membern.adj.
/ˈmɛmbə/, U.S. /ˈmɛmbər/ A. n.
I. Senses relating to a part of a living body or organism.
1.
a. The penis; (in plural) †the male genitals (obsolete). Also (occasionally): †the vagina, the vulva, the female genitals (obsolete).Frequently with modifying word. privy member(s): see privy adj., n., and adv. Compounds 1b; virile member: see virile adj. 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sex organs > [noun]
shapea1000
shameOE
i-cundeOE
memberc1300
privy memberc1325
kindc1330
privitiesc1375
harness1382
shameful parts1382
genitoriesa1387
partc1390
tailc1390
genitalsa1393
thingc1405
genitalc1450
privy parts1533
secret1535
loin?1541
genitures1548
filthy parts1553
shamefulness1561
ware1561
meatc1564
natural places1569
secret members1577
lady ware1592
natural parts1601
lady's ware1608
gear1611
private parts1623
groin1631
pudendums1634
natural1650
privacies1656
sex1664
secrecyc1675
nudities1677
affair1749
sexual parts1753
person1824
sex organ1847
privates1940
naughty bits1972
c1300 St. Michael (Laud) 249 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 306 Heore membres to-swellez sone.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 10524 (MED) Vil it is to telle, some hii lete honge Bi hor membres an hey.
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) 3472 (MED) Vlfin him ȝaue a dint of wo Þurch out þe membre & sadel also.
c1390 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale 330 They sowed of figge leues a manere of breches to hiden hire membres.
?a1450 Agnus Castus (Stockh.) (1950) 121 Ȝyf a man be skalt on hys membres or on his ȝerde, ley þe pouder þeron.
1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias i. ii. 6 They trusse up and hide theyr members in certeine Cases made of woode.
1611 Bible (King James) Deut. xxiii. 1 Hee that..hath his priuie member cut off. View more context for this quotation
1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed 61 They tye a cloth only to hide their privie members.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Penis The Member, or virile Member.
1776 L. Goddard Jrnl. 29 Oct. in E. M. Bell Hamwood Papers (1930) i. 22 J. Warren said, smirking, he wished I had two members to return for seats. This, as a serious speech, was nonsense, and as a joke..was too gross for me not to take offence at.
1826 Lancet 22 Apr. 104/1 The unsubdued member was bound round with tape and ribbon, which were gradually tightened.
1869 A. G. Mackey Symbolism of Freemasonry 352 Phallus. A representation of the virile member, which was venerated as a religious symbol very universally.
1897 G. M. Gould & W. L. Pyle Anomalies & Curiosities Med. vi. 319 With this artificial member he was enabled to deceive his wife for fifteen months, and was only discovered when she undressed him while he was in a state of intoxication.
1966 L. Cohen Beautiful Losers (1970) i. 24 This member of mine rigid as a goal post.
1988 F. Weldon Leader of Band iii. 12 I like being woken up in the morning by the thrust of the male member.
b. More generally: a part or organ of the body, esp. a limb or other part attached to the trunk. †member by member: limb by limb, one part at a time (also in extended use) (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > [noun]
lithc900
limb971
memberc1384
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > in order, sequence, or succession [phrase]
a-row?c1225
by rowc1230
on (also upon) a rowc1300
by and by1330
in a rowc1330
on rowc1330
in routc1390
in successionc1449
by succession(s)?a1475
in sequencea1575
in (also by) progression1660
member by member1726
in file1744
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Royal) James iii. 5 The tunge sotheli is a litel membre.
c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 130 His herte also, And alle þe Menbres þat we cun Mynge.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xi. 156 (MED) Man is hym most lyk, of membres and of face.
c1410 tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 79 For sorwe of his synnes, he made men kutte hym and his membres, membre by membre.
a1450 St. Katherine (Richardson 44) (1884) 55 (MED) She scholde by meuyng of þe wheles be rent membre from membre.
?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 79 Membyr be membir, membratim.
