▪ I. † ˈaggravate, ppl. a. Obs.
Also 5–6 agravate.
[ad. L. aggravāt-us, pa. pple. of aggravā-re to render heavy or troublesome; f. ad to + gravā-re to make heavy; f. gravis heavy.]
1. Loaded, burdened, weighed down. lit. and fig.
| 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. in Ashmole (1652) v. xxxix. 157 Theyr pursys, wyth pounds so aggravate. c 1510 Barclay Mirr. Good Manners (1570) A ij, Faynt croked age frayle and oblivious Agrauate with yeres. |
2. Loaded with the exsecratio gravior; under ecclesiastical censure; excommunicated.
| 1481 Caxton Reynard (Arb.) 43 Hyt were grete repref to you, my lord the kyng..that men shold saye ye reysed and accompanyed yourself with a cursyd and person agrauate. |
3. Made more serious as an offence; heightened or intensified (in a bad sense).
| 1548 Hall Chron. Edward V (R.) A small displeasure doen to you..hath been sore aggrauate. 1649 Jer. Taylor Gt. Exempl. v. §20 The occasions of an aggravate crime. a 1733 North Exam. i. ii. 93 Obnoxious for High Treason, or most aggravate Practices of Sedition. |
▪ II. aggravate, v.
(ˈægrəveɪt)
Also 6 agrauate.
[f. aggravate ppl. a.; used to render L. aggravāre, and replace the earlier aggrege. The appearance of the Fr. ag(g)raver (a Latinized refashioning of the earlier agrever), also adopted in Eng. as aggrave, probably helped the prevalence of aggravate. See aggrave, aggrieve, aggrege.]
To make heavy or heavier; hence, to put weight on; to add weight to; to add apparent weight or importance, to exaggerate.
I. To put weight upon.
† 1. trans. To make heavy; to load, burden, weigh down; hence, to cumber, impede, retard. Obs.
| 1530 Palsgr. 418/2 A folysshe answere may agravate [Fr. agreger ou agrauer] a mannes mater more than one wolde wene of. 1578 T. N. tr. Conq. W. India 252 That they doe not agravate or molest your subjectes. 1598 Yong tr. Diana 176 A great greefe aggrauateth the hart that suffers it. 1603 Florio Montaigne (1634) 147 He was so exceedingly aggravated with travell, and over-tired with wearinesse. |
† b. To load (any one) with. Obs.
| 1573 Twyne Cont. Phayer's æneidos xi. H h iij b, Drances..Standes up, and him in wordes doth blame, and aggrauates with ire. [Cf. 1513 Douglas æneis xi. vii. 112 Aggregeing on him wraith. L. aggerat iras.] |
† 2. To load or heap anything heavy upon. Obs.
| 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abuses (1877) 98 If the punishment..were aggrauated and executed upon the offenders. 1586 T. B. tr. La Primaudaye's Fr. Acad. ii. (1594) 62 To aggrauate so much the more his iust and fearefull iudgement vpon our heades. 1790 Burke Fr. Revol. 39 In order to lighten the crown still further, they aggravated responsibility on ministers of state. |
† 3. trans. To lay to the charge of any one; to bring as a charge or ‘gravamen’ (against). Obs.
| 1626 Meade in Ellis Orig. Lett. i. 329 III. 233 Aggravating it as an act of Rebellion. 1641 Baker Chron. (1679) 80/2 Their spokesman to the King to aggravate his breach of promise. 1678 Marvell Corr. 321 Wks. 1872–5 II. 580 His having appeared at the King's Bench barre, being aggravated as a new crime against him. |
† 4. absol. To bring charges (upon). Obs.
| 1672 Marvell Rehears. Transp. i. 120 While he aggravates upon Religion..he doth so far alleviate and encourage Debauchery. 1679 Jenison Narr. Pop. Plot 39, I love to tread softly on the Graves of the deceased, and therefore shall no further aggravate. |
II. To add weight to.
† 5. trans. To add weight or intensity to; to strengthen, increase, or magnify. Obs. in gen. sense.
| 1549 Coverdale Paraphr. Erasm. Heb. vi. 16 Men to aggrauate theyr othe do swere by hym that is greater. 1635 W. Austin Medit. 46 All these aggravate the greatnesse of his Humility: and that, aggravates the greatnesse of his Love. 1698 in Coll. Rec. Penn. I. 544 Becaus Coll. Quarry, the Judge of the admiralty, aggravats it as an action of y⊇ governments. |
6. esp. a. Of things evil: To increase the gravity of, to make more grievous or burdensome; to make worse, intensify, exacerbate.
| 1597 Daniel Civ. Wares ii. xvi, To aggravate thine owne afflictions store. 1610 Healey St. Aug., City of God 460 Why doe we agravate our misery? 1756 Burke Vind. Nat. Soc. Wks. I. 10 To introduce new mischiefs or to aggravate and inflame the old. 1788 Johnson Lett. 143 I. 312 If grief either caused or aggravated poor Queeney's illness. 1824 Dibdin Libr. Comp. 93 To aggravate the terror of his invective. 1875 Bryce Holy Rom. Emp. vi. (ed. 5) 86 Its dangers from foreign enemies were aggravated by the plots of the court. 1880 Gladstone in Daily News 16 Mar. 2/8 Instead of relieving all estates up to 2,000l. he aggravates the duty at 500l. |
b. Of offences: To make more heinous, or offensive; to increase in offensiveness.
| 1596 Edward III, ii. i. 24 That sin doth ten times aggravate itself That is committed in a holy place. 1616 R. C. Times' Whistle iv. 1448 Th' offenders greatnesse aggravates th' offence. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xviii. vii. (1840) 262/2 Falsehood will only aggravate your guilt. 1878 Gladstone Prim. Homer 111 Gross wrong to his mother, aggravated by what follows with himself. |
7. To exasperate, incense, embitter (a person); famil. to provoke, arouse the evil feelings of.
| 1611 Cotgr., Aggravanter, to aggravate, exasperate. 1634 T. Herbert Trav. 93 This aggra[va]ted the Persian king exceedingly to be so bearded. 1748 Richardson Clarissa (1811) I. 345 If both were to aggravate her parents, as my brother and sister do mine. 1858 Thackeray Virgin. xvii. 134 Threats only served to aggravate people in such cases. |
b. To irritate, inflame (physically).
| 1880 I. L. Bird Japan I. 366 With stinging wood smoke aggravating the eyes. |
III. To add weight unduly.
8. To make the most of; to represent (a thing) as graver, more serious, or more important; to exaggerate. Obs. exc. in extension of 6.
| c 1555 Harpsfield Divorce Hen. VIII (1878) 179 Setting forth and aggravating the great spoil late made in Rome. 1580 Baret Alvearie A 231 To Aggrauate and make more then it is, Exaggerare rem. 1674 Marvell Rehears. Transp. ii. 220, I have not in the least aggravated your sense or words. 1740 in Col. Rec. Penn. IV. 441 You have greatly aggravated the number of Servants inlisted by calling them several hundreds. 1876 Freeman Norm. Conq. III. xii. 251 It was not hard, whenever it was convenient, to insist on and to aggravate the offence. |