| 释义 |
civility|sɪˈvɪlɪtɪ|
Also 4–7 with usual variations, as in civil, and final -e, -ie, -ye.
[a. OF. civilité, ad. L. cīvīlitās, -tātem, (1) art of civil government, politics, transl. Gr. πολιτική, (2) courteousness, politeness, (3) (in Vulgate, etc.), citizenship = πολιτεία, (4) in med.L., community, city, ‘civilitas, mansio hominum’ Papias.]
I. Obs. senses, connected with citizenship, and civil polity.
†1. The status of a citizen; citizenship. Obs.
1382Wyclif Acts xxii. 28, I with moche summe gat this ciuylite [1388 fredom, Vulg. civilitatem, orig. πολιτείαν]. a1568Coverdale Christ's Cross i. Wks. II. 232 Your joy is in heaven, where your conversation and civility is.
†2. A community of citizens collectively. Obs.
1599Marston Sco. Villanie ii. vii. 207 Yon sad ciuility Is but an Oxe, that with base drudgery Eates up the land.
†3. Civil or secular lordship or dominion. Obs.
c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 385 Þai bissyen hem to be kyngis in her owne, and reioycen hem fulle myche in þat cyuylite or seculerte. Ibid. Þis is þe mooste cyuylite or seculer lordeschipinge þat eny kynge or lorde haþ on his tenauntis. 1530Proper Dialogue (1863) 27.
†4. A civil or secular capacity. Obs.
1549Latimer 2nd Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 67 What an enormitie is this in a christian realme to serue in a ciuilitye, hauynge the profyt of a Prouestshyp and a Deanry, and a Personage.
†5. Polity, civil organization and government.
1537Starkey To Pole in Strype Eccl. Mem. I. App. lxxxi. 193 In the joyning of these two lives together..stondeth the chief point of true christian civility. 1538― England 119 The ordur of our law also in the punnyschment of theft..faylyth much from gud cyuylyte. 1594Mirr. Policie (1599) A, Policie is deriued from the Greeke woord πολιτεῖα which in our tongue we may tearme Ciuilitie, and that which the Grecians did name Politicke gouernement, the Latines called, the Gouernement of a commonweale, or ciuile societie. 1670Brooks Wks. (1867) VI. 68 How have the rules of the Persian civility been forgotten in the midst of thee!
b. transf.
1643Sir T. Browne Relig. Med. 31 The civility of these little citizens [Bees and Ants] more neatly sets forth the wisdom of their maker.
†6. Good polity; orderly state (of a country); social order, as distinct from anarchy and disorder.
1538Starkey England 7 To bryng the hole cuntrey to quyetnes and cyuylyte. 1577tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 107 For the preseruing of publike peace and ciuilitie. 1611Munday Briefe Chron. 44 Without civility, and government.
†7. Conformity to the principles of social order, behaviour befitting a citizen; good citizenship.
1537–8Statutes Irel. an. 28 Hen. VIII (1621) 129 Trayning of his people..to an honest Christian civilitie and obedience. 1596Spenser State Irel. 5 They should have beene reduced to perpetuall civilitie. 1600J. Dymmok Ireland (1843) 6 The cheefe thinge wantinge in that cuntrye is cyvillitye, and dutyfull obedience of the people to their soveraigne. 1641Milton Ch. Govt. ii. Introd. (1851) 146 To inbreed and cherish in a great people the seeds of vertu, and publick civility. 1647Ward Simp. Cobler (1843) 43 They conforme such as are profligate, into good civility. 1758Acc. Bks. in Ann. Reg. 459/2 Their civility (that is, their deference to the general laws..and their attention to the common good).
†8. Civil or secular quality; secularity. Obs.
1647Lond. Ministers' Testimony in Neal Hist. Purit. (1736) III. 390 An inforced uniformity of religion..confounds the Civil and Religious, and denies the very principles of Christianity and Civility. 1649Bp. Hall Cases Consc. (1650) 362 If there were nothing in marriage but meere civility, the Magistrate might be meet to be imployed in this service.
†9. Theol. Civil righteousness; see civil 15 b.
1619W. Sclater Expos. 1 Thess. (1630) 40 Betwixt Ciuility and Sanctification obserue these differences. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 43 More..by a sacrilegious pretence of religion, than he did before damne himself by an heathenish ciuilitie. a1640W. Fenner Sacr. Faithful ii. (1648) 57 They come out of prophanenesse and enter into Civility, and a formall kind of profession.
