▪ I. ˈutter, n. Mech.
[See quot. 1879.]
pl. Indentations or marks made on a surface by the vibration or too great pressure of a tool.
| 1853 O. Byrne Artisan's Handbk. 351 Excessive pressure..only fills the work with furrows, or produces an irregular indented surface, which by workmen is said to be full of utters. 1879 Holtzapffel Turning IV. 342 Fine lines or striæ, also called ‘utters’,..from the sound emitted by the work when in vibration against the tool. |
▪ II. utter, a.
(ˈʌtə(r))
Forms: α. 1 utera, uterra, utra, 4–6 vter, Sc. 6 vtir, utyr, 6, 9 uter. β. 2 uttera, uttra, 3, 6 uttre, 4–6 vttre, 4– utter (4–6 uttir, 5 uttere); 4–7 vtter (4 otter, 5 outter, vttere, 6–7 Sc. wtter), 4–6 vttur, 5 vtture, vttir, 4 vttyr.
[OE. {uacu}tera, {uacu}terra, {uacu}ttera, {uacu}ttra, etc. (also {yacu}tera, {yacu}tra, {yacu}ttra) adj. (comparative formed on {uacu}t out adv.), = OFris. ûtera, uttera, uttra, MLG. utere, uter (LG. ûter, üter), MDu. utere (Du. uiter-), OHG. ûȥero, ûȥaro (MHG. ûȥer, G. äusser), also ON. ytri, MSw. ytre, etc. (Sw. yttre), Norw. ytre, Da. ydre. Cf. outer a.
Shortening of the original ū of the stem is normal before the group ttr, which in OE. was regularly developed from tr.]
I. 1. a. That is farther out than another (implied or distinguished as inner); forming the exterior part or outlying portion; relatively far out, outward, external, exterior; also, indefinitely remote. Cf. outer a. 1. Now only poet.
In very frequent use from c 1400 to c 1620. App. in disuse c 1670–c 1825, except in utter bar, utter barrister (see bar n.1 24, barrister1).
| α a 901 ælfred Laws c. 44 §1 Ᵹif ðæt uterre [v.rr. utre, uttere] ban bið þyrel. 13.. [see 1 b]. 1507 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. III. 292 The Kingis offerandis in the utir kyrk. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) III. 48 Suppois than of that toun The vter wallis win war and put doun. 1592 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 753/1 Lie uter port de Halyrudhous. 1887 Jamieson's Suppl. 257/2 The uter door. |
| β c 1125 [see α]. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 664 (Camb. MS.), In þis vttir [v.rr. vtter, outter] hous. a 1400–50 Bk. Curtasye 444 in Babees Bk. 313 For lordys two beddys schalle be made, Bothe vtter and inner. c 1435 Chron. London (Kingsford, 1905) 40 By the hemme off the kyngis cote, vndir his vttir garnement. 1471 Paston Lett. III. 20 Opyn the cofyr that standyth in the utter chambyr. 1526 Tindale Matt. xxv. 30 Cast that vnprophetable servaunt into vtter dercknes. 1542 Boorde Dyetary iv. (1870) 239 If there be an vtter courte made. 1578 Lyte Dodoens 752 An ounce of the utter barke taken with wine. 1614 Sylvester Little Bartas 432 Earth's but a Point, compar'd to th' upper Globe; Yet, who hath seen but half her utter Robe? 1661 P. Gordon Diary (Spalding Club) 49 Whilst my servants were cleansing the inner room, he breake downe the oven in the utter roome. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 716 Drive them out From all Heav'ns bounds into the utter Deep. 1827 Pollok Course T. ix. 1180 They heard, Afar to left, among the utter dark, Hell rolling o'er his waves of burning fire. 1848 Bailey Festus (ed. 3) 107 From Time's last orb which eyes The inner and the utter infinite. 1870 J. Payne Masque of Shadows Ded., Whoso is fain To enter in this shadow-land of mine, He must forget the utter summer's shine. |
| fig. 1608 B. Jonson Masques Wks. (1616) 934 I,..who haue neuer touch'd so much as to the barke, or vtter shell of any knowledge. 1877 L. Morris Epic Hades ii. 147 So high a strain arose As trembled on the utter verge of being. |
b. Freq. with partitive terms, as † deal, end, part, † party, and esp. side. Also fig. Now rare.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9912 Þis castell..es painted a-bute þe vtter [Gött. vter] side. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 4815 Þe world sal bryn on ilk syde,..Until þe utter end of alle helle. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 59 For betynge of veynes is bettre i-knowe in þe vttre parties of bodies þan ynward. Ibid. VI. 251 Þe utter deel of his oost. c 1400 Beryn 3928 [He] had a mantell..; The vttir part of purpill. 1457 Cov. Leet. Bk. 298 The newe Crosse vppon the heth at the vtter syde of theyre fraunchice. 1508 Bk. Keruynge A iv, The vtter ende of the clothe on the vtter syde of the table. 1526 Tindale Matt. xxiii. 25 Ye make clene the vtter side off the cuppe, and off the platter. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. 21 b, A little rayne falling, hath but wette the vtter part, and not gone deepe. 1629 Sir W. Mure True Crucifixe 485 Like painted Tombs who clense the vtter side, [Cf. Matt. xxiii. 27]. 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1671) 183 For two feathers or two straws of the devil's painted pleasures, onely lustred in the utter side. 1848 Bailey Festus (ed. 3) 59, I have looked down upon the utter side Of such thoughts from the leeming room of reason. |
† 2. a. = outer a. 2. Obs.
