exemplifyv.
/ᵻɡˈzɛmplᵻfʌɪ/, /ɛɡˈzɛmplᵻfʌɪ/, U.S. /ɪɡˈzɛmpləˌfaɪ/, /ɛɡˈzɛmpləˌfaɪ/ I. To give or set an example, and related senses.† 4. intransitive. To cite or quote a precedent as an excuse or justification. Cf. example n. 5b. Obsolete.† 5. transitive. To punish (a person) in order to deter others; to make an example of. Obsolete.
1.
a. intransitive. To cite or supply examples in support or illustration of an assertion, general rule, etc.; to show or explain using examples. Often with prepositional phrase specifying the example cited.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > an individual case or instance > be instanced or exemplified [verb (intransitive)] > give an instance or example > cite examples by way of illustration
bisaumple?c1225
exemplify?a1425
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 160 (MED) It were to longe for to exemplifie [L. exemplificare] singulerly of þise [maners of medicynez].
1582 G. Martin Discov. Corruptions Holy Script. iii. 56 Suppose he [sc. S. Hierom] had exemplified of the two condemned heretikes Iouinian and Vigilantius also.
1598 R. Haydocke tr. G. P. Lomazzo Tracte Artes Paintinge iv. 157 And thus, if I woulde inlarge my discourse, I might exemplifie in the light passing through a glasse ful of red wine.
1620 N. Brent tr. P. Sarpi Hist. Councel of Trent vii. 630 He exemplified in Darius, who [etc.].
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 66 It were to no purpose to exemplifie, where the instances are numberlesse?
1749 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 19 Dec. in Lett. to Son (1774) I. 522 Let us exemplify.
1854 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 19 May 449/2 Explain what is meant by the attractions of cohesion and gravitation, and exemplify by giving instances of each.
1934 Science 23 Mar. 261/1 It may be well to exemplify by reference to some of the social sciences.
1968 C. Brooke-Rose Between 116 The professor exemplified with a vivid comparison from the animal kingdom.
2008 J. Söderberg Hacking Capitalism ii. 69 Public good has played a minor role in liberal economic theory. The concept was briefly touched upon by John Stuart Mill and he exemplified with lighthouses.
b. transitive. To support, illustrate, or demonstrate (an assertion, general rule, etc.) with an example or examples.Also with clause as object and in early use sometimes with the person to whom the example is given as indirect object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > an individual case or instance > find or furnish an instance or example of [verb (transitive)]
examplea1393
exemply?a1425
exemplify?a1439
mustera1616
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > an individual case or instance > be instanced or exemplified [verb (intransitive)] > give an instance or example
exemplify?a1439
to give or make instance1592
example1616
sample1871
to give (one) a for instance1959
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) i. l. 5879 (MED) Texemplefie that lecherie and pride Been from al vertu set ful ferr a-side.
c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) l. 239 (MED) To shewen and exemplyfye..the noblesse Of thys hevenly emperesse.
?1535 W. Calverley Dial. Playntife & Defendaunt sig. C.iv Examples we haue ynough vs to suffyce..To exemplyfy folke that ben wyse How this worlde is a thorow fare full of wo.
1610 J. Healey tr. St. Augustine Citie of God v. xii. 214 He [sc. Salust] praiseth Cæsar, for his desire of..armes and war, wherby to exemplifie his valour.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica ii. vi. 22 How far they exceeded, may be exemplified from Palæphatus, in his book of fabulous narrations. View more context for this quotation
1668 I. Barrow Let. in S. P. Rigaud & S. J. Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men 17th Cent. (1841) (modernized text) II. 48 The rules I sent you concerning the hyperbola, I cannot well exemplify.
1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 208. ⁋3 I have rarely exemplified my assertions by living characters.
1835 Farmer's Mag. Apr. 256/2 I could exemplify this to be the case in many instances that have occurred in my own immediate neighbourhood.
1864 Bp. of Lincoln Charge 8 Its Principal..has exemplified to its pupils how labor best prospers when it is the labor of love.
1922 Woodland (Calif.) Daily Democrat 13 Nov. 1/2 He exemplified his argument in declaring that the nation was not quite ready for the league yet with a story.
2001 Chemicals & Materials from Renewable Resources (ACS Symp. Ser. No. 784) vi. 68 Our general preparation of these polyamides, exemplified with a generic hexaric acid, is outlined in Figure 2.
c. transitive. To cite or quote (a fact, case, etc.) as an example in support or illustration of an assertion, general rule, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > documentary evidence > use written evidence [verb (transitive)] > quote in support
teemOE
allaya1387
allegea1398
allegate?a1425
recitea1450
exemplify1509
cite1531
vouch1581
quote1582
1509 S. Hawes Pastyme of Pleasure (de Worde) xi. sig. D.ii For whiche poetes hym so exemplefyed.
1592 T. Nashe Strange Newes sig. H2 Canst thou exemplifie vnto mee..one minnum of the particular deuice of his play that I purloind?
1641 J. Milton Of Reformation 80 Not to exemplifie the malapert insolence of our owne Bishops.
1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. lxii. 194 Glanvile..exemplifies sedition and destruction of the Kingdome to be in equall degree a wound of Majesty.