1495 Act 11 Hen. VII c. 3 §3 Any other offence wherfor any persone shall lose life or member.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Celebr. Holye Communion f. xix That our hertes and al our members..may..obey thy blessed wil.
1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie iv. xxv. 145 Exceeding all others in bignesse of body and force of members.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 109 Their Masters mangl'd Members they devour. View more context for this quotation
1720 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad VI. xxii. 575 All her Members shake with sudden Fear.
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 43 We shall treat..of all Public Works Member by Member.
1749 T. Nugent Grand Tour III. 294 Artificial noses, lips, ears, and other members.
1823 J. F. Cooper Pioneers I. v. 80 There was something noble in the rounded outlines of his head and brow. The very air and manner with which the member haughtily maintained itself.
1878 H. James Europeans I. i. 3 She paused a moment, gave a pinch to her waist with her two hands, or raised these members..to the multifold braids of her hair.
1897 G. M. Gould & W. L. Pyle Anomalies & Curiosities Med. x. 566 A man had nothing in his mouth representing a tongue. When he was young, he was attacked by an ulceration destroying every vestige of this member.
1925 ‘R. Hall’ Sat. Life xvi. 179 One of the gloves had a rent in the finger, but the nail that protruded was clean. Had it not been, its owner would almost certainly have been sent to attend to the offending member.
1957 P. White Voss v. 117 In one instance, surprisingly, he kissed the hand of a rich tradesman's elderly wife, who withdrew her member delightedly, looked round, and giggled.
1987 S. Bellow More die of Heartbreak 20 A small case of leprosy—you lose a toe now and then; none of the main members have to be affected.
c. Biology. A part of a plant or animal viewed with regard to its form and position within the organism, as opposed to its function. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > [noun]
tract1681
entrail1760
member1875
the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > [noun] > part with regard to
lineament?a1475
member1875
1875 A. W. Bennett & W. T. T. Dyer tr. J. von Sachs Text-bk. Bot. 130 It is obviously best to speak in this sense not of Organs, but of Members. The term Member is used when we speak of a part of a whole in reference to its form or position and not to any special purpose it may serve. In the same manner, from a morphological point of view, stems, leaves, hairs, roots, thallus-branches, are simply members of the plant-form.
1891 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon Member... A part of a plant or animal, such as a root, stem, leaf, or hair in a plant, or an arm or leg in an animal; a segment which can be studied in a purely morphological point of view, apart from its physiological function.
2. [Compare post-classical Latin membrum Christi (Vulgate, 1 Corinthians 6:15, translating Hellenistic Greek μέλος Χριστοῦ), membrum ecclesiae (late 4th cent.), membrum Satanae (late 6th cent.), membrum Diaboli (from 8th cent. in British sources), Old French li membre Dieu (plural) the poor (late 12th cent.), menbre a dëable (early 13th cent.).] In extended use: a person who belongs to the metaphorical body of Christ, or of Satan. Frequently in member of Christ, †member of Satan. Cf. limb n.1 2b, 3a.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > sect > Christianity > person > [noun]
christenmaneOE
limbc1000
christenOE
disciplec1325
Christianc1330
member of Christc1384
Nazarenec1384
saintc1384
Nazarite1535
cross-bearera1569
Nasrani1583
Nazaritan1609
Galilean1611
Nasara1792
Xtian1940
society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > impiety > [noun] > person
member of Satanc1384
firebranda1425
law-breakerc1440
malignant1597
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Eph. v. 30 We ben membris of his body, of his fleisch and of his boones.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl 458 (MED) Al arn we membrez of Jesu Kryst.
c1480 (a1400) St. Mary Magdalen 301 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 264 Þe membyre of sathane.
1483 W. Caxton tr. Caton G iij b To do therwith almesses to the poure members of Yhesu cryst.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Confirmacion f. ix*v Wherein I was made a member of Christe.
1582 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1880) 1st Ser. III. 493 Enemie to Chryst and to all his faithful members.
