| 释义 |
overseer, n.|ˈəʊvəsɪə(r)|
[f. oversee + -er1.]
1. a. One who oversees or superintends, a supervisor; esp. one whose business it is to superintend a piece of work, or a body of workmen; a superintendent (of workmen, slaves, convicts, etc.).
1523Fitzherb. Surv. 34 The name of a surueyour is a frenche name, and is as moche to say in Englysshe as an ouerseer. 1530Tindale Answ. More Wks. (1573) 252/1 Those ouersears which we now call Byshops after the Greke word, were alway bidyng in one place to gouerne the congregation there. 1644Vicars God in Mount 206 Over-seers of the Out-workes of the City. 1709Steele Tatler No. 144. ⁋4 The Overseers of the Highway and Constables. 1766W. Stork Acc. East Florida 62 The overseer, and other white servants, will..be hired much cheaper in a plentiful and good climate, than in a scarce and sickly one. 1845S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. III. 423 There was a disturbance in Göttingen, because the overseers of the commune were at first hostile. 1882Ouida Maremma I. 24 Saturnino to be..set to work with an axe or a spade in dockyard or on highway, and cowed with the whip of the overseer. a1904Mod. Advt., To Printers.—Working Overseer wanted in a country news and jobbing office. Must be a good disciplinarian, sober and capable.
†b. A person (formerly) appointed by a testator to supervise or assist the executor or executors of the will. Obs.
1395in E.E. Wills (1882) 11 My seketour, William Kyllet of Essex,..John Cosyn of London, ouerseer, þat my wylle be fulfylyd in þe worschip of god. 14..Prov. in Rel. Ant. I. 314 Too secuturs and an overseere make thre theves. 1532Elyot Let. in Gov. (1883) Life 77 The Busshop..is in the case that overseers of testamentes be in England, for he shall have leve to looke so that he meddle not. 1612J. More in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 124 The great pains he hath taken..to strengthen his will with so powerful overseers, and to make so cunning executors. 1666–7P. Henry Diaries & Lett. 21 Jan., For mourning clothes for myself, my wife, my son John, and Cosin Martha Warter, as was thought fit by the overseers of the will—{pstlg}12. 6. 8.
c. (In full, overseer of the poor.) A parish officer (appointed annually) to perform various administrative duties mainly connected with the relief of the poor.
The office was created by Act 43 Eliz. c. 2, and the duties were defined to include causing able-bodied paupers to work, giving relief to the disabled poor, putting poor children to work, apprenticing them, etc., and raising by rate the necessary funds for these purposes; the chief duties latterly were to assess, collect, and distribute the ‘Poor Rate’ (the actual relief of the poor in most cases belonging to the ‘guardians of the poor’: see guardian 1 b), to make out the lists of voters for parliament and for municipal and other councils, jury lists, etc. The office belonged to England and Wales, and was gratuitous, but, where the duties required it, paid or assistant overseers were appointed. Officers having the same name, whose duties were restricted to the administration of relief to the poor, existed in some of the United States of America.
1601Act 43 Eliz. c. 2 §1 Be it enacted..That the Church⁓wardens of euery Parish, and foure, three, or two substantiall householders..to be nominated yearely in Easter weeke..shall be called Ouerseers of the Poore of the same Parish. 1625Massinger New Way i. i, The poor income..hath made me..Thought worthy to be scavenger, and in time May rise to be overseër of the poor. 1690Child Disc. Trade (ed. 4) 97 All constables, churchwardens, overseers, or other officers in all parishes. 1712Prideaux Direct. Ch.-wardens (ed. 4) 23 The Churchwardens were anciently the sole Over⁓seers of the Poor. 1866Geo. Eliot F. Holt Introd., The inhabitants..were in much less awe of the parson than of the overseer.
d. U.S. A member of a board of officials which manages the affairs of a college, esp. Harvard College, Massachusetts.