| c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. iv. xiii. (1890) 304 Þæt heo seolfe wæron ᵹe on þæm nearran [v.r. inneran] godum, ᵹe on þæm utteran [v.r. uttran] mid heofonlice ᵹife ᵹewelᵹade. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) xv. 7 Þeah he me þara uterrena ᵹewinna ᵹefreode, þeah winnað wið me þa inran unrihtlustas. a 1225 Ancr. R. 92 Hwo se ȝemeleasliche witeð hire uttre eien,..heo ablindeð in þe inre eien. 1357 Lay Folks' Catech. (L.) 330 The be-houys to know þy fyue wyttys þe vttyr and þe ynnyr. c 1386 Chaucer Sec. Nun's T. 498 (Camb. MS.), Teere lakkyth no thyng to thyn vtter Iyen. 1398 Trevisa Barth De P.R. iii. ix. (1495) 54 The vtter wytte conteyneth the syghte,..taastynge and towchynge. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. xiv. 82 For þe utter enemy is sonner ouercomen, if þe ynner be destroied. |
† b. utter man, = outward a. 2 c. (Cf. outer a. 2 b.) Obs.
| a 1050 Liber Scintill. x. (1889) 53 Þæt ys fullfremed & ᵹesceadwislic fæsten þænne ure mann uttra fæst, se inra ᵹebitt. a 1340 Hampole Psalter ix. 20 Þat..þe utter man haf noght maistry of þe inere. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. I. 53 Þis is bifore spiritual joy, as utter man is bifore spiritual. 1388 ― 2 Cor. iv. 16 Thouȝ oure vtter man be corruptid. 1565 Jewel Reply Harding 430 Simple folke, beinge not hable to discerne, what thinges they be in the Holy Scriptures, that are to be applied to the Inner Man, and what to the Vtter. |
† 3. = outward a. 4. Obs.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 4 Ye schullen alles weis..wel witen þe inre & þe uttre [sc. riwle] vor hire sake. a 1275 Ibid. 420 note (Cotton MS.), Understondeð þet of alle þeose þinges nis nan hest ne forbot; for alle ha beoð of þe uttere riwle, þet is lute strencðe of. 1526 Tindale John vii. 24 Judge not after the vtter aperaunce. 1548 Hoby in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) II. App. Y. 80 He..is even now..as content to the utter shew, as he was at any time of his most prosperity. 1558 Bp. White Ibid. III. App. lxxxi. 279 You in time of divine service, do..both in heart and utter gesture..adore the same flesh. 1563 Homilies ii. Place & Time of Prayer 282 Strayghtly to obserue and kepe the vtter ceremonyes of the Saboth-day. 1593 Nashe Christ's T. R 4 b, Lyke the Geometritians, they square about poynts and lynes, and the vtter shew of things. |
II. 4. a. Going to the utmost point; extreme, absolute, complete, entire, total.
In very frequent use from c 1515.
| c 1430 Generides (Roxb.) 3040 This wer to vs..an vttir shame for euermore. 14.. Lydgate's Thebes 4122 (MS. Laud Misc. 557, fol. 58), It were to hem a perpetuall shame, An vtter [v.r. outre] hyndryng vnto Grekes name. a 1511 Fabyan Chron. vi. clxxxix. 191 To the..vtter displeasure of the Kynge. 1550 Crowley Epigr. 1241 Ambition was punished wyth vtter exile. 1562 Winȝet Cert. Tract. Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 7 Ane manifest confusion and vter exterminion of this realme. 1606 Dekker News fr. Hell Wks. (Grosart) II. 143 Burning Riuers In which..are [sic] no vtter danger. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ i. ii. §1 We have seen already an utter impossibility of having any ancient Records among them. 1718 Prior Poems Dedication b j, Two Things which were his utter Aversion. 1778 F. Burney Evelina xxi, I saw they were in utter amazement. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms iii. 535 A graceful calm is seen All foreign to this utter solitude. 1849 Ruskin Sev. Lamps vii. §11. 184 Restraint, utter and unrelaxing, can never be comely. 1871 Tylor Prim. Cult. I. 277 Her utter belief that in her vision she had really seen this bright being. 1889 Clark Russell Marooned xii, The arrest of his movements could not have been more spasmodic and utter. |
b. Freq. said of destruction, ruin, loss, etc.
| 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy iv. 2443 He him [Agamemnon] had brouȝt in gret distresse, To outter meschef and confusioun. ? 1456– [see undoing vbl. n.1 3 c]. 1523 Act 14 & 15 Hen. VIII, c. 1 §1 The utter ruyne, decaye, impoverysshyng and undoyng of a great nombre of the Kynges owne naturall Subjectes. 1560 J. Daus tr. Steidane's Comm. 40 To the vtter destruction of the common wealthe. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, v. iv. 112 The vtter losse of all the Realme. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 308 Thou hast..quitted all to save A World from utter loss. 1674 Jackson's Recant. B 1 b, Turn'd out of Doors, to their utter ruin and destruction. 1772 Priestley Inst. Relig. (1782) I. 408 The utter ruin of their city..was foretold. 1827 Keble Chr. Y., 11th Sunday after Trinity v, Full many a soul..To utter death that hour shall sweep. 1841 Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life (1870) III. viii. 125 Dark depression and utter failure of intellect. 1846 A. Marsh Father Darcy II. xxi. 359 The utter destruction of all reverence for the unseen. |
c. Of answers, decisions, etc.: Given without reserve or qualification; unmodified, decisive, definite. In early use chiefly Sc.
| 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 173 As for utter ansuere to this questioun,..lawe and gude faith avidis that..he is behaldin [etc.]. 1472 Stonor Papers (Camden) I. 126 But and [= if] ye..conceyve þat shee hath yoven you an utter nay. 1515 Q. Marg. in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. I. 127 Send me ȝour uter mynd and ansuer in all thyng. 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 33 This is my vtter minde and will, That ȝe prepair [etc.]. a 1600 Montgomerie Misc. Poems xxxii. 86 Ȝour vter ansueir courteously I crave. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. viii. §15 The utter refusal of the auxiliary regiments of London and Kent to march farther. 1828–32 Webster s.v., An utter refusal or denial. |
d. Of darkness, etc.: Complete, absolute.
