▪ I. repair, n.1
(rɪˈpɛə(r))
Forms: 4–5 repeir(e, -eyr(e; 4–7 repayr(e, (5 Sc. rap-), -aire, -ar(e, (7 -aier), 4– repair.
[a. OF. repeire, repaire (mod.F. repère) return, etc., f. repeirer, repairer, to repair v.1]
1. (Chiefly in phrases to make or have repair: cf. 4 b.) a. Resort, frequent or habitual going, to a place. Now arch. or Obs.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8078 Þeyr wonyng ys in þe eyr, [but] Vmwhile to þe erþe þey make repeir. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xlvi. (Anastace) 176 Þe prefet yddire had repare. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. i. xvii. 1657 Qwhar common accesse of repayr Men mycht haf to þat figoure fayr. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 190 He saw or persavit him mak grete repaire till his hous. 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1862) 171 She exhorted repaire to the church. 1581 G. Pettie Guazzo's Civ. Conv. i. (1586) 38 Flatterers..alwaies make their repaire thether where profite is to be reaped. 1638 Heywood Wise Wom. iii. i. Wks. 1874 V. 314 By his oft repaire..your good name May be by Neighbours hardly censur'd of. 1691 Wood Ath. Oxon. II. 184 Peter Heylin..was furnished with Books..by his repair to Bodlies Library. |
b. Sc. Resort (also
occas., stay or sojourn)
in a place or
among others. Now
arch. or
Obs.| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xii. (Mathias) 292 In þe ayre, quhare þe feyndis has mast repare. Ibid. xxxi. (Eugenia) 104 A lytil tone..quhar cristine men had repare. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. ii. xvi. 1484 In ane ile þai gert þaim ga, Amange þaim na rapayr to ma. Ibid. v. iii. 440 Qwhen..þai of Brettane ostagis hade, He gret repayr amange þaim made. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xliii. 1 Thir ladyis fair, That makis repair, And in the court ar kend. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 594 Ȝit in this Realme I wald mak sum repair. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. i. xxii, On sloping mounds, or in the vale beneath, Are domes where whilome kings did make repair. |
† c. Chiefly
Sc. Intercourse or association (
with others).
Obs.| c 1450 Lydg. Secrees 190 Yiff thou thus doo by vertuous Repeyr, God shal encrese..thy Royal excellence. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xviii. 17 Ane lady fresche and fair, With gentill men makand repair. 1536 Bellenden Cron. Scot. (1821) I. p. xxvi, The peple thairof has na repair with marchandis of uncouth realmes. a 1653 Binning Serm. (1845) 186 To cleanse even vain thoughts, and shut up, from that ordinary repair, his own heart. |
† d. Liberty of resort.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1598 J. Manwood Lawes Forest xv. ¶2. 87 In their corne, meadowes, and pastures, the Deere must haue their repaire and quiet feede. |
2. The place to which one repairs;
esp. a haunt, usual abode or dwelling-place.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce xvi. 310 The Erische kyngis than euirilkane Hayme till thar awne repar ar gane. 14.. Tundale's Vis., etc. (1843) 92 To hem that ben in euyle of owtrage Repeyre fynall of hur pylgrimage. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop v. viii, This labourer passyd before the repayre or dwellynge place of the sayd Serpent. 1616 B. Jonson Epigr. i. xxxii, What not the envy of the seas reach'd to,..At home in his repaire Was his blest fate, but our hard lot to find. 1666 Dryden Ann. Mirab. ccxx, There the fierce winds his tender force assail And beat him downward to his first repair. 1864 Reader 2 July 20 When they were the repairs of wild beasts and the sheltering-places of men. 1895 Harper's Mag. Feb. 472/2 Converting the hole of the asp into a repair for children. |
† b. So
place, house, etc. of repair.
