deliverance
(dɪˈlɪvərəns)
[a. OF. delivrance, desl- (12th c. in Littré) = Pr. delivransa, desl-, f. délivrer, delivrar to deliver: see -ance.]
1. The action of delivering or setting free, or fact of being set free († of, from confinement, danger, evil, etc.); liberation, release, rescue.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 197/118 A-serued heo hath to alle þe contreie deliueraunce of langour. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 121 William Marschalle..gaf for his delyuerance þe castelle of Schirburne. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 3585 For þair deliverance fra payn. 13.. Poems fr. Vernon MS. 226/200 Of alle þeos Merueylous chaunces Vr lord haþ sent vs diliueraunces. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xxiii. 247 It hath a round wyndowe abouen that..seruethe for delyuerance of smoke. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun 4074 Sho..lete hym out at a wyndowe so making his delyvrance. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 275/2 That he shold praye to god for the delyueraunce of his sekenesse. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 408 On the behalfe of king Richard for his delyveraunce out of prison. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxv. 221 Our deliverance from the bondage of sin. 1719 De Foe Crusoe (1858) 139 The greatest deliverances I enjoyed, such as my escape from Sallee. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 144 At no moment..had hopes of deliverance been higher. |
† b. ‘Delivery’ of a gaol: see deliver v.1 2 c.
| c 1400 Gamelyn 745 Þat þou graunte him me Til þe nexte sittyng of delyueraunce. 1464 Nottingham Rec. II. 377 Paied to the Justices of Deliuerance for the Gaole Delyuere. 1487 Act 3 Hen. VII, c. 3 The next generall gaoles deliveraunce of eny suche gaole. |
c. In the ritual observed at a criminal trial.
| 1565 Sir T. Smith Commonw. Eng. xxv. 99 No man that is once indicted can be deliuered without arraignment. Ibid. [Form of proclamation in court when no indictment is produced], A. B. prisoner standeth here at the barre, if any man can say any thing against him, let him now speake, for the prisoner standeth at his deliuerance: If no man do then come, he is deliuered without anie further processe or trouble. [In Budden's Latin transl. 1601: nam vinctus liberationem expectat: si nemo eum tum incusaverit, in libertatem pristinam asseritur.] Ibid. 102 [Form of procl. on trial by Jury] If any man can giue evidence, or can say any thing against the prisoner, let him come now, for he standeth vpon his deliuerance [Budden: nam de captivi liberatione agitur]. 1660 Trial Regic. 21. Col. Harrison. ‘I do offer myself to be tried in your own way, by God and my Countrey.’ Clerk. ‘God send you a good deliverance.’ Ibid. 35 For now the Prisoner [Col. Harrison] stands at the Bar upon his Deliverance. 1781 Trial Ld. Geo. Gordon 7 Clerk. ‘How will you be tried?’ Gordon. ‘By God and my country.’ Clerk. ‘God send you a good deliverance.’ |
(It is possible that this has been in later times associated with the ‘true deliverance’ of the Jury: see 8 b.)
† 2. The being delivered of offspring, the bringing forth of offspring; delivery. Obs.
| c 1325 Metr. Hom. 72 This womane yode wit chylde full lange..myght scho haue na delyueraunce. c 1350 Will. Palerne 4080 Mi wif..Deied at þe deliueraunce of mi dere sone. c 1450 Merlin 13 Two women ffor to helpe hir at hir delyueraunce when tyme is. 1548–9 (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Churching of Women, To geue you safe deliuerance. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. v. v. 370 Nere Mother Reioyc'd deliuerance more. 1625 Gonsalvio's Sp. Inquis. 122 Within foure dayes after her deliuerance, they tooke the childe away from her. |
| fig. 1660 Willsford Scales Comm. 190 Sulphurious Meteors fir'd in the wombs of clouds, break forth in their deliverance with amazement to mortals. |
† 3. The action of giving up or yielding; surrender. Obs.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 158, I am not bonden to mak deliuerance. 1404 in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. I. 38 Awyn..is accordit with all the men that arne therinne save vij, for to have dilyverance of the Castell at a certayn day. 1548 Hall Chron. 19 b, The kyng openly saied that if they wolde not deliver them, he woulde take them without deliverance. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 227 To make deliverance of the towne of Barwike. |
† 4. The action of handing over, transferring, or delivering a thing to another; delivery. Obs.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 5045 (Fairf.) He made del[i]ueraunce þer of corne. c 1449 Pecock Repr. 404 Eer than the receyuer make Execucioun or Delyuerance of the thing or deede bi him ȝouun. 1528 Tyball in Strype Eccl. Mem. I. App. xvii. 38 After the delyverance of the sayd New Testament to them. 1631 Star Chamb. Cases (Camden) 35 The Sheriffe did not make deliverance of 400 sheepe. |
b. Law. writ of second deliverance: a writ for re-delivery to the owner of goods distrained or unlawfully taken, after they have been returned to the distrainer in consequence of a judgement being given against the owner in an action of replevin.