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. iii. 42 But thou..wert indeede, but for the Light in thy Face, the Sunne of vtter Darkenesse. 1814 Wordsw. Excurs. vii. 357 Then, shall the slowly-gathering twilight close In utter night. 1825 Scott Talism. v, They blew out their lights at once, and left the knight in utter darkness. 1830 Tennyson Confess. Sensit. Mind 95 What if Thou..seest me drive Through utter dark a full-sailed skiff Unpiloted. 1868 ― Lucretius 70 Then, from utter gloom stood out the breasts..of Helen. |
e. Pure; unalloyed. rare—1.
| 1875 Morris æneis ix. 262 Two cups of utter silver wrought. |
f. As a trivial emphasizer.
| 1898 G. B. Shaw You never can Tell iv. 308 Certainly not. It's utter bosh. Nothing can be in better taste. 1914 ― Misalliance 33 You are the only really clever..man I know who has given himself away to me by making an utter fool of himself with me. 1930 N. Coward Private Lives iii. 78 You're talking utter nonsense! 1956 Times 3 Jan. 3/6 Professor Richard van der Riet Woolley, the newly appointed Astronomer Royal, said..that the prospect of interplanetary travel was ‘utter bilge’. |
5. a. Of persons: That is such to an absolute degree; out-and-out, complete, ‘perfect’.
In early use, usu. with ‘enemy’; in 19th c., freq. with ‘stranger’.
| c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 594 He hathe be euer myn vtter enemy. 1555 J. Bradford in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) III. App. xlv. 131 That he shoulde be..the Kinges utter enemye. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 82 b, Their moste vtter and mortall ennemie. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Method vii, Those Who heare not him, but quickly heare His utter foes? 1662 Trenchfield Chr. Chym. 39 Julius Cæsar having taken..the Cabinets of Pompey and Scypio his utter enemies. 1678 Bunyan Pilgr. i. 163 Ye be utter strangers to me; I know you not. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xiii, Some of them are yet utter heathens. a 1845 Hood Lamia vi. 80 And thou wilt..say the outer woman is utter woman, And not a whit a snake! 1849 Lever Con Cregan xviii, To win some acknowledgment of confidence from an utter stranger. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 70 The persons..are utter rogues. |
b. ellipt. (in affected use).
| 1881 W. S. Gilbert Patience ii, (The Officers have some difficulty in maintaining their constrained [æsthetic] attitudes.)..Ang. Oh, Saphir, are they not quite too all-but? Saph. They are indeed jolly utter. 1882 H. S. Leigh Strains fr. Strand 5 You and I have been together Dining up at Eaton Square. Pretty creature, tell me whether All was not ‘quite utter’ there. Ibid. 131 My wife has gone ‘utterly utter’. |
† 6. a. Uttermost, utmost. Obs.
Freq. in Sc. use in 16th cent., with power.
| 1513 Douglas æneis ix. ix. 16 Quham to assailȝe,..all the Italianis At vtir power ombeset atanis. 1533 Bellenden Livy i. iv. (S.T.S.) I. 30 Þare husbandis wald gif þare vter besines..to recovir baith [etc.]. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 59 My request, which y{supt} you wold accomplish to my utter expectation, we..beseech you most earnestly. 1590 Hecuba's Mishaps in T. Fenne Frutes Ff 2 b, When that I had..shewed my utter might. |
† b. Ultimate, original. Obs.—1
| 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 144 They haue neuer altered the Dialect [of Persia] from its vtter sence, at this day being cald Pharsee. |
† 7. Final; last. Obs.—1
| 1558 T. Phaer æneid ii. D iii b, Our vtter houre is comen alas, fell destinies death hath brought. |
8. the utter, that which is utter or extreme; = uttermost a. 7, utmost a. 5, 5 b. rare.