Obs.| c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. xci. i, Jehova is my fort, My place of safe repaire. 1598 Stow Surv. xliii. (1603) 454 The Arch Bishops of Yorke being dispossessed and hauing no house of repayre. 1611 Bible Joel iii. 17 The Lord will be the hope [marg. place of repaire or harbour] of his people. |
3. Concourse or confluence of people in or at a place; common or extensive resort of persons
to a place. Now
rare or
Obs.| c 1350 Ipomadon 342 The courte was plenere all that day Off worthy lordes,..And other grette repeyre. c 1386 Chaucer Wife's T. 368 Or elles ye wol..take youre auenture of the repair That shal be to youre hous by cause of me. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. lxxvii, Within a chamber..I fand of peple grete repaire. 1482 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 224/2 Your true Liege people..wolde there in brief tyme habunde and encrease, by repaire of Merchauntes. 1535 Coverdale 1 Macc. ix. 39 There was moch a doo, & greate repayre: for the brydegrome came forth. 1577 Fenton Gold. Epist. (1582) 26 He that..holdeth a house of generall repaire, and receyueth the vnthriftie and banished. c 1614 Sir W. Mure Dido & æneas ii. 875 With earnest repare the paths do seeme to sweate. 1808 Jamieson s.v., We still say of a street which is retired from the bustle of a town, that there is not much repair in it. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxxi, The footpath leading there was well beaten by the repair of those who frequented it for pastime. |
| transf. 1429 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 359/2 Touchyng ye repaire of Wolle..to ye said Staple. 1449 Ibid. V. 149/2 The..hole repaire of al manere Marchandise to the same Staple. |
† b. In prepositional phrases, as
among, but, out of, without repair.
Obs. (chiefly
Sc.).
| c 1470 Harding Chron. cxliii. iii, This earle was then famed amonge repayre The noblest prynce. 1508 Dunbar Flyting 153 In till ane glen thow hes, owt of repair, Ane laithly luge. 1570 Satir. Poems Reform. xxviii. 11 Endlang ane Park, I past without repair Be Snawdoun syde. a 1585 Polwart Flyting w. Montgomerie 196 Where howlring howlets aye doth hant, With robin red-brest, but repaire. |
† c. Following, retinue, company.
Obs. rare.
| c 1470 Harding Chron. lxxii, The Duke was slayn with all his moste repayre. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 72 My lorde Cardinall, came to the toune of Douer in hast with a noble repaire. |
4. The act of (
† returning) going or making one's way
to a place. Now
rare or
Obs.| 1375 Barbour Bruce xviii. 557 Northwarde tuk thai hame thar way, And destroyit, in thair repair, The vale haly of Beauvare. 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. v. (1555), In your repayre to your fathers reigne..ye shall me with you lede. 1494 Fabyan Chron. v. lxxxiv. 62 When the Lordes of Brytayne sawe..theyr dayly repayre into this lande, they assembled them togyder. 1531 Cromwell in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) I. 335 At my next repayre thither it pleased his highnes to call for me. 1593 R. Bancroft Daung. Posit. i. vi. 23 A repaire of the Kinges faithfull subiectes to his highnesse presence. 1633 Ford Broken Heart ii. ii, We'll write to Athens For his repair to Sparta. 1666 in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. V. 10 His goods [are] like to be spoyled or lost, without his speedy repaire thither. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. p. ii, Our repair aboard Ship, and coming to Fort St. George. |
b. in
phr. to make (one's) repair to (a place or person). Now
arch.| 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xlii. 107 [He] to the court maid his repair. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 8 Nothing might lightly happen..by reason whereof he should be compelled to make his repayre thether againe. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 118 Diuers kings and princes, who made repaire to Rome with sutes and supplications. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. i. lxix, Then thy spruce citizen, wash'd artisan, And smug apprentice..To Hampstead, Brentford, Harrow make repair. a 1850 Rossetti Dante & Circle i. (1874) 158 A lover..to his lady must make meek repair. |
▪ II. repair, n.2 (
rɪˈpɛə(r))
Forms: 6–7
repaire, 7
-ayre,
-are; 6–
repair.