1643New Englands First Fruits 13 Over the Colledge are twelve Overseers chosen by the generall Court. 1812in Proc. Mass. Hist. Soc. (1890) 2nd Ser. V. 176 [Harvard Commencement] The Corporation and Overseers arrived at 20 minutes past ten. 1832W. D. Williamson Hist. State Maine II. 563 Its government was committed to a board of 13 Trustees, including the President, and a supervisory body of 45 Overseers. 1900Dialect Notes ii. 47 Overseers, board of, a special governing board of Harvard, chosen by the alumni from their own number. 1946Sat. Rev. Lit. (U.S.) 14 Sept. 5 Then he too retired, but was promptly elected to a seat on the Board of Harvard Overseers. 1973Amer. Universities & Colleges (ed. 11) 729/1 Harvard University... Governing Board. President and Fellows of Harvard College: self-perpetuating board of 7 members; life terms. Many board actions subject to consent of Board of Overseers, which is composed of 30 members elected by alumni for 6-year terms.
e. A Friend (friend n. 7) chosen for the pastoral supervision of the congregation to which he belongs.
1785Bk. of Discipline New England Yearly Meeting Soc. of Friends 39 That each monthly meeting choose two or more sober and judicious men friends, and two or more women friends, to be overseers in each preparative-meeting, which overseers are to render account of their service to the monthly meeting at least once a quarter, and to be annually appointed or re-chosen. 1832W. D. Williamson Hist. State Maine II. 699 Each society [of Quakers] has at least four Overseers, two males and two females. 1921R. M. Jones Later Periods Quakerism I. iv. 131 These Overseers..were in the course of time charged with responsibility for the moral life of the membership. Ibid. 132 Like the Elders, they had no absolute rules to guide them, but there slowly accumulated..a body of Advices and Queries which furnished the Overseers with a pretty clear line of procedure. 1963A. Heron Towards Quaker View of Sex i. 7 Particularly does this apply to elders and overseers in the Society of Friends. 1974G. Hubbard Quaker by Convincement iv. iii. 209 The responsibilities of Overseers are to encourage attendance at Meetings for Worship and for business, to exercise a care over younger members and children and those in need of assistance, [etc.].
†2. One who looks down upon or at anything; a beholder, onlooker, spectator. Obs.
1551Robinson tr. More's Utop. ii. ix. (1895) 279 Hauing a trust and affiaunce in such ouerseers [the dead, called just above ‘beholders’ and ‘witnesses’]. 1562Turner Baths Pref., If that I write not so perfitly of it, as sum perfit idle overseers would that I shuld have done. a1656Bp. Hall Rem. Wks. (1660) 252 Study..to be approved of so glorious witnesses and overseeres.
†3. One who ‘oversees’ a book for the purpose of criticism or revision; variously = critic, censor, reviser, editor. Obs.
1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. xxxi. §3 There are in the world certayne voluntarie ouer-seers of all Bookes, whose censure in this respect would fall as sharpe on us. 1624Bedell Lett. vii. 116 In the Margent,..the ouerseers of Plantines edition, set this note. 1642Rogers Naaman To Rdr., That I may be the overseer of mine owne Bookes. 1685Wood Life 27 Feb. (O.H.S.) III. 133 Half the verses that were made for the said book were cast aside by the overseers, Dr. Aldrich and Jane.
Hence ˈoverˌseer v. trans., to act as overseer over; ˈoverˌseering vbl. n., acting as overseer; ˈoverseerism, the system of overseers.
1709Thoresby Diary II. 50 Both days entirely spent with labourers directing and overseering the sows [= ‘sews’, drains] to drain water. 1870Athenæum 3 Dec. 721 A dark and melancholy wild, where..Absenteeism, Overseerism, all sorts of other ‘isms’ gather griffin-like around the porches of the proud..land-proprietors. 1892Daily News 25 Jan. 5/4 The forest is, at present, overseered and cared for by the..deputy surveyor, with three assistants [etc.]. 1893F. F. Moore I Forbid Banns (1899) 72, I did a little in the overseering line. |