tmesis (tme sis)

[L. tmesis, The sun in his sercle set vnto rest, And the day ouer-drogh to the derke night. Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 10735. This Tower is easily to be seene to Milan in a cleare Coryat , Crudities, I. 137. That which most exasperated the Silures was a report of certaine words cast out by the Emperor, that he would root them out to the verie name. Milton, Hist. Eng., ii. Sir Tomkyn, drawing his sword, swore he was hers to the last drop of his blood. Goldsmith, Vicar, xi. And ever James was bending low, To his white jennet's saddlebow. Scott , L. of the L., v. 21. He might have cogitated to all eternity without arriving at a result. H. Spencer , Social Statics, p. 23. 3. For; unto: indicating an actual or supposed limit to movement or action, or denoting destination, design, purpose, or aim: as, the horse is broken to saddle or harne . The souldiar preparynge hym selfe to the fielde Leaues not at home his sworde and his shielde. Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 339. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born? Shak., M. N. D., ii. 2. 123. Burton , Anat. of Mel., p. 196. But to nobler sights Michael from Adam's eyes the film removed. They must be dieted, as horses to a race. Milton , P. L., xi. 412. I shall give Tom an eddication an' put him to a busine . George Eliot , Mill on the Flo , i. 3. He was born to a large fortune, and had married a lady of the house of Noailles. The Century , XLI. 368. If the field is planted to some other crop, the young lice mature on the gra -roots. Amer . Nat . , December, 1889, p. 1105. 4. Unto: indicating a result or effect produced; denoting a consequence or end: as, he was flattered to his ruin; it was reported to her shame. I shall laugh myself to death. Shak ., Tempest, ii. 2. 158. If any man in Englande should goe aboughte... to examine yor. life to yor. utter undoinge. Quoted in H. Hall's Society in Elizabeth an Age, viii. I must not leave this fellow; I will torment him to madne . Beau , and Fl . , Woman-Hater, ii. 1. The moment the master put his horse to speed, his troops scattered in all directions. Irving , Granada, p. 94. Then unto them I turned me, and I spake, And I began: "Thine agonies, Francesca, Sad and compa ionate to weeping make me." Long fellow , tr. of Dante's Inferno, v. 117. 5. Upon; besides: denoting addition, contribution, or po e ion. His breath and beauty set Glo on the rose, smell to the violet. Shak., Venus and Adonis, 1. 936. I have a you sand faces to deceive, And, to those, twice as many tongues to flatter. Fletcher and Shirley , Night-Walker, i. 2. Wisdom he has, and to his wisdom courage, Temper to that, and unto all succe . Sir J. Denham , The Sophy. (Latham.) 6. Upon; on: denoting contact, junction, or union. denoting agreement, adaptation, or adjustment: as, a plan drawn to scale; painted to the life. Ihesu, thou kan me sone amende; Thou has me made to thi lyknes. Political Poems , etc. (ed. Furnivall), p. 105. And whan ye knowe what it is, loke ye, per for me it to his plesier. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 58. His horses and his men Suited in satin to their master's colours. Peele, Poly hymn i a (ed. Bullen). Fashion your demeanour to my looks. Shak., C. of E., ii. 2. 33. Now, Maria, here is a character to your taste. Sheridan , School for Scandal, i. 1. It was a most difficult matter to keep the tunnel to Sci. Amer., N. S., LXIV. 52. grade. 10. In accompaniment with: as, she sang to his guitar. They move In perfect phalanx to the Dorian mood Of flutes and soft recorders. Milton , P. L., i. 550. Let us but practise a while; and then you shall see me dance the whole Dance to the Violin. Wycherley, Gentleman Dancing-Master, iv. 1. 11. In the character, quality, or shape of; for; as. And Floriz he maketh stonde uprizt And ther he dubbede him to knizt. King Horn (E. E. T. S.), p. 73. He badde me wite of yow what he shulde haue to re- warde. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 72. He hath a pretty young man to his son, whose name is Civility. Bunyan , Pilgrim's Progre , i. He took a morsel of early lamb to his dinner. Trollope , Last Chronicle of Barset, xlix. 12. Regarding; concerning; as to: denoting relation: as, to plead to the charge; to speak to the question. Where we may leisurely Each one demand and answer to his part Perform'd in this wide gap of time. Shak ., W. T., v. 3. 