† ˈsuffisant, a. Obs.
Forms: 4 suffis(c)haunt, -yssaunt, -icant, Sc. -icent, 4–5 -isant, 4–6 -isaunt, 5 -ysa(u)nt, -ischande, -issant, souffis(s)ant, suffissand.
[a. OF. suffisant, soufisant, in Gower -cant (whence also MDu. soff-, suffisant), pr. pple. of suffire to suffice. Cf. sufficient.]
1. = sufficient 1 (with various const.).
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter cxxvi. 2 Bot if oure lord be kepere of oure saulis, all oure besynes is noght suffyssaunt. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 85 Cristis reule were fulli suffisant to alle men. c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 365 Loke þat they..han ther-Inne vitaille suffisant But for a day. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 153 Me thenketh that this evidence As to this point is sufficant. c 1391 Chaucer Astrol. Prol. 63 Ther folwith a canon, suffisant to teche..the maner of the wyrkyng of þat same conclusioun. c 1400 Rom. Rose 5608 Mete and drynke and esy foode..And also suffisaunt clothyng. 1450 Hen. VI in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. Var. Coll. IV. 85 There vitailes ben not suffisant to serue them for iij wekes. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 1300 Halfe a hate lafe and soule he fande, Þat to a male was suffischande. 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 135 Whan they fonde hem in nombre suffisant for to entre in to bataylle. a 1500 Craft of Deyng in Ratis Raving, etc. 3 Þocht..he had neuer ben schrewyne befor..sa at thare-of he mycht haf suffissand contriscione, he war sauf. c 1570 Pride & Lowl. (1841) 82 These for our life we holden suffisaunt. |
2. Of things (chiefly immaterial): Satisfactory in quality or efficacy; effective.
| 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 3874 If it [sc. a bishop's pardon] be noght swa suffishaunt Als þe papes es. c 1386 Chaucer Wife's T. 54 To seche and leere An answere suffisant [v.rr. sufficia(u)nt, sufficant] in this mateere. 1389 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 8 Þat þey leye a suffisaunt wed, or elles fynde suffisaunt borwes of þe broþerhede. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 81 Thei..token what thei myhten wynne Of such good as was sufficant. Ibid. 250 The tokne was so sufficant That it ne mihte be forsake. 1455 Paston Lett. I. 365 As it apperith by writing suffisaunt. |
3. Of persons: = sufficient 3.
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 2524 Phyllis, Ye be nat suffisaunt to bere the peyne. c 1386 ― Pard. T. 470 That ye mowe haue a suffisant Pardoneer Tassoille yow. c 1400 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) iv. xxix. (1859) 61 An vnwyse kyng..lesith his people; but by the wytte of a suffysaunt souerayne, the peple is saued. c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 362 Þe worþi prelacie, And vnder hem þe suffissant clergye. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. iii. viii. 184 In his place he wyl leue for hym a suffysaunt man. 1491 ― Vitas Patr. (W. de W. 1495) i. Prol. 1 We ben not couenable ne suffisaunt to telle & recompte soo grete thynges. |
4. Of persons: = sufficient 4.
| 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour b j, He sente certayne knyghtes and ladyes of the most suffisaunt of his royamme. 1491 Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 374 So that he fyn[d]e suffisaunt suertes therto. |
5. = sufficient 6.
Chiefly after L. sufficiens (sibi).
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxii. 1 Na thynge sall me want, þat is, in him i sall be sikere and suffisaunt. c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iii. pr. iii. (1868) 70 Þanne may nat rycchesse maken þat a man nis nedy ne þat he be suffisaunt to hym self. 1382 Wyclif Prov. xii. 9 Betere is a pore man, and suffisaunt to hymself, than a glorious, and nedi bred. |