| 释义 |
▪ I. such, dem. a. and pron.|sʌtʃ|
Forms: see below.
[OE. swelc, swilc, swylc, corresp. to OFris. sellich, -ik, selk, sek, sullik, sulch, sulk (mod.Fris. suk, sok), OS. sulîk, (solîk), MLG. sol(l)ik, sollek, solk (LG. sü(l)k, sö(l)k), MDu. sulc, selc, solc, swilc, swelc, also sulic, -ec (Du. zulk, WFlem. also zuk), OHG. sulîh, -ich, -ech, solîh, -ech, solch-, sol- (MHG. solich, solch, solh, also sölch, sölh, sülich, sülc, sölk, selch, silch, mod.Ger. solch), ON. slíkr (MSw. sliker, Sw. slik, Da. slig) whence slike a., Goth. swaleiks:—OTeut. *swalîko-, *swilîko-, lit. so formed, f. swa so adv. + *lîko- body, form (cf. like a.).
The OE. swelc and swilc represent primitive *swalîko- and *swilîko- respectively, the latter being an analogical formation on *hwilîko- which; cf. OE. hwilc beside hwelc (:—*hwalîko-), and Goth. hwileiks. Evidence for the rounding of swilc to swylc appears late in the 9th c., and a sporadic spelling swulc is found from c 1000. Swylc and swulc became in ME. swülch, swulch, which, by the absorption of w and loss of l, gave such (in ME. written also soch), the modern standard form. The dropping of w was carried through into the other types swe(l)ch and swi(l)ch, whence the widespread dial. forms sech and sich. Thus, and by similar cross-influences, a large variety of forms arose, which can be grouped according to (1) the quality of the vowel, (2) the retention or loss of w, (3) the retention or loss of l, as well as (4) the palatalization or non-palatalization of c. The unpalatalized forms swilk and sic (swelk, swik, silk, etc.) are treated separately in their alphabetical places.
The vocalism of the continental forms is in many points obscure. Some of them indicate the possibility of there having been new formations distinct from the original types, and there has no doubt been interaction of the forms of which, the development of which, presumably on account of the difference of the initial sound, has not been entirely parallel.]
A. Illustration of Forms.
1. (α) 1 swelc, suelc, suælc, swælc, suoelc. Also 5 swelk, suelk, (see swilk).
[c725Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) A 204 At queue, end suelce.] c831Charter in O.E. Texts 446 Suelc man se ðisses landes bruce. c888ælfred Boeth. xix, Ne se deað þeah swelces ne recþ. c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. ix. 8 Potestatem talem, mæht suælc.
(β) 1 swilc, 1–2 suilc, 2–3 swilch, suilch. (See also swilk.)
[c725Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) A 881 Atqueve, onsuilce.] c831Charter in O.E. Texts 446 Suilc man sue hit aweᵹe. c995Anc. Charters B. Mus. Cott. viii. 38 On bocum & an swilcum lytlum. 1154O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1137 Þe land was al fordon mid suilce dædes. c1160Hatton Gosp. Matt. ix. 8 Swilcne anweald. a1200Moral Ode 220 Swilche freonde. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 11 Alle þo þe leueð þat swilch þing hem muge furðrie oðer letten. Ibid. 165 Of swilch mai grisen men þe ani god cunnen.
(γ) 1–2 swylc, (swylic), 1, 3 swulc, 3 swulc(c)h, masc. acc. sing. swulne.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxxvii. 264 (Cott. MS.) Ða swylcan. a950ælfred's Boeth. xxxix. §2 (Cott. MS.) He ne con onᵹitan..forhwy swylc God ᵹeþafað. c1000Judith 65 Hæfde ða his ende ᵹebidenne..swylcne he ær æfter worhte. c1000Beowulf 880 Swulces hwæt. 1032in Anglia XI. 9 Na hyrde we..æniᵹ wurde hus aræred swylic þæt mære wæs. c117512th Cent. Hom. 2 Swylce tacnæ wurcen swylce ðu wyrcst. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 185 Swulc se he hit here makeð. c1205Lay. 5333 Sone swa heo ihurden swulch worde. Ibid. 5345 Þane we nimen swulne ræd. a1225Ancr. R. 382 Ich wot swulne þet bereð..heui brunie and here.
2. (α) 3 suweche, 3–5 sweche, (4 swheche, Kent. zuech, 5 schwe(s)che).
a1250Owl & Night. (Jesus MS.) 1711 Heo wolde..yeue answere..myd sweche worde. a1300Deb. Body & Soul in Map's Poems (Camden) 338 Suweche fyve als is in werld of alle thinges. 1340Ayenb. 156 Be zueche fables wes y-woned þe wyse man teche his mayne. c1340Leg. Rood 223 Swech deþ he under feng. c1450J. Capgrave Life St. Aug. 1 Swech tresour as I haue in possession. 1466–7Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.) 171 At schwesche a pryse as ȝe kane akorde.
(β) 2–5, 9 Glouc. dial. swich, 3–5 suich, suych, 4–5 swiche, swych(e, (3, swic, swyhc, svich, siwiche, suwiche, schuuych, 4 Kent. zuich, zuych, 5 swyhche, sqwyche). Also 4–5 swyk, etc. (see swilk).
c1175Lamb. Hom. 157 Swiche teres schedde ure drihten. a1200Moral Ode 80 Nis na lauerd swich se is crist, ne king swuch ure drihten. c1290S. Eng. Leg. 459 Men þat schuuych torment iseiȝen. 13..Cursor M. 10 (Gött.) King arthour, þat was so riche, Was non in his time funden suiche. 1340Ayenb. 37 Of zuichen þer byeþ uele maneres. c1391Chaucer Astrol. Prol. (1872) 2 Swich a child. 1426Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 17162 In Thapocalyps off Johan Swych a beste fond I noon. c1440Promp. Parv. 483/2 Swyche (H. swyhche, P. suche), talis. c1450J. Metham Wks. (E.E.T.S.) 45 In sqwyche a case, or sqwyche a chauns. 1461Paston Lett. II. 18 Suyche as arn right credible. 1462Ibid. 82 Swyche talkynge.
(γ) 2–4 swuch, 3 swucch, swuc, shwuch, 4 swoch.
a1200[see 2 β]. c1205Lay. 18351 Ofte heo eoden to ræde of swucchere neode. a1225Ancr. R. 112 Swuc grure he hefde. Ibid. 312 Wreððen swuch feder, & sweamen swuchne wardein. c1290S. Eng. Leg. 384, I nam no kyng swuch þing to habbe. a1399Pol. Poems (Rolls) I. 271 Swoch claterers.
3. (α) 3 sulch, swlc(h, solch.
An early northern example of absorption of the w is given by soelce adv. in Rituale Eccl. Dunelm. 19, 69.
c1205Lay. 671 Brutus hine bi-þohte of swlchere [c 1275 solchere] neode. Ibid. 2820 Swlc werc him þuhte swiðe muri.
(β) 3 selk(e, 3–4 sulk(e, 4–5 silk(e (see swilk).
4. (α) 4–5 seche, 9 dial. and vulgar sech, setch.
13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1543 A hundreth of seche As I am. c1400Anturs of Arth. xxxi. (MS. Ireland), Seche game, and siche glee, Seȝhe he neuyr are. c1450Mirk's Festial 51 Seche he avaunset. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xvi, Sech a business. 1885Leland Brand-new Ballads (ed. 2) 126 Setch a set of scallawags as these I never saw.
(β) 3– (now dial.) sich; also 4–5 sych(e, 4–6 siche, 8– sitch, s.w. and Ireland zitch, zich; 4 schych, 6 schiche, shyche, scheich, shytt.
c1250Kent. Serm. in O.E. Misc. 32 Swiche lorde þet siche miracle mai do. c1380Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 317 Worldly men ben siche men þat þe world haþ overcomen. c1400[see 4 α]. c1400Destr. Troy 11340 Syche counsell..kepe I none of. a1425tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula, etc. 92 With þis puluis haue I cured sich fikez. 1487Cely Papers (Camden) 168 The ceson ys syche at Bruges now that [etc.]. c1550Cheke Matt. iii. 15 Let sich thinges go now. 1746Exmoor Scolding (E.D.S.) 24 Ees dedent thenk tha had'st a be' zich a Labb o' tha Tongue. 1782E. N. Blower Geo. Bateman I. 86 I had sitch an affection for him. 1846Dickens O. Twist (rev. ed.) xv. 81 Oh, you naughty boy, to make me suffer sich distress. a1847George Ridler's Oven vii. in Halliwell Dict. p. xviii, My dog has gotten zitch a trick. 1848Dickens Dombey xxxix, Sitch is his conscience! 1863Southern Confederacy (Atlanta) 13 May 2/1 The buryal squad organized fust and foremost, and begun to inter ther money and spoons and 4 pronged forks and sich like. 1867Rock Jim an' Nell lxxxvii. (E.D.S.) Ha isn't worth zich trouble. 1890Kipling in Scots Observer 28 June 149 Don't call your Martini a cross-eyed old bitch; She's human as you are—you treat her as sich. 1938M. K. Rawlings Yearling xvi. 185 ‘Is that true, Buck?’ Buck whittled busily. ‘Now if you was to tell me a tale,’ he said, ‘I'd not ask you no sich of a question.’ 1953E. Simon Past Masters iii. 191 ‘But I did it in my own time,’ said Monro... ‘There ain't no sich thing, old son.’ 1981P. Macdonald One Way Street i. 9 These bloody English..have put their imprint on this place in sich a way as to make yew want to heave.
a1400Kyng & Hermyt 281 in E.P.P. (1864) I. 24 Aboute schych mastery. 1512–13Trevelyan Papers iii. (Camden) 9 Schiche mo[r]tuaries as ys due. Ibid., He sayth that Jamys Clarke..wyll no paye y⊇ scheichys dwttes. 1556Machyn Diary (Camden) 119 Ane shytt person. Ibid. 133 Shyche a man.
(γ) 3– such; also 3–5 succh, 3–6 soch, 4–6 soche, 4–7 suche, (3 socch, 4 sooche, suuche, swche, 5 sucche, 5–7 souche, 6 souch, sutche, soyche, s.w. dial. zutche, 6–7 sutch); 3 shuc, scuch, 4 shoch, 5 schwsche, 6 scwch, 6–7 shuch(e, 9 dial. shut.
c1205Lay. 491 To wroþer heore hele habbeð heo such [c 1275 soch] werc idon. a1250Owl & Night. (Jesus MS.) 1511 Þe vle wes glad of suche tale. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xvi. 112 Ofte he heled suche. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 455 Alle men tristynge in socche indulgencis. c1400Brut. i. lxxxv. 87 The Emperour loste soche foure of his folc as dede Kyng Arthur. 1487Paston Lett. III. 463 Specially souche as have knowen me. 1530Proper Dyaloge in Roy Rede me, etc. (Arb.) 134, I and suche other. 1535Coverdale Bible Ep., To make soch meanes for vs vnto his heauenly father. 1551T. Wilson Logic (1580) 15 b, To keepe sutche Ceremonis. 1555Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 442 Whoosomever doo not observe souche ordre. a1568R. Ascham Scholem. ii. (Arb.) 123 Any soch thing. 1574in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford 354 Soyche as should plye ther bockes. 1577–82Breton Flourish upon Fancie Wks. (Grosart) I. 6/2 Sutch his Schollers are. 1585in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1914) Jan. 113 Souche of the comen howse as they made choice of. 1586J. Ferne Blaz. Gentrie 188 Giffe she put zutche a vermine beast, in trust to keepe it. 1661Prince Rupert in 11th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 8 Souche that comands those that stay on these frontirs.
c1250Long Life 27 in O.E. Misc. 156 Weilawei shuc weneð to lede. c1250Moral Ode 222 in E.E.P. (1862) 29 God sculde alle godes frend a wihd scuche freonde. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3044 No shoch kote to þe shulde be. 1466–7Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.) 172, I have ȝeffen ȝowe no schwsche kawse. 1501Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 388 A reysonable day scwch as pleace the maysteres to gywe. c1538in Archbold Somerset Relig. Houses (1892) 85 Schuche as were as warthy as some other. 1549Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 31 There was neuer shuch a preacher..as he is. 1556Chron. Grey Friars (Camden) 55 Then was made a proclamacyon agayne shoche sayers. 1638Hamilton Papers (Camden) 34 All shuch horses that should pase through that toune. Mod. (Birmingham). Shut a lot.
