▪ I. heave, v.
(hiːv)
Pa. tense and pple. heaved (hiːvd), hove (həʊv). Forms: 1 hebban, hæbban, 2–4 hebbe(n, 3–5 hefe(n, 3–6 heve(n, 6– heave; also 3 heoven, (3rd pres. sing. ind. hefð, hefieð), 4 heeve, 5 heff(e, 5–6 Sc. and north. heive, 6 Sc. heif. Pa. tense and pple.: see below.
[A Com. Teutonic strong vb.: OE. hębban (hęfþ), hóf, hafen (hæfen) = OFris. heva, hôf, heven (hevet), OS. hębbian (hęffian), hof (huof), haban (MLG. heven, hov, hafen, LG. hefen, heffen, hôf, hafen, MDu. heffen, hoef (hief, huef), gehaven, geheven, Du. heffen, hief, geheven), OHG. hęffen (hęvit), huob, haban (hapan) (MHG. heben (heven, hefen), huop, huoben, gehaben, also hebte, gehebt, mod.G. heben, hob, gehoben), ON. hefja, hóf, hafenn (Sw. häfva, hof, häfwen, and häfde, häfd, Da. hæve, hævde, hævd), Goth. hafjan, hôf, hafans:—OTeut. *hafjan, hôf (pl. hôƀun), haƀano-, corresp. to L. capĕre, capio, to take. Originally belonging to the same ablaut-series as shake, shave, but subseq. affected by many changes. The present stem hafj- had orig. a formative j (= L. -i- in cap-i-o), which caused umlaut of the stem vowel, giving OE. ę, ME. e, lengthened by position to ê, ea. The WGer. gemination of fj, giving bb in OS. and OE., affected all parts of the present stem, exc. 2nd and 3rd sing. pres. Ind. and sing. Imp., giving hębbe, hębbað, hębban, hębbende, beside hęfest, hęfeþ, hęfe. In ME. the bb forms were retained (in the south) till 14th c., but were at length everywhere reduced by levelling to f (later v). The pa. tense hóf came down as hove; but in ME. this was largely displaced by a type hæf, heaf, hêf, hêve, and another haf, have, both of which survived till 15th c. The OE. pa. pple. hafen was by the 12th c. abandoned for hofen (later hoven, hove), with o from the pa. tense; there are also traces of heven (cf. OFris. and Du.). But, beside these strong inflexions, there appeared also in late OE. (as in some of the other langs.) weak inflexions hefde, hefod; these gained ground in ME., and esp. in mod.Eng., in which heaved is now the general form, though hove remains in certain uses. The original sense, as evidenced by various derivatives, as well as by L. capĕre, was ‘take’, whence, through ‘take up’, came that of ‘lift, raise’, already developed in Com. Teut.
The close correspondence to Latin is seen in comparing capio, capis, capit, capiunt with OTeut. *hafjô, hafis, hafiþ, hafjanð, OLG. hebbiu, heƀis, heƀið, hebbiað, OE. hębbe, hęfes(t), hęfeþ, hębbað. Since heave is thus certainly cognate with capĕre, it must be originally quite distinct from have, if the latter is = L. habēre. The two verbs however come close together in various forms in most of the langs., and their derivatives have probably influenced each other, so that it is difficult in some instances to know whether these belong to hafjan ‘heave’ or haƀên ‘have’.]
A. Inflexional Forms.
1. Present tense stem (with consonant-exchange).
| α Beowulf (Z.) 655 Ic hond and rond hebban mihte. a 1225 Ancr. R. 290 Uorte hebben up hire þreo uingres. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 17 Þat an oþer hit scholde hebbe vn neþe. Ibid. 455 Our [= your] herten hebbeþ vp. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1248 Sche gan þo hebbe and pynge. |
| β c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Th.) lxxiii. 4 [lxxiv. 3] Hefe þu þine handa. c 1200 Ormin 11865 He wile hemm hefenn upp. a 1225 Ancr. R. 32 Hwon þe preost hefð up Godes licome. c 1230 Hali Meid. 25 Þat tu schuldest þin heorte heouen þiderward. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 472 Þy self in heuen ouer hyȝ þou heue. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1346 And heuen hit vp al hole. a 1400 Prymer (1891) 65 Hefeth up ȝoure handes. |
2. Past Tense. (
α) 1–5
hóf, 3–
hove; (3
pl. hofen,
hoven,
huven), 4
hoif,
hoef, 6
Sc. huif,
huve. (
β) 2–4
hef, 3
hæf,
heaf,
heof, 4
heef, 5
heve;
pl. 3
heven,
hefven,
heoven, 4–5
hevyn. (
γ) 4–5
haf, 4
have. (
δ) 1
hefde, 2–5
hevede, 4–6
heved, (
Sc. 4
hewid,
-it,
heywit, 5
heyffyt, 6
huit), 6–
heaved. (
ε) 6
heft(e.