| 1584 Raleigh Let. in Aubrey Lives (1898) II. 192 Readie to countervaile all your courtesies to the utter of my power. 1894 Athenæum 29 Sept. 418/1 Nothing suits him but the utter. His heroine is ‘beautifully modelled’ [etc.]. |
III. † 9. Combs. (hyphened, or as one word): utter-bark, utter-brass, utter-court, utter-deal (deal n.1 1 d), utter-end, utter-gate, utter-room, utter-shape (see sense 3), utter-side; utterward (see ward n.2 14 c); also fig. (quot. c 1440); utter-wit, knowledge of things external to one.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth De P.R. v. xxx. (Bodl. MS.), Þe vtterdele þereof is clene and bright. c 1440 Jacob's Well 222 As þou hast v. watyrgatys in þe vttere-warde, owtward in þe pytt of þi body. c 1450 Brut ii. 545 The vtterward of the castell of Chestre. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 309/2 The towne..in the utterende of Dalmace. 1485 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 353 The Uttergate of the Castell of Flynte. 1495 Trevisa's Barth. de P.R. iii. vi. c viij/1 Felynge, bodyly wytte and Ymagynacyon arne sytuate in the soule that he is onid to the body, and yeue it lyfe, & Innerwytte & vtterwytt to perfeccion of the body. c 1530 Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 139 One [bed]..y⊇ vtterbrasses therof were of grene jasper. 1530 Palsgr. 286/1 Utterbarke of a tree, escorche. Ibid., Uttercourt, basse court. a 1550 Leland Itin. (1769) VII. 118 Estward to the utterward of the Chyrch. 1567 Drant Horace, Sat. iii. G 4 To folow showes, and uttershapes,..Is folie leude. 1577 Harrison England ii. xii. (1877) i. 236 The vtterside of their mansions. 1603 Daniel Def. Rhime H 6, When we heare musicke, we must be in our eare, in the vtter-roome of sense. 1675 Hobbes Odyssey xxi. 258 [He] shut the utter-Gate. |
▪ III. † utter, adv. Obs.
Forms: 1 utor, 6 Sc. uter; 1 uttor, 2, 7, 9, utter, 3–5 uttere (6 Sc. uttir), 4–7 vtter (5 vttir, vttyr), 4–5 vttere.
[OE. {uacu}tor, {uacu}ttor, {uacu}tter (compar. of {uacu}t out adv.), = MLG. uter, G. ausser, ON. {uacu}tarr.]
1. Farther out, away, or apart; out, outside, without.
| c 888 ælfred Boeth. xxxiv. §12 Nabbað hi nan god ofer þæt to secanne, ne hi nanwuht ne maᵹonne ufor ne utor findan. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xx. 28 Þonne byþ ðe arwurðlicor þonne þe man uttor scufe. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 73 [He] ne dar his sinnes seien þe prest leste hit uttere cume þat hie tweien witen. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 42 He schulde be halden vtter, With mony blame ful bygge,..Hurled to þe halle dore. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1565 Þer he..made hym, maw-gref his hed, forto mwe vtter. 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles iii. 232 Þe portir with his pikis þo put him vttere. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. v. 112 In wynter to his codde an heep of stonys Is good, that in the somer vtter don is. c 1450 Mirk's Festial i. 258 Þys man..set to þe roches his schuldyr, and bade hom..sterte vttyr. c 1500 World & Child 527 Stonde vtter, felowe! Where doest thou thy curtesy preue. a 1529 Skelton E. Rummyng 535 A strawe, sayde Bele, stande vtter. |
2. From among others; = out adv. 1 e. Cf. out-try v. 1. rare—1
| c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 294 In Nouember kitte of the bowes drie, Superfluent & thicke ek vtter trie. |
3. To an utter degree; quite, altogether.
| 1611 Beaum. & Fl. King & No K. iv. i, I know they will deny me gracious Madam, Being..So utter empty of those excellencies That tame Authority. 1652 G. Sandys Trav. (ed. 5) 47 It utter [earlier edd. utterly] excludes his former excuse of an allegory. 1816 Accum Chem. Tests (1818) 139 Exposed in an utter dark place, to a brisk current of air. |
4. utter-fine: a. Of metals: Superfine. Sc.
| 1562–3 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 232 Fourtie five unce of uter fyne silvir. 1641 in Cochran-Patrick Rec. Coinage Scot. (1876) I. Introd. 31 Vtter fynne gold. 1641 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 366/2 Per ferramenta trium petrarum purissimi lie utter fyne argenti. |
b. ellipt. A superfine make or quality of cloth. Sc. (Freq. c 1537–50.)
| 1529 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. V. 365 Ane eln tua quarteris, and ane half of uterfyne to be tua pair of hois. 1537 Ibid. VI. 351 Ten elnis uter fyne to be ane goun. 1564 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 309 Sevintene cairsayis and fyve stekis of uttir fyne. |
▪ IV. utter, v.1
(ˈʌtə(r))
Forms: α. 5 outer, outre (ottre, Sc. vtre), 6 vter, outter. β. 5 utterne, uttren, 5–7 vtter (6–7 Sc. wtter), vttre, 5 vttyr, 6 vttar; 5– utter, 6–7 uttre.
[Partly from out adv. or v. (with shortening of the vowel as in utter adv.), partly ad. MDu. uteren (also uyteren, Du. uiteren, WFris. uterje) to drive away, announce, speak, show, make known, or MLG. üteren, ütern to turn out, sell, speak, demonstrate, etc. (LG. ütern), = MHG. ûȥeren, ûȥern, iuȥern (G. äussern to speak, declare, † bring forth); Da. ytre, yttre, Sw. yttra, Norw. ytra, are from LG. The AF. uttrer (1463), Anglo-L. utterare (1551) are obviously from the English word.
For the earlier oute(n, owten, in Chaucer Wife's Prol. 521 and Canon Yeom. Prol. & T. 281, two later readings are respectively outer, vttren.]
I. † 1. a. To put (goods, wares, etc.) forth or upon the market; to issue, offer, or expose for sale or barter; to dispose of by way of trade; to vend, sell. Obs.
