1205 Lay. 25309 Bi us he sende word þe þat he wule to þisse londe. 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 145 And syne till Scotland word send he, That thai suld mak ane assemble. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour 13 And so God sent worde to the kinge and the citee bi the profete Ionas, but yef [etc.]. 1570 in Kempe Losely MSS. (1836) 235, I pray yow send me worde by this bearer what yow thinke. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iii. v. 59 He sent me word to stay within. Ibid. iv. iv. 18. 1655 Stanley Hist. Philos. i. (1687) 35/2 You send me word of an expedition you are preparing. 1711 Swift Jrnl. to Stella 1 Dec., Whenever you would have any money, send me word three weeks before. 1886 Stevenson Treasure Isl. xii, Not long after, word was sent forward that Jim Hawkins was wanted in the cabin. |
c. With the message expressed by a clause † or inf.
| a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 656, Ða seonde se kyning æfter þone abbode þet he æuestlice scolde to him cumon. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1239 Þis erl..to þe king ofte sende þat he ssolde..is herte somdel amende. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 2209 The Soudan sent to sir Torent than, With honger that thes people be slan. 1592 Kyd Sp. Trag. iii. ii. 88 Ile send to him to meet The Prince and me. Ibid. iii. xii. 58 Although he send not that his Sonne returne. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 12 Feb. 1672, We tooke order to send to the Plantations that none of their ships should adventure homeward single. |
† d. to send greeting: see greeting vbl. n. Obs.
| c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. ii. x. (1891) 124 Bonefatius papa sende Eadwine greting. c 1205 Lay. 27885 And efte wolde heom alswa senden heom gretinge ma. 1483 Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 489 Baillifes of the same cite..senden gretyng in oure Lorde Jhesu Criste. 1535 [see greeting vbl. n.]. 1611 Bible Acts xxiii. 26. |
e. In complimentary formulæ, to send (one's) compliments, love, respects, etc. † Also, to send health, send happiness, etc.
| 1474 Caxton Chesse Ded., Your most humble servant william Caxton..sendes unto you peas helthe Joye and victorie upon your Enemyes. 1732–3 Ld. Carteret Let. 24 Mar. in Swift's Lett. (1767) III. 36 The whole family of my ladies send their compliments. 1779 Miss M. Townshend in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) IV. 100 My father is very well, and sends his love to you. 1833 T. Hook Parson's Dau. ii. xiii, My aunt desires to send her affectionate regards to you. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair lxvii, She made George write.., and persisted in sending Mamma's kind love in a postscript. 1852 ― Esmond iii. xi, The man said..that his young mistress had sent her duty. |
7. a. Of God, fate, chance, etc.: ‘To grant as from a distant place’ (J.); to cause to happen or come into existence; to ordain as a blessing or a punishment.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xix. 3 Ᵹehere ðe dryhten..send ðe fultum of halᵹum. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 225 Ic wille senden flod. c 1200 Ormin 5531, & aȝȝ to þannkenn innwarrdliȝ Drihhtin all þatt he senndeþþ. a 1300 Cursor M. 1592 Forþi in forme of iugement God thoght a neu wengaunce to sent. c 1400 Rule St. Benet (Verse) 162 Euil dedes er of oure awn entent, And all gude dedes fro god er sent. 1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus ii. 72 b, If y⊇ gods did not vouchsafe to send them raine in due season. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. iii. i. 51 Now Ioue in his next commodity of hayre, send thee a beard. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 774 The Nymphs..have..sent a Plague among thy thriving Bees. 1734 Pope Ess. Man 113 God sends not ill. 1825 Scott Betrothed vi, I..appoint thee to be kept in ward in the western tower, till God send us relief. 1877 W. S. Gilbert Sorcerer ii. Quintette, Bless the thoughtful fates that send him Such a wife to soothe his years. 1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad v, Ah, spring was sent for lass and lad. |
| Proverbial. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. ii. (Arb.) 132 He maye chaunce haue cause to saye so of his fletcher, as..is..spoken of Cookes: and that is, that God sendeth vs good fethers, but the deuyll noughtie Fletchers. 1668 R. B. Adagia Scot. 20 God sends never the mouth, but the meat with it. Ibid. 21 God sends meat, and the Devil sends Cooks. |
b. In the phrase God send, Heaven send, Lord send; (also simply send); esp. with clause as obj. and † with obj. and compl.