B. Signification.
Such is a demonstrative word used to indicate the quality or quantity of a thing by reference to that of another or with respect to the effect that it produces or is capable of producing. Thus, syntactically, such may have backward or forward reference; in the uses of branch I it has the former, in those of branch II mainly the latter.
The use of such and such a in the attributive position is illustrated in detail only in sense 1, but the same rules apply to the adj. generally; for special uses see branch IV. I. 1. Of the character, degree, or extent described, referred to, or implied in what has been said. a. with sing. n.
(a) With a concrete n., or an abstract n. used in a particularized sense; now superseded by such a (see (c) below) except poet.
971Blickl. Hom. 189 Hwa lyfde þe þæt þu swylce scylde ᵹefremedest? a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1087 [1086] Hwam ne mæᵹ earmian swylcere tide? c1205Lay. 5421 To swulche forward we beoð hidere isende. a1250Owl & Night. (Jesus MS.) 1496 Hw may þer eny luue beo, Hwar such mon gropeþ hire þeo? c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 474 Prol., To be war from falsenesse & from vice By swich ensaumple. a1425Cursor M. 4379 (Trin.) Whoso bigynne wol siche þing him owe to þinke on þe endyng. 1589Puttenham Engl. Poesie ii. ix. (Arb.) 94 If one should rime to this word Restore he may not match him with Doore..such rime is strained. 1646Crashaw Sospetto d' Herode li, She thinks not fit such he her face should see. 1749Johnson Van. Hum. Wishes 298 Such Age there is, and who could wish its End? 1805Wordsw. Elegiac Stanzas 30 Such Picture would I at that time have made. 1842Macaulay Horatius l, Was none who would be foremost To lead such dire attack. a1849Beddoes Dream-Pedlary ii, Such pearl from Life's fresh crown Fain would I shake me down.
(b) With an abstract n. used in a general sense.
971Blickl. Hom. 85 Ne us næfre swylce eᵹe ne wearþ..ᵹeendebyrded. c1100O.E. Chron. (MS. F) an. 995 Hi wurðan ða swyðe bliþe þurh swilce wissunge. c1275Sinners Beware 171 in O.E. Misc. 77 From sucche lecherye Heo schule to helle cume. a1366Chaucer Rom. Rose 697 Than wist I..That ydelnesse me serued well That me putte in sich Iolite. c1460Emare 626 Be stylle, syr,..Lette syche mornynge bene. 1535Coverdale 2 Sam. xiii. 12 Do not thou soch foly. 1590Spenser F.Q. iii. i. 50 Such loue is hate, and such desire is shame. 1700Dryden Flower & Leaf 95 Such Joy my Soul, such Pleasures fill'd my Sight. 1777Burke Corr. (1844) II. 158 Such partiality to his endeavours. 1802M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. 220, I little thought, that I should so soon be in such need. 1844Mrs. Browning Lost Bower xxxix, She never sings such music.
(c) such a: see (a). (Cf. G. solch ein.)
c1205Lay. 18881 For ȝet næt hit neoðer..þat of Vðere Pendragune scal arisen swilc a sune. c1290Beket 1255 in S. Eng. Leg. 142 He þonkede god þat swuch a prelat under him moste beo. 13..Bonaventura's Medit. 813 Þere was neuer womman bare swyche a chylde. 1390Gower Conf. I. 42 Ther may noman finde The rihte salve of such a Sor. c1400Mandeville (1839) Prol. 3 Righte wel oughte us for..to drede and serven suche a Lord. c1500Melusine 360 Sayeng þat neuer tofore they herd of suche a thing. 1606Chapman Gentl. Usher ii. i, Now such a huddle and kettle neuer was. 1664Butler Hud. ii. ii. 862 Else when we put it to the push, They had not giv'n us such a brush. 1711Addison Spect. No. 23 ⁋2 He does not believe any the most Comick Genius can censure him for talking upon such a Subject at such a Time. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxii, Thou didst ill to speak to such a man of such matters. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. ix. II. 436 The Prince declared that to avert the horrors of such a persecution was one of his chief objects.
† (d) a such. (Cf. F. un tel, G. ein solcher.)
a1240Sawles Warde in O.E. Hom. I. 251 To a swuch bale. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 379 Lute wonder it was Þat strange men in is owe lond dude a such trespas. 1307Elegy on Edw. I, ix, Wel longe we mowe clepe & crie, Er we a such kyng han y-founde!
b. with pl. n.
a950Boeth. Metr. x. 55 Se [hlisa] is eac to lytel swelcra lariowa. c1175Lamb. Hom. 157 Swiche teres scedde M. Magdalene þa heo wosch ure drihtenes fet. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 154 Þat water of baþe is þat on þat euere is iliche hot... Swiche baþes þer beþ fale. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. Prol. 32 Summe chosen Chaffare to cheeuen þe bettre, As hit semeþ to vre siht þat suche men scholden. 1393Ibid. C. i. 64 Bote holy churche & charite choppe a-doun swich shryuers. a1425[see A. 4 β]. 1526Tindale Rom. ii. 2 That the iudgement of God is accordynge to trueth, agaynst them which commit soche thynges. 1579Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 30 The abuse of such places was so great that [etc.]. 1667Milton P.L. v. 401 Such high advantages thir innocence Gave them above thir foes. 1725Watts Logic 332 Such indirect and remote arguments may also be sometimes used to confirm a proposition which has been before proved by arguments more direct and immediate. 1808Scott Marm. i. xxv, I love such holy ramblers. 1881Mivart Cat 128 Some muscles attached to a long bone which is relatively fixed at one end, tend to make it describe..a movement of circumduction. Such muscles are termed Rotators. 1892Mrs. Oliphant Hist. Sk. Q. Anne vi. (1894) 304 [He] was..indignant with the highflyers for expressing such opinions.
2. Standing predicatively at the head of a sentence or clause, and referring summarily to a statement or description just made.
In ME. such is (+ inf.) often = This is what it is (to be, etc.). such is life!: an exclamatory phrase now often used trivially as an expression of resignation or acquiescence in things as they are.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8675 Such it is to be ssrewe. Ibid. 11736 Suich was þe morþre of einesham, uor bataile non it nas. c1320Cast. Love 1161 Such beo þe duntes of batayle Þat he þolede for vs. a1330Roland & V. 75 Þai toke him þe letter & kist his hand, Swiche was þe lawe of þe land. c1381Chaucer Parl. Foules 570 Lo sich it is to haue a tunge loos. c1386― Prol. 485 And swich he was y-preued ofte sithes. c1450Merlin 632 Soche was the a-vision that I saugh in my slepe. 1567Painter Pal. Pleas. II. 508 Sutch was the desyres of these two lovers. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 701 He first, and close behind him follow'd she, For such was Proserpine's severe Decree. 1716Pope Iliad viii. 595 For such is Fate, nor can'st thou turn its course. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) IV. 197 Such these animals appeared when brought into Europe. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. xxviii, The Lady..did not..ring a bell, because such was not the fashion of the time, but she whistled on a silver-call. 1837Lockhart Scott I. vi. 178 Such was the germ of the magnificent library and museum of Abbotsford. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xi. III. 71 His Majesty,—such was now the language of too many Anglican divines,—would have been [etc.]. 1865Dickens Mut. Fr. i. ii, With a mournful air—as who should say, ‘Here is another wretched creature come to dinner; such is life!’ 1890Doyle White Company v, At the end of a year he would be free to return to the cloisters, for such had been his father's bequest. 1896Law Q. Rev. July 201 If such be the law, we are pretty sure it is not the law Parliament intended to make.
3. Of the same kind or class as something mentioned or referred to; of that kind; similar, the like. Obs. or arch., exc. in collocation with a numeral, indef. adj., etc. (see V).
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 45 Mid þese þre lokes..and mid swiche weldede. c1205Lay. 6564 æuere he þohte embe uuel and swulche weoren his dede. 1390Gower Conf. III. 312 Anon was mad a cofre sich. c1400Mandeville (1839) xix. 205 A Pipe or a Penne or suche a thing. c1450Two Cookery Bks. 83 Take faire peces of paynmain, or elles of such tendur brede. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iv. i. 97 Let their beds Be made as soft as yours: and let their pallats Be season'd with such Viands. c1600― Sonn. liv, The Canker bloomes haue full as deepe a die, As the perfumed tincture of the Roses, Hang on such thornes, and play as wantonly. 1613–16W. Browne Brit. Past. ii. i. (1772) II. 19 Of rotchets, whitings or such common fish. 1697W. Dampier Voy. (1729) I. 97 Penguins..are a Sea-Fowl, about as big as a Duck, and such Feet. 1771Encycl. Brit. II. 698/1 The protractor is a small semicircle of brass, or such solid matter. 1796E. Inchbald Nature & Art xi. (1820) 27 You are my father—you have just such eyes, and such a forehead. 1829Scott Anne of G. vii, Fustian, hides, peltry, and such ordinary articles.
4. Equivalent to a descriptive adj. or adv. on which it follows closely and the repetition of which is thus avoided. (Cf. 22.)
So is now preferred.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xvi. 101 Hu he wolde ðæt mon him miltsode ᵹif he suelc wære. a1225Ancr. R. 208 Iseliliche muwun heo siggen þet þene teil swuch ivindeð. 1340Ayenb. 51 ‘Ich habbe a to kuead heaued.’ And he zayþ zoþ, uor he heþ hit zuych ymad. c1386Chaucer Prol. 313 Discreet he was, and of greet reuerence. He semed swich. c1400Love Bonavent. Mirr. (1908) 58 They wolde not be seyn suche in other mennes siȝt. 1590Spenser F.Q. iii. vii. 29 [He] rather ioyd to be, then seemen sich. 1667Milton P.L. iii. 100 Such I created all th' Ethereal Powers And Spirits. Ibid. v. 521 That thou art happie, owe to God; That thou continu'st such, owe to thy self. 1697Dryden æneid Ded., Ess. 1900 II. 154 A heroic poem, truly such. 1825Scott Talism. xxviii, The pointless lances of the preceding day were certainly no longer such. 1865Kingsley Herew, ix, Robert, who thought himself as good as his brother (though he was not such, save in valour).
5. The previously described or specified; the (person or thing) before mentioned.
In this sense such (not such a) is usual with a sing. n.
c1375Cursor M. (Fairf.) 10869 Thow shalt conceyve a child..And his name shalle þou Ihesu calle... Suche wordis were seid to mary. 1452in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. Var. Coll. IV. 201 Unto the tyme they have founde suerte of ther gode beringe; and yf they fynde not suche suerte [etc.]. 1491Newminster Cartul. (Surtees) 252 If eny..recouere happyn agenste eny of y⊇ said partiez..yt partie..ayenst whome sich recouere is had [etc.]. 1551Sir J. Williams Accompte (Abbotsf. Club) 1 All and singuler souche Redye money. 1667Milton P.L. v. 26 Such whispering wak'd her. 1680New Hampsh. Prov. Papers (1867) I. 388 If any Christian..shall speak contempteously of the Holy Scriptures..such person or persons shall be punished. 1771Encycl. Brit. II. 698/2 Any number of inches,..with any part of an inch, can be taken.., providing such part be greater than the one hundredth part of an inch. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) VI. 332 For default of such issue, viz. that issue which is before mentioned. 1828Moore Pract. Navig. 120 As ships never run such dist[ance] in 24 hours. 1835Carlyle in Froude Life Lond. (1884) I. ii. 43 My true wish is that such creed may long hold compactly together in you. 1878Act 41 & 42 Vict. c. 53 §2 A gratuity awarded..to any clerk shall be estimated according to the period during which such clerk has served.