| α c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Th.) cxxii[i] 1 To ðe ic mine eaᵹan hof. a 1300 Cursor M. 11114 Þis ilk was Ion..þat after⁓ward hof [v.r. hoif] iesu crist. Ibid. 28240 Childir þat ic houe o funt. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5259 [He] hof vp his hond. 1786 tr. Beckford's Vathek 93 The surface hove up into heaps. 1872 Blackie Lays Highl. 16 His prayerful hands he hove. [See also senses 20–22.] |
| β c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 35 He..hef his honde. c 1205 Lay. 1914 He..him grimliche heaf [c 1275 heof]. Ibid. 16509 Aldolf..hæf [c 1275 hefde] hæhȝe his sweord. Ibid. 23195 Heo..hefuen hine to kinge. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. i. pr. i. 2 (Camb. MS.) She hef hyr heued heyere. 13.. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. liii. 262 Þen Susan..Heef hir hondus on hiȝ. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 640 Þey..hevyn up þe ston. |
| γ a 1300 Cursor M. 17913 (Gött.) Quen i haf [v.rr. haue, heef] þat sacles. c 1340 Ibid. 10479 (Laud) She hafe [v.rr. heef, lift] hir hondes vp. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1570 And Arcita anon his hand vp haf. c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iii. i. (1869) 138 She haf it hye to hire tunge. |
| δ c 1000 ælfric Gen. xlviii. 14 He hefde þa his swiþran hand ofer Ephraimes heafod. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 111 He dranc..and þarfore heuede siðen up þat heued. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Katerine 350 Þane hewid scho wpe bath hir handis. c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 544 Þai..Heyffyt wp thar handis. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xvii. 392 He..heved his handes. |
| ε 15.. How marchande did his wyfe betray 42 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 198 Tho..He heft hyt in hys purs. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. xi. 39 His raging blade he hefte. 1596 Ibid. iv. iii. 12 The other halfe..Cambell fiercely reft, And backe at him it heft [rime cleft]. |
3. Past Participle. (
α) 1
hafen,
hæfen. (
β) 2–4
hofen, 2–9
hoven, 4–5
hovin,
-yn,
-un, 4
ihove, 4–
hove. (
γ) 3
heven. (
δ) 1
hefod, 2–5
heved, 3
iheved, (
efed), 4
Sc. heywit, 5
hevyd,
hewede, 6
heyved; 6–
heaved, 7
heft.
| α a 1000 Christ 651 He wæs upp-hafen engla fæðmum. a 1000 Andreas 1157 Þa wæs wop hæfen. |
| β c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 167 Hie þis dai was houen in to heuene. a 1300 Cursor M. 17962 (Gött.) Houen [v.rr. hovyn, hofen] sal he be in flom iordane. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 55 (Mätz.) Ȝyf a man have hove a chylde. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xxiv. 63 Whan he had houun vp the eyen. 1599 Broughton's Let. ii. 8 You are so houen and lifted vp. 1787 Winter Syst. Husb. 162 To be hove out of the ground. 1853 Felton Fam. Lett. i. (1865) 3 The ship was hoven to. |
| γ a 1300 E.E. Psalter xii. 3 [xiii. 2] When sal mi fa heven over me be? |
| δ c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxvi. §2 Siððon þu ofer þone bist ahefod. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 111 Ure helende þe was þis dai heued on hegh. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Magdalena 926 And fand þe magdelane..He [high] heywit vpe with angel hand. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xiii. 10 His eyen heued vp. |
B. Signification.
I. Transitive senses.
1. To lift, raise, bear up. (Often with
up.)