† God send (a person) safe, victorious, etc. = God grant that he may be safe, etc. † God send (you, us, etc.) with inf. or subjunctive = God grant that you, we, etc. may do (what is indicated by the vb.).
| c 1470 Henry Wallace iv. 146 Gret God sen we had euir with him past! 1530 Palsgr. 701/1 God sende him good spede. 1556 Lauder Tractate 330 Grit God we pray, sen Prencis wald perceaue,..How be tha [etc.]. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 773 God send grace they hurt not. 1601 Shakes. All's Well i. i. 190 God send him well. 1649 W. Dugdale in Lett. Eminent Men (Camden) 176 God send him well recover. 1653 Walton Angler i. ii. 45 God keep you all, Gentlemen; and send you meet this day with another bitch Otter. 1690 Crowne Eng. Friar iii. 28 Sr. Tho. I have a great fancy I shall do well in the Country. La. C. Ah! send thou dost. ? 1740 Thesaurus Musicus in W. H. Cummings God Save the King (1902) 83 God save our Lord the King... Send him victorious, Happy and Glorious. 1776 Foote Capuchin iii. (1778) 136 Lord send us safe to Old England, say I! 1829 Scott Anne of G. xxxii, God send my poor people may have no cause to wish their old man back again. 1833 T. Hook Parson's Dau. iii. viii, Heaven send him happy, but I fear for the success of my prayers. 1841 Dickens Barn. Rudge vi, Heaven forgive me if I am wrong, and send me just thoughts. |
*** absolute uses.
8. a. absol. To send a message or messenger. Const. after, to.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 205, & [he] hie lærede þæt hie raðost to Rome sendon to ðæm papan. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1011, Her on þissum ᵹeare sende se cyng & his witan to ðam here. 1132 Ibid., Sua ðet te king..sende efter þe muneces. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 261 To þe king of grece he sende. a 1300 Cursor M. 10737 Wit þis þai sent sun vp and don, And bad þam at a dai be bon. c 1386 Chaucer Man of Law's T. 1047 And hastifly he sente after Custaunce. c 1425 ? Lydg. Assembly of Gods 734 He bade him nat long Tary to sende aftyr more socour. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iv. 149 He sent thrughe all the londe and made com all the maysters masons [etc.]. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xcv. 309 He sende & commaundyd hym that he sholde no more fyght with me. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. ii. 132 Send to me in the morning. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 25 Aug. 1660, Coll. Spencer..sent to me and intreated that I would take a Commission. 1833 T. Hook Parson's Dau. ii. v, When your lordship—wants me again, send. You know where I live. If you don't send I shan't come. 1841 Thackeray Gt. Hoggarty Diam. ix, John, send to Mrs. Hoggarty in the shrubbery. 1873 Independent Defender (San Francisco) 15 Nov. 3/1 The operator..excitedly telegraphed back, don't send so d―d fast. 1924 Radio Times 19 Dec. 585/3 This is only a receiving station. We can't send. We can only listen. 1929 Amer. Speech IV. 288 The sender's task is to ‘move it’,..—or simply ‘send’. 1974 W. Garner Big Enough Wreath xi. 140 What if he'd asked to see the print-out? What if he'd gone over to see you send? |
b. Followed by inf. (or, rarely, by and with a co-ordinated verb) indicating the purpose.
| a 1225 Leg. Kath. 151 Ha sende swiðe for to witen hwet wunder hit were. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7125 To þe duc he sende sone to helpe him in þat cas. 1482 Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 54 Myne soule was gonne and paste out of my bodye yere my wyfe knewe hit or sende to calle for the pryste. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iii. v. 62 And let him say to England, that we send To know what willing Ransome he will giue. 1692 R. L'Estrange Fables xci. 86 His Wife sent up and down to look after him. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 29 Aug. 1678, The D. of Norfolk..sent to me to take charge of the bookes. 1710 Swift Jrnl. to Stella 16 Sept., Sir John Holland..has sent to desire my acquaintance. 1748 Richardson Clarissa VII. 207, I have sent every half hour to know how she does. 1835 Willis Pencillings III. x. 121 He inquired whether there was not a morsel left... Mr. R. was not sure. ‘Send and see’, said Lamb. 1863 Cowden Clarke Shaks. Char. ix. 218 He sent to invite her to supper with him. |
c. Of a shop: to deliver goods ordered.
| 1871 G. H. Lewes Let. 27 Aug. in Geo. Eliot Lett. (1956) V. 181 Take care the Stores people send on Thursday. 1968 Observer (Colour Suppl.) 22 Dec. 17/4 The shops won't send and now they've stopped the bus. |
9. send for ―. a. To send a messenger or message for; to send (a person) to fetch ―.
| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 19 He sent for alle þe kynges, fro Berwik vnto Kent. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 237 He hadde nouȝt i-send for more help. c 1450 Merlin xxviii. 566 Than com Merlin to Arthur, and bad hym sende for all his power in all haste. 1562 Machyn Diary (Camden) 282 Ther was a grett frey and my lord mare..was send fore. 1672 Wiseman Treat. Wounds i. 38 The next day..it burst out impetuously; I was sent for, and found it bleeding with a strong impulse. a 1674 Clarendon Hist. Reb. xi. §123 The guard..sent for drink. 1748 Richardson Clarissa VII. 213, I send by poor Lovelace's desire, for particulars of the fatal breviate. 1847 Tennyson Princess iv. 220 She sent for Blanche to accuse her face to face. 1908 R. Bagot A. Cuthbert xxviii. 373 Would you not like me to send for one of your priests? |
b. With adv. qualifying ‘to come’ or ‘be brought’ understood.
