ˈsuffisance
Also 4–5 souffisaunce, (4 sufficance), 5 suffishance, souffisance, 5–6 suffysaunce, 6 suffisans, -zaunce, illit. -gance, 6–7 suffizance.
[a. OF. suff-, soffisance (in Gower sufficance), ad. late L. sufficientia sufficience.]
† 1. (A) sufficient provision or supply; enough to supply one's needs. Obs.
| c 1381 Chaucer Parl. Foules 637 Which I have wroght so wel to my plesaunce; That to yow oghte been a suffisaunce. c 1386 ― Sompn. T. 135 Haue I nat of a capon but the lyuere And of youre softe breed nat but a shyuere And after that a rosted pigges heed..Thanne hadde I with yow hoomly suffisaunce [v.r. sufficeance]. c 1400 Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 27 Be payed with litelle, content with suffisance. 1484 Caxton Fables of Auian xii, Euerychone ought to haue suffysaunce and to be content of that that he hath. c 1510 Barclay Mirr. Gd. Maners (1570) C j, Wherfore on suffisaunce set thy pleasour and ioy, And couet not to climbe. 1568 Jacob & Esau iv. ix, A litle thing God wotte to me is suffisance. 1632 Holland Cyrupædia 186 And when I have gotten it: looke what surplusage I see over and above suffisance. |
† 2. Sufficient quantity of; = sufficiency 3. Obs.
| 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love iii. viii. (Skeat) l. 116 Suffisaunce of covenable comoditees without any maner nede. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 28 Him thenkth..that he hath ful sufficance Of liflode. 1449 Respect. Truce w. Scot. in Rymer Fœdera (1710) XI. 244 Souffisaunce, of Gresse, Hay. c 1500 Lancelot 2004, I shal fulfill and do yowr ordynans Als far of wit as I have suffisans. c 1510 Kal. Sheph. F iiij, Suffysaunce of all thyngs necessary for salute & helpe of our soules & of our bodyes. 1544 Betham Precepts War ii. lxxxiii. M ij b, To prouyde that thyne armye maye haue suffysaunce of vytayle. |
† 3. Abundance, ample means, wealth. Obs.
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 161 He liveth to the sufficance Of his havinge. c 1400 Sc. Trojan War (Horstm.) ii. 3058 Thelamocus regned..In Achaia ȝeris sevynty, That in tyme of his governance It eked in-to gret suffisance. 1454 Rolls of Parlt. V. 273/1 Merchauntz..beyng many in nombre, and of greet suffisaunce. c 1470 Harding Chron. xxx. x. (MS. Seld.), Leving his lond..In suffisaunce, and alle prosperite. 1574 A. L. tr. Calvin's Foure Serm. Ep., We see some flowing in earthly wealth and suffisance. |
† 4. Ability; = sufficiency 4. Obs.
| c 1392 Chaucer Compl. Venus 17 Not withstondyng al his suffisaunce, His gentil hert ys of so grete humblesse [etc.]. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 8286 He that hath no suffysaunce Wyth-Inne hym-sylff tendure peyne. 1426 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 140 God of nature hath yoven him suffisaunce, Likly to atteyne to grete honure and pris. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour d iij b, Other ther ben that haue grace, wytte and suffisaunce ageynste couetyse. 1627 J. Carter Plain Expos. 84 So in like manner are we, for competencie and suffizance in outward things, to vse the best industrie and prouision that wee can. |
† 5. a. Satisfaction, contentment. Obs.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iii. pr. iii. (1868) 70 Þou..in alle þe plente of þi rycchesse haddest þilke lak of suffisaunce. c 1386 ― Pars. T. ¶833 Suffisance, that seketh no riche metes ne drinkes. c 1407 Lydg. Reason & Sens. 190 Euery hert..him reioysseth with plesaunce, For the grete suffysaunce That they ha founde by disport. c 1430 ― Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 123 Covetise oppressithe souffisaunce. 1484 Caxton Curiall 3 Yf thou be in mene estate of whyche thou hast not suffysaunce thou shalt stryue for to mounte and ryse hyer. 1586 A. Day Engl. Secretorie ii. (1625) 97 In couetousnesse there is neuer any suffizance. 1590 Spenser Muiop. 207 In the warme Sunne he doth himselfe embay, And there him rests in riotous suffisaunce Of all his gladfulnes. |
b. A source of satisfaction. Obs.
| c 1369 Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 1038 She was, that swete wife, My suffisaunce, my luste, my lyfe. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 2 The vjte. Herry, roote of her gladnes, Ther hertes joy, ther worldis suffisaunce. Ibid. 10 Sovereigne lord, welcome to youre citee!.. Welcome oure gladness, welcome oure suffisaunce! 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W.) i. vii, I graunte that Ihesu cryste is very redemptor & suffysaunce of all the worlde. |
c. The satisfying (of a desire). Obs.
| 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Luke iv. 54 More then for the suffisaunce of nature is necessarie. 1574 tr. Marlorat's Apoc. 113 Not to hunger nor to thirst is taken for the full suffizance of all desires. |
† 6. Self-sufficiency, independence. Obs.
| a 1450 Knt. de la Tour 202 And by cause I shold haue suffysaunce, he commaunded and charged me that neuer I shold put my self in subiection of none offyce vnder my souerayne lord. |
7. (With Fr. pronunc. sufizɑ̃s). [After mod.F. suffisance.] Excess of self-confidence, conceit. (Cf. sufficiency 6.)
| 1781 Bentham in Tait's Mag. (1840) VII. 703 Pratt has more distance and more suffisance than either of the others. 1781 ― Mem. & Corr. Wks. 1843 X. 100 In his conversation there is..nothing of that hauteur and suffisance one would expect. 1917 D. H. Lawrence Phoenix II (1968) 82 The police-officer turned, saluted politely, and said, with the polite, intolerable suffisance of officialdom: ‘Good evening! Trouble here!’ 1925 ― St. Mawr 25 At the same time he was free of the Englishman's water-tight suffisance. 1957 S. Smith Coll. Poems (1975) 344 Ah me the suffisance I drew therefrom What strength, what glory from that fattening fluid. |