a. Formerly in general sense; now only
arch. or
dial.| 971 Blickl. Hom. 149 Hie hofan þa bære. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 516 Þæt hi ðe healdon, and on heora handum hebban. c 1200 Ormin 16705 All swa se Moysæs Hof upp þe neddre i wesste. a 1350 Childh. Jesus 102 (Mätz.) Josep..of þat best þat heo sat on Softeliche haf hire adoun. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xiii. 14 Heue vp thin eyen. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 550 Ther nas no dore þat he ne wolde heue of harre. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xxi. iv, He swouned ofte tymes, and syr Lucan..and syr Bedwere oftymes heue hym vp. 1493 Festivall (W. de W. 1515) 6 b, Heve up thy heed, & be mery. 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. viii. 10 His hand was heaved up on hight. 1639 E. Spenser in Lismore Papers Ser. ii. (1888) IV. 75 He heaved vp his sticke with an intent..to haue strooken me. 1671 Milton Samson 197 How could I once look up, or heave the head. 1702 Pope Dryope 45 Her trembling hand she heaves To rend her hair. 1712 J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 174 Moles..do a great deal of Mischief to the young Plants, in heaving the Earth. 1803 Beddoes Hygëia x. 63 It pitched him between two walls, so close that he could not heave an arm. 1855 Robinson Whitby Gloss., To Heave the Hand, to bestow charity in mites, amounting to little more than..the mere motion of the hand in the act. |
b. In modern use: To lift with exertion (something heavy); to raise with effort or force; to hoist.
| 1715–20 Pope Iliad ii. 250 Murmuring they move, as when old Ocean roars, And heaves huge surges to the trembling shores. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §98 Our boat, which the seamen were heaving into the sloop, filled with water. 1863 A. C. Ramsay Phys. Geog. xv. (1878) 236 For a space they have been heaved nearly on end. 1865 Kingsley Herew. xix, Who heaved up a long twybill, or double axe. |
c. absol.| 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, v. vii. 23 This shoulder was ordain'd so thicke, to heaue. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 390 Of the Mole or Want..When they heave, they do it more for meat than for breath. |
2. transf. and
fig. To raise.
a. In various figurative senses directly related to 1.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Exod. 573 Hofon here þreatas hlude stefne. c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Th.) xxiv. [xxv.] 1 To ðe ic hæbbe..min mod. c 1205 Lay. 11280 Scottes huuen up muchelne ræm. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 314 Man to god wordez schulde heue. a 1375 Lay Folks Mass Bk. App. iv. 552 Hef up ȝor hertes in-to heuen. a 1400–50 Alexander 3014 Ser Dary..Heuyd vp a huge ost. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 290 It is so violent, that it heueth and lyfteth vp the spiryt to god. 1824 W. Irving T. Trav. II. 12 The resolution..heaved a load from off my heart. 1851 W. Phillips Woman's Rights in Speeches (1863) 28 Strong political excitement..heaves a whole nation on to a higher platform of intellect and morality. |
† b. To raise, exalt, lift up, elevate (in feeling, dignity, station, etc.); to extol.
Obs.| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xcviii[i]. 9 Hebbað up dryhten god urne. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 213 He hefieð his lichame, and heneð his soule. c 1205 Lay. 23183 We scullen..hebben hine to kinge. a 1225 Ancr. R. 156 Heo schal..holden hire stille, & so hebben hire sulf buuen hire suluen. a 1300 K. Horn 1267 Þu me to kniȝt houe. a 1400–50 Alexander 3290 Oure lord..heues him to welthis. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye 290 Lorde thou art..heyued aboue all thynges wythouten ende. 1581 G. Pettie Guazzo's Civ. Conv. i. (1586) 43 b, Ambition..heaveth those that followe it to the high degree of dignitie and honour. 1596 Bp. W. Barlow Three Serm. i. 127 Rich men, who..haue bene houen and lifted vp with their heapes of riches. 1641 Milton Ch. Govt. i. vi, For the prevention of growing schisme the Bishop was heav'd above the Presbyter. |
† c. To set up, erect, institute.
Obs.| c 1200 Ormin 16840 Þeȝȝ..hofenn þurrh hemm sellfenn upp..Settnessess. |
† 3. spec. To lift (a child) from the font (formerly the duty of a sponsor at baptism); to stand sponsor to; hence
transf. to baptize, christen.
Obs. (
Ger. ein kind aus der taufe heben,
med.L.
levare de sacro fonte.)
| c 1200 Ormin 10881 Whase shall i Crisstenndom Beon hofenn upp. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 9698 Ȝe þat chyldryn heue, Ȝe shul nat forȝete ne leue, To teche hyt paternoster and crede. c 1340 Cursor M. 168 (Fairf.) Of baptist seynt Ioan þat ihesus hoef in flume Iordan. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 3126 When he was hoven at funtstane. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. cxii. 94 Edelwold..prayd hym to heue a sone of his at fontstone. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 781 Wee mon all thrie change our names. Hayif me, and I sall baptize thee. 1571 Satir. Poems Reform. xxviii. 39 Hammiltoun he me huif..Ane sorie Surname. |
† b. transf. To present for confirmation.