| 1592 Arden of Feversham Epil. 3 The one tooke Sanctuary, and being sent for out, Was murthred in Southwark. c 1643 Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 34 My mother thought fit to send for me home. 1703 Rules of Civility 40 You must go away without seeing him, unless he sends for you in. 1714 Swift Imit. Hor. ii. vi. 16 Send for him up, take no Excuse. 1753 J. Collier Art Torment. i. ii. (1811) 60, I shall not send for you back. 1833 T. Hook Parson's Dau. ii. vii, The Squire was sent for home. |
c. Of a sovereign: To command the attendance of; esp. to summon a leader or prominent member of a political party, for the purpose of offering him the office of prime minister.
| 1744 Birch Life Boyle 154 He was then by his Majesty's order sent for to Whitehall. 1765 G. Williams in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1843) I. 382 The King declared to his ministers that he had no further occasion for their services, but had sent for Mr. Pitt. 1806 G. Rose Diaries (1860) II. 227 The King could do no better than to send for Lord Grenville. 1880 M{supc}Carthy Own Times IV. 512 The Queen sent for Lord Hartington, she then sent for Lord Granville; but everyone knew in advance who was to come into power at last. |
II. To cause to go, by physical means or by direct volition.
10. a. trans. To discharge and direct (a missile); to throw or propel in a particular direction; occas. † to thrust (a dagger). Also said of a missile weapon.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xvii. 15 [xviii. 14] Sende strele his & tostencte hie. c 1205 Lay. 6483 And he lette fuse him to flan swuðe kene and alle him to sende. 1627 Drayton Agincourt 20 As thick againe their Shafts the English send. 1646–7 Boyle in Birch Life (1744) 74 Which [wind-gun]..would..send forth a leaden bullet..with force to kill a man at twenty five..paces. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 836 In his right hand Grasping ten thousand Thunders, which he sent Before him. 1687 Settle Refl. Dryden 83 To send a Dagger to a Mans heart is an expression older than thou art. a 1700 Evelyn Diary Sept. 1646, He was sending a brace of bullets into the poore beast. 1717 Addison tr. Ovid's Metam. iii. 91 Cadmus..Then heav'd a stone, and rising to the throw, He sent it in a whirlwind at the foe. 1780 Cowper Progr. Err. 570 None sends his arrow to the mark in view, Whose hand is feeble. 1784 ― Task iii. 803 And the whistling ball Sent through the trav'llers temples! 1842 Barham Ingol. Leg., St. Medard, As the cannon recoils when it sends its shot. 1852 Thackeray Esmond i. xiv, ‘I fling the words in your face, my lord’, says the other; ‘shall I send the cards too?’ 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. viii, Flashman..sent an empty pickle-jar whizzing after them. |
| fig. a 1854 H. Reed Lect. Eng. Lit. xii. (1878) 392 The Duke of Wellington uses words with a strange frugality, and sends them straight to their mark. |
b. To deliver (a blow). † Formerly const. dat. Also to send home (see home adv. 10 b).
| a 1626 Middleton Mayor Queensb. ii. i, How am I serv'd in this? I offer a vexation to the King, He sends it home into my bloud with vantage. 1628 Feltham Resolves ii. vii. 16 Hadrian sent his inferiour seruant a box on the eare, for walking but betweene two Senators. 1861 H. C. Pennell Puck on Pegasus 111 Right to his dexter optic The Champion sent a blow. 1894 Kipling Jungle Bk. 59 Kaa..sent home half-a-dozen full-power smashing blows. |
c. To drive (a ball).
| 1782 Kentish Gaz. 20–23 Nov., Now the Batsman..Sends the Ball Over all. 1887 Field 5 Nov. 714/1 Lawrence then, by a well-judged kick, sent the ball between the [goal] posts. |
11. To emit, give forth as a source. a. To give off or out (light, heat, odour, etc.); to discharge, pour out (liquid). Chiefly with advs., forth, off, out.