In very frequent use from c 1540 to c 1655.
| α ? c 1400 Chaucer's Wife's Prol. 521 (Petw. MS.), With daungere outer [v.rr. oute, outen, owten] we al oure chaffare. 1423 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 255/1 Swiche warkes..[they] kepen and senden unto the fayres.., and ther thei outre hem. 1483 in J. H. Glover Kingsthorpiana (1883) 43 Yf any man brewe for the avayle of the Churche, that all other brewers cesse for the tyme uppon lefulle warnynge tyll that be outred. |
| β 1425 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 307/2 Þat your said Commens may utter and sende her Corn, Bestus and Merchaundise over the see, into the parties abovesaid. 1436 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 175 At Venice of them men wol it bye, Then utterne [v.r. Thei utter] there the chaffare be the payse. c 1450 Harl. Contin. Higden (Rolls) VIII. 450 These men of Flaundres commynge to londe to utter theire merchandyse. 1523 Act 14 & 15 Hen. VIII, c. 1 §1 Yf any person..doo nat ther or elles where bargayne utter and sell the sayed Clothe. 1570 Foxe A. & M. (ed. 2) 1206/1 Seeing good wyne nedeth no tauerne bushe to vtter it. 1607 Middleton Michaelmas Term iv. ii. 13 Do they [sc. traders] not thrive best when they utter most? 1649 Bp. Hall Cases Consc. iii. vii. 296 When they gathered their Frankincense, none of it might be uttered till the Priest had the tithe of it. a 1668 R. Lassels Voy. Italy (1698) I. 68 Besides they utter a world of Taffataes, Velvets,..and other things of value. 1735 Berkeley Querist §544 Whether she [sc. Lyons] doth not receive and utter all those commodities. 1764 Burn Poor Laws 243 To keep a common ale-house.., and to utter and sell therein victuals. 1825 Scott Betrothed xxiii, Where other men are admitted that have wares to utter. [1863 H. Cox Instit. i. xi. 279 Booksellers were, by statute.., prohibited from uttering Tindal's translation of the Bible.] |
| fig. and in fig. context. c 1430 Lydg. Poems (Percy Soc.) 150 Uttre nevir no darnel with good corn, Begyn no trouble whan men trete of pees. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. ii. i. 16 Beauty is bought by iudgement of the eye, Not vttred by base sale of chapmens tongues. 1613 J. Taylor (Water P.) Watermen's Suit Wks. (1630) 174/1 [The waterman's] worke and ware is seene and knowne, and hee vtters it with the sweat of his browes. 1624 Quarles Job v. 60 Earth's black babbling Daughter (she that heares, And vents alike, both Truth and Forgeries, And vtters, often, cheaper then she buyes). 1828 Scott F.M. Perth vi, The devil has factors enough to utter his wares. |
| absol. 1600 Cornwallis Ess. ii. C 5, Let vs receiue, and vtter, be capable, and returne increase of this fruite. |
b. To announce for sale; = cry v. 5 b. rare.
| 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) iv. i, The infernal dialects in which their goods are uttered. |
† c. intr. Of goods: To find purchasers; = sell v. 6. Obs.—1
| 1611 Cotgr., Marchandise d'emploicte, ware that sells well, that vtters quickly. |
2. a. To give currency to (money, coin, notes, etc.); to put into circulation; esp. to pass or circulate (base coin, forged notes, etc.) as legal tender.
| c 1483 Chron. London (1827) 110 Every man, because of the said newe exchange, outred gold, and kept sylver. c 1550 Disc. Common Weal Eng. (1893) 78 Strangers haue conterfeted oure coine,..and heare vttered it, as well for oure gold and silver, as for oure chefe commoditie. 1554–5 Act 1–2 Philip & Mary c. 1 To the intent to utter or make paiment withe the same [sc. counterfeit foreign coin] within this Realme. 1602 W. Fulbecke 1st Pt. Parall. 86 To utter or cause to be uttered false mony knowing it to be false. 1697 Evelyn Numism. i. 16 Tokens which every Tavern..presumed to stamp and utter. 1718 S. Sewall Diary 21 Sept., Found Guilty of uttering Counterfeit Bills of Credit. c 1740 Fielding Ess. Char. Men Wks. 1784 IX. 417 Uttering great number of promissory notes. 1780 H. Walpole in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) IV. 317 Last night I saw a proof-piece of seven-shilling pieces... I know they were not uttered, but could you get me one from the Mint? 1825 W. O. Russell & Ryan Crown Cases 455 The prisoner was..convicted..of the offence of uttering and publishing, as true, a forged promissory note. 1848 Akerman Introd. Study Anc. & Mod. Coins i. 2 The earliest coins..bearing the symbol of the state by which they were uttered. 1861 Act 24–25 Vict. c. 99 §9 Whosoever shall tender, utter, or put off any false or counterfeit Coin. |
| absol. 1863 Stephen Blackstone's Comm. (ed. 5) IV. 227 The punishment of forging, uttering, and the like at common law. 1905 Daily Chron. 22 May 5/7 Charged with being in the possession of counterfeit coins and plant for making them, and..accused also of ‘uttering’. |
b. fig. and transf. Also absol.
| 1588 Kyd Househ. Philos. Wks. (1901) 274 Memory,..imprinting in it selfe al the Images and formes of visible..things, could not vtter them in time conuenient..vnlesse it had so ordered. 1609 B. Jonson Sil. Wom. iv. vi, Mavis was more deceiu'd then we; 'twas her commendation vtter'd 'hem [ante ‘these adulterate knights’] in the colledge. 1800 Addison Amer. Law Rep. 44 Misner was indicted..for uttering this assignment. 1839 Bailey Festus 145 The great bards Of Greece, of Rome,..Men who have forged gods—uttered—made them pass. |
c. To issue by way of publication; to publish. Now arch. rare.
