displease, v.
(dɪsˈpliːz)
Forms: 4–5 desplese, (displess); 4–6 dis-, dysplese, displece, -pleis, 5 dysplayse, 5–6 dysplease, 5– displease.
[a. OF. desplais-, pres. stem of desplaisir, desplaire (pres. subj. -place, -plaise), in AF. desplere, desplese, refashioned repr. of L. displicēre, Rom. *displacēre: cf. It. dispiaˈcere, Sp. desplacer, Pr. desplacer: see please. The 16th c. ea represented an AF. and ME. open ê from OF. ai.]
1. intr. To be displeasing, disagreeable, or offensive; to cause displeasure, dissatisfaction, or dislike.
(This is app. the original use, as in Fr. and L.; but in later Eng. it passes into an absolute use of the transitive sense 2.)
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 1 Patience is a point, þaȝ hit displese ofte. 1414 Brampton Penit. Ps. xlv. 17 He may sone dysplese and greve. 1484 Caxton Chivalry 98, I wold demaunde a question yf I shold not displease. 1626 Bacon Sylva (J.), Foul sights do rather displease, in that they excite the memory of foul things. 1705 Pope Spring 83 Ev'n spring displeases, when she shines not here. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Manners Wks. (Bohn) II. 46 They dare to displease. |
† b. const. to.
Obs. [
= F.
déplaire à, or with
dat.; L.
displicēre with
dat.]
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. i. pr. iii. 6 (Camb. MS.) To displese to wikkede men. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 196 Þis displesiþ to sinful men. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iii. viii. 55 For somtyme theyr lewd lyf displesid to them seluen. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vi. xvi. 29 That til hyr fadyr dysplesyd noucht. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour D vij b, Thexcusations of Eue displeasid moche to god. |
2. trans. [The object represents an earlier dative:
cf. Fr. cela me deplaît,
cela deplaît à Dieu.] To be displeasing or disagreeable to; to excite the displeasure, dissatisfaction, or aversion of; to offend, annoy, vex, make angry.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1136 Þenne þou dryȝtyn dyspleses with dedes ful sore. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 253 If it shulde him nought displese. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) vi. 20 If þai speke any thing þat displesez þe sowdan. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 83 To do synne, & displece God, & deserue peyn. c 1440 Gesta Rom. (1838) ii. xxxviii. 399 It displeasethe me mekelle, that ever I come hedir. 1474 Caxton Chesse 4 He put them al to deth that displesid him. 1529 Supplic. to King 53 Afrayed to speake the trewethe, lest they shulde dysplease men. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. i. i. 76 Let it not displease thee good Bianca, For I will loue thee nere the lesse my girle. 1596 ― 1 Hen. IV, i. iii. 122 You shall heare in such a kinde from me As will displease ye. 1611 Bible Jonah iv. 1 Bvt it displeased Ionah exceedingly, and he was very angry. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia iv. 112 This answer..much displeased him. 1700 S. L. tr. Fryke's Voy. E. Ind. 335 When I considered her..as to her Fortune, I must confess she did not altogether displease me. 1734 Arbuthnot in Swift's Lett. (1766) II. 205 The world, in the main, displeaseth me. 1841 W. Spalding Italy & It. Isl. III. 150 The picture..is one which displeases taste. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 223, I will not oppose you, lest I should displease the company. |
| fig. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 54 Ile beleeue as soone..that the Moone May through the Center creepe, and so displease Her brothers noonetide. 1603 ― Meas. for M. iv. i. 13 My mirth it much displeas'd, but pleas'd my woe. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Maid's Trag. iv. i, E. Come, you will make me blush. Mel. I would, Evadne; I shall displease my ends else. |
† b. refl. and intr. = be displeased: see c.
Obs.| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 422 ‘Blysful’, quoth I, ‘may þis be trwe, Dysplesez not if I speke errour’. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 135 ‘At ȝowre preyere’, quod pacyence þo, ‘so no man displese hym’. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 160 Madame, displese you not thoughe this lady..goo before. c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 269 Ye suld displess you nocht. |
c. to be displeased: to be dissatisfied, or moved to disapprobation or dislike; to be vexed; to be full of displeasure or indignation. (Expressing state rather than action:
cf. displeased ppl. a.) Const.
with,
at,
† of,
† against; also with
inf., or
clause.
| c 1386 Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 457 Beeth no thyng displesed, I yow preye. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 173 They pray him..That he will saie no contraire, Wherof the king may be displesed. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxi. 464 My cosin, be not dysplaysed of that I shall telle you. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxv. 222 Make as though ye were dyspleasyd with hym. 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV, (an. 14) 232 b, [He] was sore displeased to se hys master made a jesting stocke. 1563 Winȝet Four Scoir Thre Quest. Wks. 1888 I. 133 Ȝe are..displesit that We embrase nocht..ȝour new interpretationis. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, i. i. 155 There's reason he should be displeas'd at it. 1611 Bible Hab. iii. 8 Was the Lord displeased against the riuers? 1638 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 133 Cynthia also lookt pale, as displeasd with so much knavery. 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 16 We should not have been displeased..to have met them with our whole Force. 1829 D'Israeli in Croker Papers (1884) 28 Jan., So many were displeased at themselves. |