| 971 Blickl. Hom. 245 Nu þonne, anlicnes,..sænd mycel wæter þurh þinne muþ. a 1425 Arderne's Treat. Fistula, etc. 56 If þai sende out blode þai ar seid ryȝtfully emeroydez. 1535 Coverdale Jas. iii. 11 Doth a fountayne sende forth at one place swete water and bytter also? 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 145 He is the Morning Star, His bemis send he hes out far. 1574 T. Hill Art Garden. lvii. (ed. 3) 115 By the watring on this wise, the roote sendeth such bitternesse as then remayneth in the same. 1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus ii. 74 b, I demaunded..the reason..why this streame..neuer sent foorth any miste or vapour. 1611 Bible Eccl. x. 1 Dead flies cause the oyntment..to send foorth a stinking sauour. 1614 Gorges Lucan vi. 241 And with the very breath she sends The healthy aire taints and offends. 1662 J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 204 Many Springs send forth their Water with such violence, that [etc.]. 1667 Milton P.L. viii. 141 That light Sent from her through the wide transpicuous aire. 1820 Shelley Sensit. Pl. i. 15 And their breath was mixed with fresh odour, sent From the turf, like the voice and the instrument. 1840 H. Smith Oliver Cromwell II. 239 Several pipes of trinidado were sending forth their powerful fumes. 1862 Borrow Wild Wales xxiii. (1901) 71/1 A white farm-house—sending from a tall chimney a thin misty reek up to the sky. |
b. To give forth or out (sound); to utter (a cry, groan, etc.). Cf. 13.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 211 Muð sent ut þe stefne. 1535 Coverdale Ps. lxvii[i]. 33 He shal sende out his voyce, yee and that a mightie voyce. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. (Sommer) 274 Or such a noise it was, as highest thunders sende. 1621 R. Brathwait Nat. Embassie, etc. 233 Rather then for her I'de shed one teare,..or send one grone. 1688 Holme Armoury ii. 134/1 An Hart, when he sendeth forth his Cry, is said to Bellow. 1725 Pope Odyss. ix. 469 He sends a dreadful groan. 1784 Cowper Task v. 821 When ev'ry star..Sent forth a voice. 1813 Byron Corsair i. xv, But still her lips refused to send—‘Farewell!’ 1847 Tennyson Princess iv. 373 The lost lamb at her feet Sent out a bitter bleating for its dam. 1859 ― Geraint & Enid 728 Then Enid..Sent forth a sudden sharp and bitter cry. |
c. To throw out as a branch or offshoot. Chiefly with off, out, † forth.
| 1715 Cheyne Philos. Princ. Relig. i. 297 The Aorta,..bending a little upwards, sends forth the Cervical and Axillary Arteries. 1723 P. Blair Pharmaco-Bot. i. 34 Sending forth here and there several Leaves. 1732 A. Monro Anat. Nerves 3 The Nerves..send off their Branches at more acute Angles..than the Blood-vessels do. a 1767 ― Wks. (1781) 312 The lymphatic vessel which enters its superior arch, is often sent from the thyroid gland. 1812 New Bot. Garden I. 90 It sends out several stems from the root. 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lex. 395 Each [bronchial tube] dividing and subdividing, and sending off secondary branches. 1870 Rolleston Anim. Life 131 A minute mesial stomato-gastric ganglion, which..sends nerves to the..jaw and its muscles. |
12. To direct (a thought, look, glance).
| ? c 1420 26 Pol. Poems 74 God askeþ of the:..Þy swete þouȝtes (þou) me sende. 1592 Kyd Sp. Trag. ii. iii. 35 Send thou sweet looks, ile meete them with sweete lookes. 1782 Cowper Alex. Selkirk 37 My friends, do they now and then send A wish or a thought after me? 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. x, Many were the glances which the Princess sent among her retinue. 1890 Clark Russell Marr. at Sea vii, Never can I forget the expression of her face..when..she sent a look at the yacht. |
13. To cause (sound, one's voice) to ‘carry’ or travel. Chiefly poet. Cf. 11 b.
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iii. iii. 33 Through Brazen Trumpet send the breath of Parle Into his ruin'd Eares. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 548 When Cherubic Songs by night from neighbouring Hills Aereal Music send. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones vii. iii, The squire..sent after his sister the same holla which attends the departure of a hare. 1842 Tennyson Talking Oak 123 And livelier than the lark She sent her voice thro' all the holt Before her. 1892 Henley Song of Sword 76 The cry of a gull sent seaward. |
14. To drive by pulsation, impulse, etc.
| a 1767 A. Monro Wks. (1781) 378 The liquors sent from the umbilical arteries to be mixed with the uterine blood, resemble the..liquors separated from the..blood. 1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. I. 638/2 The cavities..on the right side of the heart send the blood to the lungs for the purposes of respiration. 1873 F. Jenkin Electr. & Magn. xxii. §4 (1881) 300 A simple key, which the operator depresses when he wishes to send a current. 1874 W. K. Clifford in Fortn. Rev. Dec. 719 Like the wave which you send along a string and which comes back. Ibid., There is a physical excitation or disturbance which is sent along two different nerves. |
15. Of a blow or something having the effect of a blow, also of the agent, a weapon: To cause to go or fall violently. Also with down.