1635 J. Reynolds Triumphs Gods Revenge (new ed.) iv. xviii. 366 Borlary is too much a man, to be so much a Christian, and too much the member of Satan, to bee so much the childe of God.
1670 T. Case Mt. Pisgah i. 42 As to their more divine part, and even as to their terrene and corruptive part, their Bodies, Members of Christ, and Temples for the Holy Ghost to dwell in; yea,..their very dust is United to Christ.
1850 E. E. Stuart Let. 3 Oct. in R. Stuart et al. Stuart Lett. (1961) I. 140 They now, instead of being cumberers of the ground, would have been active useful members of Christ's Body.
1929 Man 29 143 John Smith..as a baptised Christian, is the child of God, born as a member of Christ.
1989 C. Bernheimer Figures of Ill Repute viii. 251 Lydwine's reception of the stigmata is not a further emblem of her castration, but a symbol of her being intact as a member of the mystical body of Christ.
II. Senses relating to a part of an inanimate structure or immaterial thing.† 8. Music. A component of a piece of music. Obsolete. rare.
3.
a. Any of the constituent components of a complex structure. Now: spec. a component of a load-bearing structure.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > constituent part or component
limbc1000
membera1382
elementc1386
parcelc1395
ingredientc1460
partc1530
ingredience1577
principle1594
simple1603
composer1610
partiment1641
component1644
constitutive1647
composite1657
integral1659
ingredient1674
aggregant1749
constituent1757
congredient1767
factor1816
integrant1825
inclusion1845
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Josh. Prol. l. 6 We monesche þe redere þat þe woode of Ebrew namys & distynccyons by menbrys dyuyded þe bysy writere kepe wel.
a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe Prol. 66 The figures and the membres of thyn Astrelabie.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. v. xii. 48 (Plate) Ye names of ye members of a pece of Ordnance.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 321/2 In it [sc. the Vice] there are several parts and Members.
1855 A. Bain Senses & Intellect Introd. ii. 37 Each couple [of nerves] contains a right and a left member.
1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 45 There is not a perpendicular line in any of the cantilevers... The rising members, the members that withstand the compressing, are..all tubes.
1901 J. Black Illustr. Carpenter & Builder Ser.: Scaffolding 64 The horizontal members of the brackets extend out 5ft. at right angles to the uprights.
1946 A. Nelson Princ. Agric. Bot. viii. 181 The andrœcium is of five stamens inserted on the same radii as the perianth members.
1976 Railway Mag. Aug. 391/2 Neoprene-bonded cork is used to insulate the plywood panels from the support members.
1989 E. M. Ripin et al. Early Keyboard Instruments i. 85 Its [sc. the instrument's] case bracing is accomplished by full-depth members crossing the case from the bentside to the spine.
b. Architecture. Any of the parts of a building; spec. any of the mouldings in a collection of mouldings, as in a cornice, capital, base, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > other elements > [noun]
member1679
reprisal1888
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > architectural ornament > [noun] > moulding > belonging to specific group of mouldings
member1679
1679 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. ix. 154 Architecture considers the best forming of all Members in a Building.
1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. ii. iii. 567 The different pieces of the combination of mouldings are called members.
1849 J. Ruskin Seven Lamps Archit. ii. 35 In later Gothic the pinnacle became gradually a decorative member.
1856 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire IV. xli. 540 The whole space was..decorated with all the forms and members of Roman architecture.
1947 Man 46 30/1 All decorative members, flutings, steps, etc., have disappeared.
1980 A. Snodgrass Archaic Greece 180 A well-executed decoration in pattern form..would come naturally to men who were already applying patterned mouldings to architectural members.
4. † b. A branch or department of a trade, art, or profession. Obsolete.† c. A subdivision of a class. Obsolete. rare.
a. A component part or branch of a political or commercial body. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > a or the state > [noun] > part of
member1387
estate1425
1387–8 Petition London Mercers in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 34 The folk of the Mercerye of London, [as] a membre of the same citee.