| 1561 in Haynes Cecil Papers (1740) 368 Sondry Booke⁓bynders and Stationers do utter certen Papers, wherein be prynted the Face of hir Majesty. c 1567 Stowe in Surv. (1908) I. p. li, Ye same [book] was well vtteryd by ye printar. 1584 Star Chamb. Decree Printers & Stationers (1863) 9 Bokes printed in England are uttered no where els. 1977 ‘M. Innes’ Honeybath's Haven iv. 37 He..placed on the seat beside him his hat, his gloves, and the handsomely illustrated brochure uttered by the proprietors of Hanwell Court to their prospective clients (or inmates). |
3. † a. To send out; esp. to issue or give out from or as from a store. Obs. rare.
| 1529 More Dyaloge iii. Wks. 213/2 To by [= buy] many of the same suyte.., whiche were by them vttred to diuers yonge scolers such as thei founde properly witted. 1578 in Househ. Ord. (1790) 272 All those [pieces] that have beene uttered out of the store.., for the supplie of the fortes. 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 243 Such victuals as are..vnfit to be vttered to the souldier. |
b. To put or thrust forth, shoot or urge out; to discharge, emit, eject, exhale. Also with forth, out. Now dial.
| 1536 Latimer in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) I. 260 God prosper you, to the uttering all hollow harts of England. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Tortuosa vrina, vrine vttered with payne. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. March 15 Thilke same Hawthorne studde.. beginnes to budde, And vtter his tender head. 1607 Breton Murmurer Wks. (Grosart) II. 10/1 His Tongue like the sting of a Serpent, which vttereth nothing but poison. 1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 168 He that utters his Stomach in his next fellows Boots. 1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. (1821) I. 69 The sage Nicholas Vedder, with his..fair long pipe, uttering clouds of tobacco smoke. 1821 Lamb Elia i. Old Benchers, The little cool playful streams those exploded Cherubs uttered [sc. from Lincoln's Inn Square fountain]. 1905 Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v., The spouts couldn't utter the water. |
| transf. 1881 P. Brooks Candle of Lord 14 Every candle of the Lord must utter its peculiar light. |
| fig. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. iv, Shee might give passage to her thoughts, and so as it were utter out some smoke of those flames. 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. v. iii. 12 My tongue may vtter forth The Venemous Mallice of my swelling heart. |
† c. To produce or yield; to send out, supply, or furnish. Also in fig. context. Obs.
| 1547 Homilies i. Faith B iiij b, They that..doe lyue in sinne.., not vttering the frutes that do belong to suche an high profession. 1603 Owen Pembrokeshire (1892) 54 The cheeffest and greatest comoditie that this sheere vttereth. Ibid. 57 It also vttereth yerelie great store of oysters. 1620 Markham Farw. Husb. 8 The mixt Earth, which vtters Whynnes, Bryars [etc.]. |
† 4. intr. Of a horse: To go out of the lists or course at a tournament. Sc. Obs. rare.
| 1550 Lyndesay Sqr. Meldrum 506 Bot Talbartis Hors, with ane mischance, He outterit, and to ryn was laith. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 234 Schir Patrickis horse wtterit witht him and wald on nowayis reconter his marrow. |
II. 5. a. trans. To send forth as a sound; to give out in an audible voice; to give vent or expression to (joy, etc.); to burst out with (a cry, yell, etc.).
| c 1400 [see uttering vbl. n.]. 1530 Palsgr. 769/2, I utter..my voyce, je profere. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 215 b, He vttereth great gladness. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 185 Hee singes seuerall Tunes, faster then you'l tell money: hee vtters them [etc.]. 1612 Brinsley Lud. Lit. iii. 15 They [sc. vowels] being rightly vttered. 1621 J. Taylor (Water P.) Sir G. Nonsence Wks. (1630) Aa 1 b, Three sighs, smilingly vttered in the Hebrew Character. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 347 A shout..sweet As from blest voices, uttering joy. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 468 ¶1 Dictating to a Set of young Players, in what Manner to speak this Sentence, and utter t'other Passion. 1786 tr. Beckford's Vathek 209 She uttered a tremendous yell. 1800 Wordsw. Michael 347 When I heard thee..First uttering, without words, a natural tune. 1815 Stephens in Shaw's Gen. Zool. IX. i. 18 The male has a very melancholy note..which is..uttered..while the female is sitting. 1833 Coleridge Table Talk (1884) 253 Man only can utter consonants. 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting ii. 49 One lion..uttered a fierce roar. |
| fig. and transf. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iv. ii. 44 And most deare Actors, eate no Onions, nor Garlicke; for wee are to vtter sweete breath. 1874 R. Buchanan Poet. Wks. III. 106 Unto me all seasons utter'd pleasure. |
b. With advs., esp. forth. Also transf.
| 1594 Spenser Amoretti xlviii. 10 To vtter forth the anguish of his hart. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. iii. i. 87 There my fathers graue Did vtter forth a voice. 1728 Addison ‘The Spacious firmament’ iii, In reason's ear they [sc. stars] all rejoice, And utter forth a glorious voice. 1827 Pollock Course T. vi. 86 What harp of..exhaustless woe, Shall utter forth the groanings of the damned? 1872 Tennyson Gareth & Lynette 1053 [When] birds..utter forth May-music growing with the growing light. |
6. a. To give utterance to (words, speech, a sentence, etc.); to speak, say, or pronounce. Occas. with advs., as forth, out.