II. Senses connected with civilization, culture.
10. ‘The state of being civilized; freedom from barbarity’ (J.); = civilization 2. arch.
1549Coverdale Erasm. Par. Col. II. 7 Christ is to the..wylde and barbarous, ciuilitie. 1614Raleigh Hist. World ii. 305 From them the Greekes, then barbarous, received Civilitie. 1662Fuller Worthies (1840) I. 110 Cloth sure is of the same date with civility in this land. a1682Sir T. Browne Tracts 148 Not understood in a petty corner, but in parts of early civility. 1691Ray Creation ii. (1704) 251 Metals and Minerals..necessary Instruments..of Culture and Civility. 1775Johnson Western Isl. Wks. X. 508 The progress of arts and civility. 1823Lamb Elia Ser. i. xvii. (1865) 129 The nineteenth century of the era from which we date our civility. 1856Emerson Eng. Traits, Race Wks. (Bohn) II. 27 The foundations of the new civility were to be laid by the most savage men. 1881Shorthouse J. Inglesant vii. 177 A brutal people destitute of civility.
†11. Polite or liberal education; training in the ‘humanities’, good breeding; culture, refinement. arch.
1533More Debell. Salem Wks. 951/1 Me thinketh it somwhat more ciuilytye..a litle merely to mok him, then..seriouslye to preace vpon him. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 692 Well and honorably educated, and in all kind of civilitie brought up. 1660Trial Regic. 101, I am heartily sorry in respect you are Persons of great Civility and..of very good parts. 16..Def. of Univ. Oxford (1690) 33 The Universities are the public nurseries of Religion, Piety, Learning, and Civility. 1756–82J. Warton Ess. Pope I. §3. 186 Bring civility and learning into France. 1858De Quincey Autobiog. Sk. Wks. II. i. 23 Our universities, all so many recurring centres of civility.
†b. A branch of ‘humane’ or polite learning, a department of culture. Obs.
1657Howell Londinop. 9 Young Gentlemen do so ply their studies in all kinds of sciences, and other civilities, besides the Law. 1672Wilkins Nat. Relig. 184 They [the Romans] had likewise spread their arts and civilities.
12. Behaviour proper to the intercourse of civilized people; ordinary courtesy or politeness, as opposed to rudeness of behaviour; decent respect, consideration.
1561T. Norton tr. Calvin's Inst. iv. xx. (1634) 733 That among Christians may be a common shew of religion, and among men may be man-like civilitie. 1665Glanvill Sceps. Sci. 75 My Civility to this Learned Man obliged me to some Answer. 1716Lady M. W. Montague Lett. I. vi. 18 Some..ladies..have..been to see me with great civility. 1751Johnson Rambler No. 165 ⁋12, I must purchase by civility that regard which I had expected to enforce by insolence. 1843Prescott Mexico vii. v. (1864) 451 A cold civility, which carried no conviction of its sincerity. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 31 He would not use the common forms of civility.
b. An act or expression of politeness.
1658Sir T. Browne Hydriot. Introd. 5 These were not meer Pagan-Civilities. 1660N. Ingelo Bentiv. & Ur. i. (1682) 111 To accept of a Civilty. 1708Swift Death Partridge, I..said some other civilities, suitable to the occasion. 1883Lloyd Ebb & Flow II. 110 After a few more uneasy civilities on either side.
c. † to do civility (obs.), to show civility.
1649Jer. Taylor Gt. Exemp. ii. §10. 2 Jesus being invited, he went to do civility to the persons espoused. 1772Johnson in Boswell xxv, We should have shown his lady more civilities.
†d. civility-money: that given (to bailiffs, jailers, etc.) in consideration or anticipation of their good-will or good offices; money given as a ‘tip’.
1708Motteux Rabelais iv. xiv, To the Catchpoles and his Bums he ordered four Ducats for Civility Money. 1752Fielding Amelia viii. x, The bailiff..hoped he would remember the civility-money. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. xxi, No opposition was offered..either by the guards or door-keepers..one of the latter refused a shilling of civility-money, tendered him by the Laird of Dumbiedikes.
†13. Decency, seemliness: see civil 10. Obs.
1612Webster White Devil i. ii, Civility keeps them tied all day-time, but they are let loose at midnight. 1617Hieron Wks. II. 105 Common ciuilitie teacheth vs to choose our way, and not wilfully to runne in the durt. 1672Cave Prim. Chr. iii. ii. (1673) 275 They denied them the civility and humanity of burial. |