encouragement
(ɛnˈkʌrɪdʒmənt)
Also 6–8 incouragement.
[a. F. encouragement: see prec. and -ment.]
The action or process of encouraging, the fact of being encouraged (see senses of the vb.); concr. a fact or circumstance which serves to encourage.
| 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 257 King Edward purposyng a lyke encouragement of noble and worthie knightes. 1598 J. Dickenson Greene in Conc. (1878) 143 For his more incouragement viewing in his mistris countenance, no cloudes of discontent. 1638 Ld. Goring in Hamilton Papers (1880) 65 What encouragement whatever those ill affected with you may gather. 1677 A. Yarranton Engl. Improv. 62 To the Incouragement of the Iron, and Iron Manufactures. 1700 Wallis in Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.) I. 319 This riding⁓master went hence, finding little or no encouragement, of any desirous to learn. 1711 Shaftesbury Charac. (1737) II. 124 Inward deformity growing greater, by the incouragement of unnatural affection. 1748 Anson Voy. (ed. 4) Introd., Such employments could not long be wanting, if due incouragement were given to them. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth vi, The wooer had begun to hold the refusal of the damsel as somewhat capricious..after the degree of encouragement which, in his opinion, she had afforded. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 186 [Plato] gives no encouragement to individual enthusiasm. 1883 Law Rep. Queen's B. XI. 569 The object of the society being the encouragement of saving. |