In frequent use from c 1840.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 12215 Then answard Vlixes, & vtterit his speche. c 1444 Lydg. in Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 215 Yiff thow art feerffulle to ottre thy language. c 1475 Partenay 3570 For that heuy word he was ther outring. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xii. (Percy Soc.) 48 Utterynge the sentence Wythout..intellygence. 1587 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 392 For them that are to utter certeine speches. 1598 Mucedorus Induct. 48 Giue me the leaue to vtter out my play. c 1614 Sir W. Mure Dido & æneas ii. 832 Her latest words scarce heard, nor vtt'red right. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xlii. 298 While he was uttering the words of Consecration. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 1 ¶3, I scarce uttered the Quantity of an hundred Words. 1793 Cowper To Mary 22 Like language utter'd in a dream. 1796 H. Hunter tr. St.-Pierre's Stud. Nat. IV. 197 She began to sob and weep without uttering a single word. 1816 Scott Bl. Dwarf xiv, The phrase which..she had compelled herself to utter. 1890 Retrospect Med. CII. 137 Voices of different qualities uttering sentences. |
b. To give expression to (a subject, theme, one's thoughts, etc.); to express, describe, or report in words; to speak of or about.
In very frequent use c 1560–c 1600, and from c 1820.
to utter one's stomach, etc.: see stomach n. 6 b.
| α c 1449 Pecock Repr. iv. ix. 471 This thing..Crist expressith and outrith in a larger and generaler fourme. c 1475 Partenay 1233 All is trouth that I outre you or say. |
| β c 1445 Pecock Donet 6 It is honest ynouȝ a man to speke and write aftir oon of þo opyniouns, and an oþire tyme to vttre þe oþire opinioun. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 216 b, In vttrynge his malycyous mynde. 1565 Harding Answer Jewell's Chalenge 169 The wordes of Hilarius the Pope vtter the same doctrine. 1590 Webbe Trav. Ep. to Rdr., I haue undertaken in this short discourse, to vtter vnto thee ye most part of such things. 1611 Bible Isaiah xxxii. 6 His heart will worke iniquitie,..to vtter errour against the Lord. 1616 Sir W. Mure Misc. Poems xvii. 6 A mourning mynd, Quhich fain wold wtter..Thir latest dutyes of a dulefull hert. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 626 Th' event was dire, As this place testifies, and this dire change Hateful to utter. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 2 ¶3, I must not prostitute the Liberal Sciences so far, as not to utter the Truth in cases which [etc.]. 1755 Young Centaur iii. Wks. 1757 IV. 181 His terrified imagination uttered horrors not to be repeated. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. i. 115, I have many a heavy thought to utter. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 110 If, at my grave, you utter my name. 1888 A. K. Green (Mrs. Rohlfs) Behind Closed Doors ii, This acknowledgment was uttered with emphasis. |
| fig. 1560 Bible Ps. xix. 2 Daie vnto daie vttereth the same [1611 speech]. 1850 L. Hunt Autobiog. III. xxiii. 205 Flowers utter their beauty and their fragrance, as much as birds utter their songs. |
c. With clause as object, introduced by what, how, etc., or with words directly quoted.
| c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xvi. 90 And therfore..for drede of God..y write and outre what y now haue outrid. 1530 Tindale Answ. More Wks. (1573) 293/2 He vttereth how fleshly mynded he is. 1539 Bible 2 Macc. iii (ch. heading), Symon vttereth what treasure is in the temple. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 32 O wights most blessed, whose wals be thus happelye touring, æneas vttred. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. i. ii. 104 Then didst thou vtter, I am yours for euer. 1781 Cowper Conversat. 381 Yes ma'am, and no ma'am, utter'd softly. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xv, ‘The new⁓born infant was barbarously murdered,’ he uttered in a low..voice. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 1173 Lancelot kneeling utter'd ‘Queen, Lady, my liege’. |
† 7. a. To disclose or reveal (something unknown, secret, or hidden); to make manifest; to declare, divulge. Obs.
In frequent use from c 1525 to c 1590.
| 1444 Rolls of Parlt. V. 74/1 He nethir uttered ne communed of the specialite of the matiers concernyng..the said Tretie of peas. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 11 Uttre not the secretes of thy hert but to them that thou hast preued. 1530 Palsgr. 769/2 He that uttereth my counsayle ones, I wyll never truste hym whyle I lyve. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Mark 33 Jesus..woulde not vtter her by name, lest [etc.]. 1575 Record's Gr. Artes Ee viij b, As my erroure hath vttered my follye, so it hath procured mee better vnderstanding. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World iii. x. 125 Silanus the Sooth-sayer, who had vttered Xenophons purpose. 1670 Walton Lives iii. 209 With what gravity..his Tongue and Pen uttered Heavenly Mysteries. 1677 Temple Let. to Sir J. Temple Wks. 1720 II. 459 The Prince,..uttering his whole Heart, told me [etc.]. |
† b. To show, display; to bring to light.
| 1542 Hen. VIII Declar. Scots in Compl. Scot. App. i. 200 After this homage done the Scottis vttered some piece of their naturall disposition. 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Matt. xiii. 59 b, At length the cockelles growynge vp together (their vnlykenes vtteryng or shewyng them,) began to appere. 1575 Laneham Let. (1871) 12 Dauncing of Lordes and Ladiez..vttered with..liuely agilitee & commendabl grace. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 32 The Princesse Theare the pate, in digging, or an horse intractabil vttred. |
| refl. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Luke xvii. 132 Yet did he hyde within hym a secrete power of the nature of the godhed, whiche than & neuer before vttred it self. 1574 Whitgift Def. Answ. to the Admonition 135 When doe..sinister affections more vtter themselues, then when an election is committed to many? |
† 8. a. To declare, reveal, make known, or set forth the character or identity of (a person or thing). Obs.
