▪ I. proffer, n.
(ˈprɒfə(r))
Forms: 4–6 profre, 4–8 profer, 5 profire, -ure, -yre, etc.: see the vb.
[ME. profre, a. AF. profre (a 1240 in Godef.), OF. poroffe, *poroffre, vbl. n. f. poroffrir: see next.]
An act of proffering; an offer.
1. The act of offering or presenting something for acceptance, or of proposing to do something; an offer; a proposal. Now chiefly literary.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 4413 Of þe quenes profer þe puple hadde reuþe. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 346 Thei profren hem to his servise; And he hem thonketh of here profre And seith himself he wol gon offre. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxvi. 123 Þai behete þaim þat er enseged so faire proffers. c 1440 Lydg. Chron. in Harvard Studies (1897) V. 210 The kynge..Gret profres made..of golde & tresoure. 1544 tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 70 b, Hee refused the money when lawful profer was made of it. 1652 T. Whitfield Doctr. Armin. 58 Though the proferre of Salvation be conditionall. 1796 Burke Regic. Peace i. Wks. VIII. 93 Hoping that the enemy..would make a proffer of peace. 1870 Disraeli Lothair xxxii, Accepting the proffer with a delicate white hand. |
† 2. An act or movement as in beginning or attempting to do something, or as if one were about to do something; a show of intention to do something; an essay, attempt, endeavour, trial.
(The alleged sense ‘a rabbit-burrow’ (in Halliwell, and thence in recent Dicts.) appears to be founded on a misunderstanding of the use of quot. 1577.)
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 2857 We salle blenke theire boste for alle theire bolde profire. a 1425 Cursor M. 8819 (Trin.) For no profur þat þei dude [Þe tre] wolde not þere stonde in stude. 1456 in Cov. Corp. Chr. Plays App. iii. 116 That no fals treitour, ne cruell tirrant, Shall in eny wyse make profer to your lande. 1532 in More Confut. Tindale Wks. 389/2 The priest..playeth out the reste vnder silence with signes and profers, with nodding, becking, and mowing. 1577 Harrison England ii. xxiv. (1877) i. 358 Conies in making profers and holes to breed in, haue scraped them [coins] out of the ground. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. III. 1094/2 After some resistance..and profer of onset made by their horssemen, they were put to flight. 1626 Bacon Sylva §236 It is done..by little and little and with many Essays and Proffers. 1668 Dryden Ess. Dram. Poesy Ess. (ed. Ker) I. 32 You may observe..how many proffers they make to dip. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 206 With your Compasses find the Center on the backside of the Round Board (with several proffers if need require). |
† b. In extended or loose use: An indication of something about to happen; a very slight manifestation of some quality; a sign, a trace. Obs.
| 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Luke xxi. 167 Y⊇ foresaied signes & profres towardes y⊇ chaunge of y⊇ worlde. 1739 Cibber Apol. (1756) I. 163 The characters I have nam'd..cannot have the least cast or profer of the amiable in them. |
3. Law. A provisional payment of estimated dues into the Exchequer by a sheriff or other officer at certain appointed times.
(Inaccurately explained in Cowell and later dicts. as the time of such payments, etc.)
| [1290 Rolls of Parlt. I. 58/1 Quod non venerunt ad profrum..etiam quia non venerunt super compotum Vicecomitis tempestive.] 1450 Ibid. V. 175/2 Shirreffs, Eschetours, or eny other persones that shall make their profres betwene the Feste of Ester, and the first day of Juyll. 1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII, c. 21 §2 The said terme..shall..begynne the Monday next aftre Trinitie Sonday..for the keping of thessoygnes profers retornes and other ceremonies. [1607 Cowell Interpr., Profer (profrum vel proferum), is the time appointed for the acompts of Shyreeues, and other officers in the Exchequer, which is twice in the yeare, anno 51 H. 3. stat. quint.] 1620 J. Wilkinson Coroners & Sherifes 45 He hath entred Recognisance for his proffers. 1701 Cowell's Interpr. s.v. Profre Vice-comitis, Altho' these Proffers are paid, yet if upon conclusion of the Sheriffs Accompts,..it appears that..he is charged with more than indeed he could receive, he hath his Proffers paid or allowed to him again. 1874 Stubbs Const. Hist. I. xi. 379 Each of these magistrates..paid in to the Exchequer such an instalment or proffer as he could afford. |
▪ II. proffer, v.
(ˈprɒfə(r))
Forms: 3–5 profre, (4 profry, proofre), 4–5 proffre, 4–7 profere, proferre, 4–8 profer, (5 profir, -yr, prouffer, prouffre, peroffer, propher, 5–6 profor(re, profur), 5– proffer.
[ME. profr-en, proffre, a. AF. proffrir, -er, late OF. proffrir = OF. purofrir (c 1080 in Godef.), poroffrir, f. OF. pur, por (F. pour):—L. prō, pro-1 + offrir:—Romanic type *offerĕre or *offerīre:—L. offerre to offer. From the interchange of f and ff, the early forms are often identical with those of profer v.; and in certain senses (L. prōferre having sometimes the sense ‘proffer’, and It. profferire combining ‘proffer’ and ‘profer’) the two verbs are difficult to distinguish: see also profer.]
1. trans. To bring or put before a person for acceptance; to offer, present, tender. Now literary and usually in proffered ppl. a. 1.
