▪ I. † deˈpeach, n. Obs.
Also 6 depesche, depech, peache, 6–7 -peche.
[a. F. dépêche, in OF. despeche, -esche (1495 in Godef.), f. dépêcher: see next.]
Dispatch: a. of messengers, messages; b. of business. c. A message or messengers sent off.
| a. 1528 Gardiner in Pocock Rec. Ref. I. l. 116 We differed the depech of this post. 1547 Privy Council Acts (1890) II. 83 At their late depeache over the sees. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. III. 918/1 Hauing his depeach, he tooke his leaue of the king at Richmond about noone. 1624 Brief Inform. Affairs Palatinate 34 The depeach and the instruction of the said Embassade. |
| b. 1568 North Gueuara's Diall Pr. iv. 158 b, Shee onely did confirme al the prouisions & depeches of the affaires of the weale publike. a 1563 Cavendish Wolsey (1893) 190 Resort to hyme for the depeche of the noblemens and others patents. |
| c. 1552 in Strype Eccl. Mem. II. ii. xi. 337 We send this Depeche, not by thorow Post from hence. 1568 Dk. Suffolk in H. Campbell Love Lett. Mary Q. Scots App. (1824) 28 Till..they heard from the Quene their mistress by their next depeche. |
▪ II. † deˈpeach, v. Obs.
Forms: 5 depesshe, 6 -peche, -peech, -peache, 6–7 -pesche, -peach; also despeche q.v.
[a. F. dépêcher, in OF. de-, des-, peechier, -pechier, -peeschier, -peschier, etc. (1225 in Godef.), repr. a late L. type dis-(or de-ex-) pedicāre, with the same radical as impeach, F. empêcher, L. impedicāre.
The OF. forms of dépêcher are entirely parallel to those of empêcher, OF. empeechier, which goes back through the recorded early OF. empedecer, Pr. empedegar, to L. impedicāre to catch, entangle (f. pedica fetter, snare for the feet), used in late L. and Romanic for L. impedīre (Du Cange). Parallel to this is *(de-)expedicāre, for L. expedīre, to free the feet, disengage, send away, dispatch. But though dispatch (q.v.) is synonymous, it is not etymologically connected with depêcher, depeach.
(In 16–17th c. the form depeche, -peach, was mostly English, depesche (rime flesche) Scotch.)]
trans. To send away, get rid of, dispose of, finish off expeditiously; to dispatch.
| 1474 Caxton Chesse (1860) A ij, I dyde doo sette in en⁓prynte a certeyn nombre of theym, whiche anone were depesshed and solde. 1523 St. Papers Hen. VIII, IV. 12, I..haue this daye by noone depeched hym with other letters. 1527 in Strype Eccl. Mem. I. App. xiv. 32 She said that our demand was reasonable and that we shold reasort unto the Chancellor therfore who shold depeache it out off hand. 1540–1 Elyot Image Gov. (1549) 160 He depeached those deponentes for that time. 1556 Lauder Tractate 290 All sic ȝe suld frome ȝow depesche. 1566 Painter Pal. Pleas. i. 36 The Senators depeached ambassadours to the King commaunding them to say nothing of Simocharis. a 1651 Calderwood Hist. Kirk (1842–6) III. 706 That the French Ambassador..may be depesched. 1655 Digges Compl. Ambass. 301 This I do depeach, without knowledge of the Queens Majestie. |
b. refl. To rid or disembarrass oneself of (any one). Also, to make haste, to use dispatch.
| 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 53 Depesshe the, or by the god on whome I byleue, I shalle smyte the there as thou lyest. 1513 Douglas æneis i. v. 28 Comment. Wks. 1874 II. 289 For his sone Glaucus followit Paris, he depechit him of him. |
Hence † deˈpeaching vbl. n.
| 1540–1 Elyot Imag. Gov. (1549) 56 Where one man hath the depeachyng of many matters. 1552 Huloet, Depeachyng, absolutio. |