| 释义 |
▪ I. proffer, n.|ˈprɒfə(r)|
Forms: 4–6 profre, 4–8 profer, 5 profire, -ure, -yre, etc.: see the vb.
[ME. profre, a. AF. profre (a 1240 in Godef.), OF. poroffe, *poroffre, vbl. n. f. poroffrir: see next.]
An act of proffering; an offer.
1. The act of offering or presenting something for acceptance, or of proposing to do something; an offer; a proposal. Now chiefly literary.
c1350Will. Palerne 4413 Of þe quenes profer þe puple hadde reuþe. 1390Gower Conf. I. 346 Thei profren hem to his servise; And he hem thonketh of here profre And seith himself he wol gon offre. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxvi. 123 Þai behete þaim þat er enseged so faire proffers. c1440Lydg. Chron. in Harvard Studies (1897) V. 210 The kynge..Gret profres made..of golde & tresoure. 1544tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 70 b, Hee refused the money when lawful profer was made of it. 1652T. Whitfield Doctr. Armin. 58 Though the proferre of Salvation be conditionall. 1796Burke Regic. Peace i. Wks. VIII. 93 Hoping that the enemy..would make a proffer of peace. 1870Disraeli Lothair xxxii, Accepting the proffer with a delicate white hand.
†2. An act or movement as in beginning or attempting to do something, or as if one were about to do something; a show of intention to do something; an essay, attempt, endeavour, trial.
(The alleged sense ‘a rabbit-burrow’ (in Halliwell, and thence in recent Dicts.) appears to be founded on a misunderstanding of the use of quot. 1577.)
a1400Morte Arth. 2857 We salle blenke theire boste for alle theire bolde profire. a1425Cursor M. 8819 (Trin.) For no profur þat þei dude [Þe tre] wolde not þere stonde in stude. 1456in Cov. Corp. Chr. Plays App. iii. 116 That no fals treitour, ne cruell tirrant, Shall in eny wyse make profer to your lande. 1532in More Confut. Tindale Wks. 389/2 The priest..playeth out the reste vnder silence with signes and profers, with nodding, becking, and mowing. 1577Harrison England ii. xxiv. (1877) i. 358 Conies in making profers and holes to breed in, haue scraped them [coins] out of the ground. 1577–87Holinshed Chron. III. 1094/2 After some resistance..and profer of onset made by their horssemen, they were put to flight. 1626Bacon Sylva §236 It is done..by little and little and with many Essays and Proffers. 1668Dryden Ess. Dram. Poesy Ess. (ed. Ker) I. 32 You may observe..how many proffers they make to dip. 1703Moxon Mech. Exerc. 206 With your Compasses find the Center on the backside of the Round Board (with several proffers if need require).
†b. In extended or loose use: An indication of something about to happen; a very slight manifestation of some quality; a sign, a trace. Obs.
1548Udall Erasm. Par. Luke xxi. 167 Y⊇ foresaied signes & profres towardes y⊇ chaunge of y⊇ worlde. 1739Cibber Apol. (1756) I. 163 The characters I have nam'd..cannot have the least cast or profer of the amiable in them.
3. Law. A provisional payment of estimated dues into the Exchequer by a sheriff or other officer at certain appointed times.
(Inaccurately explained in Cowell and later dicts. as the time of such payments, etc.)
[1290Rolls of Parlt. I. 58/1 Quod non venerunt ad profrum..etiam quia non venerunt super compotum Vicecomitis tempestive.] 1450Ibid. V. 175/2 Shirreffs, Eschetours, or eny other persones that shall make their profres betwene the Feste of Ester, and the first day of Juyll. 1540Act 32 Hen. VIII, c. 21 §2 The said terme..shall..begynne the Monday next aftre Trinitie Sonday..for the keping of thessoygnes profers retornes and other ceremonies. [1607Cowell Interpr., Profer (profrum vel proferum), is the time appointed for the acompts of Shyreeues, and other officers in the Exchequer, which is twice in the yeare, anno 51 H. 3. stat. quint.] 1620J. Wilkinson Coroners & Sherifes 45 He hath entred Recognisance for his proffers. 1701Cowell's Interpr. s.v. Profre Vice-comitis, Altho' these Proffers are paid, yet if upon conclusion of the Sheriffs Accompts,..it appears that..he is charged with more than indeed he could receive, he hath his Proffers paid or allowed to him again. 1874Stubbs Const. Hist. I. xi. 379 Each of these magistrates..paid in to the Exchequer such an instalment or proffer as he could afford.
▪ II. proffer, v.|ˈprɒfə(r)|
Forms: 3–5 profre, (4 profry, proofre), 4–5 proffre, 4–7 profere, proferre, 4–8 profer, (5 profir, -yr, prouffer, prouffre, peroffer, propher, 5–6 profor(re, profur), 5– proffer.
[ME. profr-en, proffre, a. AF. proffrir, -er, late OF. proffrir = OF. purofrir (c 1080 in Godef.), poroffrir, f. OF. pur, por (F. pour):—L. prō, pro-1 + offrir:—Romanic type *offerĕre or *offerīre:—L. offerre to offer. From the interchange of f and ff, the early forms are often identical with those of profer v.; and in certain senses (L. prōferre having sometimes the sense ‘proffer’, and It. profferire combining ‘proffer’ and ‘profer’) the two verbs are difficult to distinguish: see also profer.]
