expend, v.
(ɛkˈspɛnd)
Forms: 5–6 expende, exspende, 6– expend. pa. pple. 5 expent, 6 expend.
[ad. L. expend-ĕre, f. ex- out + pend-ĕre to weigh, pay. Cf. also dispend, spend.]
I. To pay out, spend. It differs from spend in being less colloquial, and (in mod. use) in implying some determinate direction or object of outlay.
1. trans. To pay away, lay out, spend (money). † a. To spend, make away with, consume in outlay. Obs.
| 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 106 By expending more than his lyuelode cometh to. 1483 Caxton Cato A vij, Zeno expended bothe hys goodes and the goodes of his fader and played hit at the dyse. 1608 Shakes. Per. iii. ii. 29 Riches careless heirs May..expend. a 1627 Hayward Edw. VI (1630) 111 The King of England wasted the French Kings country, and thereby caused him to expend such summes of mony as exceeded the debt. |
b. To lay out (money) for determinate objects. Const.
in,
upon.
| 1484 Churchw. Acc. Wigtoft Lincolnsh. (Nichols 1797) 79 For hiryng of 2 wrightes to mend y⊇ belles..expent 4d. 1552 Huloet, Expend or laye out money. 1698–9 Ludlow Mem. I. 71 Part of this sum I expended upon the garison. 1763 Ld. Barrington in Ellis Orig. Lett. ii. 505 IV. 474 If {pstlg}50,000 had been given for that Speech, it would have been well expended. 1839 Thirlwall Greece VII. 323 They began to doubt whether they were not about to expend their resources less for their own defence, than, etc. 1867 Mrs. H. Wood Life's Secret II. 152 Too fond of beer, to expend in much else the trifle allowed them. |
| absol. 1605 Bp. Hall Medit. & Vows ii. §54 The eare and the eye are the minds receivers; but the tongue is onely busied in expending. 1720 in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1886) II. 64 To expend and lay out very extravagantly in repairing the highways, &c. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 352 They go elsewhere to enjoy and to expend. |
2. transf. and
fig. To lay out, spend (blood, care, labour, time, etc.); to employ for a given purpose.
| c 1440 Gesta Rom. xv. 53 (Harl. MS.) The first doughter..is þe worlde, whom a man loveth so well, that he expendith alle his lif aboute hit. 1550 Bale Image Both Ch. i. x. §5 More God desireth not of the christian minister, than to expend his whole study, labour, and time for the lightening of others. 1602 Shakes. Ham. ii. ii. 23 To expend your time with vs a-while. 1728 Young Love Fame ii. (1757) 97 These all their care expend on outward show For wealth and fame. 1841–4 Emerson Ess. Prudence Wks. (Bohn) I. 98 As much wisdom may be expended on a private economy as on an empire. 1854 J. S. C. Abbott Napoleon (1855) I. vii. 142 The blood that must be expended in the attempt. 1864 Skeat Uhland's Poems 42 Thyself hast thou expended As every poet should. 1874 L. Morris To Unknown Poet ix, A humble healer thro' a life obscure, Thou didst expend thy homely days. |
3. To use up (material or force) in any operation; also
refl. Formerly,
† to consume (provisions);
cf. expense 1 c.
| 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 9 To procure what fresh Provisions we could expend during our Stay. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 80 The quantity of water expended in a minute was 962/3 pounds. 1859 Jephson Brittany xii. 193 The English archers..having expended their arrows, drew their swords. 1860 Tyndall Glac. ii. xix. 329 Gravity in this case has expended a certain amount of force. 1869 Phillips Vesuv. iii. 51 After the currents had expended themselves. 1871 Morley Voltaire (1886) 15 All the social feeling and intellectual effort..seemed to have expended themselves. |
b. Naut. To lose (spars, masts, etc.) either in action or by storms, etc. Also, to use up (a quantity of rope, etc.) in winding it round a spar or a rope.
| 1801 Nelson 23 May in Nicolas Disp. (1845) IV. 384 An account..of the spars expended in consequence of the Action of April 2nd. 1830 Marryat King's Own xli, Have you expended any boat's masts? c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 34 Expend the spunyarn round both parts of the lanyard. 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 137 The heel rope is..expended round the jackstay and boom. |
† II. 4. To weigh mentally; to consider, determine accurately. Often,
to expend with oneself [after L.
expendere secum].
Obs.| 1531 Elyot Gov. iii. ix, Where fortitude expendeth euery thinge and acte diligently. 1533 Tindale Lord's Supper Wks. (Parker Soc.) III. 266 Exhort every man deeply to consider and expend with himself, the signification of this sacrament. 1563 Homilies ii. Rogat. Week iii. (1859) 491 To expend the gracious good will of God to usward. 1625 Hart Anat. Ur. i. ii. 21 It behooueth the Physitian to..expend with himselfe..the strength of euery accident apart. 1677 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. To Rdr., Moral Evidences..are herein particularly expended and examined. |
Hence
exˈpended ppl. a.| 1742 Young Nt. Th. iv. 196 What can awake thee unawak'd by this, ‘Expended Deity on human weal’? |