Obs.| c 1315 Shoreham 18 Hym selve no man hebbe schel To the bischoppynge..That hi ne hebbe hare oȝe child. |
† 4. To lift and take away, carry off, remove, convey.
Obs.| a 1240 Lofsong in Cott. Hom. 205 Summe tide ich habbe iheued of oðer monnes mid woh and mid unriht. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) II. 153 Flemmynges..were ihoue þennes and i-putte to Hauerforde. c 1440 York Myst. xxx. 134 Heue me fro hyne. 1580 Sidney Arcadia ii. xxviii. 31 Poems 1873 II. 72 Thy words..had almost heaued me Quite from my selfe. 1603 Drayton Bar. Wars v. lii, His onely Daughter, whom (through false Pretext) Stephen, Earl of Bulloyn, from the kingdom heaves. 1648 Milton Observ. Art. Peace (1851) 568 Since thir heaving out the Prelats to heave in themselves, they devise new ways [etc.]. 1649 G. Daniel Trinarch., Hen. IV, cclxxxvi, To arrogate all Ill, They heave the Peerage; for that Pale throwne downe In breakes the Herd, to the vnfenced Crowne. |
† b. Thieves' Cant. To ‘lift’, to rob.
Obs.| 1567 Harman Caveat 84 To heue a bough, to robbe or rifle a boeweth. 1609 Dekker Lanthorne & Candle-lt. C iij b, If we heaue a booth we cly the Ierke. 1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 39 Heave a booth, to rob an house. Ibid. 78 They will not stick to heave a Booth; that is rob a Booth at a Fair. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew. |
c. Mining and
Geol. To move away or displace (a vein or stratum): said of another vein or stratum intersecting it.
| 1728 Nicholls in Phil. Trans. XXXV. 403 The Load is frequently intercepted by the crossing of a Vein of Earth, or Stone..one Part of the Load is moved a considerable Distance to one Side..the Part of the Load which is moved, is, in their Terms, said to be heaved. 1758 Borlase Nat. Hist. Cornwall ix. 157 Guessing..that the lode is heaved, or more properly speaking, started. 1815 W. Phillips Outl. Min. & Geol. (1818) 163 North and south veins..always divide tin or copper veins, and generally alter their course; or in the language of the miner, heave them out of their place. 1884 J. Prestwich Geol. I. 318 The ‘cross-courses’..are of later date than the veins which they frequently displace or heave. |
† 5. fig. To ‘move’; to rouse the feelings of, agitate; to urge, press.
Obs.| c 1400 Destr. Troy 8962 Hit heuet hym hogely of þat hard chaunce. 1593 Drayton Essex Wks. 1753 II. 616 The king to marry forward still I heave. |
6. To cause to swell up or bulge out; to swell.
| 1573 Tusser Husb. xlix. (1878) 108 Tom Piper hath houen and puffed vp cheekes, if cheese be so houen, make Cisse to seeke creekes. 1621 Ainsworth Annot. Pentat. Lev. vi. 21 So fried that it may be hoven as with bubbles. 1730–46 Thomson Autumn 923 Glittering finny swarms, That heave our friths, and crowd upon our shores. 1808 Trans. Soc. Arts XXVI. p. vii, Cattle hoven or swollen by this disorder. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia s.v. Hoven, Cattle are hoven by eating too much green clover in a moist state..Turnips are hoven by rank and rapid growth in a strong wet soil. |
7. To cause to rise in repeated efforts.
| 1612 J. Taylor (Water P.) Wks. (1872) Introd. 12 The surges up and down did heave us. 1719 Young Revenge i. i, O what a doubtful torment heaves my heart! 1810 Scott Lady of L. ii. xxxiii, The death-pangs of long-cherished hope..Convulsive heaved its chequered shroud. 1832 H. T. De la Beche Geol. Man. (ed. 2) 111 The water was observed..to be heaved up and agitated. 1836 J. Gilbert Chr. Atonem. iii. (1852) 83 When pity is heaving his bosom with emotion. 1851 Eliz. Wetherell Old Helmet xi. 201 The swelling tide of thought and emotion which heaved the whole assembly. |
8. To utter (a groan, sigh, or sob;
rarely, words) with effort, or with a deep breath which causes the chest to heave; to ‘fetch’.
