▪ I. pave, v.
(peɪv)
[a. OF. paver (12th c. in Littré and Hatz.-Darm.), either from L. pavīre to beat, strike, ram, with changed formative suffix and sense, or (as Darmesteter thinks more likely) a back formation from F. pavement pavement.]
1. a. trans. To lay or cover with a pavement (a street, road, court, yard, floor; hence, a town, house, etc.): see pavement 1.
| c 1310 Flemish Insurr. in Pol. Songs (Camden) 190 The barouns of Fraunce thider conne gon, Into the paleis that paved is with ston. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 8910 Alle þe stretes of þe cete and þe lanes War even paved with precyouse stanes. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1661 A flore þat was fret all of fyne stones, Pauyt prudly all with proude colours. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. i. xvi. 17 b, The court is pavid with Mosaique stone. 1600–1 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 483 Flaunders tyles to paue the chimney in the..great chamber. 1686 tr. Chardin's Trav. Persia 399 The Tomb is pav'd with Tiles of Cheney. 1707 Mortimer Husb. (1721) II. 104 Some pave their Walks all over with large Pibbles or Flint-stones, and lay their Gravel on the Top of them. 1840 Dickens Barn. Rudge ii, The roads even within twelve miles of London were,..ill paved. 1902 Daily Chron. 23 Aug. 6/1 The area—one and a quarter acres—is tar-paved. |
b. To overlie or cover as a pavement.
| 1600 Rowlands Lett. Humours Blood i. 47 They had more Rubies than wold paue Cheapside. 1818 Byron Ch. Har. iv. lx, The slab which paves the princely head. |
c. To form a pavement for; to be a pavement under.
| 1821 Shelley Epipsych. 15 The air-like waves Of wonder-level dream, whose tremulous floor Paved her light steps. |
2. fig. a. To cover or overlay as with a pavement.
| c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 7214 Priamus wolde, that Troye hadde be paued With hethen hond and euery a membre. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iii. vii. 87, I will trot to morrow a mile, and my way shall be paued with English Faces. 1611 Bible Song Sol. iii. 10. 1647 Trapp Comm. 1 Cor. i. 26 Hence it grew to a Proverb.., That Hell was paved with Priests shaven crowns, and great mens head-pieces. 17.., 1771 Hell is paved with good intentions [see intention n. 5]. 1810 Southey Curse of K. xiv. v, Their self-devoted bodies there they lay To pave his chariot-way. 1887 I. R. Lady's Ranche Life Montana 154 Van grumbles,..and says ‘the ground is paved with pigs’. |
† b. To render (a surface) hard or callous as if paved. Obs. rare.
| 1635 Quarles Embl. i. viii. (1718) 34 But when the frequent soul-departing bell Has pav'd their ears with her familiar knell. 1738 Swift Pol. Conversat. 9 How can you drink your Tea so hot? Sure your Mouth's pav'd. |
c. To write interlinear or marginal translations in (a Latin or Greek text-book). School slang.
| 1888 [implied in paving vbl. n.]. 1897 A. Sidgwick in P. A. Barnett Teaching & Organisation 308 Cases of dishonesty are pretty certain to turn up..to ‘pave’ the text, i.e. write the English down at the side. 1940 M. Marples Public School Slang 52 A common word of special meaning is pave, which denotes the practice of writing the English meaning above words in a Greek or Latin text. |
3. Phrase. to pave the way: to prepare the way (for, to something to come); to facilitate or lead on to a result or an object in view.
| a 1585 Cartwright in R. Browne Answ. Cartwright 86 The way will bee paued and plained for mutuall entercourse. 1658 Osborn Adv. Son iv. xxvi. (1896) 99 More able..to have paved a Way to future Felicity. 1747 Berkeley Let. to Hales on Tar-water Wks. III. 490 This may pave the way for its general use in all fevers. c 1817 Hogg Tales & Sk. V. 92 One lie always paved the way for another. 1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect I. 250 Addressing audiences to pave the way to the great work they ultimately accomplished. |
▪ II. pave, n.1 Chiefly U.S.
(peɪv)
[app. f. pave v., or ? short for pavement.]
= pavement.
| 1835 Southern Lit. Messenger I. 357, I met a friend on the pave last week. 1859 [see nymph 2 b]. 1880 J. Bowick Montrose Characters 138 Gaun pauchlin' alang the pave. 1889 Harper's Mag. Jan. 192/1, I fancy them on every pave in Rome Toward the palace faced. 1901 H. M{supc}Hugh John Henry 45 Pounding the pave in front of Booze Bazaar. |
| fig. 1881 W. Wilkins Songs of Study 42 The Pit and the horseshoes o'er it Had smiles for their happy pave. |