[f. repair v.2] 1. a. The act of restoring to a sound or unimpaired condition; the process by which this is accomplished; the result attained.
† Also
pl.| 1595 Shakes. John iii. iv. 113 Before the curing of a strong disease, Euen in the instant of repaire and health, The fit is strongest. 1611 ― Cymb. iii. i. 57 Our Lawes, whose vse the Sword of Cæsar Hath too much mangled; whose repayre, and franchise Shall..be our good deed. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. (1739) 203 So must I leave them until some happy hand shall work their repair. 1667 Milton P.L. viii. 457, I,..Dazl'd and spent, sunk down, and sought repair Of sleep. 1748 Chesterfield Lett. (1792) II. cxli. 1 My health,..for want of proper attention of late, wanted some repairs. 1869 Conington tr. Horace's Sat. etc. (1874) 155 After harvest done, they sought repair From toils which hope of respite made them bear. 1876 Trans. Clinical Soc. IX. 11 The repair of a wound is less active,..than when other simple or antiseptic dressings are employed. |
b. spec. Restoration of some material thing or structure by the renewal of decayed or worn out parts, by refixing what has become loose or detached, etc.; the result of this. Also
pl. (
freq. in
mod. use).
† upon a repair, in process of being repaired.
| 1661 Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 60 A Bill for inabling Churchwardens to rate such monys as are for the repare of the churches, &c. a 1676 Hale Narr. Customes iii. in S. A. Moore Foreshore (1888) 336 As to the care of repayre of ports, this is in a special manner left to the Kinges care and power. 1756 W. Toldervy Hist. 2 Orphans I. 60 The school being very old, was at this time upon a repair. 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. xxxvi. (1856) 324 The work of repair was pressed so assiduously, that in three days the stern-post was in its place. 1884 Rambles around Oxford (Shrimptons, ed. 2) 86 There appears to have been a large repair of the church in 1668. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 9 Nov. 5/2 Whatever be done to the picture, the repair will be clearly noticeable in a few years. |
| pl. 1677 Temple Ess. Cure Gout Wks. 1720 II. 145 Proportioning..the daily repairs to the daily decays of our wasting bodies. 1776 Adam Smith W.N. ii. ii. I. 344 The expence of maintaining the fixed capital in a great country, may very properly be compared to that of repairs in a private estate. 1855 Prescott Philip II, i. ii. (1857) 13 The completion of some repairs that were going on in the monastery. |
c. Remedy
of wrong.
| 1663 Butler Hud. i. ii. 412 Cerdon the Great, renown'd in Song, Like Herc'les, for Repair of Wrong. |
2. a. Relative state or condition of something admitting or susceptible of restoration in event of actual or possible damage or decay; chiefly of buildings or other composite structures and in
phr. in good (or bad) repair.
| c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. iii, That face..Whose fresh repaire if now thou not renewest, Thou doo'st beguile the world. 1638 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 114 The castle is yet in good strength and repayre. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 95 One [gate] that was built four hundred years ago, is still in good repair. 1725 Swift (title) To Quilca, A Country-House in no very good Repair. 1827 Southey Penins. War II. 427 Forty bullock-cars..in such ill repair..that only eleven of them reached Deleitosa. 1845 McCulloch Taxation i. i. (1852) 3 To put the roads and bridges into that state of repair which the depressed situation of commerce..seemed to require. 1886 Story Fiammetta 48 The house..was now in very bad repair. |
b. in repair, in good or proper condition (
esp. of structures; so
into repair).
out of repair, in bad condition, requiring repairs.
| 1667 Duchess of Newcastle Life of Duke of N. (1886) II. 134 His two houses..he found much out of repair. 1693 Congreve Old Bach. iv. iv, I hope nobody will come this way, till I have put myself a little in repair. 1726 Swift Gulliver iii. iv, Houses very strangely built, and most of them out of Repair. 1792 Wolcott (P. Pindar) Odes of Condol. Wks. 1812 III. 103 Like the Needle, while it wounds the cloth, It puts the rag into repair. 1827 D. Johnson Ind. Field Sports 4 A sum of money..for keeping the road in repair. 1853 J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. (1873) II. i. iii. 129 If a place goes out of repair, the violence of the rain will soon destroy it. |
† c. to run to repair, to require repairing.