| 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. ii. i. 36 The wretched annimall heau'd forth such groanes. 1605 ― Lear iv. iii. 27 Once or twice she heaved the name of father Pantingly forth. c 1718 Prior Answ. to Cloe 6 Heave thou no sigh, nor shed a tear. 1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 343 He heaved a deep sigh. 1824 S. E. Ferrier Inher. liii, ‘Miss Pratt!’ heaved the Earl. |
| intr. for pass. 1821 Clare Vill. Minstr. I. 166 Thy sigh soon heaves, thy tears soon start. |
9. To throw, cast, fling, toss, hurl (
esp. something heavy, that is lifted and thrown with effort). Now only
Naut. and
colloq.| a 1592 Greene Orpharion Wks. (Grosart) XII. 68 The Pirats had heaued me ouer boord. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. iii. 12 The other halfe [of the spear]..Out of his headpeece Cambell fiercely reft, And with such furie backe at him it heft. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. ix. 44 He that doth heaue this lead..doth sing fadome by the marke. 1663 Gerbier Counsel 57 There is..so much Stone heaved thereon. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 116 They hove over their grappling in five fathom water. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl., Heave, at sea, signifies to throw away, or fling, any thing, over-board. 1744 M. Bishop Life & Adv. xxvi. 248 The Captain..by heaving the Lead found us to be but three Fathom Water. 1828 Craven Dial., Heave, to pour corn from the scuttle before the wind instead of cleansing it by the fan. 1833 Marryat P. Simple xiv, The body..was hove overboard. 1833 M. Scott Tom Cringle xiv. (1859) 329 With a swing he hove the leathern noose at the skipper and whipped it over his head. 1863 Kingsley Water Bab. i. (1889) 4 Tom was just hiding behind a wall, to heave half a brick at his horse's legs. |
10. Naut. To haul up or raise by means of a rope; and, more generally, to haul, pull, draw with a rope or cable; to haul a cable; to weigh (anchor); to unfurl (a flag or sail; also,
to heave out); to cause (a ship) to move in some direction, as by hauling at a rope (
e.g. at the anchor-cable when she is aground, or at the sail-ropes so as to set the sails to the wind).
| 1626 Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 27 Heaue out your top-sayles, hawle your sheates. 1633 T. James Voy. 95 We heau'd home our Anker. 1692 Capt. Smith's Seaman's Gram. i. xvi. 77 To heave out the Flag, is to wrap it about the Staff. 1697 Dryden æneid v. (1886) 109 With iron poles they heave her off the shores. 1711 W. Sutherland Shipbuild. Assist. 161 To Heave, to hale or pull by turning round the Capstan. 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. i. 112 The capstan was so weakly manned, that it was nearly four hours before we hove the cable right up and down. 1779 Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 365 On the 23d, got a hauser..and hove the vessel off the ground. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Heaving astern, causing a ship to recede or go backwards, by heaving on a cable or other rope fastened to some fixed point behind her. This more immediately applies to drawing a vessel off a shoal. 1893 W. T. Wawn S. Sea Islanders 5 The anchor was hove up for good. |
| absol. 1840 Marryat Poor Jack xxvii, We hove up [i.e. the anchor] and made sail. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. II. xvi. 176 Poor fellows not yet accustomed to heave together. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Heave and rally, an encouraging order to the men at the capstan to heave with spirit, with a rush, and thereby force the anchor out of the ground. Ibid., Heaving in, shortening in the cable. |
II. Intransitive senses.
† 11. To remove, shift to another place.
Obs.| c 1205 Lay. 27490 Þa hæf þat fiht of þan studen þer heo ær fuhten. |
† 12. To be moved or agitated in mind; to feel vexation.
Obs.| c 1400 Destr. Troy 12815 Hir hade leuer haue lost all hir lond hole..Thus heuet þat hynd to hir hede lord. Ibid. 13426 Pirrus heivet in hert for his hegh chaunse, And myche dut hym for deth of his derf graunser. |
13. To rise, mount, come up, spring up. Now
Obs. exc. in
spec. uses: see following senses.
| c 1325 Body & Soul 252 in Map's Poems (Camd.) 343/1 The hed haf up and the swire. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1196 Dido, And vp-on courseris..Hire ȝonge knyghtis houyn al a-boute. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. x. 75 Out of molde er colde eek must hit heuen. 1638 Suckling Goblins iv. (1646) 38 Pox on that noise, he's earth't, Prethee let's watch him and see Whether hee'le heave agen. 1725 Pope Odyss. xxiii. 194 The huge trunc rose, and heav'd into the sky. 1808 J. Barlow Columb. ii. 238 And temples heave, magnificently great. 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. xxxii. (1856) 279 This ice seems to heave up slowly against the sky. |
b. heave and set: to rise and fall, as a floating object upon the waves.