| a 1565 Rastell tr. Fitzherbert's Nat. Brevium (1652) 174 The plaintiff may sue a Writ of second Deliverance. 1618 Pulton Stat. (1632) 47 marg., A Writ of Second deliuerance. 1708 Termes de la Ley 508 b, Second Deliverance is a Writ made by the Filacer, to deliver Cattel distreined, after the Plaintiff is Non-suit in Replevin. 1845 Stephen Laws Eng. (1874) III. v. xi. 616 The Statute of Westminster 2 (13 Edw. I c. 2)..allowed him a judicial writ issuing out of the original record (called a writ of second deliverance). |
† 5. Sending forth, emission, issue, discharge.
| 1626 Bacon Sylva §9 This Motion worketh..by way of Proofe and Search, which way to deliuer itself; And then worketh in progresse, where it findeth the Deliuerance easiest. |
† 6. The action or manner of uttering words in speaking; utterance, enunciation, delivery. Obs.
| 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 222 Singyng plaine song, and counterfeictyng those that doe speake distinctly, helpe muche to have a good deliveraunce. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. i. 97 At each words deliuerance. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. xxx. ix. 397 For his speech, readie he was ynough in quicke deliverance. |
† 7. The action of reporting or stating something; that which is stated; statement, narration, declaration; = delivery 8. Obs.
| 1431 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 276 To make a trewe delyueraunce of swiche goodys as thei receyue. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxix. (Percy Soc.) 143 And to Venus he made deliveraunce Of his complaint. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary i. (1625) 7 What confused deliverance is this? Ibid. ii. 44 Doth not the very deliverance of your own fact condemne you? 1621 T. Adams White Devill (1635) iii, If there wanted nothing in the deliverance. |
b. An utterance; esp. of a formal character.
| 1859 Mill Liberty ii. (1865) 29 Things which are not provided for..in the recorded deliverances of the Founder of Christianity. 1879 M. Arnold Fr. Critic on Milton Mixed Ess. 241 Macaulay's writing..often..is really obscure, if one takes his deliverances seriously. 1883 Manch. Guardian 29 Sept. 7/3 We can complain of no ambiguity in his present deliverance. |
8. Sc. Law. Judgement delivered; a judicial or administrative order in an action or other proceeding.
In its most general sense applicable to any order pronounced by any body exercising quasi-judicial functions. In the Bankruptcy Act of 1856 (19 & 20 Vict. c. 79 §4) ‘deliverance’ is defined as including ‘any order, warrant, judgement, decision, interlocutor, or decree’. Hence the word has acquired a quasi-technical application to orders in bankruptcy proceedings.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. vi. 90 Of þat [he] Stablysyd, and mad ordynance..and full delyverance. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems ix. 133 Of fals solisting ffor wrang deliuerance At Counsale, Sessioun, and at Parliament. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 562 In this mater..Rycht sone I wald heir ȝour deliuerance. c 1565 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (1728) 14 (Jam.) Both parties were compromit by their oaths to stand at the deliverance of the arbitrators chosen by them both. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Skiamachia Wks. (1711) 194 We hope your lordships will give us leave..to remember your lordships of your deliverance, June the first, 1642. 1752 J. Louthian Form of Process (ed. 2) 35 The Deliverance on the Bill is, Fiat ut petitur, to the —Day of —next to come. 1833 Act 3–4 Will. IV, c. 46 §25 The said sheriff shall..affix a deliverance thereon finding and declaring..that this Act has not been adopted. 1868 Act 31–2 Vict. c. 101 §75 The judgment or deliverance so pronounced shall form a valid and sufficient warrant for the preparation in Chancery of the writ. |
b. In the (English) Jurors' oath, in a trial for treason or felony, used app. in the sense: Determination of the question at issue, verdict.
| 1660 Trial Regic. 11 Oct. 32 His Oath was then read to him [Sir T. Allen, juror]: You shall well and truly try and true deliverance make between our Sovereign Lord the King, and the prisoners at the Bar, whom you shall have in Charge, according to your Evidence. So help you God! 1892 S. F. Harris Princ. Crim. Law (ed. 6) xiv. 412. [The current formula: the same words with the last clause expanded to ‘and a true verdict give, according to the evidence’.] |
(The meaning here has been matter of discussion: cf. 1 c above, and Tomlins Law Dict. s.v. Jury.) c. Formal judgement pronounced, expression of opinion, verdict.
| [1847 De Quincey Wks. XII. 184 Milton v. Southey & Landor, Wordsworth never said the thing ascribed to him here as any formal judgment, or what the Scottish law would call deliverance.] 1856 Dove Logic Chr. Faith v. i. §2. 298 We cannot but attach great value to the deliberate deliverance of so impartial..a man. 1871 Sarah Tytler Sisters & Wives 154 Dr. Harris's deliverance was..that Mr. Duke was not looking very well. |
† d. Used (in Sc.) to render L. senatus consultum.
| 1533 Bellenden Livy (1822) 212 (Jam.) Thir novellis maid the Faderis sa astonist, that thay usit the samen deliverance that thay usit in extreme necessite. |
† 9. = deliverness; delivery 6. Obs.
| 14.. Chaucer Pars. T. ¶378 (Harl. 7334) Þe goodes of body ben hele of body, strengþe, deliuerance [six texts deliuerness], beaute [etc.]. 1500–20 Dunbar Thistle & Rose 95 Lusty of schaip, lycht of deliuerance. |