Obs.| 1681 Otway Soldier's Fort. v. i, You shall..not be leaving the house uninhabited, lest it run to repair. |
3. Comb. as
repair bill,
repair kit,
repair-man (chiefly
U.S.),
repair outfit,
repair-ship,
repair-shop,
repair station,
repair time,
repair work(s).
| 1908 Westm. Gaz. 7 Jan. 4/2 The effects of wear and tear would be reduced to a minimum, and the *repair bill..would be kept very low. |
| 1970 Observer 1 Feb. 31/6 Ten new pence..now buys a ‘Panti-hose and Tights *Repair Kit’ from Woolworths. 1975 Times 28 Aug. 11/8, I do not regard a song and dance as the infallible, all-purpose dramatic repair kit. |
| 1871 W. S. Huntington Road-Master's Assistant ii. 9 It is a common practice for *repairmen, when replacing mended iron, to squeeze it in perfectly tight. 1928 Sat. Even. Post 4 Feb. 140/1 If your car suffers from any of these common motor ills, take it to your car dealer or repairman. 1958 Times 13 Sept. 7/7 Such dilemmas as that of the Los Angeles couple whose T.V. stops one night and the husband must go out and find the repairman. 1976 Washington Post 19 Apr. a22/4 The tenants refuse to let repairmen into their apartments. |
| 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 517/1 Traveler's big complete *repair outfit. 1976 J. R. L. Anderson Redundancy Pay i. 17 He..bought a pump, repair outfit, and a torch-battery cycle lamp. |
| 1905 Westm. Gaz. 16 Nov. 6/2 The King's *repair-ship ‘Assistance’ was floated off at Tetuan yesterday. |
| 1866 Harper's Mag. Sept. 543/1 In the repair-shops of the Columbus and Indianapolis Railroad. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 447 The company now has its own iron-foundery..and an extensive, well-appointed repair-shop. 1899 J. Pennell in Fortn. Rev. LXV. 118 There the final collapse came, about 100 miles from any reliable repair shop. 1979 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts July 466/1 Somehow the hospital must contrive to be both repair-shop and home. |
| 1906 Westm. Gaz. 27 June 7/3 The mechanic..hung on to the radiator from the starting-line to the *repair-station. 1934 Discovery Nov. 326/1 Its main depot and repair station is at Lunghwa near Shanghai. |
| 1962 Autom. Data Proc. (B.S.I.) 52 *Repair time, time spent outside the periods allocated to routine maintenance and supplementary maintenance in diagnosing and clearing faults, equipment testing and maintenance. 1962 D. R. Cox Renewal Theory vii. 80 Suppose that a machine is subject to stoppages and call the time necessary to restart a stopped machine a repair-time. |
| 1906 Westm. Gaz. 22 Aug. 10/1 Important *repair work is..being undertaken..at the cathedrals of Winchester, Gloucester, York, and Canterbury. 1907 Ibid. 21 Mar. 9/1 With no repair works and with insufficient and sometimes incompetent staff, they ran their omnibuses as many hours as they could anyhow be kept on the road. 1969 Gloss. Landscape Work (B.S.I.) v. 30 Repair work, the treatment of incisions, bruises and other wounds or injuries [in trees etc.]. |
▪ III. repair, v.1 (
rɪˈpɛə(r))
Also 4–5
repeire,
-eyre, 4–7
repaire,
-ayr(e,
-ar(e, (5
rap-).