| 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxi. i, Quadrant it was, and did heve and sette At every storme whan the wind was great. a 1661 B. Holyday Juvenal 232 Sometimes the one end..sometimes the other..is mounted-up by the waves; and this is called the heaving and setting of a ship. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., When a ship, being at anchor, rises and falls by the force of the waves, she is also said to heave and set. 1867 in Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. |
14. To rise above the general surface, or expand beyond the ordinary size; to swell up, bulge out.
| 1629 Gaule Holy Madn. 94 Marke how he heaves, as though hee almost scorn'd to tread. 1655 H. Vaughan Silex Scint. i. Rules & Lessons (1858) 73 True hearts spread and heave Unto their God. 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. x. 109 Alders, in the Spring, their Boles extend; And heave so fiercely, that their Bark they rend. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 127 ¶2 Their Petticoats, which began to heave and swell before you left us, are now blown up into a most enormous Concave. 1750 Gray Elegy iv, That yew-tree's shade, Where heaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap. 1850 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XI. i. 152 It [cheese] is too strong-tasted, and inclined to heave, or get hollow and full of eyes. |
15. To rise with alternate falling, as waves, or an object floating on them, the breast in deep breathing, etc. Also
fig.| 1618 J. Taylor (Water P.) Navy Land Ships Wks. (1872) 8 Ships do wallow and heave, and sit upon the sea. 1713 Addison Cato iii. ii, My blood runs cold, my heart forgets to heave. 1746 Wesley Princ. Meth. 46 His Breast heaving at the same Time, as in the Pangs of Death. 1827–35 Willis Confessional 3 When heaved the long and sullen sea. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. xi, Dead calm in that noble breast Which heaves but with the heaving deep. 1856 Stanley Sinai & Pal. ii. (1858) 124 They actually heave and labour with the fiery convulsions that glow beneath their surface. 1884 Expositor Mar. 207 The dangerous forces in a community which heaved with discontent. |
16. To draw in the breath with effort; to pant, gasp.
| 1678 Dryden & Lee Œdipus iv. i, While we fantastic dreamers heave and puff. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 756 He heaves for Breath; which, from his Lungs supply'd, And fetch'd from far, distends his lab'ring side. 1811 W. R. Spencer Poems 21 And horse and horseman heave for breath. |
17. To make an effort to vomit, to retch;
fig. to feel loathing. Also
trans.,
to heave the gorge.
| 1601 [see heaving vbl. n.]. 1604 Shakes. Oth. ii. i. 236 Her delicate tendernesse wil find it selfe abus'd, begin to heaue the gorge, disrellish and abhorre the Moore. 1755 Johnson, Heave..4, to keck; to feel a tendency to vomit. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Heave and throw, to retch and end by vomiting. 1894 Mrs. E. Lynn Linton One too Many I. 120 It makes me heave to hear you. |
† 18. To make an effort to lift or move something; to push or press with force; to put forth effort, endeavour, labour, strive.
heave at: to aim at, strive after.
Obs.| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 1240 (1289) But þer-on was to heuen and to done. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1248 As sche wolde þe dore to-breke, sche gan þo hebbe and pynge. c 1422 Hoccleve Jereslaus' Wife 912 The wynd ful sore in the sail bleew & haf. 1535 Coverdale Matt. xxiii. 4 But they them selues wil not heaue at them with one of their fyngers. 1674 N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 121 It asks some time to heave or pend in, before it actually starts. 1742 Young Nt. Th. vii. 399 Souls immortal must for ever heave At something great. |
† b. heave at (
fig.): to meditate or threaten an attack upon; to take up a position of hostility to; to oppose; to aim at with hostile intent.
Obs. (Frequent in 17th c.)
| 1546 Bale Sel. Wks. (Parker Soc.) 165 John Frith is a great mote in their eyes, for so turning over their purgatory, and heaving at their most monstrous mass or mammetrous mazan, which signifieth bread or feeding. 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse (ed. 2) 15 a, He was spite blasted, heaued at, and ill spoken of. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. iii. i. §22 His adversaries heaved at him, to cast him out of his Bishoprick. 1674 P. Walsh Quest. conc. Oath Alleg. Pref., Then they shrewdly heav'd at me again. |
19. To pull or haul (
at a rope, etc.); to push (
at the capstan so as to urge it round and haul in the cable); to move the ship in some direction by such means; of the ship, to move or turn in some direction.