1794 G. Wakefield Exam. Paine's Age of Reason 24 To exemplify their morality in contradistinction to that of the gospel.
1879 Notts. Guardian 29 Apr. 5/5 Speaking of Conservatives and Liberals, he could not help thinking that the former had ever proved themselves to be more liberal, and exemplified the case of..Lord Derby.
1999 O. P. Dwivedi & B. N. Tiwari in G. A. James Ethical Perspectives on Environmental Issues in India vii. 162 Countries where Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Shintoism have been practiced were exemplified to support the criticism of Thomas Derr and others.
2013 M. Boettle et al. in P. Schmidt-Thomé & J. Klein Climate Change Adaptation in Pract. iii. 25/2 The fourth section describes the resulting cost-benefit analysis, again exemplifying the case study of Kalundborg.
2. † a. transitive. To set or afford a good example to (a person); to teach by example. Also intransitive. Obsolete.
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the world > relative properties > relationship > imitation > prototype > [verb (transitive)] > set an example to
ensamplec1380
exemplifyc1425
pattern1594
sample1600
type1836
model1961
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. l. 5852 (MED) Prestis..shulde þe worlde exemplifie With good doctrine of perfeccioun.
a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) i. xxi. sig. g.viii To instructe and informe, and to exemplyfy.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V i. ii. 156 She hath bin then more feared then hurt my Lord: For heare her but examplified [1623 exampl'd] by her selfe, When all her chiualry hath bene in France And she a mourning widow of her Nobles.
b. transitive. To set an example of (a quality, mode of conduct, etc., esp. one considered commendable or worthy of imitation).Formerly also with infinitive clause as object.In contexts of qualities or personal traits, esp. positive ones, often difficult to distinguish from sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > imitation > prototype > [verb (transitive)] > set an example of
setc1175
exemplifya1450
sample1606
paradigmatize1646
a1450 (?1420) J. Lydgate Temple of Glas (Tanner) (1891) l. 974 To exemplifie The riȝt[e] wei of port & womanhed.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 12398 (MED) The planetys..Vn-to the Exemplefye To don thy labour and nat ffeyne.
1633 T. Adams Comm. 2 Peter (ii. 2) 437 The parent that..exemplifies sin to his childe by patterne, makes himselfe liable to all the iniquities which that infused habite shall produce.
1673 R. Allestree Ladies Calling i. iii. 21 If the poor happen not to have more charity then they exemplify to them.
1736 Private Lett. adapted to Publick Use 10 That Jesu came into the World to establish a new Covenant with Mankind,..and examplify Obedience to the Moral Law.
1782 B. Thomas Sermons I. ix. 117 While he bids us be humble, humane, just, candid, obedient, and devout, he exemplifies all these amiable perfections in his own conduct.
1853 W. H. Rule Celebrated Jesuits II. 19 At home he exemplified obedience and industry.
1976 M. Severson & T. J. Erickson Let's Teach Def. 4 We like to exemplify courage in relationship to physical conditioning.
2012 W. Lamont You are Witness! viii. 62 If we can't eloquently speak the gospel, we always can exemplify charity through our lifestyles.
3. transitive. To be evidence of; (also) to be or serve as an illustrative example of. Later also: to embody or personify a quality or type; to be typical or characteristic of a category, class, etc. Cf. exemplar n. 4.In contexts of qualities or personal traits, esp. positive ones, often difficult to distinguish from sense 2b.
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the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > an individual case or instance > find or furnish an instance or example of [verb (transitive)] > afford an example of
examplec1443
exemplify1567
pattern1606
represent1838
1567 T. Stapleton Counterblast iii. f. 390 Your fonde surmise of the Statute of Mortemayne, hath exemplified your lewde lying.
1602 S. Patrick tr. I. Gentillet Disc. Wel Governing iii. 221 There are none [sc. tyrants] at this day, which cannot examplifie this position, with many late and fresh examples in our time.
1664 in S. Rutherford Joshua Redivivus Pref. sig. B7 Thou wilt perceive both these conditions set before thine eye, & examplified in an eminent saint.
1771 C. Milne Inst. Bot. i. 109 Irregular flowers with six petals are exemplified in orchis, ladies-slipper and honey-flower.
1799 E. Gunning Gipsy Countess I. xix. 160 Margaret was not only a holy woman, but exemplified the very beauty of holiness.
1852 J. R. McCulloch Treat. Taxation (ed. 2) ii. vi. 277 The roads in the Highlands exemplify the correctness of this statement.
1869 J. Phillips Vesuvius ii. 31 Nor is it the earliest style of wall..exemplified in Mycenæ.
1901 Outl. Life P. Revere with Catal. Silverware (Towle Manuf. Co., Silversmiths) 17 It is reserved for the ‘Paul Revere’ to exemplify the elegant simplicity which..distinguishes the taste of our forefathers.
1946 A. Nelson Princ. Agric. Bot. xxii. 445 This substance exemplifies another feature also shown by some other weed killers.