| 1822 A. Thornton Don Juan II. ii. 25 But the contest was suddenly arrested..by a colossal fist which sent two or three of the combatants sprawling among the wine buts. 1840 Thackeray Barber Cox Aug., His lance took Tagrag on the neck, and sent him to the ground like a stone. 1848 ― Van. Fair lxii, My lord nearly sent Jos off his legs with the most fascinating smile. 1855 Smedley H. Coverdale ii, He struck his antagonist a crashing blow, which..sent him down like a shot. 1879 [see fly v.1 9]. 1887 ‘Mark Rutherford’ Revol. Tanner's Lane i. (ed. 8) 8 In an instant it was sent flying to the other side of the road. 1898 Daily News 24 Nov. 7/3 Sharkey..put a right hand smash on the jaw, sending Corbett down. |
16. To cause (a thing) to go down, up, etc. Also transf. with immaterial object, e.g. prices, one's spirits.
| 1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden ix. 20 Lavender..heateth the Belly, and sendeth down the Terms. 1794 Rigging & Seamanship I. 213 The Jack-block is used for sending top-gallant-yards up or down. 1823 J. Badcock Dom. Amusem. 108 Tartar emetic..solution being heated with sulphuret of ammonia, sends down a copious gold coloured precipitate. 1830 Scott Introd. to Ld. of Isles, I sent up another of these trifles, which, like schoolboys' kites, served to show how the wind..was setting. 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 30 If the topgallant sail is to be bent aloft, send it up to the topmast cross-trees by the clewlines. 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 50 Reeve a topgallant mast rope, and send the mast on deck. 1895 Doyle Stark Munro Lett. xvi. 332 We could manage very well on that—the more so as marriage sends a doctor's income up. |
17. To cause to move or travel; to cause to work. Cf. send along 21.
| 1864 Tennyson En. Ard. 532 The breath of heaven came continually And sent her [sc. a ship] sweetly by the golden isles. 1885 Pall Mall Gaz. 12 Jan. 7/2 The order was given to send the engines full speed astern. 1893 F. F. Moore Gray Eye or So III. 205 Harold..sending his horses at a pretty fair pace into the square. |
III. In idiomatic combination with adverbs. (For the obvious combinations see the simple senses and the adverbs.)
† 18. send about. trans. To dispatch (messengers) here and there; also absol. Obs.
| c 1330 King of Tars 146 He sente aboute on uche a syde Alle that he mihte of seende. 1604 Shakes. Oth. i. ii. 46 The Senate hath sent about three seuerall Quests, To search you out. |
19. send abroad. a. trans. To publish, make known widely; also, to cause (a sound) to be heard far and wide. arch. or poet.
| 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen., To send abroad or to publish, edere, evulgare. 1706 E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 79 He has a thousand pretty Phrases which he never sends abroad. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xxxiii, The great bell of the Castle..began to send its pealing clamour abroad. 1864 Tennyson En. Ard. 764 He..fear'd To send abroad a shrill and terrible cry. |
b. absol. To send out notices widely.
| 1611 Bible 1 Chron. xiii. 2 Let vs send abroad vnto our brethren euery where. |
† 20. send against ―. pass. To be met. (Cf. go against, go v. 51 a.) Obs.
| 1541 Sir T. Wyatt Def. in Poet. Wks. (1858) p. xxxiii, He [Pole] was neither sent against, being the Bishop of Rome's legate, neither received,..nor accompanied out again. |
21. send along. trans. To cause to travel rapidly; fig. to accelerate the progress or growth of.
| 1867 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. Ser. ii. III. ii. 533 If they have been ‘sent along’ with Indian corn [etc.] they will make up to nearly 2 lbs. heavier. Mod. The coachman sent his horses along at a good rate. |
22. send away. a. trans. To dispatch (a messenger, message, boat, etc.). Also absol.
| 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 408 If I be not sent away poste, I will see you againe, ere I goe. 1612 Sir R. Naunton in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 118, I am in some haste, for fear Mr. More should send away before this comes to him. a 1779 Cook 3rd Voy. iii. viii. (1784) II. 128 Before we got near enough to send away a boat to sound the entrance. |
† b. See quot. Obs. Cf. send down b.
| 1714 Spectator No. 596 ¶3 Upon which I was sent away, or in the University Phrase, Rusticated for ever. |
23. send back. trans. (Cricket.) To cause (one who has come out to bat) to return; to ‘put out’.
| 1870 Baily's Mag. Aug. 359 A good catch..sent him back when only a few runs were wanted. 1882 Daily Tel. 19 May, The first ball..sent back Mr. Greenfield. |
24. send before. trans. To cause to go in advance. Now rare.
| 1538 Elyot Dict., Emissarius,..signyfieth hym, whiche is sent before in battayle to espie. 1590 [see before adv. 1]. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. i. 4, I am sent before to make a fire, and they are coming after to warme them. 1646 Boyle in Birch Life (1744) 55 At Salisbury I overtook my trunks I had sent thither before. 1740 [see before adv. 1]. 1744 Birch Life Boyle 34 To make his addresses to this lady, Mr. F. was sent..before up to London. 1819 Shelley Mask of Anarchy 82 So he sent his slaves before To seize upon the Bank and Tower. |
25. send down. a. To dispatch from the King or the Lords to the Commons, from the capital, a city, one's headquarters, etc. into the country. Also absol.