| 1626 Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 27 Break ground or way Anchor, heaue a head. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v., To heave at the capstan signifies to turn it about. 1749 Naval Chron. III. 88 Did you observe her heave up in the wind? 1794 Rigging & Seamanship II. 338 The chaser heaves about as soon as the vessel he is in pursuit of is on his beam. 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. (1856) 513 Heaving ahead between an iceberg and a heavy field of ice. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Heave about, to go upon the other tack suddenly. Ibid., Heaving ahead, is the act of advancing or drawing a ship forwards by heaving on a cable or rope made fast to some fixed point before her. |
| transf. 1857 Hughes Tom Brown ii. vi, Make the most of it; heave ahead, and pitch into me right and left. 1881 Rossetti Ball. & Sonn. (1882) 293 Then one great puff of wings, and the swarm heaves Away with all its din. |
III. Phrases.
20. From senses 10 and 19:
to heave a-peak: see
quots. and
a-peak.
to heave (the ship) in stays: to bring her head to the wind in tacking; also
intr. of the ship.
to heave short: ‘to heave in on the cable until the vessel is nearly over her anchor’ (Smyth).
to heave taut: to heave at the capstan until the cable is taut.
| 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World 19 Which done, I hove apeak on my anchor. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Peek, The ship being about to weigh, comes over her anchor, so that the cable hangs perpendicularly between the hause and the anchor; the bringing of a ship into which position they call heaving a-peek. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1776), Heaving-short. Ibid., Heaving-taught. 1795 Nelson 13 Mar. in Nicolas Disp. II. 14 At one PM the Frigate hove in stays and got the {Cced}a Ira round..As soon as our after-guns ceased to bear, the Ship was hove in stays. 1832 Marryat N. Forster xi, The frigate [was] unmoored, and hove ‘short stay a-peak’. 1839 ― Phant. Ship xviii, They had laid an anchor out astern, and hove taut. 1893 W. T. Wawn S. Sea Islanders 88 Towards sundown, the chain was hove short. |
b. heave down: to turn (a ship) over on one side by means of purchases attached to the masts, for cleaning, repairing, etc.; to careen. (Also
intr. of the ship.) The part thus raised above the water is said to be
hove out.
| 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 271 They could not..use it as a Help for heaving down by. 1748 Anson's Voy. i. v. 55 The Commodore..ordered the Tryal to be hove down. Ibid. ii. iii. 140 There are two coves..where ships may conveniently heave down. Ibid. iii. vii. 367 They..hove out the first course of the Centurion's starboard side, and had the satisfaction to find, that her bottom appeared sound and good. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine U u ij, To heave down or careen a ship. 1798 Nelson 7 Sept. in Nicolas Disp. III. 116 The place where large ships heave down. 1836 E. Howard R. Reefer liv, The ship had been hove down. |
c. heave to: to bring the ship to a standstill by setting the sails so as to counteract each other; to make her lie to. (
a)
trans. with the ship as
obj. (
b)
intr. or absol.| a. 1775 Dalrymple in Phil. Trans. LXVIII. 397 Hove the ship to. 1833 M. Scott Tom Cringle xv. (1859) 357 ‘Shorten sail..and heave the ship to’, said the Captain. 1884 A. Brassey in Gd. Words Mar. 163/1 We remained hove-to all the next day. |
| fig. 1887 Stevenson Misadv. J. Nicholson iv, [He] was at last hove-to, all standing, in a hospital. |
| b. 1781 Blagden in Phil. Trans. LXXI. 337 Soon afterwards we hove-to in order to sound. 1835 Sir J. Ross Narr. 2nd Voy. vi. 79 This obliged us to heave to. 1860 Maury Phys. Geog. Sea xix. §807 Took in fore and mizen top-sails; hove to under close-reefed main top sail and spencer. |
| transf. 1832 Marryat N. Forster iii, We must ‘heave-to’ in our narrative awhile. |
21. intr. (from sense 13.)
heave in sight: to rise into view, become visible, come in sight, as an object at sea when approaching or approached; hence (
colloq.)
transf. in general sense.
| 1778 J. Sullivan in Sparks Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853) II. 205 Those ships were out of sight yesterday morning, but I hear they afterwards hove in sight again. 1816 ‘Quiz’ Grand Master i. 24 The Table-mountain heaves in sight. 1830 Galt Lawrie T. iii. ix. (1849) 115 A most tremendous he⁓bear hove in sight. 1874 Green Short Hist. v. §1. 223 The great Spanish ships heave in sight, and a furious struggle begins. 1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 103 They hove in sight of the enemy..to the west of the promontory of Ecnomus. |
▪ II. heave, n. (
hiːv)
[f. prec. vb.] 1. a. An act of heaving, in various senses; a lift; an effort to lift or move something, a push, shove, pressure; a swelling or rising up; rhythmical rising (and falling), as of waves, the breast, etc.; the utterance of a sigh, etc. with a deep breath; an effort to vomit; a throw, cast.