[a. OF. repeirer, repairer, etc. (mod.F. repairer, repérer), for earlier repadrer:—late L. repatriāre to return to one's country, f. re- re- + patria fatherland: cf. repatriate v.] 1. intr. To go, betake oneself, make one's way,
usu. to or
from a place or person.
† Also in
pass., to have come or arrived.
| 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 5169 Repeired is þerl sir Tirri..Herhaud of Ardern the gode marchis. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 2735 Tristrem þouȝt repaire, Hou so it euer be. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 247 Thus euery thinge..Hath his propre mansyon To which it sekith to repaire. c 1450 Merlin 126 Men that repayreden thourgh the Contree to assaye yef thei myght ought wynne vpon the kynge. 1529 Wolsey in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. II. 2, I beseche yow..repare hyther thys day as sone as the Parlement ys broken up. 1594 Kyd Cornelia i. 173 Then from her lothsome Caue doth Plague repaire. 1663 Butler Hud. i. ii. 665 To those Places straight repair Where your respective Dwellings are. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 123 ¶5 He received a sudden Summons from Leontine to repair to him in the Country the next Day. 1769 Robertson Chas. V, v. Wks. 1813 V. 436 The ambassadors of France and England repaired to Spain. 1810 Crabbe Borough i. 15, I repair From this tall mansion..Till we the outskirts of the Borough reach. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 536 There was no longer any difficulty or danger in repairing to William. 1870 Dickens E. Drood xii, He repairs to Durdle's unfinished house, or hole in the city wall. |
| transf. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xvi. (Percy Soc.) 66 A lady fayre, Whych to love you wyl nothyng repayre. 1549 Coverdale, etc. Erasm. Par. Gal. 9 The Jewes..forsakyng the ceremonies of theyr elders, repayre vnto the spiritual doctrin of the gospel. |
b. To resort
to a place or person; to go commonly, frequently, or in numbers.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce x. 556 For I but suspicioun Micht repair till hir preuely. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 123 He harmeth Venus and empeireth, Bot Mars unto his hous repeireth. a 1440 Sir Degrev. 45 Haukes of nobulle eyre Tylle his perke ganne repeyre. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xiv. ii. 643 Al the world crysten and hethen repayren vnto the round table. 1560 Ingelend Disobed. Child in Hazl. Dodsley II. 297 Sometimes to the church they do repair. 1600 J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa iv. 219 Then they began to repaire vnto this port. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) III. 208 He used to examine the pockets of such Oxford scholars as repaired unto him. 1691 Wood Ath. Oxon. II. 694 During Mr. Dugdale's stay in London, he repaired sometimes to the Lodging of Sir Hen. Spelman. 1742 Fielding J. Andrews ii. iv, It is usual for the young gentlemen of the bar to repair to these sessions. 1809 N. Pinkney Trav. France 31 In the proper season of the year, the people of Calais repair hither for their evening dance. |
| transf. 1432 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 410/1 Yat all Wolles..and diverses other Merchandises goyng oute of yis Royalme..sholde repaire to ye Staple at Caleis. |
c. To betake oneself, resort
to (a person, place, etc.)
for something.
| 1580 Sidney Ps. ix. v, Thither the world for justice shall repaire. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. ii. vi. §43 If any desire farther Information herein, let him repair to the worthy Work, which..the..Arch-bishop of Armagh, hath written. 1706 E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 62 Sometimes his Captain..repairs to him for a Refitment. 1722 Wollaston Relig. Nat. vii. 145 No shops to repair to for tools. |
† 2. To return (
again), to come or go back,
to or
from a place, person, etc. Also in
pass., to have returned.
Obs. In some cases only a contextual sense.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. i. met. iii. 5 (Camb. MS.), To myne eyen repeyrede [L. rediit] hir fyrst strengthe. c 1386 ― Pard. T. 550 To hise felawes agayn repaireth he. c 1400 Destr. Troy 3454 Þat Parys in point repairit was home..fayne was þe pepull. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) ii. lviii. (1859) 56 The spyrites repayred to the bones, soo that they stoden vp. c 1450 Merlin 150 Ye shall not take it till ye be repeired fro the bateile. c 1500 Lancelot 1454 Syne to his maister he ayane Reparith. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iv. i. 72 That [they]..May all to Athens backe againe repaire. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. iv. xxxiii, The smoak mounting in village nigh..Begins the night, warns us home repair. |
† b. Without
const.: To return.