Const. with direct and indirect (dative) obj., the latter with or without to. With direct or indirect passive.
| 13.. Cursor M. 4358 (Gött.) Scho..proferd him hir muth to kiss. c 1375 Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. B.) 254 Oure offrandes þat we offer, And oure praieres þat we profer. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 74 To hire he profreth his servise. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 105 Cookes..proferred me bread, with ale and wyne. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 174 And he peroffer resonable ransoun. 1526 Tindale Matt. vii. 9 Ys there eny man among you which wolde proffer his sonne a stone if he axed him breed? 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 18 He shall be proffered in marriage the best..virgin of their Iland. 1671 Crowne Juliana i. Dram. Wks. 1873 I. 26 Five thousand crowns are proferr'd To any one that will discover him. 1837 Dickens Pickw. ii, Mr. Winkle seized the wicker bottle which his friend proffered. 1877 Black Green Past. xxi, Before proffering him this promised help. |
b. refl. To offer or present oneself (or itself).
Const. to with simple obj. or inf., or that with clause.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 84/26 Seinte Fey..profrede hire to þe tormentores. a 1330 Otuel 1265 Þere-fore he profreþ him to fiȝt. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxi. 96 Ane of þe grettest meruailes..þat fischez..schall..come þider and profre þam self to þe deed. 1484 Caxton Fables of Alfonce xi, Yet shalle I profere me to hym. 1602 W. Fulbecke 2nd Pt. Parall. 30 Others, as executors profered themselues. 1711 Atterbury Serm., 1 Cor. x. 13 (1734) I. 99 The Followers of his Fortune proffered themselves to be the ready Ministers of his Revenge. 1809 Bawdwen Domesday Bk. 411 The Priest..proffers himself that he will prove..that it is not as they have given in their verdict. |
c. absol. or with indirect obj. only: To make an offer. ? Obs.
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. v. 67 On men of lawe Wrong lokede and largelich hem profrede. 1423 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 258/1 If any man will come and profre as it is supposed. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 417 The kyng of Gales proferd hym feyer: ‘Wed my dowghttyr and myn Eyer’. 1575 R. B. Appius & Virg. in Hazl. Dodsley IV. 152, I proffer you fair: You shall be my full executor and heir. |
2. with inf. To make a proposal or offer, propose (to do something): = offer v. 4. Rarely with clause (quot. c 1350), or simple obj. Obs. or arch.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3908 That God almyȝty,..Profrede hym to kesse so louely. c 1350 Will. Palerne 2489 Þe prouost dede pertli profer..What man..miȝt þe beres take, He schuld gete of gold garissoun. 1428 Surtees Misc. (1888) 2 John Bower proferd to selle hym a laste of osmundes. c 1450 Merlin 50 Sende to hem..that thei yelde yow the castell..and profer hem to go saf with their lyves. 1648 Boyle Seraph. Love Ep. Ded. (1660) 2 A necessitous person..proffer'd to sell the Copy. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 425 None..So hardie as to proffer or accept Alone the dreadful voyage. 1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome, Commodus i. 191 They proffer'd to submit upon his own terms. 1823 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Poor Relations, He proffereth to go for a coach and lets the servant go. |
† 3. with inf. To make an attempt, to essay: = offer v. 5 b. Also refl. with inf. (quot. c 1475). Obs.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 326 An engyn had þei þer in, & profred for to kast. c 1400 Destr. Troy 12048 Eneas..Put hym in prise & profferit to say. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 149 The King profferit him to gang, and maid ane strange fair. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 122 When the Frenchemen profered to enter, the Englishmen bet them of with bylles. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. vi. ii. §9 This priviledge was profered afterwards by some Saxon Kings to be restored; which Turketill would never consent unto. |
† b. absol. or intr. To make a movement as if about to do something; to begin to act or move, and then stop or turn back: spec. of a stag; see quots., and cf. proffer n. 2 and reproffer. Obs.
| c 1450 Brut (E.E.T.S.) 424 There they lay two dayes and two nyghtis, and no pepull proferid oute to hem. 1486 Bk. St. Albans E vij, The hert..He proferith..and so ye shall say For he wot not hym selfe yit how he will a way. 1575 Turberv. Venerie 100 When he [an hart] leapeth into the water and commeth out againe the same way, then he proffereth. 1602 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass. ii. v. 907 The Hart..being in the water, proferd, and reproferd, and proferd againe. a 1650 Crashaw Carmen Deo Nostro Wks. (1904) 213 To play the amorous spies, And peep and proffer at thy sparkling Throne. [1847–78 Halliwell, Proffer, to dodge any one. Devon. (Not now known, E.D.D.)] |
† 4. trans. To offer (battle, injury, etc.); to attempt to inflict: = offer v. 3 f, 5. Obs.
| 1471 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 273 Dayly he prophered batayle his enmys durst not fyghte. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxiv. 507 Ye prouffer me owterage. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 36 b, The citezens..manfully profered to skyrmish, but thei w{supt} archers were sone driuen backe. 1579 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 89 Which of them hath profferred me the greatest villany. |
Hence ˈprofferable a., that can be proffered.
| 1822 G. Darley Errors of Ecstasie 38 Didst thou not quit..No proferable cause asserted why, The track? |