1989 M. Owen Hang Gliding 75 (caption) This central collar, with hang point behind, exemplifies the clever engineering.
2014 Radio Times 23 Aug. (South/West ed.) 46/2 This docudramatic film exemplifies British wartime cinema.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > duty or obligation > moral or legal constraint > immunity or exemption from liability > justification > justify [verb (transitive)] > by precedents
example1587
exemplify1595
1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres i. xcviii. sig. Fv That our times might not haue t' exemplifie with aged staines.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > [verb (transitive)] > inflict disciplinary or corrective punishment > specific to make an example of
to make exemplarya1601
exemplifya1637
example1639
a1637 [implied in: B. Jonson Magnetick Lady iii. v. 40 in Wks. (1640) III Your exemplified Malefactors, That have surviv'd their infamy, and punishment.].
1642 D. Rogers Matrimoniall Honovr 337 A just and jealous God, not sparing to exemplifie and traduce his best servants.
II. To copy; to imitate.† 7. transitive. To form (something) after, or in imitation of, a particular prototype, pattern, or model. Obsolete.
6. † b. transitive. To copy out or transcribe (a document, inscription, etc.). Also occasionally: to recount or describe in writing. Usually in passive. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To make an official copy or transcript of (a document); esp. to make a copy or transcript of (a legal document) and have it certified under the Great Seal (in Britain) or the seal of a court or public official as being true and accurate. Also: to make (a copy or transcript) of this type. Usually in passive. Frequently with under, specifying the seal used to certify the copy or transcript.The specific sense relating to the creation of certified copies or transcripts of legal documents is still in use in the United States but is now historical in the United Kingdom.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > manner of writing > copying or transcribing > copy or transcribe [verb (transitive)] > make official copy
exemply?a1425
exemplify1446
transume1482
exemplificate1570
1446 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1837) VI. 54 (MED) So he swor it and prayed my lordes of þe Kynges counsail to have it exemplified under his prive seal.
1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Surueyeng xi. f. 20v Any partie..maye..haue a copye..exemplyfied vnder the seale of offyce of the same place.
1580–1 Act 23 Elizabeth I c. 3 §3 in Statutes of Realm (1963) IV. i. 661 Fines..shall be exemplified under the Greate Seale of England.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 928 He proposed..that their tragœdies should be exemplified and engrossed faire.
1687 London Gaz. No. 2277/4 The Laws for the preservation of the Spawn and Spatt of Oysters..were Signed and Exemplified under the Seal of the High Court of Admiralty.
1710 London Gaz. No. 4735/4 Which Recovery was exemplified under the Great Seal.
1794 T. W. Williams Whole Law Justice of Peace II. 579 Any deed or writing exemplified under the great seal, or under the seal of any authentic court, or any judge or other person.
1859 in W. S. Oldham & G. W. White Digest of Gen. Statute Laws State of Texas 161 The District Attorney for the district, shall cause two copies of the record and account of sale to be exemplified under the seal of the court.
1961 K. H. Nadelman Confl. of Law iii. 178 A record exemplified under the Great Seal is either a record of the Court of Chancery or a record sent for attestation into Chancery.
2004 Pennsylvania Bar Assoc. Q. Oct. 172 One role of the Prothonotary had always been to make searches and issue certifications and exemplify documents.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > manner of writing > copying or transcribing > copy or transcribe [verb (transitive)]
descrivea1382
copy1387
descrya1400
take1418
describea1513
exemplify1542
transcribe1552
escribe1558
copy1563
transcript1593
exscribe1608
transcrive1665
scriven1742
autograph1829
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes Pref. **vi Augustus Caesar..did cause as many as he could any where geat of suche good lessons to bee exemplified [L. describendum], and the copies therof to send into diuers places.
1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 196 The storie of King Vortigers Wassailing,..I haue already exemplified.
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. I. Pref. sig. ¶.vi I had not till that parte of the Booke was vnder the presse, and so being constreyned to make poste haste, coulde not exemplifie out of them all that I wished.
1629 A. Hamilton Let. in R. Parr Life J. Usher (1686) Coll. cxxxvii. 405 If your Grace..hath a mind to exemplify, write out, or collect any thing out of any of the said Books.
1665 J. Webb Vindic. Stone-Heng Restored 85 That Inscription..mentioned by Camden..and by him exemplified.
1709 J. Strype Ann. Reformation ii. 58 Because it is a private act, and unprinted, I exemplify it in the Appendix.
1714 W. Nicolson Eng. Hist. Libr. (ed. 2) iii. iii. 214 Thus runs the Letter directed to the Sheriff of Glocester, which our Author exemplifies at large.
1840 W. Cave Lives Most Eminent Fathers of Church III. 74 His last will and testament exemplified at large.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > imitation > imitate [verb (transitive)] > model on or fashion after
comparisona1382
counterfeitc1430
like?c1450
exemplify1566
pattern1567
afform1578
1566 T. Heskyns Parl. Chryste iii. xlv. f. ccclxiii Oecolampadius..doeth accuse the learned men of Chrystes Church of ignorance, that they make the bodie of Chryst both the exemplar and the thing exemplified.
1686 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II II. vii. 1285 Those outward Images which they exemplified from the similitudes which they framed of him in their own fancies.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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