| 1455 Rolls of Parlt. V. 303/1 That than the seid provisions and exceptions be sende doune unto us, to that ende that we may gife oure assentz therto. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vii. (1533) II. aa iij b/2 Wherfore in all haste he [Richard I] sent downe, gyuyng strayte commaundement that they shuld cease of the ryot. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. ii. 1 b, [He] sent downe his traine by water: and himselfe went by land. 1671, 1678 [see down adv. 2]. 1884 A. S. Swan Dorothea Kirke xviii. 164 If we meet any poor shop-girl..we'll send her down..to wonder at the blueness of the sky. 1891 ‘J. S. Winter’ Lumley xi, I'm going to send down for Ruth to come up to help to nurse you. |
b. To compel (an undergraduate) to leave the University (permanently or for a specified time), as a punishment. = rusticate v. 2.
| 1853 [see down adv. 2]. 1894 Times 16 May 10/4 Some 17 members of Christ Church..have been heavily fined and ‘sent down’. |
c. Cricket. To bowl (a ball, an over).
| 1871 Baily's Mag. Oct. 415 At times, no bowler in England sends down such utterly unplayable balls. 1882 Daily Tel. 19 May, Nine overs were then sent down for half a dozen runs. |
d. To dispatch or commit to prison by sentence. Freq. pass. slang (orig. U.S.).
| 1840 Picayune (New Orleans) 2 Aug. 2/5 She scorned to find surety in $500 to keep the peace, so she was sent down. 1880 G. A. Sala Amer. Revisited (1882) I. v. 85 They were ‘sent down’ for ten days. 1941 ‘R. West’ Black Lamb II. 315 We caught the murderer..and he was sent down for a long sentence. 1960 G. Butler Death lives Next Door vi. 118 I'm Ted Springer's missus. Sent him down for three years, you did. 1976 ‘P. B. Yuill’ Hazell & Menacing Jester iii. 39 ‘Is there any chance he could go to gaol?’ ‘You'd like him sent down, would you?’ |
e. To cause to accompany someone (to dinner).
| 1888 Mrs. H. Ward R. Elsmere II. ii. xvii. 74 They would be sent down to dinner together to a certainty. 1892 ‘A. Hope’ Mr. Witt's Widow viii. 98 That lady..sent Laura down to dinner with him. |
f. send her down, Davy (also Hughie, etc.) and varr.: phr. expressing a wish for rain to fall. Cf. Hughie. slang (chiefly Austral. and N.Z.).
| 1919 W. H. Downing Digger Dial. 44 Send her down, Steve!, let it rain on. 1925 Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words & Phrases 72 David (or Davy), send it down, a soldier's greeting to a shower of rain likely to postpone a parade. 1928 L. H. Nason Sergeant Eadie xi. 321 Hurray! Send her down, Davie; no drill today! 1937, 1958 [see Hughie]. 1975 Panorama (Austral.) Nov. 2/5 ‘Send 'er down, Hughie!’ An expression in nationwide use since the turn of the century, which is..an invocation to Heaven..to send rain. |
26. send forth. trans. To produce, yield; also, of a country, to export; of the press, to issue, publish.
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §567 The Water also doth send forth Plants, that haue no Roots. 1819 Byron Juan i. i, I want a hero: an uncommon want, When every year and month sends forth a new one. 1825 Scott Betrothed x, I have..cyprus, such as the East hath seldom sent forth. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 415 The press now often sends forth in a day a greater quantity of discussion..than was published [etc.]. 1885 Field 4 Apr. 426/2 Skeffington Wood sent forth the first [fox]. |
27. send in. a. trans. To give (one's name), hand (one's card) to a servant when making a call.
| 1748 Richardson Clarissa VII. 204 The Colonel..sent in his name; and I..introduced the afflicted gentleman. 1897 Watts-Dunton Aylwin v. ii, On sending in my card I was shown at once into the studio. |
b. To cause (a thing) to be delivered at its destination, to the person entitled to receive it or to the appointed receiver; esp. to render (an account, a bill).
to send in one's jacket: see jacket n. 1 b. to send in one's papers: see paper n. 7 d.
| 1715 De Foe Fam. Instruct. ii. i. (1841) I. 169 At Church there are bills sent in for the Minister to pray for folks. 1772 Foote Nabob i. (1778) 22 Sir Robert Bumper's butler is to send in the wine. 1834 Marryat P. Simple lxi, My father's bills had been sent in, and amounted to twelve hundred pounds. 1887 Esher in Law Rep. 19 Q.B. Div. 518 It is suggested that to send in a bill is not to demand payment of it, but this is a fanciful view. 1895 Saintsbury Corr. Impr. 179 An editorial notice of a poem which had been sent in. |
c. Cricket. To send (a batsman) into the field to bat. Also, to send (the opposing side) in to bat first.