II. Where the meaning is determined by reference to a correlative or dependent clause.
6. a. With such in both clauses: in OE. swelc..swelc; later such as..such = L. qualis..talis, except in proverbial sentences of the type ‘Such master, such man’.
Beowulf 1328 (Gr.) Swylc scolde eorl wesan, æþeling ærgod, swylc æschere wæs! a901Laws ælfred i. xi, Mid swelce hræᵹle he ineode, mid swelce gange he ut. 971Blickl. Hom. 59 Eal swylce seo lange mettrumnes biþ þæs seocan mannes, þonne [etc.]..swylc is þæt lif þysses middanᵹeardes. 1340Ayenb. 235 To zuiche lhorde zuich maine. 1390Gower Conf. I. 360 Such Capitein such retenue. c1400Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) iv. xxix. (1859) 61 Suche as is the kynge,..suche is the peple. 1474Caxton Chesse ii. ii. (1883) 33 Suche moder, suche doughter, comunely. a1540[see lettuce 2]. 1548–9(Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Athan. Creed, Such as the father is, suche is the sonne. 1549Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 28 Such as the noble men be, suche wyll the people be. 1560Bible (Geneva) 2 Cor. x. 11 Suche as we are in worde by letters when we are absent; suche wil we be also in dede, when we are present. 1586A. Day Engl. Secretorie i. (1625) 134 Consider that such as is the tree such is the fruit. 1618Bolton Florus (1636) 151 Such as the Captaine is, such is the Souldier. 1725Berkeley Proposal Wks. 1871 III. 223 Such as their trade is, such is their wealth. 1821Scott Pirate xxx, He is dame Norna's servant it's like,—such man, such mistress! 1898Besant Orange Girl ii. xxvi, Such as they are, such they have been made.
†b. With one of the correlatives omitted: = Such as. Obs.
Beowulf 72 (Gr.) And þær on innan eall ᵹedælan ᵹeongum and ealdum, swylc him god sealde. a1000Cædmon's Dan. 66 Ᵹehlodon him to huðe hordwearda ᵹestreon, fea & freos, swilc þær funden wæs. a1200Moral Ode 80 Nis na lauerd swich se is crist ne king swuch ure drihten. Ibid. 120 Al his lif scal bon suilch boð his endinge. c1205Lay. 4153 He somenede færd swulc nes næuere eær on erde. c1275― 3892 Her com a selcouþ tockne soch neuere ne com.
c. With what as the correlative in the dependent clause. rare.
1834Tracts for Times No. 24. 5 What the Apostles are in St. Paul's Epistles, such the Bishops are in those of Ignatius. 1850Newman Diffic. Anglicans i. xii. (1891) I. 379 What Arius, Nestorius, or Eutyches were then, such are Luther and Calvin now.
†d. With advb. as as the correlative in the dependent clause. Obs.
1535Coverdale Judg. viii. 21 As the man is, soch [1611 so] is also his strength. a1611Chapman Iliad xxiii. 517 As corn-ears do shine with dew..When fields set all their bristles up, in such a ruff wert thou, O Menelaus. 1658Dryden Cromwell xiii, He..made to Battels such Heroick Haste As if on Wings of Victory he flew. 1790Burns Ballad Dumfries Elect. xiv, As flames amang a hundred woods, As headlong foam a hundred floods—Such is the rage of battle.
7. a. With correlative as pron. (see as 23), ME. also as that, taking the place of OE. swelce, swá. such as = Of the kind or degree that; the kind of (person or thing) that.
According to the syntax of the subordinate clause, as may be equivalent to a relative in an oblique case = of, in, with (etc.) which.
c888ælfred Boeth. xxxiv. §10 Be swelcum ᵹesceaftum swelce nane sawle nabbað. 971Blickl. Hom. 95 Ealle hie sceolan þonne arisan..on swylcum heowe swa hie ær hie sylfe ᵹefrætwodan. c1100O.E. Chron. (MS. D) an. 1058 Mid swilcan weorðscipe swa nan oðer ne dyde ætforan him. a1122Ibid. (Laud MS.) an. 1009 Þa com him swilc wind onᵹean swilce nan mann ær ne ᵹemunde. c1175Lamb. Hom. 83 Þe sunne schineð þer þurh, and ho nimeð al swuch hou alse ho þer on uint. a1225Leg. Kath. 1852 Wið swuch dream..as drihtin deah to cumene. c1230Hali Meid. 5 Of..swuch wurðschipe, as hit is to beo godes spuse. c1290Beket 1204 in S. Eng. Leg. 141 Of swuch a frere ase ich am. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 855 Swiche werkus to swinke as oþur swainus vsen. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 433 What dauid seith of suche men as þe sauter telleth. 1480Cov. Leet Bk. 473 Before such persones and at such places as this case shall require. 1546Gardiner Detect. Devils Sophistrie 228 Christ..is..mocked..wt such toyes and termes, as the Jewes deuised not more spitefull. a1586Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 126 b, When..Musidorus tooke on such shepherdish apparell..as I now weare. 1638Ford Fancies i. iii, Thy growth to such perfection, as no flattery Of art can perish now. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) VI. 82 If it be true that such meat as is the most dangerously earned is the sweetest. 1815Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) III. x. 318 To finish an odd little tale within such time as will mistify the public, I trust. 1857Hughes Tom Brown ii. ii, We'll each of us give you such a thrashing as you'll remember. 1877Ruskin St. Mark's Rest v. 65 Such a cloak for their commercial appetite as modern church-going is for modern swindling.
ellipt.1586W. Bailey Preserv. Eye-sight (1633) 35 We must use topicall meanes, and such as are discussive. 1695Dryden tr. Dufresnoy's Art. Paint. Pref. p. xii, In these pompous Expressions, or such as these. 1737Pope Hor. Epist. ii. ii. 2 You love a Verse, take such as I can send. 1780Mirror No. 94 To guard such of my readers as should be disposed to indulge in it, against its..consequences. 1821Scott Kenilw. xviii, He is to have no access to the lady but such as I shall point out. 1891Farrar Darkn. & Dawn xl, All the ordinary conventions of a Roman marriage were carried out, except such as were purely pagan.
†b. With as omitted. Obs. rare.
1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, ii. ii. 101 They haue sent me such a Man, I would haue wish'd for.
†8. With as followed by a relative usually in an oblique form. Obs.
1579Fenton Guicciard. Ep. Ded., The man..was such a one, as whose virtues were farre from all suspition of partialitie. 1618Bolton Florus i. xvi. (1636) 48 Our army being..shut up within such a fastnesse as out of which it could not escape. 1678Cudworth Intell. Syst. 17 Such a System of it, as from whence it would follow, that there could not be any God. Ibid. 198 By such a nature as which..is..nescient of what it doth.
9. In uses marked by special word-order.
a. In predicative use.
1154O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1135 Þa..uuard þe sunne suilc als it uuare thre-niht ald mone. c1205Lay. 7048 His hæð wes swulc swa beoð gold. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 253 Suche as þow semest in syȝte be in assay y-founde. 142126 Pol. Poems 83 Be suche wiþ-ynne, as ȝe outward seme. c1450J. Capgrave Life St. Aug. 38 Loke if ȝe be swech as þei be. Wold God ȝe were swech as I fynde hem. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. liv. §5 His [right] beeing such as wee cannot reach. 1630Hall Occas. Medit. §9 (1633) 23 O God, wee are such as thou wilt bee pleased to make us. 1794Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho lv, Her conduct was such as might have been expected from the weakness of her principles. 1817Jas. Mill Brit. India II. v. vii. 598 Be the other virtues belonging to it such as they may. 1859Ruskin Two Paths iii. §96 Your stuffs need not be such as would catch the eye of a duchess.
b. such as one or it is: having the character that he (it) has, no more and no less; used chiefly with a depreciatory or contemptuous reference, or apologetically.
a1240Ureisun in O.E. Hom. I. 201 Þet wule bi-cluppen þe þer swuch ase þu ert þer louerd of leoue. a1240Wohunge, Ibid. 285 A wrecche bodi..bere ich ouer eorðe, and tat swuch as hit is haue ȝiuen..to þi seruise. c1386Chaucer Reeve's T. 201 If ther be eny Swich as it is, yet shal ye haue youre part. 1538Starkey England (1878) 134 They haue theyr seruyce, such as hyt ys, al in theyr vulgare tong openly rehersyd. 1546J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 42 Many men wishte..Some well fauourd vysor, on hir yll fauourd face. But with visorlyke visage, suche as it was, She smirkt, and she smylde. a1700Dryden Pref. to Fables Ess. 1900 II. 249 Thoughts, such as they are, come crowding in so fast upon me, that [etc.]. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 363 To get up upon their Feet, and perhaps put on a Coat, such as it was, and their Pumps. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. xx. IV. 463 Such as his mind was, it had been assiduously cultivated. 1878Hardy Ret. Native vi. i, But, such as the rooms were, there were plenty of them.
c. In attributive use after its n.
c1000ælfric Saints' Lives xxix. 263 Þa com þær heofonlic leoht..swilc swa hi ær ne ᵹesawon. 1340Ayenb. 56 Þer huer he makeþ his miracles zuiche ase behoueþ to þe dyeule. 1460J. Capgrave Chron. (Rolls) 84 With wordis..swech as Seint Augustin wold nevir write. a1533Ld. Berners Huon cxi. 385 A fyne shyrte and dobelet..such as he wold chose. 1590Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 81 A small spare Mast, Such as sea-faring men prouide for stormes. 1667Milton P.L. i. 620 Tears such as Angels weep. 1757W. Wilkie Epigoniad iv. 95 Its music such, as when a stormy gale Roars thro' a hollow cliff. 1820Keats Lamia i. 36 A mournful voice, Such as once heard,..destroys All pain but pity. 1859Tennyson Guinevere 545 Beauty such as never woman wore.
d. Hence such as is used to introduce examples of a class: = for example, e.g.
1695Dryden tr. Dufresnoy's Art Paint. Pref. p. xvi, If..their Characters were wholly perfect, (such as for Example, the Character of a Saint or Martyr in a Play). 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) III. 198 All of the cat kind, such as the lion, the tiger, the leopard, and the ounce. 1779Mirror No. 31 Writers, such as Theophrastus and La Bruyere. 1842Loudon Suburban Hort. 282 The grafting of plants of one family on those of another totally opposite, such as the jessamine on the orange. 1875Jevons Money xiii. 159 Many large gold coins, such as the..doubloon.