| 1526 Tindale Mark iii. 12 He streyghtly charged them that they shulde not vtter him. ― 2 Thess. ii. 6. 8. 1534 More Treat. Passion Wks. 1305/2 John, whome Christe so tenderly loued, that..to hym secretely he vttred the false dissimuled traytour. 1548 Geste Pr. Masse A vi, Yf they wold, [they] could handle and vtter hyr [ante ‘this pryvate masse’] accordingly. |
| refl. c 1530 Tindale Gen. xlv. 1 Ioseph..commaunded..that there shuld be no man with him, whyle he vttred him selfe vnto his brethern. 1565 Stapleton tr. Bede's Hist. Ch. Eng. 137 If he wold playing utter and shewe himselfe, what he was. 1587 Golding De Mornay v. 54 God hath voutsafed to vtter himselfe vnto vs in his Scriptures. |
† b. Const. to (be or do something). Obs. rare.
| 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Matt. xxvi. 104 Thy speche doth vtter the to be a Galilean. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 134 The kyng..stroke of her heade, and whan she was dead, vttered her to haue played the whore. 1562 Legh Armorie 205 He vtterith him self y⊇ better to be y{supt} officer, whose name he beareth. |
9. refl. To express (oneself) in words.
| 1600 Holland Livy 35 The Consul was..so much surprised..that he had no power to speak. But, soon after, when he began to utter himself [etc.]. 1655 tr. Sorel's Com. Hist. Francion viii. 18 He beheld a Man upon the Bed, who..uttered himself in a thousand contumelious words to a Woman. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 119 ¶5 Several..utter themselves often in such a manner as a Clown would blush to hear. 1845 T. W. Coit Puritanism 129 His only refuge is to utter himself to One who is never prejudiced. 1860 Hawthorne Marble Faun xliii, Straying with Hilda.., he meant, at last, to utter himself upon that theme. 1881 Shairp Asp. Poetry 132 Each [English] poet..uttered himself in his own way,..as native passion prompted. |
| fig. 1824 W. Irving T. Trav. II. 9 My feelings refused to utter themselves in rhyme. |
| transf. a 1648 Ess. on Death in Bacon's Remaines 9 An excellent Musician..cannot utter himself upon a defective instrument. 1878 F. A. Kemble Rec. Girlhood II. 18 She [sc. an actress] remained to utter herself in Juliet to the English public. 1913 Jane E. Harrison Anc. Art & Ritual iv. 91 So this intense desire uttered itself in the..[rite] of his resurrection. |
10. a. intr. To exercise the faculty of speech; to speak. Also (rarely) const. of, on.
In the first quot. app. with indirect object.
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 418 The kyng in his concelle, curtaise and noblee, Vtters þe alienes, and ansuers hyme seluene. c 1440 Alph. Tales 532 When þai come aforn hym..he was compellid to vttyr. c 1475 Partenay 1024 To whome ful suetly outred she and sayd, ‘Now vnderstandith’ [etc.]. Ibid. 3156 Of Gaffray..I shall you outre and say. 1576 G. Baker Gesner's Jewell of Health 101 b, Bellonius, uttering and wryting of those medycines.., affirmeth [etc.]. 1587 Golding De Mornay vi. 94 The highest God commaundeth, the second ordereth, and the third vttereth or publisheth. 1774 Francis Lett. (1901) I. 236 My trembling was so great for a few minutes that I could not utter. 1820 Creevey in C. Papers (1904) I. 338 Western..is close by my side, but has not uttered yet—such is his surprise. 1867 Bp. Wilberforce in Life (1882) III. 226, I think it probable we shall utter now on the Vestments of the Minister. 1870 R. Broughton Red as Rose I. 141 You may sit by a person for hours and never utter to them! 1898 Westm. Gaz. 27 Aug. 2/1 Not a word was, of course, spoken by the men save àpropos of golf.., and as for the women.., they never uttered at all. |
| transf. 1873 Miss Thackeray Old Kensington ii, Sacred voices that will utter to her through life. |
b. Of words, etc.: To be spoken; to undergo utterance.
| 1792 C. Smith Desmond II. 36 Could you have seen the countenance of Geraldine, while this speech was uttering! 1850 Wordsw. Prelude v. 110 While this was uttering,..I wondered not. 1857 J. Hamilton Lessons fr. Gt. Biog. 314 Wishes that cannot be understood, and words that will not utter. |
Hence ˈuttering ppl. a.
| 1818 Keats Endym. iii. 475 That my words not burn These uttering lips, while I in calm speech tell [etc.]. |
▪ V. † utter, v.2 Obs. rare.
[a. OF. utrer, outrer, oultrer, etc. (AF. ultrer), to cross, traverse, excel, vanquish, f. outre prep., ad. L. ūltrā beyond.]
1. trans. To vanquish, conquer, or overcome.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 5819 Philmene.., with a fell dynt, Vttrid Vlixes vne in the place;..And he gird to þe ground. Ibid. 7076 Honerable Ector..That holly the herhond hade at his wille, And haue vttred his Enmyes angur þat tyme. c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 951 To hurte, oultrager; to utter, oultrer. |
2. refl. To exclude from some privilege, etc.
| a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 162 They lyue in blame..and outre hem self from the grace of God [F. en oultre l'amour et la grace de Dieu]. |