| 1857 Hughes Tom Brown ii. viii, Arthur is sent in, and goes off to the wicket. 1898 Giffen With Bat & Ball viii. 111 Bonnor was sent in third wicket down. 1912 P. F. Warner England v. Australia vi. 48 Trumper beat Douglas in the toss, and sent us in. 1930 C. G. Macartney My Cricketing Days iii. 18 They might have given us a good game had not our captain..won the toss and sent them in on a bad wicket. 1969 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 478 Although Lancashire were without..their opening bowlers, Leicestershire sent them in on winning the toss. |
28. a. send off. trans. To cause to start on a mission from oneself; to see to the departure of (a person or thing, a message, etc., that is to be conveyed somewhere).
| 1666 Dryden Ann. Mirab. lxxiv, His wounded men he first sends off to shore. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia vii. ix, When she had sent off this letter. 1896 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Matabele Campaign vi, We..sent off some native runners to go and find him. |
| absol. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xix, The trembling old lady sent off for her doctor. |
† b. = sense 25 b. Obs.
| 1843 [see faculty 9 b]. |
c. Sport. To order (a player) to leave the pitch as a punishment.
| 1906 W. Pickford in Gibson & Pickford Association Football III. xvi. 6 A referee may send a player off at once and without any previous caution, if he is guilty of violent conduct. 1976 Milton Keynes Express 2 July 43/4 Newton..suffered a severe setback in the first half when they had a player sent off. |
29. send on. a. trans. To dispatch (a person or thing) in advance; also absol. for ‘to send on one's horse’.
| a 1700 Evelyn Diary 11 June 1652, Having sent my man on before, I rode negligently under favour of the shade. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xli, Pitt accompanied them..having sent on their baggage in a cart previously. 1895 Doyle Stark Munro Lett. xvi. 342, I work a town at a time. I send on an agent to the next to say that I am coming. |
| absol. 1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross xxxii, Because Sir Yawnberry Dawdle, who lies long in bed, sends on, Mr. Larkspur..must needs do the same. |
b. To cause (a person) to go onward.
| 1877 Spurgeon Serm. XXIII. 357, A asks B to help him, and B, in his wonderful charity, does him the great favour of sending him on to C. |
c. To dispatch (a letter, etc.) forward from the place to which it was addressed.
| 1833 S. Smith Life & Writings J. Downing liii. 183 Dear sir, I want you to send this on to cousin Jack. 1879 Geo. Eliot Let. 7 July (1956) VII. 179, I have had 2 letters from him which Miss Gibson sent on. 1895 ‘G. Mortimer’ Like Stars that Fall xiv. 198 Didn't you get the letter sent on? |
30. send out. trans. To issue († a commandment, an invitation); † to proclaim that.
| c 1400 Three Kings Cologne 26 Whan Octouianus had sent houte a commaundement..þat euery man and woman scholde go to his cite. a 1450 Mirk's Festial 22 Þan was send out a mawndement. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 11 May 1652, I rode to Coll. Blount's..who sent out hue and cry immediately. |
31. send over. trans. To dispatch across the sea, or (in later use) from one place to another (cf. over adv. 5). Also absol.
| 1483 Cely Papers (Camden) 140, I beseche yowre master⁓schypp to remember to send ower the pampelett. 1594 Kyd Cornelia iii. i. 94 Send Sextus over to some forraine Nation. 1646 Boyle in Birch Life (1744) 65 Some of the least bad of which [verses] I shall venture to send you over. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 9 Mar. 1652, I..meditated sending over for my wife. 1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Childr. ix, Hothouse blooms and delicate ferns and tall palms, which had been sent over by cartloads. |
32. send round. a. trans. To circulate.
| 1839 Thackeray Stubb's Cal. Dec. Comic Tales (1841) II. 366 ‘Never mind, my boys’, I used to say, ‘send the bottle round’. 1841 Pusey in Newman's Lett. (1891) II. 370 note, A circular is being sent round to all the members of Convocation. |
b. to send round the hat: see hat n. 5 b.
c. colloq. To send (something; also absol. to send a message) to some one in the neighbourhood.
| Mod. I will leave the basket; you can send it round anytime. I will send round tomorrow to inquire how the patient is. |
33. send up. a. trans. Of things: To emit, give off, shoot out (something that rises or travels upwards).