Obs.| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iii. met. ii. 53 (Camb. MS.) Hyr corage of tyme passed..repeyreth ayein [L. redeunt animi] and they roren greuosly. a 1400–50 Alexander 3751 Quen we repaire with þe palme þan prayses vs oure feris. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 92 b/1 They repayred by amyens and passed by a lytyl vylage named Sayns. 1607 Shakes. Timon iii. iv. 69 If I might beseech you Gentlemen, to repayre some other houre. |
† 3. To be present, temporarily or habitually; to have one's resort or abode; to dwell, reside.
Obs.| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1017 Trumpez & nakerys, Much pypyng þer repayres. 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 477 In-till a stalward place heir-by Reparis all thair cumpany. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. i. xii. 1171 In wildernes, Qwhar na man dar repayr na dwel. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 272/1 Thy blood whiche repayrest in heuenes. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. xi. 11 Also there was the Erle of Arundell..repayryng about the Kyngis courte. 1560 Rolland Crt. Venus ii. 198 Till he come to quhair the nine [nobles] did repair. [1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. i. 113 b, Euery one..were by the Lawes constrayned to repayre at a time and houre appointed in his quarters.] |
† 4. trans. a. To draw
back, to recover.
b. To convey.
Obs. rare.
| 1596 Spenser F.Q. v. xi. 13 He, ere he could his weapon backe repaire, His side all bare and naked overtooke. 1612 Sir R. Boyle in Lismore Papers (1886) I. 8 This 50li Mr. Eustace delivered Thomas Russell of Ballyea for me who did repair yt unto me. |
† 5. refl. a. To proceed.
b. To abide, stay.
Obs.| 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxvi. (Percy Soc.) 114 Than on my jorney, my selfe to repayre,..Forthe on I rode. Ibid. xxxii. 158 So forth we went unto a chamber fayre, Where many ladies did them selfe repayre. 1588 Parke tr. Mendoza's Hist. China ii. vii. 150 They vnderstood..he must abide and repayre himself in some place nigh there aboutes. |
▪ IV. repair, v.2 (
rɪˈpɛə(r))
Also 4–7
repaire,
-ayre, (5
-eyre, 5–6
-are).
[a. OF. reparer (mod.F. réparer) or ad. L. reparāre f. re- re- + parāre to make ready, put in order: cf. prepare.] † 1. trans. a. To adorn, ornament. Also
absol.| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 1028 Þe wonez with-inne enurned ware Wyth alle kynnez perre þat moȝt repayre. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour C. iij, Of them..that so moche waste their good to be jolif and repayre their carayn. |
† b. To set in order, strengthen.
Obs.—1| 1502 Arnolde Chron. (1811) 162 The Soudan..caused the Holy Lande to be better repared and more suerly kept. |
† c. To furnish or provide
with something.
Obs.| 1557 Will of J. Bowler (Somerset Ho.), My wif shall kepe maynteyn and repayer all my said children with meate drincke and honnest apparrell. 1616 R. C. Times' Whistle v. 1677 What bird doth cut the aire With her swift wing, but that we doe repaire Therwith our tables? |
2. To restore (a composite thing, structure, etc.) to good condition by renewal or replacement of decayed or damaged parts, or by refixing what has given way; to mend.
