lewdness
(ˈljuːdnɪs)
[See -ness.]
† 1. Ignorance; want of skill, knowledge, or good-breeding; foolishness. Obs.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 33 Schal no lewednesse hem lette, þe lewedeste þat I loue, Þat he ne worþ avaunset. c 1386 Chaucer Melib. Prol. 3 Thou makest me So wery of thy verray lewednesse. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 299 Among his oþer lewednes and folie. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 301/2 Lewdenesse of clergy, illitteratura. c 1440 Gesta Rom. viii. 21 (Harl. MS.), I am a foole, And he is a wise man, And þerfore he shold not so liȝtely haue levid my lewdenesse. 1540 R. Hyrde Vives' Instr. Chr. Wom. (1592) R vj, What a lewdnesse is it, not to consider how vaine a thing that money is. 1563 Homilies ii. Agst. Images iii. (1859) 265 There is like foolishness and lewdness in decking of our images. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Ep. 80 That is supposed a loose kinde of writing, to talke of any man unreverently, for therein is leudnesse discovered. |
† 2. Wickedness; evil behaviour. Obs.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 239 So it is greet lewednesse and wrecchednesse to forgendre what is detty and riȝtful. c 1460 Sir R. Ros La Belle Dame sanz Mercy 607 (655) That to þe werste turneth by his leudenesse a yifte of grace. 1563 Homilies ii. Repentance ii. (1859) 541 When any thing ordained of God is by the lewdness of men abused. 1579 Fulke Refut. Rastell 736 It is great leudenesse and deceiptfulnes to vrge the termes vsed by the doctors. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 321 The leaudnesse of the Cappadocians grew into a Proverbe; if any were enormously wicked, he was therefore called a Cappadocian. 1623 Bingham Xenophon 99 What Citie, as friend, will receiue vs, when they see such lewdnesse in our conuersation? |
3. Lasciviousness, lascivious behaviour.
| 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 44 A perfect wit is never bewitched with leaudenesse neither entised with lasciviousnesse. a 1592 H. Smith Serm (1614) 568 If harlots intice thee to leaudnesse,..flie from them. 1661 Pepys Diary 17 Aug., The lewdnesse and beggary of the Court. 1685 H. More Illustrat. 155 Their gross idolatries and sensual Ludenesses. 1754 Sherlock Disc. (1759) I. iv. 145 The Lewdness of their History renders it unfit to be narrated. 1769 Blackstone Comm. iv. iv. 64 The last offence which I shall mention..is that of open and notorious lewdness; either by frequenting houses of ill-fame..or by some grossly scandalous and public indecency. |