153. It takes away my faith to anything He shall hereafter speak. B. Jonson, Sejanus, iii. 1. At these meetings, any of the members of the churches may come, if they please, and speak their minds freely, in the fear of God, to any matter. Penn, Rise and Progre of Quakers, iv. [Dr.] To a lady's lounging-chair.. in ebonized wood.. To a gentleman's Etruscan do. do., cabri- ole legs ...£ 16-16-0 17-17-0 Mi Braddon, Hostages of Fortune, p. 115. 13. Denoting application or attention: as, he fell to work. Sing me now asleep; Then to your offices, and let me rest. Shak ., M. N. D., ii. 2. 7. They begin with porridge, then they fall to capon, or so Dekker and Webster , Northward Ho, i. 1. forth. The bride and her party, having arrived at the bride- groom's house, sit down to a repast. E. W. Lane, Modern Egyptians, I. 210. 14. In connection with; appurtenant: denot- ing attribution, appurtenance, or belonging: Lean to no poste whils that ye stande present Byfore your lorde. Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 4. as, a cap with a ta el to it. to Third son to the third Edward King of England. Shak., 1 Hen. VI., ii. 4. 84. An olde Cubbord.. A Carpett to the same of yelowe & tawnie satten embroderyd. Quoted in H. Hall's Society in Elizabeth an Age, App. I. Heels to his shoes so monstrously high that he had three or four times fallen down had he not been supported by his friend. Steele, Tatler, No. 48. In nine days the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh once shot at Elveden 2530 partridges to his own gun. Quarterly Rev., CXXVII. 386. 15. In a great variety of cases to supplies the place of the dative in other languages: it connects transitive verbs with their indirect or distant objects, and adjectives, nouns, and neuter or pa ive verbs with a following noun which limits their action. Better bowe than breke; obey to thi bettere. Booke of Precedence (E. E. T. S., extra ser.), i. 65. Is it nothing to you, all ye that pa by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. Lam. i. 12. Drink to me only with thine eyes. B. Jonson, The Forest, To Celia. This grand Conspiracy is discovered by Wal the off to Lanfrank Archbishop of Canterbury. Baker , Chronicles, p. 25. I am come to town, and to better hopes of seeing you. Gray, Letters, I. 8. Abs . Pray, sir, who is the lady? Sir A. What's that to you, sir? Sheridan, The Rivals, ii. 1. After adjectives, it points to the person or thing with respect to which, or in whose interest, a quality is shown or perceived: as, a substance sweet to the taste; an event painful to the mind. 16. To is used as ordinary "sign" of the infinitive (like the corresponding zu in German, à and de in French, a and di in Italian, att in Swedish, etc.). In Anglo-Saxon, the verbal noun after to took a special dative forme. g., to etanne, 'to or for eating'distinguishing it from the simple infinitive, as etan; but this distinction of form has been long since lost, and the two constructions have also been confounded and mixed. And hopen that he be to comynge [i. e., to come] that shal hem releue. Piers Plowman (C), xviii. 313. Thanne longen folk to gon on pilgrimages. Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 12. Mat. xiii. 3. A sower went forth to sow. Ay, but to die, and go we know not where; To lie in cold obstruction and to rot; This sensible warm motion to become A kneaded clod. Shak., M. for M., iii. 1. 118. I am to blame to be so much in rage. Beau, and Fl., Phil aster, iv. 3. He [the Almighty] is sharply provoked every moment, yet he punisheth to pardon, and forgives to forgive again. Sir T. Browne , Christ. Mor., iii. 26. Many would like to make it a penal offence to preach discontent to the people. H. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 167. (a) To is not used before the infinitive after the ordinary auxiliaries, as do, will, can, may, etc.; also not after various other verbs, as, see, hear, let, etc.; while after a few it is sometimes omitted or sometimes retained against more common usage to the contrary. After a noun or an adjective to is always used. Being mechanical, you ought not [ to ] walk Upon a labouring day without the sign Of your profe ion. Shak ., J. C., i. 1. 