10. a. The principle clause may be reduced to such and the words qualified by it for the purpose of producing a terse (exclamatory) form.
c1420Sir Amadace (Camden) xlix, Seche a storme as thou was inne, That thou myȝte any socur wynne, A fulle fayre happe hit wase! 1779Warner in Jesse Selwyn & Contemp. (1844) IV. 271 Such a dinner as we had to-day! Mod. Oh dear! Such a fuss as never was!
b. The clause introduced by as may be reduced to the subj. only; when this is a pron., it may be either nom. or acc., e.g. ‘such as me’ or ‘such as I’ (sc. am).
c1000ælfric Hom. II. 162 Se wolde habban swilcne hlisan swa Benedictus. c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 1144 Erthen vessel, to swich a man as me Ful sittyng is. 1588Shakes. L.L.L. iv. iii. 131 As his, your case is such. 1611― Wint. T. ii. i. 191 Others such as he. 1617Donne Serm. Luke xxiii. 40 (1660) III. 2 The Revelations of Brigid, and of Katherine, and such She-fathers as those. 1712Addison Spect. No. 317 ⁋3 Such a Road of Action as that I have been speaking of. 1716Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) V. 292, 4 Pillars,..of such Marble as the Pillars of Sarum Cathedral. 1717Addison Notes Ovid Wks. 1721 I. 234 This way of joining two such different Ideas as Chariot and Counsel to the same verb. 1740Richardson Pamela (1741) I. xxiv. 67 He..look'd at me, and, as I thought afterwards, as sillily as such a poor girl as I. 1831Scott Ct. Rob. xviii, Instead of such language as this. 1841Elphinstone Hist. India I. 595 He replied..that barbarity such as his was unexampled among princes. 1885‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay ii, Deering could not endure the companionship of such a man as Vincent.
c. there is such a thing as: a phrase used to hint or suggest that the thing referred to exists and therefore must be taken into account; often used colloq. to convey a veiled threat.
1729Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 132 It is manifest, that there is such a thing as this self-partiality and self-deceit. 1767Woman of Fashion II. 114 There is such a Thing as a Letter miscarrying. 1818T. L. Peacock Nightmare Abbey xiii, There is a girl concealed in this tower, and find her I will. There are such things as sliding panels and secret closets. 1889Sat. Rev. 23 Mar. 335/1 It may be said that there are such things as horsewhips, and it is thought that men have backs.
11. such..as (OE. swá): the..that, pl. those..that; any or all..that; as many (or as much)..as.
a1000Soul's Addr. 103 (Gr.) Sculon wit..brucan swylcra yrmþa swa þu unc ær scrife. c1375Cursor M. 259 (Fairf.) Suche worde and werkis as we in lyue redy acountes mone we gyue. c1386Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. 166 Swich thyng as that I knowe, I wol declare. 1390Gower Conf. I. 70 Glad was hire innocence tho Of suche wordes as sche herde. 1470in Camden Misc. (1847) I. 6 A remembrance of suche actez and dedez as oure souveraigne lorde hadde done. 1534Cromwell in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) I. 387 Certayne besynes..to be done..with soche spede and diligence as they convenyently may. 1539Taverner Erasm. Prov. (1552) 49 Such ale as he hath brued, let him drynke him self. 1601Dolman La Primand. Fr. Acad. (1618) iii. 848 All these things proceede from the diuersitie of the nature..of such humours as haue engendred them. a1715Burnet Own Time vii. (1823) V. 147 The electress..was forced to submit to such terms as were imposed on her. 1835J. Duncan Beetles (Nat. Lib.) 182 This genus..comprehends such insects as have the antennæ slightly compressed. 1867Ruskin Time & Tide ii. §5 There is a root of the very deepest..truth in the saying, which gives to it such power as it still retains.
predic.1737Gentl. Mag. VII. 261/2 These, being such as occur to my Memory at present.
12. With relative who, which (whence, where, etc.) or that (OE. þe, se þe): = ‘such..as’ (in senses 6 and 11). Now rare and regarded as incorrect.
c831Charter in O.E. Texts 446 Suelc mon se ðet lond hebbe. c1000ælfric Hom. II. 162 Þæt he ðone cwelmbæren hlaf..on swilcere stowe awurpe, ðær hine nan man findan ne mihte. c1000― Saints' Lives Pref. 62 Buton he hæbbe..swylce þening men þe þeawfæstnysse him ᵹebeodon. c1205Lay. 4242 Swulc for-wonde man þe mid sorwe at-wand. Ibid. 18934 Ich con swulche leche-craft þe leof þe scal iwurðen. 1340Ayenb. 139 Alle zuiche þinges þet þe kueade poure deþ and þoleþ. c1386Chaucer Prol. 3 Whan that Aprille with hise shoures soote..hath..bathed euery veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour. c1386― Monk's T. 741 Swich a reyn doun fro the welkne shadde That slow the fyr. 1390Gower Conf. I. 57 Such thing wherof a man may lere That to vertu is acordant. c1400tr. Secr. Secr., Gov. Lordsh. 106 Þat þou chese of wyse men..sweche þat hauyn perfeccion of enournede eloquence. 141926 Pol. Poems 70 He þat..wole..suche games bygynne Where þat he wot he may not wynne. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon ix. 233 Lordes, lete vs doo suche a thyng, wherof we shall gete worshyp. 1515in Leadam Sel. Cases Star Chamber (Selden Soc.) II. 95 To occupie eny misterye or craft without thagrement of suche Craft that he desireth to be of. 1552–3Act 7 Edw. VI, c. 12 §11 At suche place, where he and his Familie..shall kepe his house. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. ii. i. 130 Such suffering Soules That welcome wrongs. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacræ ii. i. §2 Such a person..who gave..evidence..that he acted no private design. 1709Swift Adv. Relig. Wks. 1755 II. i. 109 Such men are often put into the commission of the peace, whose interest it is, that virtue should be utterly banished. 1709Strype Ann. Ref. lii, 524 These..seemed to him..such which he never thought..would be seriously opposed. a1774Goldsm. Hist. Greece I. 227 Such of his friends that had not forsaken him. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) V. 211 The husband and wife had not such an estate in the land whereof a fine could be levied. 1829Scott Anne of G. xiv, Such prisoners from whom he was desirous of extorting..information. 1873Newman Idea Univ. (ed. 3) 431 In spite of such [ed. 1859 whatever] deductions from it that have to be made in detail. 1888‘Sarah Grand’ Ideala (1893) 229 Only such intellectual pursuits which are pleasant.
13. a. Followed by a dependent clause introduced by that, † so (that), † as, as that (now rare), or by as to (formerly only † to) with infin., expressing a consequence. The meaning of such tends to be intensive = so great, etc.
(a)c1100O.E. Chron. (MS. F) an. 995 Þes ᵹeares..wearð swylc mancwealm þæt na belaf binnan Cristes cyrcan butan fif munecan. a1200Moral Ode 395 Crist ȝyue us leden her swilc lif and habben her swilc ende þat we moten þuder come. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 252 To such prowesse he drou Þat al þe kun þat him iseiȝ adde of him ioye inou. 13..Guy Warw. (A.) 266 Swiche iuel is comen him on þat he weneþ his liif forgon. c1386Chaucer Knt.'s T. 4 He was..in his tyme swich a Conquerour, That gretter was ther noon vnder the Sonne. c1450Merlin 694, I am soche a fole that I love a-nother better than my-self. a1533Ld. Berners Huon xciv. 304 He sounded the trompettes with suche brute that merauyle it was to here. 1600J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa iii. 109 There was such hauock made..that a sillie remnant of them was left alive. 1712Addison Spect. No. 499 ⁋3 This filled my Mind with such a huddle of Ideas, that..I fell into the following Dream. a1715Burnet Own Time ii. (1724) I. 189 He was a very prudent man; and had such a management with it, that I never knew any Clergy-man so universally esteemed. 1800Wordsw. Pet Lamb 11 ‘Drink, pretty creature, drink,’ she said in such a tone That I almost received her heart into my own. 1891Law Times XC. 411/2 Allowing a foundry and other property to fall into such a state of disrepair that it was impossible to let them.
without conj.c1205Lay. 31585 Oswy is a swulc mon þine scome he wulle don. c1386Chaucer Can. Yeom. Prol. & T. 849 Lo swich a lucre is in this lusty game A mannes myrthe it wol turne vn-to grame. a1400Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xlii. 9 Þou art wrouht of such a kynde: Wiþ-outen loue maiȝt þou not be. 1470–85Malory Arthur viii. xxxi. 320 He was in suche a study he herd not what Gouernayle said. 1573Tusser Husb. (1878) 123 Such season may chance, it shall stand thee vpon, till it againe, er an Sommer be gon. 1700Dryden Pal. & Arc. ii. 325 Such Pity wrought in ev'ry Ladies Mind, They left their Steeds, and prostrate on the Place..implor'd th' Offenders Grace.
(b)c1369Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 28 Suche fantasies ben in myn hede So I not what is best too doo.
(c)1417[see 37 c]. 1560,c1600[see 34 b]. 1610B. Jonson Alch. iv. i. 6, I ha' told her such braue things, o' you,..As shee is almost in her fit to see you. 1625Bacon Ess., Vicissit Things (Arb.) 570 They haue such Powring Riuers, as the Riuers of Asia..are but Brookes to them. 1769Goldsm. Hist. Rome (1786) I. 372 Having disposed his army in such a manner as that none of the defendents could escape. 1883Trans. Amer. Philol. Assoc. 54 (Art. ‘Southernisms’), The Faculty are favorable to such a reduction of studies as that a man can do his work well.
(d)a1450[see 37 b]. 1581G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. iii. (1586) 151 Thinking that his sonne was such a foole to accept his offer. 1599George a Greene D ij b, This is wondrous, being blinde of sight, His deepe perseuerance should be such to know vs. 1779Mirror No. 31 They may be expressed in such vague..terms, as to lay before the reader no marked distinguishing feature. 1825J. Nicholson Oper. Mech. 41 The upper part M M X Y of the cup should be of such a form as to have the sides covered only with a thin film of the fluid. 1892Bierce In Midst of Life 109 He..had borne himself with such gallantry as to attract the attention of his superior officers.
b. predicative.
c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 95 Two þeroffe ben swiche þat no man ne mai underfo [etc.]. 1340Ayenb. 8 Zuych may by þe onboȝsamnesse þet hit is dyadlich zenne. 1474Caxton Chesse iv. v. (1883) 175 The moeuynge of hem is suche That the whyte may goo in to the space of the alphyn. 1591Shakes. 1 Hen VI, v. iii. 70 Beauties Princely Maiesty is such, Confounds the tongue, and makes the senses rough. 1611Coryat Crudities 170 The variety of the curious obiects which it exhibiteth..is such, that a man shall much wrong it to speake a little of it. a1700in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. IX. 343 Infirmitys, wch were such yt she was not able to take rest in a bed. 1829Scott Anne of G. xxx, Such and so gentle is René's temper, that even my unfilial conduct will not diminish my influence over him. 1895Law Times C. 3/1 The system by which solicitors are paid is such that only by circumlocution and red tape can they make a living. 1911Act 1 & 2 Geo. V, c. 50 §15 A certificate..to the effect that his eyesight is such as to enable him to make accurate tests for inflammable gas.
c. In attributive use after its n.
1771Encycl. Brit. II. 695/2 At the point..K, such that the points K, H, and B may be in the same right line, let there be fixed a fourth staff. 1840Lardner Geom. 288 Let a distance CB be taken on the conjugate axis, such that the square of CB shall bear to the square of CA, the same ratio [etc.]. 1876Trevelyan Macaulay II. ix. 137 Statesmen, who had assumed an attitude such that they could not..avoid being..insincere. 1895Thompson & Thomas Electr. Tab. & Mem. 60 The number of them is chosen such that in a cross section of the field [etc.].
d. With the clauses in reverse order, that containing such being explanatory of what precedes.
1362Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 121 We mowe nouþur swynke ne swete, such seknes vs eileþ. 1567Allen Def. Priesth. To Rdr., They remember well (such is theyr exercise in y⊇ woord) how [etc.]. 1579A. M[unday] Captiv. John Fox in Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 154 There was no man that would take charge of a gally, the weather was so rough, and there was such an amasednes amongst them. c1600Shakes. Sonn. lxxxi, You still shall liue (such vertue hath my Pen). 1673G. Fox in Jrnl. Friends' Hist. Soc. (1914) July 98 The poore people ar redy to mutany in the market her is such a cry for corne to make them bread.