1. trans. To bring or put before a person for acceptance; to offer, present, tender. Now literary and usually in proffered ppl. a. 1.
Const. with direct and indirect (dative) obj., the latter with or without to. With direct or indirect passive.
13..Cursor M. 4358 (Gött.) Scho..proferd him hir muth to kiss. c1375Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. B.) 254 Oure offrandes þat we offer, And oure praieres þat we profer. 1390Gower Conf. III. 74 To hire he profreth his servise. c1430Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 105 Cookes..proferred me bread, with ale and wyne. 1456Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 174 And he peroffer resonable ransoun. 1526Tindale Matt. vii. 9 Ys there eny man among you which wolde proffer his sonne a stone if he axed him breed? 1615G. Sandys Trav. 18 He shall be proffered in marriage the best..virgin of their Iland. 1671Crowne Juliana i. Dram. Wks. 1873 I. 26 Five thousand crowns are proferr'd To any one that will discover him. 1837Dickens Pickw. ii, Mr. Winkle seized the wicker bottle which his friend proffered. 1877Black Green Past. xxi, Before proffering him this promised help.
b. refl. To offer or present oneself (or itself).
Const. to with simple obj. or inf., or that with clause.
c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 84/26 Seinte Fey..profrede hire to þe tormentores. a1330Otuel 1265 Þere-fore he profreþ him to fiȝt. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxi. 96 Ane of þe grettest meruailes..þat fischez..schall..come þider and profre þam self to þe deed. 1484Caxton Fables of Alfonce xi, Yet shalle I profere me to hym. 1602W. Fulbecke 2nd Pt. Parall. 30 Others, as executors profered themselues. 1711Atterbury Serm., 1 Cor. x. 13 (1734) I. 99 The Followers of his Fortune proffered themselves to be the ready Ministers of his Revenge. 1809Bawdwen Domesday Bk. 411 The Priest..proffers himself that he will prove..that it is not as they have given in their verdict.
c. absol. or with indirect obj. only: To make an offer. ? Obs.
1393Langl. P. Pl. C. v. 67 On men of lawe Wrong lokede and largelich hem profrede. 1423Rolls of Parlt. IV. 258/1 If any man will come and profre as it is supposed. c1435Torr. Portugal 417 The kyng of Gales proferd hym feyer: ‘Wed my dowghttyr and myn Eyer’. 1575R. B. Appius & Virg. in Hazl. Dodsley IV. 152, I proffer you fair: You shall be my full executor and heir.
2. with inf. To make a proposal or offer, propose (to do something): = offer v. 4. Rarely with clause (quot. c 1350), or simple obj. Obs. or arch.
1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3908 That God almyȝty,..Profrede hym to kesse so louely. c1350Will. Palerne 2489 Þe prouost dede pertli profer..What man..miȝt þe beres take, He schuld gete of gold garissoun. 1428Surtees Misc. (1888) 2 John Bower proferd to selle hym a laste of osmundes. c1450Merlin 50 Sende to hem..that thei yelde yow the castell..and profer hem to go saf with their lyves. 1648Boyle Seraph. Love Ep. Ded. (1660) 2 A necessitous person..proffer'd to sell the Copy. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 425 None..So hardie as to proffer or accept Alone the dreadful voyage. 1701W. Wotton Hist. Rome, Commodus i. 191 They proffer'd to submit upon his own terms. 1823Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Poor Relations, He proffereth to go for a coach and lets the servant go.
†3. with inf. To make an attempt, to essay: = offer v. 5 b. Also refl. with inf. (quot. c 1475). Obs.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 326 An engyn had þei þer in, & profred for to kast. c1400Destr. Troy 12048 Eneas..Put hym in prise & profferit to say. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 149 The King profferit him to gang, and maid ane strange fair. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 122 When the Frenchemen profered to enter, the Englishmen bet them of with bylles. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. vi. ii. §9 This priviledge was profered afterwards by some Saxon Kings to be restored; which Turketill would never consent unto.
†b. absol. or intr. To make a movement as if about to do something; to begin to act or move, and then stop or turn back: spec. of a stag; see quots., and cf. proffer n. 2 and reproffer. Obs.
c1450Brut (E.E.T.S.) 424 There they lay two dayes and two nyghtis, and no pepull proferid oute to hem. 1486Bk. St. Albans E vij, The hert..He proferith..and so ye shall say For he wot not hym selfe yit how he will a way. 1575Turberv. Venerie 100 When he [an hart] leapeth into the water and commeth out againe the same way, then he proffereth. 16022nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass. ii. v. 907 The Hart..being in the water, proferd, and reproferd, and proferd againe. a1650Crashaw Carmen Deo Nostro Wks. (1904) 213 To play the amorous spies, And peep and proffer at thy sparkling Throne. [1847–78Halliwell, Proffer, to dodge any one. Devon. (Not now known, E.D.D.)]
†4. trans. To offer (battle, injury, etc.); to attempt to inflict: = offer v. 3 f, 5. Obs.
1471Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 273 Dayly he prophered batayle his enmys durst not fyghte. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxiv. 507 Ye prouffer me owterage. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 36 b, The citezens..manfully profered to skyrmish, but thei wt archers were sone driuen backe. 1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 89 Which of them hath profferred me the greatest villany.
Hence ˈprofferable a., that can be proffered.
1822G. Darley Errors of Ecstasie 38 Didst thou not quit..No proferable cause asserted why, The track? |