▪ I. inconvenience, n.
(ɪnkənˈviːnɪəns)
[a. OF. inconvenience (mod.F. inconvenance), ad. late L. inconvenientia inconsistency, n. of quality f. inconvenient-em inconvenient: see -ence. Cf. illconvenience.]
The fact or quality of being inconvenient.
† 1. Want of agreement; incongruity, disagreement; inconsistency with reason or rule, absurdity; with pl. An instance of this; an inconsistency; an absurdity. Obs.
| c 1400 Beryn 2576 That I may bet perseyve al inconvenience Dout, pro contra, and ambiguity. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 194 Yet it is no inconvenyence y{supt} his holy mother & other sayntes be as particular meanes bytwene vs & god. a 1536 Tindale Doctr. Treat. (Parker Soc. 1848) 380 That Christ was made man and died: also bread, which seemeth to some a great inconvenience. 1587 Golding De Mornay i. 12 By these inconveniences they conclude, that there is no God at all. 1610 A. Cooke Pope Joan in Harl. Misc. (Malham) IV. 77 Protestant. What mean you by the inconvenience of their testimonies? Papist. Their disagreeing one with another. a 1619 M. Fotherby Atheom. ii. iii. §2 (1622) 215 Yet can he not be the cause of himselfe, for the fore-named inconueniences. 1706 tr. Dupin's Eccl. Hist. 16th C. II. v. 45 Francis Maryon believ'd there was no Inconvenience in saying, That some of it [Christ's blood] staid here below. |
† b. Unsuitableness, unfitness. Obs.
| 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iv. ii. 58 Adam was nought well disposyd to etyng of this appel for inconuenyence of the season in whiche he receyued it. a 1600 Hooker (J.), They plead against the inconvenience, not the unlawfulness of popish apparel. 1684 R. Waller Nat. Exper. 74 To avoid this inconvenience of the Screws. |
† 2. Moral or ethical unsuitableness; unbecoming or unseemly behaviour; impropriety; with pl., an unseemly act, an impropriety, an offence. Obs.
| c 1460 Play Sacram. 897 Agaynst god yf ye haue wroght eny Inconuenyence. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) I. 51 Howe youthe which is nat norysshed in doctryne, In age is gyuen vnto al Inconuenyence. 1547 Homilies i. Agst. Contention i. (1859) 135 They fall.. sometime from hot words to further inconvenience. 1560 Bible (Genev.) Numbers, Argt., That either they fall not to such inconueniences, or else return to him quickly by true repentance. |
† 3. Harm, injury, mischief; misfortune, trouble. Obs. (passing into 4).
| 14.. Proverbs of Good Counsel 82 in Q. Eliz. Acad. (1869) 70 Yf þou be trobyllyd with ynconvenyens, Arme þ⊇ alway with Inward pacyens. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. x. (Percy Soc.) 36 To dysnull myschefe and inconvenyence, They made our lawes wyth grete diligence. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xviii. 94 They that live under the government of Democracy,..attribute all the inconvenience to that forme of Commonwealth. 1653 Holcroft Procopius i. Goth. Wars 20 Beneventum standing high, and over against Dalmatia, shares in the inconvenience of this wind. 1695 Woodward Nat. Hist. Earth v. (1723) 264 The Inconvenience would not have stop'd there. |
† b. with pl. A mischief, an injury; an untoward occurrence, a misfortune. Obs. (passing into 4 b).
| c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon i. 33, I haue grete fere that some inconuenyence be happed vnto him. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 95 Whereof grew a great inconuenience and slaughter. 1608 R. Armin Nest Ninn. (1842) 15 Rapine, ruine, and a thousand inconveniences, follow. 1736 Butler Anal. i. iii. Wks. 1874 I. 57 Often infamy and external inconveniences are the public consequences of vice as vice. 1796 C. Marshall Gard. ii. (1813) 21 It is yet unable to bear the inconveniences of the weather. |
† c. Technically distinguished from mischief: see quot. Obs.
| 1622 Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. 161 It is better to suffer a mischiefe than an inconuenience; the mischiefe being attributed to one or some particular persons, and the inconuenience to the whole Common-wealth in generall. a 1709 Atkyns Parl. & Pol. Tracts (1734) 199 By a Mischief is meant, when one Man or some few men suffer by the Hardship of a Law, which Law is yet useful for the Publick. But an Inconvenience is to have a publick Law disobeyed or broken, or an Offence to go unpunished. |
4. The quality or condition of being inconvenient; want of adaptation to personal requirement or ease; trouble, discomfort, disadvantage; incommodity.
| 1653 Walton Angler Table, In this Discourse..I have not observed a method, which..may be some inconvenience to the Reader. 1783 Morell Ainsworth's Lat. Dict. iv. s.v. Tithonus, That Aurora made him immortal, but could not take from him the inconvenience of old age. 1837 Dickens Pickw. xxvii, She could have spared him without the smallest inconvenience. 1885 Daily News 21 Dec. 5/1 The long delay..has already led to considerable public inconvenience. |
b. with pl. An inconvenient circumstance; something that interferes with ease or comfort, or causes trouble; a disadvantage, a discomfort.
| 1578 T. N. tr. Conq. W. India 30 The letter being written, there was found an inconvenience, which was, they knew not how to carrye the letter secretly. 1641 Wilkins Math. Magick i. ix. (1648) 59 The chief inconvenience of this instrument is, that, in a short space it will be screwed unto its full length. 1732 Arbuthnot Rules of Diet 296 They have only one Inconvenience, that they create Thirst. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 327 This rule was originally..intended to avoid the inconveniences which might arise by admitting an interval, when there should be no tenant of the freehold to do the services to the lord. 1884 Manch. Exam. 2 May 4/7 The necessity of taking out passports would be a serious inconvenience to foreign traders. |
▪ II. inconvenience, v.
(ɪnkənˈviːnɪəns)
[f. prec. n.]
trans. To cause inconvenience to; to put to inconvenience; to incommode, trouble.
| a 1656 Hales Gold. Rem. i. (1673) 49 For it is not the variety of opinions, but our own perverse wills..which hath so inconvenienced the church. 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland 90 That they may..not be inconvenienced with the weight of these blankets. 1797 Southey Lett. (1856) I. 40, I instantly quitted the university, that my uncle might no longer be inconvenienced by me. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy i. 9 The inconvenienced party had only to say [etc.]. 1876 T. Hardy Ethelberta (1890) 369 Be content to let her keep her position without inconveniencing her by your intrusions or complaints. |