| 1387 [see repairing vbl. n.2 1]. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 252 As..an artificeer reparith a riven cheste. 1494 Fabyan Chron. ii. xxxi. 23 Whan..Belyn was retourned into Brytayne he repayred olde Cyties. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 121 He repared his navie and returned to Constantinople. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 194 The fourth Bridge..being rebuilt or repaired of stone, by King Charles the sixth. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 878 Disburd'nd Heav'n rejoic'd, and soon repaird Her mural breach. 1703 T. N. City & C. Purchaser 71 Houses here and there are always Repairing. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest ii, Peter brought materials for repairing the place, and some furniture. 1798 Ferriar Illustr. Sterne iv. 120 When the mutilation of the nose was to be repaired. 1823 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Old China, While I was repairing some of the loose leaves with paste. 1865 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xx. x. (1872) IX. 175 A place called Almeida, which Bückeburg had tried to repair into strength. |
| absol. 1820 Gifford Eng. Lawyer (ed. 5) 418 The law excuses the lessee, unless there is a covenant to repair and uphold. |
b. To heal or cure (a wound). Also
intr. of a wound: To mend, heal up.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. i. 43 So well he did her deadly wounds repaire. 1738 Gray Propertius iii. 81 The Melians Hurt Machaon could repair. 1881 Daily News 29 Aug. 5/6 The wound was not repairing, and was not better than on Friday. |
c. refl. To put (oneself) in order again.
| 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life ii. xxiii, On arriving, too late to repair yourself, you are obliged to sit down to table..with plastered hair [etc.]. |
3. To renew, renovate (some thing or part); to restore to a fresh or sound condition by making up in some way for previous loss, waste, decay, or exhaustion. (In later use commonly with approximation to sense 2.)
| c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) iv, Þei burnessh not nor repeireth not hir heere into newe gras tyme. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 183 b, The fruyte of the tree of lyfe..onely repared & nourysshed y⊇ bodyes of the eaters. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. ii. i. 99 My decayed faire A sunnie looke of his would soon repaire. 1600 E. Blount tr. Conestaggio 296 The armie being a little repaired here, the Marques went to the Ile of Coruo to meete with the Indian fleete. 1620 Brinsley Virgil 103 The way by which Bees may be repaired againe when they shall be vtterly dead and gone. 1637 Milton Lycidas 169 So sinks the day-star in the Ocean bed, And yet anon repairs his drooping head. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 652 While the Southern Air And dropping Heav'ns the moisten'd Earth repair. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 69 ¶5 We repair our Bodies by the Drugs of America. 1757 Gray Bard 137 Tomorrow he [the sun] repairs the golden flood. 1791 Cowper Let. to Meriton 24 June, While your church is undergoing repair, its minister may be repaired also. 1845 Budd Dis. Liver 24 The waste of the tissues which these elements go to repair. 1847 Emerson Poems (1857) 190, I see my trees repair their boughs. 1896 tr. Boas' Text-bk. Zool. 32 Mammalia..can, indeed, repair injured epidermis and the like. |
b. With immaterial object. Also
refl.| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. ii. xvi. (1495) 41 The angels sholde in theimself repare the ymage of god and refourme it and kepe it. 1561 J. Daus tr. Bullinger on Apoc. (1573) 20 The thyrd day [he] rose agayne from the dead, and repayred life for all belevers. 1598 Drayton Heroic. Ep. ii. 98 Thy Presence hath repaired in one day, What many Yeeres with Sorrowes did decay. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. ii. ii. 14 Mans ore⁓labor'd sense Repaires it selfe by rest. 1671 Milton Samson 665 Secret refreshings, that repair his strength. 1712–14 Pope Rape Lock i. 141 The fair..Repairs her smiles, awakens ev'ry grace. 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France I. 29 The Baths..will, I hope, repair my strength. 1871 Palgrave Lyr. Poems 95 O love that cannot be repair'd Whate'er the future bring! |
| absol. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. vii. 41 ‘Flesh may empaire’, (quoth he) ‘but reason can repaire’. |
† c. To make up (a sum) again.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1486 Lichfield Gild. Ord. (E.E.T.S.) 22 Willing to fulfill, renew, and make hoole the seid summe off xl li. [marg. the hole summe of xl li repared.] |
† d. To revive, recreate (a person).