3. We are ready to try our fortunes To the last man. Shak . , 2 Hen. IV., iv. 2. 43. (b) To was formerly used even after another preposition, especially for, and is still so used dialectally and vulgarly: as, what are you going for to do? Rarely after other prepositions, as from; but very commonly after about, about to signifying immediate futurity: as, he is about to go. For not to have been dipt in Lethe lake Could save the sonne of Thetis from to die. Spenser, Ruins of Time, 1. 429. Mat. xi. 9. What went ye out for to see? (c) After be and have, the infinitive with to denotes something future, especially with the implication of duty or nece ity: as, it is still to do (or to be done); I have it to do (or have to do it). Bentley. We are still to seek for something else. 6360 I mind when there wasn't a master mariner to Plymouth that thought there was aught west of the Land's End. Kingsley, Westward Ho, xxx. He talks to himself, and keeps mainly to himself. O. W. Holmes , Profe or, ii. John Kartor recd iij. yerdes of brod clothe, ru et, to make a longe gowne to Sir John Walkyngton. English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 321. Kutte nouhte youre mete eke as it were Felde men, That to theyre mete haue suche an appetyte. Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 7. Alle kynne creatures that to Crist beleuith. Piers Plowman (A), xi. 239. Therinne caste the calx of gold and sette it to the strong sunne in somer tyme. Book of Quinte E ence (ed. Furnivall), p. 9. Dickie he took good notice to that. Dick o' the Cow (Child's Ballads, VI. 72). Your most princely answer was, smelling to the gold Non olet, it smells not of the means that have gotten it. Scott , Fortunes of Nigel, xxx i. Thei... don me faste Fridaies to bred and to water. Piers Plowman (C), vii. 155. To knele on his knes to the cold erth, And grete all his goddes with a good chere. Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1.798. We may hafe a desyre and a guet zernynge for to be present to Hym. Hampole , Prose Treatises (E. E. T. S.), p. 34. There's naething the matter to thee. Lang Johnny Moir (Child's Ballads, IV. 275). You shall have no currant-jelly to your rice. Sydney Smith , in Lady Holland, p. 511. Stay, Am a rill is, stay! You are too fleet; 'tis two hours yet to day. Fletcher , Faithful Shepherde , iv. 3. At twenty minutes to three, Her Majesty... entered the House. First Year of a Silken Reign , p. 36. Till tot. See till2 . - To a hair. See hair1.- To boot. See boot1.- To one's face, in presence and defiance of one. Weep'st thou for him to my face ? Shak ., Othello, v. 2. 77. To one's hand. See hand. - To one's teeth. See tooth. To the echo, the full, the halves, etc. See the nouns. -To wit. See wit, v. - To you, a phrase of salutation or courtesy, equivalent to my service or my respects to you, or to the same to you. [Colloq.] "I should wish you to find from themselves whether your opinions is correct." "Sir, to you," says Cobbs; "that shall be done directly." Dickens , Holly Tree, ii. Would to God, would to Heaven, and similar precative phrases, are modern adaptations, with to inserted to note the direction of the wish or aspiration (perhaps after such phrases as "I make my vow to God," "I vow to God," etc.), of the earlier Middle English phrase wolde God, where God is the subject, and wolde the optative (subjunctive) imperfect of will as a principal verb; literally, "(I wish that) God would will (that. )." The words wolde God (in three syllables) could easily slide into the more modern-seeming would to God, where to is grammatically inexplicable. II. adv . 1. To a place in view; forward; on. To , Achilles! to , Ajax! to ! Shak., T. and C., ii. 1. 119. 2. To the thing to be done: denoting motion and application to a thing. I will stand to and feed, Although my last. Shak . , Tempest, iii. 8. 49. "These plain viands being on table, I thought you might be tempted." "Thank'ee, Mrs. Sparsit," said the whelp. And gloomily fell to . Dickens, Hard Times, ii. 10. 3. To its place; together: denoting the joining or closing of something separated or open: as, shut the door to . Christ is brought asleep, and laid in his grave; and the door sealed to . Tyndale, Ans. to Sir T. More, etc. (Parker Soc., 1850), p. 102. to-2. [