heave of the sea: the force exerted by the swell of the sea in quickening, retarding, or altering a vessel's course.
| a 1571 Jewel On Thess. iv. 6 When his heaves renew, the heat increaseth, his heart panteth. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iv. i. 1 There's matters in these sighes. These profound heaues You must translate. 1612–15 Bp. Hall Contempl., O.T. xx. viii, Judah was at a sore heave. 1640 tr. Verdere's Rom. of Romants III. 188 The Gyant..gave him such twitches, and terrible heaves, that he had..like to have overthrown him. 1663 Butler Hud. i. i. 411 After many strains and heaves, He got up to his Saddle Eaves. 1684 T. Burnet Th. Earth i. 186 Only to have given it an heave at one end, and set it a little to rights again. a 1734 North Lives II. 59 Divers heaves were made at the Duke of Lauderdale. 1755 Johnson, Heave..3. Effort to vomit. 1833 C. Sturt 2 Exped. S. Australia II. 164 [A channel] so narrow that we passed over it between the heaves of the lead. 1834 M. Scott Cruise Midge (1863) 18 The vessel rolled about on the heave of the sea. 1877 Spurgeon Serm. XXIII. 140 It took them a long pull and a great heave to haul the uncomely lump of marble into its place. 1893 Stevenson Catriona 296 There went through me so great a heave of surprise that I was all shook with it. |
† b. heave and shove:
fig. great exertion or effort.
Obs.| 1600 Holland Livy iv. xxv. 155 They obtained at length with much heaue and shoue, that there should be militarie Tribunes chosen. 1612 Drayton Polyolbion iv. 56 Mongst Forrests, Hills, and Floods, was ne're such heaue and shoue Since Albion weelded Armes against the sonne of Ioue. |
c. Wrestling. A chip performed by bringing the right arm round the opponent's right shoulder preparatory to a throw.
Cornwall heave, a heave in which a wrestler places one hand in front and one behind his adversary, and falls with him.
| 1889 W. Armstrong Wrestling 224 The Heave, Cornwall and Devon. Ibid. 230 The principal Cornish and Devon chips are..the Back-heave, the Belly-heave, the Heaving-toe. 1898 Encycl. Sport II. 548/2 One way to stop the heave is to cross click your man and then ply the crossbuttock. |
2. Mining and
Geol. A horizontal displacement or dislocation of a vein or stratum, at a ‘fault’.
| 1801 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 436 The heave of the copper lode is about eighteen or twenty inches to the right, in the language of the Cornish miner. 1874 J. H. Collins Metal Mining 30 These heaves..are sometimes of great extent, occasionally as much as 70 fathoms. 1882 Geikie Text Bk. Geol. (1885) 514 Sections to show the variation of horizontal displacement or Heave of Faults. 1890 Goldfields Victoria 12 The reefs here have taken a north-west ‘heave’. |
3. pl. A disease of horses, in which the breathing is laborious; broken wind.
| 1828 Webster, Heaves. 1837–40 Haliburton Clockm. (1862) 86, I blow like a horse that's got the heaves. 1855 ― Nat. & Hum. Nat. II. 122 It gave him the heaves..it made his flanks heave like a blacksmith's bellows. |
4. concr. A raised place; a swelling, an undulation.
nonce-use.
| 1882 G. Macdonald Warlock o' Glenwarlock (Cent.), Crossing a certain heave of grass. |
5. Comb.:
heave-gate local, a gate which is opened by being lifted out of the sockets or mortises.
| 1736 Pegge Kenticisms (1876), Heave-gate, when the rails, with the pales nailed to them, may be taken out of their mortises, and then put in again. 1876 in G. L. Gower Surrey Provincialisms. 1887 I. R. Lady's Ranche Life Montana 27, Instead of gates out here, they generally have bars, which you have to let down,..like the ‘heave gates’ in Sussex. 1907 ‘J. Halsham’ Lonewood Corner 149, I perched myself on the heave-gate between the two fields. 1959 F. Donaldson Child of Twenties vii. 107 A very easy hunting country, mainly a question of jumping the local Sussex heave-gates and small fences. |
Add:
[5.] heave compensator Oil Industry, a device designed to eliminate the effects of swell on offshore installations.
| 1975 Offshore Progress—Technol. & Costs (Shell Internat. Petroleum Co.) 6 The recently developed *heave compensator, a hydraulic supporting system located on the rig itself. 1981 Offshore Mar. 120/2 To decrease downtime during drilling in adverse weather a new heave compensator has been designed with an increased length of stroke. |