| 1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus ii. 76 The countrey is exceeding hote and parching, being altogether vnfit to sende vp any vapours. 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 738 The Hills..Vapour, and Exhalation dusk and moist, Sent up amain. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 62 ¶5 It is a Flame that sends up no Smoke. 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam 2928 [It] Passed like a spark sent up out of a burning oven. 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lex. 104 If a bean is planted..it will immediately begin to send up a stem. |
b. To cause (a person) to go or (a thing) to be taken ‘upstairs’ (from the kitchen, entrance hall, etc.); esp. to serve up (a meal), to send in (one's name or card as a visitor).
| 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xi, The master of the inn..sent up the bill by the waiter. 1884 Graphic 29 Nov. 578/3 Gerald..sent up his name to Lord Whitby. |
| absol. 1862 M. E. Braddon Lady Audley xxxvi, Poor Tomlins has sent up three times to say the fish will be spoiled. |
c. To send (a bill) from the Commons to the Lords.
| 1832 Greville Mem. 6 Apr. (1874) II. 282 That could not be now in the Bill, as it was sent up from the Commons. |
d. Public Schools. To send (a boy) to the headmaster (a) for reward, (b) for punishment.
| 1821 Salt-Bearer (Eton Coll.) 129 He more than once had the honour of being ‘sent up for good’, i.e. having his verses read over by the head master as particularly worthy of commendation. 1849 Thackeray Pendennis xxxiv, I remember poor Shelley at school being sent up for good for a copy of verses. 1857 Hughes Tom Brown i. vii, ‘What if we're late?’ said Tom. ‘No tea, and sent up to the Doctor’, answered East. Ibid. ii. vii, He sent me up to be flogged for it. 1881 Everyday Life in Public Sch. (ed. Pascoe) 322 Sent up, Eton. An honour due usually to distinction in verses. Ibid. 323 The Head Master exercised the power of sending up ‘for play’, which was counted as three times ‘sent up for good’. Every third occasion of being sent up for good the boy could claim a book from the Head. |
e. To put in prison.
| 1852 Judson Myst. N.Y. iii. 7 (Farmer) They'd blow on me for some of my work, and I'd be sent up. 1897 Westm. Gaz. 30 Apr. 10/1 Only two prisoners, men, occupied the prison-van... Burns was being ‘sent up’ for wife-beating, and Tannahill for theft. |
f. To mock, make fun of (a person or thing); to parody.
| 1931 T. R. G. Lyell Slang, Phrase & Idiom in Colloq. Eng. 673 The last time he came in, he was sent up unmercifully by half the room. 1957 ‘N. Blake’ End of Chapter 68 Who's Johnnie Ray? He's—go on! you're sending me up! 1962 John o' London's 29 Nov. 506/3 The effect..is as if he is attempting to ‘send up’ the whole picture. 1969 Times 13 Dec. p. v/2 These represented the British sense of humour, our genius for sending ourselves up, but they seem to me rather to be reinforcements of such attitudes. 1977 P. G. Winslow Witch Hill Murder ii. xvii. 220, I wasn't sending you up the other night. I was afraid. |
IV. 34. The infin. used: a. to describe the position of a switch for transmission.
| 1876 Jrnl. Soc. Telegr. Engineers V. 494 The switch has been put on ‘send’. 1976 C. Egleton State Visit ix. 88 Because he kept the switch on ‘send’, they could just hear the band. |
b. attrib. in the sense ‘sending’, as the name of a part.
| 1973 C. Bonington Next Horizon xiii. 194 He ended up by telling me to press the send switch of the radio three times as affirmative and twice for negative, in reply to his questions. 1976 K. Thackeray Crownbird ix. 198 He pulled his microphone towards him..and depressed the send button. |
▪ IV. send, v.2 Naut.
(sɛnd)
Pa. tense sended. Also 7–9 scend, (8 sand).
[Belongs to send n.2; possibly a mere application of send v.1 Often written 'scend, as if aphetic for descend or ascend.]
(See quot. a 1625.)
| a 1625 Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. MS. 2301), When a shipp falls (whether under saile or at Anchor) with her head or with her sterne deepe into the Trough of the Sea it is said she Sends much either a sterne or a head. 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 122 An uneven and unlevel keel drooping forwards, or sending aft. Ibid. 127 What makes her pitch and scend too much. 1794 J. H. Moore Pract. Navig. (ed. 10) 286 She sands or sends. When the ship's head or stern falls deep in the trough of the sea. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Sending, the act of pitching precipitately into the hollow, or interval, between two waves. 1833 M. Scott Tom Cringle ii, She sended forward, heavily and sickly, on the long swell.—She never rose to the opposite heave of the sea again. |
| transf. 1896 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Matabele Campaign i, All day and all night we go rocking and pitching, rolling and ‘scending’ along in the creaking, groaning old coach. |
¶ b. Apparently misapplied from incorrect notion of the etymology.
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., 'Scending (from ascend), the contrary motion to pitching. 1889 Welch Text Bk. Naval Archit. iii. 50 The motion is termed..pitching or 'scending according as the bow of the ship moves downward and the stern upward or vice versâ. |