14. a. By suppression of the clause expressing comparison or relativity, such acquires an emphatic force = so great, so eminent, and the like.
c893ælfred Oros. vi. i. 252 Mid þæm bryne hio wæs swa swiþe forhiened þæt hio næfre siþþan swelc næs. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 796 Leuere he adde wende & bidde is mete..in a strange londe Þan þere as he him sulf king was & such þing adde an honde. c1400Destr. Troy 1725 My suster Exiona in seruage is holdyn, Þat is comen of soche kyn, coldes my hert. Ibid. 11680 Seche trust haue the troiens truly þerin. 1598Shakes. Merry W. ii. i. 45 If it were not for one trifling respect, I could come to such honour. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 717 When, after such a length of rowling Years, We see the naked Alps. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. x. II. 600 Never had there been such crowds in the churches.
b. colloq. Used as an absolute intensive, the implied clause of comparison being indeterminate and quite lost sight of.
ever such: see ever adv. 9 b.
a1553Udall Royster D. iii. iii. (Arb.) 44 Ye shall not..marry... Ye are such a calfe, such an asse, such a blocke. a1616Beaum., etc. Laws Candy i. ii, How have I lost a Father? Such a Father! Such a one Decius! 1780Mirror No. 93 He does little things, and talks of little things, with an air of such importance! Ibid., A sad affair happened last night: my brother and sister had such a tiff! 1803M. Charlton Wife & Mistress IV. 87 ‘Lord bless me, no, Ma'am!’ replied she: ‘it's ever such a way off.’ 1818Scott Br. Lamm. x, To express himself churlishly..towards an old man, whose daughter (and such a daughter) lay before them. 1849R. Curzon Visits Monast. 417 They were marvellously cool and delicious, and there were such quantities of them. 1891‘J. S. Winter’ Lumley xiv, Oh! yes—such a happiness that it has all come right. 1900E. Glyn Visits of Elizabeth (1906) 27 You would be amused at Vernon, where we stayed the night in such an inn!
15. a. Preceding an adj. used attrib., such, such a becomes advb. = so, so{ddd}a.
1522Skelton Why not to Court 652 Suche a madde bedleme For to rewle this reame, It is a wonders case. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. 107 b, Mithridates..hadde suche an excellent memorie that [etc.]. 1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, v. v. 84, I feele such sharpe dissention in my breast, Such fierce alarums both of Hope and Feare, As I am sicke with working of my thoughts. 1621Mountagu Diatribæ 507 Not to play such vnwise a part as those Thoes did. 1711Addison Spect. No. 68 ⁋3 If I were to give my Opinion upon such an exhausted Subject. 1742–3Ld. Hervey in Johnson's Debates (1787) II. 320 This mighty army..collected from such distant parts. 1823Scott Quentin D. xxxi, All comes of his gaining an archer's place at such early years. 1848Dickens Dombey xliv, His visage was in a state of such great dilapidation, as to be hardly presentable. 1863Mrs. Oliphant Salem Chapel ix. 143 In such a dark night as this, with such wet gleams about the streets. 1902Westm. Gaz. 17 Dec. 12/1 Yes, I always liked Shakespeare; you know, he has such a nice face!
b. not such (a): = ‘no such’ (27 b).
1896Saintsbury Donne's Poems I. p. xix, Chalmers, a very industrious student, and not such a bad critic.
III. (See also such a one 28 d.)
16. a. Used to indicate or suggest a name, designation, number, or quantity, where the speaker or writer prefers or is obliged to substitute a general phrase for the specific term that would be required in a particular instance.
c1460J. Metham Wks. (E.E.T.S.) 155 Yff a man or a woman be born on sqwyche a day off the mone, ye schal conceyue that he ys, or sche ys, dysposyd so as to haue wurchyp, or ellys troubyl. 1526Tindale James iv. 13 Let vs go into soche a citie. 1544tr. Littleton's Tenures 79 b, That the feoffour pay to the feoffee..such a sume at such a day. 1564Brief Exam. C iiij b, It is..the part of..charitie..to leaue such vse of suche signes in such a Churche, free. 1664in Extr. St. Papers rel. Friends Ser. iii. (1912) 226, I inform'd my Lord..that..a greate number would meete att 2 of y⊇ Clocke att such a house. 1755Smollett Quix. Pref. (1803) I. 6 The giant Golias,..whom the shepherd David slew..as it is written in such a chapter of the book of Kings. 1868Freeman Norm. Conq. (1877) II. App. 588 The form always is that the King grants the bishopric or abbacy to such a person. 1913Oxf. Univ. Gaz. 19 Feb. 495/2 This Diploma is to certify that A. B...attended a prescribed course of lectures..and (on such a date) satisfied..the examiners.
b. such and such. (rarely predicative.)
Hence such-and-suchness, the quality or condition of being so-and-so.
1551Bible 2 Kings vi. 8 In suche a place and in suche a place [1560 Geneva In suche and suche a place] wyl I pitch. 1560Ibid. (Geneva) 2 Sam. xii. 8, I..wolde moreouer..haue giuen thee suche and suche things. 1565J. Halle Hist. Expost. 6 Suche men and suche enformed me that he can tell of thynges loste. 1611Shakes. Cymb. i. iii. 28 How I would thinke on him at certaine houres, Such thoughts, and such. 1625Hart Anat. Ur. ii. v. 82 Vpon the feeding on such and such food it was no vncouth thing for him to voyd such an vrine. 1710Berkeley Princ. Hum. Knowl. §31 Wks. 1871 I. 171 Such and such ideas are attended with such and such other ideas. 1818Cobbett Pol. Reg. XXXIII. 114, I shall..proceed upon the supposition that the contents are such and such. 1855Thackeray Newcomes xlv, Lord and Lady Blank, of Suchandsuch Castle. 1861T. A. Trollope La Beata I. i. 2 Number so-and-so in such-and-such a street. 1885Seth Scot. Philos. ii. 57 Every event has a character; is such-and-such an event. Ibid., It is at its such-and-suchness, at its character—in other words, at the universal in it—that we have to look. 1899E. Callow Old Lond. Tav. i. 247 It became the custom to ask what coffee⁓house such-and-such a man frequented.
†c. such or such: this or that. Obs.
c1530Judic. Urines ii. ii. 13 As ofte as I say suche vryne, or suche went beforn suche, or suche. 1676Glanvill Ess. Philos. & Relig. v. 23 Though I deny such, or such a sense [of a text]. 1695Dryden tr. Dufresnoy's Art. Paint. Pref. p. xxxvii, The Posture of a Poetique Figure is as I conceive, the Description of his Heroes in the performance of such or such an Action. 1796H. Hunter tr. St. Pierre's Study Nat. (1799) I. 292 There is a greater distance between the understanding of Newton, and that of such or such a man, than between the understanding of that man and the instinct of an animal.
17. Comb. (parasynthetic.)
1591Shakes. Two Gent. iv. iv. 196 Such a colour'd Perry⁓wig. 1597Beard Theatre God's Judgem. (1612) 425 Oh that we had..such minded captaines, that would sharply represse the wrongs..which are so common. 1711Steele Spect. No. 96 ⁋4 A Lady that saw such a Gentleman at such a Place in such a coloured Coat.
IV. Absolute and pronominal uses.
†18. The persons or things before mentioned; those, they; also with sing. reference, that person or thing. Obs.
c1000ælfric Hom. I. 84 Eadiᵹe sind þa innoðas þe hi ᵹebæron, and ða breost þe swylce ᵹesihton. a1250Owl & Night. (Jesus MS.) 1324 Hwat constu..of storre?.. Al so doþ mony deor and man, Þeo of suyche no wiht ne can. c1330Arth. & Merl. 673 Swiche schuld acomber also fele, So þat oþer had brouȝt to wele. 1535Coverdale Rom. ii. 2 For we are sure that the iudgement of God is..ouer them that do soch. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. viii. ii. §33 Such set to order Kingston Bridge did their work by halves.
19. a. Persons or things such as those mentioned, described, or referred to.
c897ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxxvii. 265 Oft eac ða swelcan monn sceal forsion mid eallum forsewennessum. 1382Wyclif Gen. xli. 19 Thes folweden other seuen oxen, in as myche defourme and leene, that neuer siche..Y sawȝ. 1390Gower Conf. I. 13 In the worldes reverence Ther ben of suche manie glade. Ibid. II. 43 Sone, thou art non of swiche, For Love schal the wel excuse. c1450tr. De Imitatione iii. xxxv. 104 He takiþ non hede wheþer he illude..by true or by false... Lete not þin herte þerfore be troubled ner drede suche. 1573in Bridgett & Knox Q. Eliz. & Cath. Hier. (1889) vii. 112 Her Maiestie had choise ynough of souch at that tyme, and yet hath. 1634Milton Comus 15 To such my errand is. 1867Rock Jim an' Nell (E.D.S.) lxxxix, Let un beckon Hagegy Bess; wi' zich, I reckon, Ha now delight'th vor mang.
b. and such: and suchlike, and the like.
[a1400–50Wars Alex. 1889 Þe somme of siluer & of siche & of sere stanes.] 1652News fr. Lowe-Countr. 6 Cures Collicks, Belly-Ach, and such. 1849J. G. Saxe Poems, Proud Miss MacBride xix, Little by little he grew to be rich, By saving of candle-ends and sich. 1894M. Dyan Man's Keeping (1899) 203 A smaller table held ices, squashes, and such. 1904Windsor Mag. Jan. 296/2 A little place hung about with Eastern draperies and altar-cloths and such.
20. a. With dependent rel. pron.: Such people as, those (people) who, whose, etc.; all or any that.
In OE. and ME. also sing. = such a man.
835Charter in O.E. Texts 448 Swælcum se hit ᵹeðian wile. a1225Ancr. R. 84 He misseið bi swuche þet is cwic in God. Ibid. 382 Ich wot swulne þet bereð boðe togedere heui brunie and here. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 26 Þe sauter seyth þe same bi suche þat don ille. c1386Chaucer Melib. ⁋45 By..assent of swiche as weren wise. c1400Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iv. xxxiv. 82 The gouernement of a reame shold be..executed by suche as were of grettest bounte. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon ix. 208 Ye aske counseyll of suche that canne not counseyl theymselfe. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccvii. 245 We may fortune to mete with suche that shall pay for our scotte. 1563T. Hill Art Garden. (1593) 143 This being also drunk, helpeth such which be stopped in the brest. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. i. 76 Such To whom as great a Charge, as little Honor He meant to lay vpon. 1625Massinger New Way ii. i, Such whose fathers were right worshipful. 1748G. White Serm. (MS.) To such from whom we look for advantages. 1777W. Cameron in Transl. & Paraphr. Ch. Scot. xiv. 1 Let such as would with Wisdom dwell, frequent the house of woe. 1800Syd. Smith Six Serm. 65 Such of their fellow-creatures who have fixed their faith in an amiable and benevolent religion. 1829in Nairne Peerage Evidence (1874) 76 Such of you to whom it may appertain to issue and pay..the said annuity. 1876Swinburne Note Engl. Repub. 21 The mere love-offering of preserved souls and such whose minds are dedicated to nothing temporal.
b. People of the same kind as.
1823Scott Quentin D. xvi, Such as I are free in spirit when our limbs are chained. 1850Tennyson In Mem. xxxiv, What then were God to such as I? 1869Sir F. Doyle Lect. iii. 96 To consider whether it be not to such as him, rather than to such as them, that we ought to look.