Obs.| 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. v. iv. 11 Repaire me, with thy presence, Siluia: Thou gentle Nimph, cherish thy for-lorne swaine. 1601 ― All's Well i. ii. 30 It much repaires me To talke of your good father. |
† 4. To restore (a person) to a previous state; to reinstate, re-establish, rehabilitate.
Obs.| 1535 Coverdale Jer. xxxi. 4, I wil repayre the agayne (o thou doughter of Israel) that thou mayest be fast and sure. 1646 E. F[isher] Marrow Mod. Divin. (ed. 2) 25 Such a..person that had..compassion toward man that he might be repaired. 1693 J. Edwards Author. O. & N. Test. 124 Prometheus is said to have repaired and restored mankind. 1738 Wesley Ps. li. xix, Then hear the contrite Sinner's Prayer, And every ruin'd Soul repair. |
| refl. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World II. iv. iv. §4. 207 To repaire himselfe he could finde no way safer, than to put all to aduenture. |
† b. To remedy, right, or compensate (one).
Obs.| a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 129 To be revengit or ellis repairit of all oppressiouns and iniurieis committit. 1647 May Hist. Parl. ii. iii. 52 He accounts himself injured by the Parliament, in not repairing him against Hotham. 1691 Bethel Providences of God (1697) 141, I had great Misfortunes, and..this was a ready way to repair me. |
† c. refl. To recoup (oneself).
Obs. rare.
| 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. i. xc. (1674) 124 The Prince should pay his forfeiture,..of whom he might at his leisure repair himself. a 1661 Fuller Worthies, Cheshire (1662) 289 He repaired himself by a gainfull composition with the Indians, for the losses he had sustained by the Turkes. |
† d. To save, deliver
from something.
Obs.—1| 1594 Southwell M. Magd. Funerall Teares (1609) 46 Could thy loue repaire thee from his rage? |
5. To remedy, make up (loss, damage, etc.); to set right again.
| 1533 Bellenden Livy v. (S.T.S.) II. 231 To repare þe dammaige þat Is hapnit be publict birning. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 93 That losse is not yet repaired, the Emperor not hauing at this time above 5 gallies. 1605 Shakes. Lear iv. i. 79 Ile repayre the misery thou do'st beare With something rich about me. 1667 Milton P.L. vii. 152, I can repaire That detriment. c 1710 C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 128 The one good yeare sufficiently repaires their loss. 1757 Burke Abridgm. Eng. Hist. Wks. X. 168 The Gauls..were altogether unskilful either in improving their victories, or repairing their defeats. 1831–3 E. Burton Eccl. Hist. xii. (1845) 281 They..made Christ..to have been sent into the world to repair the evil, which the Demiurgus had caused. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 67 James..said, with some truth, that the loss of such a man could not be easily repaired. |
b. To make good, make up for, make amends for (harm done, etc.).
| 1562 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 227 Knawing that the actioun and caus laid to thair charge..is sensyne reparit, dressit and aggreit. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. i. 123 The rest of the beistes..hald besyd the, in thy power, ay quhil thair maistir repair the skath. 1725 Pope Odyss. viii. 432 A gen'rous heart repairs a sland'rous tongue. 1781 Gibbon Decl. & F. xxi. II. 263 The emperor seemed impatient to repair his injustice. 1853 Lytton My Novel viii. ii, I wish to repair to you any wrong, real or supposed, I may have done you in past times. |
c. intr. To make reparation
for something.
| 1886 Fargus Living or Dead II. 93, I..endeavoured by the warmth of my waved adieu to repair for my show of annoyance. |
† 6. To set straight, make exact.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 124 All the forementioned Incurvations are to be trimmed and repaired by reconciled lines. |
† 7. intr. To reform.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1748 Richardson Clarissa ci. VII. 399 Marry and repair, at any time; This, wretch that I was! was my plea to myself. |