concernment
(kənˈsɜːnmənt)
[f. concern v. + -ment.]
† 1. A matter concerning, or having relation to, any person or thing; a matter appertaining. Obs.
| 1610 J. Guillim Heraldry vi. vi. (1660) 417 Of whose creation, privileges, and other concernments you may be more fully satisfied in a Supplement to this Book. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. iii. i. 107 Other concernments there are of the Elephant, which might admit of discourse. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia A vj, In Concernments of Physick and their own Health. 1658 Sir T. Browne Gard. Cyrus Wks. II. 541 The delights, commodities, mysteries, with other concernments of this order. |
† 2. A matter in which any one has or takes an interest; an interest. Obs. or arch.
| 1627–77 Feltham Resolves ii. lxvii. 292 He that minds his own..and but seldom intrudes upon the concernments of others. a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) III. 388, I presume the concernments of the poor are well cared for. 1741 Watts Improv. Mind xiv. Wks. (1813) 96 Those that have influence upon our everlasting concernments. 1867 Bushnell Mor. Use Dark Th. 194 The very highest concernments of his nature. |
3. An affair, business, concern.
| 1621 Jas. I Let. in Rushw. Hist. Coll. (1659) I. 59 To promote..our concernments with his Majesty. 1662 Dryden Wild Gallant Pref., I do not think it my Concernment to defend it. 1725 Watts Logic ii. iii. Introd., In our civil concernments; as well as in matters of learning. 1816 Scott Tales My Landlord Ser. i. Introd., Men..travelling on their concernments of business. 1859 Trollope Bertrams II. xi. 163 He was now a man of many concernments. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., Consarnment, concern; business. ‘I toud 'im it wuz no consarnment o' mine’. |
4. The fact of concerning or having reference; relation, bearing, application, connexion. Commonly after of, as ‘a matter of public concernment’, i.e. that concerns the public.
| 1622–62 Heylin Cosmogr. ii. (1682) 31 In any matters of particular concernment. 1659 J. Arrowsmith Chain Princ. 386 A message of very sad concernment. 1692 Bp. Rochester Wicked Contriv. in Select. Harl. Misc. (1793) 497 Mr. Dyve..found nothing in them [letters] but matters of private concernment. 1694 R. Burthogge Reason 111 Mind.. free from all concretion or concernment with matter. 1844 Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. xix. §5 (1862) 342 Crimes were thus regarded as matters of private concernment, with which the injured parties alone had to do. 1875 Whitney Life Lang. x. 206 The dative is the case of general relation or concernment. |
5. The quality of concerning or being important to persons, etc.; importance, weight, moment.
| 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 270 The number and concernment are lesse than what are injured by corrupted Historians. 1679 Penn Addr. Prot. ii. §3 (1692) 90 No Person of common Understanding will conclude an Equal Weight or Concernment in these things. 1691 Norris Pract. Disc. 184 Their own concernment and importance will be enough to recommend them. 1704 Nelson Fest. & Fasts iv, Upon the account of both the certainty and the concernment of them [objects of faith]. |
b. esp. in the attrib. phrases, of concernment, of great, special, vital (etc.) concernment.
| 1642 Jer. Taylor Episc. (1647) 202 The question here that is only of concernment is..by whom it was reserved. 1666 Lond. Gaz. No. 25/3 To take some Iland of concernment in those Parts. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World iii. (1757) 206 Posts of too much concernment for their capacities. 1765 T. Hutchinson Hist. Col. Mass. ii. 230 Of great concernment, that the..charter should be kept safe. 1841–4 Emerson Ess. Ser. ii. ii. 56 Secrets of highest concernment. 1872 Morley Voltaire v. Matter of vital concernment. |
† 6. A relation of being objectively interested in any matter; interest. to have (a) concernment: to be concerned or interested (in). Obs.
| 1640 Bp. Hall Episc. i. §1. 1 The act was yours; the concernment the whole Churches. 1656 Jeanes Mixt. Schol. Div. 109 Our concernment in the incarnation was farre greater then the Angels, and yet how doe their thanks surmount ours? 1670 Marvell Corr. Wks. 1872–5 II. 300, I shall not neglect to give you notice of what is done among us, where you have so much concernment. 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 129 The King of England..having..most Concernment to be more considerable at Sea than any other Prince or State. |
7. A concerning oneself with or being concerned in anything; interference. to have concernment with: to have to do with.
| 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. (1843) 25/2 And married a beautiful young Lady..without any other approbation of her Father, or concernment in it, than suffering him and her to come into his presence after they were married. 1676 Collins in Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men (1841) II. 454, I offered your tract to divers booksellers, who refused a concernment in it. 1687 G. Towerson Baptism 98 The works of men can have no concernment in it. 1856 Ruskin Mod. Paint. IV. v. iv. §2 The greatest men..whom modern Europe has produced in concernment with the arts. 1861 Tulloch Eng. Purit. I. i. 58 The brew-house was managed..without any concernment of his father therein. |
8. A feeling of interest, solicitude, anxiety, etc.
| 1652 Sir C. Cotterell tr. Cassandra i. 7 Observing with more attention since with more concernment. 1654 Earl of Orrery Parthenissa (1676) 713 Your Concernments for her Misfortunes will put a Period to them. 1693 Mem. Cnt. Teckely ii. 164 The King of Poland testified to them a sensible concernment at what had passed. 1773 J. Ross Fratricide (MS.) iii. 368 The suppos'd concernment of the Fiend For his revenge alone. 1855 Singleton Virgil II. 186 If some concernment for a mother's right Deep preys upon you. |