21. a. Such a thing; the thing mentioned or referred to.
Beowulf 996 Wundorsiona fela secga ᵹehwylcum, þara þe on swylc starað. a900Cynewulf Elene 571 (Gr.) Cwædon þæt hio on aldre owiht swylces ne ær ne sið æfre hyrdon. 1154O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1137 Suilc & mare þanne we cunnen sæin we þolenden. c117512th Cent. Hom. 30 Heo dweloden swyðe þa ða heo swylces axoden. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 436 Ȝif a best bad a man do siche. 1845Bailey Festus (ed. 2) 77 Do Thou grant, Lord! That when wrongs are to be redressed, such may Be done with mildness. 1885Leland Brand-New Ball. 127 Ye are goin' for the summer to the islands by the sea,..setch is not for setch as me.
†b. With correl. or rel. Such a thing..(as). Obs.
c893ælfred Oros. i. x. 48 Hit is scondlic..ymb swelc to sprecanne hwelc hit þa wæs. a1250Prov. ælfred 83 in O.E. Misc. 106 Hwych so þe mon soweþ al swuch he schal mowe. 1390Gower Conf. I. 178 Ofte swich as men beginne Towardes othre, swich thei finde, That set hem ofte fer behinde, Whan that thei wene be before.
†c. such as: that which, what, whatever.
c1340Medit. Passion in Hampole's Wks. (1895) I. 92 Graunte me grace..euere to knouleche me for sich as I am, a sinful wrecche. c1440Alphabet of Tales 184 He sett befor þaim suche as he had in his cell. c1460Towneley Myst. xxvii. 278 Ye ar welcom..To sich as we haue. 1474Caxton Chesse ii. iv. (1883) 51 After that he had eten suche as plesid hym he voyded the mete. 1484― Fables of æsop i. xi, He that is wyse must not..take hede to his wordes but lete hym go for suche as he is. 1568tr. Thevet's New found worlde xxv. 41 The Indians..brought vs thither suche as the land..bringeth forth.
22. Referring to a descriptive n. or phrase (cf. 4).
c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iv. xxxi. (1869) 193 Alle knyhtes that hauen swerdes resceyuen not swiche colees. Gret joye it were..if thei hadden swiche. 1477Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 11 b, Ware the of the wordes of lyers, and suche punysshe. 1565Harding Answ. Jewel 211 If he had offered bread and wine onely,..it had ben no newe oblation, for such had been made by Melchisedech. 1581Marbeck Bk. Notes 494 With him that is holie, virtuous, and good, a man (keeping companie with such) shall have a smacke of his holinesse. a1637B. Jonson Discov., De vita humana (1640) 105 Like Children, that imitate the vices of Stammerers so long, till at last they become such. 1662J. Davies tr. Olearius' Voy. Ambass. 402 They were forc'd to..travel so arm'd to secure themselves against the Robbers thereabouts: but they looked more like such themselves. a1700Evelyn Diary 2 Dec. 1666, To examine whether the soile..would be proper to make clinker-bricks, and to treate with me about some accomodation in order to making such. 1771Encycl. Brit. II. 698/1 It were easy to transfer to the diameter of a circle the chords of all arches to the extent of a semicircle; but such are rarely found marked upon rules. 1828Scott Aunt Marg. Mirror ii, Two or three low broad steps led to a platform in front of the altar, or what resembled such. 1848Thackeray Bk. Snobs xiii, He will not have his young friends to be snobs in the future, or to be bullied by snobs, or given over to such to be educated. 1889Geikie in Nature 19 Sept. 486 To call for more facts and experiments, if such are possible. 1912Eng. Hist. Rev. Jan. 27 A forest became such by a stroke of the pen, not by any physical change.
23. such and such: such and such persons or things; also sing., this and this.
a1450Knt. de la Tour xv, He saide..that suche and suche had saine her do hit. 1574Hellowes Gueuara's Fam. Ep. (1577) 310 Not contented to take the wheat, [etc.]..to giue vnto such and such out of y⊇ doores. 1576Fleming tr. Caius' Dogs (1880) 34 Giuing warnyng to them of the house, that such & such be newly come. 1602Shakes. Ham. ii. i. 57, I saw him yesterday, or tother day; Or then or then, with such and such. 1893F. Adams New Egypt 147 We have done such, and such, and such.
V. Uses with special classes of words and in idiomatic phrases.
* In collocation with indef. adjs., numerals, etc.
When used absol. the phrases in 24–27 become a kind of composite pronouns.
24. With many (more), any, some, all, every: many (etc.){ddd}of the (same) kind, many{ddd}like this. Also in phr. or some such (also somesuch): or some such thing.
With a sing. n. the construction many a such, any such a, etc. was formerly common.
c888ælfred Boeth. xxxiv. §6 Ᵹeþyld & rihtwisnes & wisdom, & maneᵹe swelce cræftas. a1225Ancr. R. 382 Ȝif eni mon ei swuch þing ortroweð bi him. c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 443 When ony suche men asken þe sacrid ooste. 1382― Eph. v. 27 Not hauynge wem, or spot,..or ony such thing. c1400Rom. Rose 7123 Many a such comparisoun. a1425Cursor M. (Trin.) 13712 Moises wol we alle suche stone. 1526Tindale Mark. ix. 37 Whosoever receave eny soche a chylde in my name, he receaveth me. 1548Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Luke xvii. 134 Beefore ye haue any perceiueraunce that any suche thyng is to come. 1548–9(Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Litany, All suche as haue erred and are deceyued. 1549T. Some Latimer's 2nd Serm. bef. Edw. VI To Rdr. (Arb.) 53 A fewe moo suche Preachers. 1550Cranmer Let. to Voysey in Misc. Writ. (Parker Soc.) 428 All such benefices..as..have been..impropried. 1570Googe Pop. Kingd. iii. 33 Masse blesseth euery such as seekes in welthie state to bee. 1599Shakes. Much Ado v. iv. 49 Some such strange bull leapt your fathers Cow. 1607Hieron Wks. I. 241 Euery such shall bee cut off by the hand of God. 1653H. More Antid. Ath. (1662) 97 A many such miracles. 1663Butler Hud. i. i. 356 He ne'er gave quarter t' any such. 1778F. Burney Evelina xvi, I never kept company with any such gentry. 1832Brewster Nat. Magic xiii. 331 Several such strata. 1836Thirlwall Greece xviii. (1839) 77 If we may properly attribute any such objects to him. 1837Lockhart Scott IV. vii. 222 Some such excursion had been..recommended to him by his own physicians. 1895Baring-Gould Noémi xxiv, Some such a colourless, cadaverous light as that which [etc.]. 1967D. Francis Blood Sport iii. 35 He was in France on business wasn't he, or somesuch. 1972Daily Tel. 11 Apr. 22/5 Plan will be to approach them with proposals for short and sharp bursts of selling with stamps—stamp weeks or somesuch. 1973R. Parkes Guardians vii. 122 The doctor believed it might aid expiation or abreaction or some such.
25. such other (arch.), † other such; as pron. such others, arch. other such. Phr. † and such other, and the like, and such-like.
c888ælfred Boeth. xxiv. §3 On swilcum & on oðrum swelcum lænum & hreosendum weorðscipum. c1000ælfric Exod. vii. 11 Hiᵹ worhton oðer swilc þing þurh hira dry⁓cræft. a1225Ancr. R. 242 Þeos & oðer swuche dredfule þouhtes. a1425Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 104 (MS. U) [Cherubin and Seraphin] and siche mo oþere. c1450Brut. ii. ccxxvii. 299 Ploghmen, & such oþer laborers. c1482J. Kay tr. Caoursin's Siege of Rhodes ⁋5 Gorones, culuerynes, serpentines and such other. 1530Palsgr. 463/2, I brede a chylde, or brede yonge, as a woman or any other suche beest dothe. 1532Dial. on Laws Eng. ii. xlii. 106 A Captayne..shall be bounde for the offence of hys squyres And an hoste for his ghest and such other. 1588Kyd Househ. Philos. Wks. (1901) 268 By fires, tempests, inundations, and other such. 1600J. Pory tr. Leo's Africa ii. 94 Either cheese, butter, milk, or any other such commoditie. 1707Freind Peterborow's Cond. Sp. 131 Such other place as shall be judged proper. 1725De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 86 Roots, yams, mangoes, and such other articles. 1762Kames Elem. Crit. xviii. §iv. (1774) II. 122 Observance, opponent,..and such others of three syllables. 1867Swinburne Blake (1868) 150 Behmen, Swedenborg, or such others. 1871Ruskin Fors Clav. x. 15 There are, indeed, other such in the world.
26. a. such another, another such: another{ddd}of the kind, another similar. (Rarely another such a, † such a{ddd}such another: one{ddd}another, with a sing. n.)
Such another is used idiomatically in Shakespeare, where we should now say simply either (a) ‘such (a)’, as in Two Gent. iii. i. 133, Tr. & Cr. i. ii. 282 (Fo. 1), or (b) ‘another’, ‘a second’, as in Merry W. i. iv. 160.
a1300Sat. People Kildare iv. in E.E.P. (1862) 153 Soch an oþir an erþe i note. c1375Cursor M. 1942 (Fairf.) For nankyn chaunce sal I take suche a-noþer veniaunce. a1553Udall Roister D. iii. v. (Arb.) 56 R. Royster. Did not you make me a letter brother? Scriuener. Pay the like hire, I will make you suche an other. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, i. iv. 5, I would not spend another such a night. 1597― 2 Hen IV, ii. iv. 275 Such other Gamboll Faculties hee hath..for the which the Prince admits him; for the Prince himselfe is such another. 1620E. Blount Horæ Subs. 352 Heere are besides the ancient Statues of the Horatij and Curiatij, and such another of Neroes Mother as I haue mentioned to be in the Capitoll. 1623Middleton More Dissemblers v. ii, How? such another word, down goes your hose, boy. 1684Roscommon Ess. Transl. Verse 258 Another Such had left the Nation thin, In spight of all the Children he brought in. 1720Humourist 65 Such a Person can do nothing ill, and such another..nothing well. 1756T. Amory Buncle (1770) I. 173 She was such another genius as Chubb. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxix. 273 We'll never get another such a master. 1861T. L. Peacock Gryll Grange xxxii, That chance has passed from her; and she will not easily find such another. 1867Swinburne Blake (1868) 180 The ‘frowning babe’ of the last stanzas is..the same or such another as the one whose birth is first spoken of. 1871Ruskin Fors Clav. v, No foolish being..will ever be capable of saying such another foolish thing.
b. Similarly such a second.
1828Scott Tapestr. Chamb. (ad med.), I would not run the risk of such a second night.
27. no († none) such adj., rarely † no such a; absol. or as pron. now only none such (cf. nonesuch, nonsuch), formerly no such (and † such none).
a. No (person or thing) of the kind; none of the kind.
a900Cynewulf Crist 290 Nan swylc ne cwom æniᵹ oþer ofer ealle men. a1122O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an 1032 Her..atywde þæt wildefyr ðe nan mann æror nan swylc ne ᵹemunde. a1225Ancr. R. 96 Ne chastie ȝe neuer nenne swuchne mon bute o þisse wise. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3063 In þe world such non is. 13..Guy Warw. (C.) 122 On this half the see noon suche was. a1400Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xxix. ii. 69 Þe Iew..seide þer nas non such child þrinne. c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iv. lix. (1869) 205 Ther sook neuere noon non swich milk ne droouh noon swich brest. 1535Coverdale Ecclus. xlv. 13 Before him were there sene no soch fayre ornamentes. 1535― Acts xxi. 25 We haue wrytten, and concluded, that they shulde obserue no soch, but onely [etc.]. 1582Stanyhurst æneis, etc. (Arb.) 145 Syth mye nose owtpeaking, good syr, your liplabor hindreth, Hardlye ye may kisse mee, where no such gnomon apeereth. 1601R. Holtby in Archpr. Controv. (Camden) I. 185 They had no such ignorance that could excuse them admittinge that he was a superior. 1607Hieron Wks. I. 237 No such shall inherite the kingdome of Christ and of God. 1647Trapp Marrow Gd. Authors in Comm. Ep. 697 The Emperour Commodus would needs be stiled ὑπεραίρων, or the Surpasser, as if there were none such. 1663Butler Hud. i. i. 44 'Tis plain enough he was no such. 1749Berkeley Word to Wise Wks. 1871 III. 440 There can be no such thing as happy life without labour. 1774tr. Helvetius' Child of Nature II. 86, I would..have no such a tête à tête with such a man. 1831Scott Cast. Dang. ix, ‘Who was it passed through your post even now, with the traitorous cry of Douglas?’ ‘We know of no such.’ 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 119 Objection was taken by some zealous Protestants to the mention made of the Roman Catholic religion. There was no such religion. 1867Swinburne in Fortn. Rev. Oct. 428 There is no such thing as a dumb poet or a handless painter.
b. No great; advb. qualifying as adj. (cf. 15 b) = not (a) very, not a. † nothing such: nothing of any account.
1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. Sept. 79, I thought the soyle would haue made me rich: But nowe I wote, it is nothing sich. 1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iii. iii. 44 Why me think's by him, This Creature's no such thing. 1612Bacon Ess., Death (Arb.) 384 Death is no such enemy, when a man hath so many followers about him. 1663Dryden Wild Gallant 1, If that be all, there's no such hast. 1695Congreve Love for L. v. i, Fifty in a hale constitution, is no such contemptible age. 1773Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. v. ii, Five-and-twenty miles in two hours and a half is no such bad driving. 1782F. Burney Cecilia v. xii, As you happen to be quite alone, a little agreeable company would be no such bad thing. 1867M. Arnold Celtic Lit. 87 So long as Celt and Teuton are..at least, no such great while out of their cradle. 1870W. Morris Earthly Par. III. 279 Clad in attire of no such wretched price.
c. Phr. no such † matter or thing: nothing of the kind; also exclamatorily, = not at all, not a bit of it, quite the contrary.
1538Pole Let. in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) I. App. lxxxiii. 213 Neither you nor no man else..can bring no such thing against mine opinion. 1560Bible (Geneva) 2 Sam. xiii. 12 No suche thing oght to be done in Israel: commit not this folie. 1584Peele Arraignm. Paris i. i, Pan. We meet not now to brawl. Faun. There's no such matter, Pan. 1588Greene Pandosto Wks. (Grosart) IV. 267 The goodman..desired her to be quiet, for there was non such matter. c1600Shakes. Sonn. lxxxvii, In sleepe a King, but waking no such matter. 1755Gray Let. to Chute 14 Aug., They thought me rheumatic and feverish, no such thing! 1814L. Hunt Feast Poets, etc. (1815) 60 The vices..are only ‘imputed’ to him;—to use a pithy and favourite mode of quotation, ‘There's no such thing!’ 1867A. J. Wilson Vashti xv, I shall do no such thing.
28. such a(n) one, formerly also † such one, freq. as one word † suchon.
a. Such a person or thing as that specified or referred to; one of that kind.
c1375Cursor M. 85 (Fairf.) Of suche an [Cott. suilk an] sulde men mater take. c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 47 Þei schullen presenten hym to þe nexte custode of þat place where euere þei fynden sychon. 1390Gower Conf. I. 47 Ther is manye of yow Faitours, and so may be that thow Art riht such on. c1400Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iv. xxxiii. 82 Good ryght is that vpon suche one be take vengeaunce. 1535Coverdale Job xiv. 3 Thinkest thou it now well done, to open thine eyes vpon soch one? 1559J. Aylmer Harborowe F ij, It is a great enterprise..to pulle a quenes crowne of hir head: and specially such a ones. 1594O. B. Quest. Profit. Concern. L ij b, Such ones are said to harrow hell, to make their sonnes Gentlemen. 1654O. Sedgwick Fun. Serm. 15 The death of such a one is an exceeding loss. 1732Mandeville Enq. Origin Honour 166 To such a one, a Clergyman should preach the Strictness of Morality. 1816Hazlitt Pol. Ess. (1819) 82 A Jacobin is one who would haue his single opinion govern the world... Such a one is Mr. Southey. 1885Swinburne Misc. (1886) 298 Such an one..is by common consent a blackguard.
b. Followed by rel. pron. as, formerly † that, etc.: One of the kind that; one who, a thing which.
1390Gower Conf. I. 96 He mot him binde To such on which of alle kinde Of wommen is thunsemlieste. c1400Mandeville (1839) 287 Suche an on as is of gode maneres. 1530Cromwell in Merriman Life & Lett. (1902) I. 330 Dilligent and honest And suchon that..wilbe gladde to serue your grace in any thing. 1539Great Bible Ps. lxviii. 21 The hearie scalpe of soch one [1611 such a one] as goeth on still in his wyckednes. 1583T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. iv. 23 He was a verie noble young Prince, and such a one as in whom, was great hope of good. 1599Shakes. Much Ado v. i. 7 Such a one whose wrongs doth sute with mine. 1673O. Walker Educ. 235 Such a one..as is a discreet and virtuous person. 1884Swinburne Misc. (1886) 28 He was merely a royalist, and such an one as may be bred and reared out of the middle class.
c. Followed by rel. adv. as: One of the same kind as; one like (so-and-so).
c140026 Pol. Poems 111 Wiþ suchon as I to make debat. 1535Coverdale Ps. xlix. 21 Thou..thinkest me to be euen soch one as thy self. 1596Harington Apol. Ajax (1814) 21 A passing proud fellow. Such a one as Naaman the Syrian. 1611Bible Philem. 9 Being such a one as Paul the aged. 1726Welsted Dissemb. Wanton Wks. (1787) 5 By marrying some commodious person; such a one as Mr. Toby. 1868Thirlwall Lett. (1881) II. 195 It was just such a one as that which was the occasion of Wordsworth's sonnet. 1885Swinburne Misc. (1886) 225 Such an one as these.
d. A certain one not specifically named (see 16); So-and-so. Obs. or arch.
1560Bible (Geneva) Ruth iv. 1 Ho, suche one [1611 such a one], come, sit downe here. 1566Pasquine in Traunce 24 Then did the coniurer aske, whether he was such a one or such a one, naming many and sundry persons that dyed long ago. 1603Shakes. Meas. for M. ii. i. 114 That such a one, and such a one, were past cure of the thing you wot of. 1678Otway Friendship in F. i. i, He hath been with my Lord such-a-one. 1712Arbuthnot John Bull ii. iii, Instead of plain Sir and Madam..he calls us Goody and Gaffer such a one. 1798W. Hutton Life (1816) 52 [She] mentioned several such-a-ones who solicited her hand. 1812Byron Waltz xiii, Sir—Such-a-one. 1832H. Martineau Hill & Valley (1843) 162 They said that ‘neighbour such-a-one was a prisoner’.
†e. As adj. following the n.: Such as. Obs.
1535Coverdale 1 Macc. iv. 47 They..buylded a new aulter soch one as was before. 1546J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 64 A larom suche one As folke ring bees with basons. a1716South in Chambers Cycl. Eng. Lit. I. 465/1 Sensuality is..one kind of pleasure, such a one as it is.
29. Miscellaneous.
a. such much: so much, thus much.
1832Carlyle Let. to J. Carlyle 2 July, Such much for Annandale, where you see there are..many mercies still allotted to us.
†b. what such: of what kind. Obs.
1671H. M. tr. Erasm. Colloq. 152 What such soever an one thy husband be. Ibid. 555 Consider here with me what such they be.
†c. who such: such as, whoever. Obs.
1667Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 226 That you may returne who such take it [sc. an oath].
†d. such a like, such{ddd}like: = such-like.
1474Cov. Leet Bk. 389 Intrelles of bestes or such filthy thyng like. 1541Sir T. Wyatt Let. to Privy Counc. in Poet. Wks. (1858) p. xxxiv, Alleging that he had once swerved from him in such a like matter. 1577T. Vautrollier Luther on Ep. Gal. 95 Such a like thing of late happened to that miserable man Doctor Kraus of Hal. 1608[see like a. 1 d].
e. such a few, such a many (colloq.): so few, so many.
1841Thackeray Gt. Hoggarty Diam. xiii, No one could have thought it could have done such a many things in that time.
30. Preceding a poss. pron., as such his = that or this (those or these) of his. Rarely with correlative as. Obs. or arch.
1565Allen Def. Purg. (1886) 6, I..submit myself to the judgment of such our masters..as..are made the lawful pastors of our souls. 1581― Apologie 121 God giueth not the tast of such his comfortes to any, but [etc.]. 1600W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 265 Such their friends as they themselues made choice of. 1647Clarendon Hist. Reb. iv. §13 The Minister..Resisted such their Licence. 1709Steele Tatler No. 1 ⁋1, I shall..publish such my Advices and Reflections. 1787Minor iv. xix. 307 A few words of such my personages as have not previously been..disposed of. 1837Sir F. Palgrave Merch. & Friar Dedic. p. xxi, When you pay such your visit to the civic muniment room.
31. With a cardinal numeral, which now always precedes such: (So many) of that kind, or of the kind that.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 439 Hii hadde suche þritti men as were in hor side. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. i. 106 Cherubyn and seraphin suche seuene and an-othre. c1530Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 334 He had to do all at ones wyth suche vi. as syr Rowland is. a1568R. Ascham Scholem. ii. (Arb.) 107 This golden sentence, diuerslie wrought upon, by soch foure excellent Masters. 1575Gascoigne Posies, Notes Instruct. Wks. 1907 I. 471 Rythme royall is a verse of tenne sillables, and seven such verses make a staffe. 1582N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. 16 Since it was so expedient to have a Pilot, the Generall then requested to have two such. 1600Shakes. A.Y.L. iv. i. 119 Orl. And wilt thou haue me? Ros. I, and twentie such. 1634Milton Comus 575 The..innocent Lady..gently ask't if he had seen such two. 1709J. Ward Introd. Math. iv. ii. (1734) 367 By the Rectangle of any two Abscissa's is meant the Rectangle of such two parts as, being added together, will be equal to the Transverse Diameter. 1766Fordyce Serm. Yng. Women (1767) I. i. 70 What is the shallow admiration of an hundred such? 1820Byron Juan iii. lxxxvi. x, Of two such lessons, why forget The nobler and the manlier one?
†32. With a cardinal numeral such is used to denote multiplication by the number in question; e.g. such five (as or so) = five times as many or as much (as). Obs.
OE. oþer swilc = as much or as many more; swilc healf = half as much.
Beowulf 1583 Slæpende fræt folces Deniᵹea fyftyne men and oðer swylc ut offerede. c1000Sax. Leechd. II. 180 Ᵹenim þæs selestan wines & grenes eles swilc healf. Ibid. 214 Þry lytle bollan fullan ᵹemengde wiþ swilc tu wæteres. c1290S. Eng. Leg. 102 Þat is suych a þousent more wurth þanne al þat þing þat is. a1300Floriz & Bl. 360 Grante him þat þu wilt so, And tak mid amoreȝe suche two. c1369Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 408 To have moo floures swche seven As in the walkene sterris bee. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 83 He hadde suche þre so hardy men in his oost as þe oþer hadde in his. c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 1195, I se þou woldest sorowe swyche two As I. 1470–85Malory Arthur x. viii. 426 He is able to bete suche fyue as ye and I be.
** In phrases with ns.
33. such kind, † such sort, † such (a) manner (of), † of such manner: of such a kind.
1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 243 Þy god ys of swych manere, Þogh þou forsake hym ryght now here, To-morwe mayst þou com aȝeyn. Ibid. 1737 Aȝens swyche maner wyuys Þat wyl nat amende here lyuys. a1325MS. Rawl. B. 520 lf. 52 Of suuche manere felonies. 1340Ayenb. 10 Kueade wordes of zuyche manere. c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 390 To occupie siche maner londe or lordeschip. 1382― Gen. xliii. 32 A fowle thing thei wenen sich a manere feeste. a1450Myrc 39 Wrastelynge, & schotynge, & suche maner game. 1470–85[see manner n.1 9]. 1513More in Grafton Chron. (1568) II. 788 If suche kind of wordes had not bene. a1542Wyatt in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 37, I am not of such maner condicion. c1645Howell Lett. ii. liv. (1892) 453 A holy kind of liquor made of such sort of flowers. 1670Roberts Advent. T.S. 200 When such kind of Reports are imprinted into the Fancy of the People. 1709J. Ward Introd. Math. iii. i. §5. (1734) 290 Of such kind of Polygons there are infinite Varieties. 1804–6[see sort n.2 7 b]. 1841F. E. Paget Tales of Village (1852) 488 Such kind of things are not uncommon..among gay young men.
34. a. † in such manner: in this or that way. in such manner or † sort as: in the way that, as.
1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7779 So þat þe king in such manere suluer wan ynou. 1484Caxton Fables of Auian vii, He prayd in suche maner as foloweth. 1592West 1st Pt. Symbol. §100 g, The one doth..couenant with the other to doe..some..thing or things in such sort as they haue concluded therof amongst themselues. 1628Hobbes Thucydides (1822) 47 In such sort as it should seem best. 1709Berkeley Th. Vision §72 The Faintness, which enlarges the Appearance, must be applied in such Sort, and with such Circumstances, as have been observed to attend the Vision of great Magnitudes. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) IV. 395 In such sort, manner, and form..as the husband should thereafter..appoint.
b. in such (a) manner or sort (arch.) as, as that, that: in such a way that, so that.
1449J. Metham Wks. (E.E.T.S.) 301 Help me to adorune ther chauns in sqwyche manere, So that [etc.]. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 169 b, Themperour answereth y⊇ protestantes Ambassadours..in suche sorte as it coulde not be wel perceived, whether [etc.]. 1576Fleming Panopl. Epist. 59, I will write of my selfe..in such sort, that I varie not from the president..of many noble..personages. c1600Shakes. Sonn. xcvi. 13, I loue thee in such sort, As thou being mine, mine is thy good report. 1625Bacon Ess., Cunning (Arb.) 437 Let him..moue it himselfe, in such sort, as may foile it. 1665Bunyan Holy Citie To Rdr. A ij b, That one so low..as I, should busie my self in such sort, as to meddle [etc.]. 1668Moxon Mech. Dyalling 10 Apply one of the sides of your Clinatory..to the Plane, in such sort that the Plumb-line..may fall upon the Circumference of the Quadrant. 1712Addison Spect. No. 321 ⁋30 In such a manner as they shall not be missed. 1771Encycl. Brit. II. 693/2 An index..which..is joined to the centre A, in such manner as that it can move round. 1821Shelley Let. to Ollier 8 June in Mem. (1859) 155 In such a manner as it shall be difficult for the reviser to leave such errors. 1825Scott Betrothed Concl., Damian shrunk together in such sort that his fetters clashed. 1885Finlayson Biol. Relig. 31 But the man who is spiritually dead is, at the same time, in such sort living, that [etc.].
†35. such-a-thing = Thingumbob, What's-his-name. (Cf. F. Monsieur Chose.) Obs.
1756M. Calderwood in Coltness Collect. (Maitland Club) 185 Who knows who Mr. Such-a-thing is?
36. such time as (or that): the time when, the moment at which. (rarely with as omitted.) Occas. used (quot. 1634) as conjunctional phr. = When, while; also pleonastically with when (quot. 1607). Obs. or arch.
1411Rolls of Parlt. III. 650/2 Atte such resonable tyme as it likyth the forsaid Lord the Roos to assigne. 1518in Leadam Sel. Cases Crt. Requests (Selden Soc.) 15 Vnto suche tyme as he..payde vnto the seid John for his fees ix.s. 1550in Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. (1907) Var. Coll. IV. 220 Untyll suche tyme that Mr. Meyor..shall take any order for the same. 1607Shakes. Cor. iii. iii. 19 And when such time they haue begun to cry, Let them not cease. 1611Bible Transl. Pref. ⁋2 At such time as the professours and teachers of Christianitie..were liberally endowed. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 82 He attained the Georgian Confines, in a darke night, such time as the Persians slept. 1660Wood Life (O.H.S.) I. 349 Till such time the sickness is ceased in their house. a1761Law Comf. Weary Pilgr. (1809) 16 Till such time as something has disturbed his state.
37. (See also suchwise.)
a. in († on) such (a) wise: in such a manner, so, thus. arch.
c1375Cursor M. 3292 (Fairf.) He ..saide til hir on suche a wise, mayden saide he [etc.]. 1390Gower Conf. I. 1 So that it myhte in such a wyse..Beleve to the worldes eere. c1440Generydes 34 Gret pite that she in suche a wyse Shuld sette hyr wurchippe atte so litill prise. a1555Latimer Serm. & Rem. (Parker Soc.) 149 Whoso in such wise fighteth with the devil, shall have the victory. 1838Mrs. Browning Isobel's Child vii, All smiles come in such a wise, Where tears shall fall or have of old. 1887Morris Odyss. xii. 294 Eurylochus spake in suchwise. 1913D. Bray Life-Hist. Brahui i. 5 She believes that in such wise will it be given life.
b. in († by, † on, † upon) such wise: in such a manner, so that, as to.
a1225Leg. Kath. 1956 Þis pinfule gin wes o swuch wise iginet, þet [etc.]. a1450Knt. de la Tour xvii, To be ielous..in suche wise as to shame hym selff and his wiff. c1477Caxton Jason 24 The raynes of his horse faylled..in suche wise as he tumblid the hede vnder. c1489― Sonnes of Aymon i. 28 He smote a knyghte..by suche a wyse that he ouerthrewe hym doun deed. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 10 He destroyed the land..in such wise, that .ix. yeres after it lay vnlaboured. 1858Sears Athan. x. 80 The pneumatology of the sacred writers brings home to us the doctrine of the resurrection in such wise as to give it [etc.]. 1903Westm. Gaz. 12 Jan. 10/1 He..gave proof of a cruel..disposition, in suchwise that [etc.].
†c. in such wise as: in the way that, as. Obs.
1390Gower Conf. I. 106 In such wise as he compasseth, His wit al one alle othre passeth. 1417Hen. V in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. iii. I. 61 [They] have..doon theire Ambassiat in suche wyse as we halde us wel apaide. 1534More Comf. agst. Trib. ii. xvi. Wks. 1192/1 He that is illuded by the dyuell, is in suche wise deceiued and worsse to, then be they by their dreame. 1630Prynne Anti-Armin. 9 We must receiue Gods promises in such wise as they are generally set forth vnto vs.
***
38. As such.
a. As being what the name or description implies; in that capacity.
1711Steele Spect. No. 41 ⁋5 When she observed Will. irrevocably her Slave, she began to use him as such. 1712Ibid. No. 386 ⁋2 Witty Men are apt to imagine they are agreeable as such. 1797Encycl. Brit. XVI. 566/2 Her son was proclaimed her heir, and as such great duke of all the Russias. 1831Scott Cast. Dang. xx, A Welsh knight, known as such by the diminutive size of his steed. 1851Carpenter Man. Phys. (ed. 2) 434 Biliary matter does not pre-exist as such in the blood. 1851Pugin Chancel Screens 10 No parochial churches, built as such, ever had close screens. 1891Edge in Law Times XC. 395/1 The defendant is the rector of the parish, and, as such, occupies the glebe land. 1911Act 1 & 2 Geo. V, c. 48 §4 The trade or business carried on in the house or place by the licence holder as such.
b. The sense ‘in that capacity’ passes contextually into: Accordingly, consequently, thereupon. colloq. or vulgar.
1721in Swayne Churchw. Acc. Sarum (1896) 351 [He] did..publickly Declare..That he had chosen the said William Clemens to be his parish Clerk..And bid the Congregation to..accept him—as such Witness Henry Biggs, F. Barber, [etc.]. 1800J. King in Corr. W. Fowler (1907) 33, I very much longed to hear from you..and as such I did not the least esteem it for its having been delayed for the reasons assigned. 1814W. Fowler Ibid. 297 H. R. H. Princess Augusta..motioned for me to come to her Highness. As such she addressed me in the most pleasant manner possible.
c. (Earlier † as it is such, etc.) Intrinsically considered; in itself; quâ (so-and-so).
1654Z. Coke Logick 2 Philosophy, which comprehends Metaphysicks, which considereth things as they are such. 1670Milton Hist. Eng. vi. 291 True fortitude glories not in the feats of War, as they are such, but as they serve to end War soonest by a victorious Peace. 1678Cudworth Intell. Syst. 839 If Matter as such, had Life, Perception, and Vnderstanding belonging to it. 1732Berkeley Alciphr. ii. §4 Is there anything in the nature of vice, as such, that renders it a public blessing? 1777Cowper Let. J. Hill 25 May, His later Epistles, I think, are worth little, as such, but might be turned to excellent account by a young student of taste and judgement. 1849Ruskin Sev. Lamps vi. §7. 169 History, as such, was indeed entrusted to the painters of its interior. 1884tr. Lotze's Metaph. 68 The abstract conception of a Thing as such.
▪ II. † such, adv. and conj. Obs.
Also 1 swelce, swilce, swylce, (etc.) 2 swice, swilc, 2–3 swulche, 3 swulc, swich, suich, suych, swlc(h, sulc(h, 6 suche.
[OE. swelce, etc., f. swelc such a.]
A. adv. In correlation: So. rare.
In OE. the advb. meanings are ‘in like manner, likewise, also, as well, too’, ‘as, like’, ‘in such a manner, so’.
a831Charter in O.E. Texts 444 Mid suilce godcunde gode suilce iow cynlic ðynce. c1386Chaucer Prol. 243 Vn to swich a worthy man as he. Ibid. 684 Swiche glarynge eyen hadde he as an hare. 1390Gower Conf. I. 28 As Stiel is hardest in his kynde Above alle othre that men finde Of Metals, such was Rome tho The myhtieste. c1430Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iv. xii. (1869) 182 It is a meevinge sercleliche suich in the ende as at the firste. 1509Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) I. 208 None lyueth..Suche meke so holy, so wyse or pacyent, Whiche can hym selfe at euery tyme so gyde To please eche fole.
b. To such an extent, so much (that).
1776D. Herd Scottish Songs I. 103 The Hogan Dutch they feared such, They bred a horrid stink then.
B. conj. As if.
c888ælfred Boeth. xxxv. §7 Wildu dior ðær woldon to irnan & stondan swilce hi tamu wæren. a1175Cott. Hom. 227 Swice hi godes were. c1175Lamb. Hom. 91 Þa iweorden alle þos ilefede men swulche hi alle hefden ane heorte. 1205Lay. 3070 Þe king Leir iwerðe swa blac swlch hit a blac cloð weoren. Ibid. 28009 He aras up and adun sat, swulc he weore swiðe seoc. a1250Owl & Night. (Jesus MS.) 1533 He chid & gred such he beo wod. |