1414 Rolls of Parl. IV. 22/2 The Comune of youre lond, the whiche that is, & ever hath be, a membre of youre Parlement.
1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 192 The Council of Ten, though it be a member of great importance, yet is it rather accessary..than principal.
1818 H. Hallam View Europe Middle Ages II. viii. 313 By estates of the realm they meant members, or necessary parts of the parliament.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest IV. xviii. 208 A member, doubtless the foremost member of the Danish Civic Confederation, it still retained a Danish patriciate of twelve hereditary Lawmen.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > [noun] > regular occupation, trade, or profession > branch of occupation or profession
member1463
1463–4 Rolls of Parl. V. 502/2 Ordeyn..that every..Clothmaker..pay to the Carders, Spynners, and all other the Laborers of eny membr' therof..money for all their lefull wages..uppon peyne of forfeiture..of the treble of his seid wages..to eny such Laborer by hym put to occupacion in eny of the seid membres of makyng of Cloth.
1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII c. 40 §3 The science of phisike doth..include..the knowledge of surgery as a speciall membre and parte of the same.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > [noun] > a kind, sort, or class > a subordinate class or group
subdivisiona1450
under-kind1571
membera1631
subdenomination1630
subdistinction1665
subkind1820
subgroup1826
subform1844
subclass1852
subset1881
subworld1887
subgenre1903
a1631 J. Donne Βιαθανατος (1647) ii. vi. §5 The next Member and species of Homicide, which is, Assistance.
5. † b. A place having a subordinate or dependent relation to a port. Obsolete.† c. An outlying portion of a range of mountains, buildings, etc. Obsolete. rare.
a. A section or district, esp. an outlying part of an estate, manor, parish, etc. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > an administrative division of territory > [noun]
purprisea1275
member?a1425
precinct1447
lordshipa1450
captainate1593
region1593
partiality1601
division1640
peopledom1657
convent1658
district1667
mastership1707
superintendency1798
area1849
?a1425 (a1400) Brut (Corpus Cambr.) 330 (MED) Þat abbay, wiþ all her membres & appurtenaunces.
1450 Rolls of Parl. V. 187/2 Havyng estate in the seid Castell, Lordship, Maner, and Membres.
1485 Rolls of Parl. VI. 357/2 Oure Honour of Walingford, with the members, in the Countie of Berks.
a1647 T. Habington Surv. Worcs. (Worcs. Hist. Soc.) (1895) I. iii. 405 Werneleg a member of Owld Swinford.
1730 Magna Britannia I. 755/2 Crimscote... Peter de Montfort held it with Whitchurch, of which it was originally a Member.
1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Halton, or Haulton It..remains a member of the duchy of Lancaster.
1863 Cornhill Mag. Oct. 609 A hamlet or member of a manor was often called a Berwick.
1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon I. 339 Thurlford was a small hamlet, a member of a very large parish.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > berthing, mooring, or anchoring > harbour or port > [noun] > town possessing > types of
member1485
free port1530
member-porta1623
port of entry1714
lake-port1837
treaty-port1863
passport port1898
1485 Rolls of Parl. VI. 341/1 Men of the v Portes, or of any their members.
?1577 C. Baker Declar. Iron Furnaces & Ports in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1933) 48 99 Portesmouthe haven a member of Southampton.
1676 London Gaz. No. 1084/1 If any of the said Ships shall be in any Port of this Kingdom, or in any Member or Creek thereof.
1769 Defoe's Tour Great Brit. (ed. 7) II. 364 Swanzy..is a Member of the Port of Caerdiff.
1790 New Ann. Reg. 1789 Public Papers 132/2 The member is distinguished by a subordination to, and dependence upon, the head port.
1813 Beawes's Lex Mercatoria (ed. 6) I. 246 Members, places where anciently a custom house was kept, with officers or deputies in attendance. They were lawful places of exportation or importation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > outlying part
member1601
outlier1852
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [noun] > additional or separate part
penthousea1400
wing1523
member1601
annexation1611
additionc1638
adject1784
annexe1829
extension1852
out-quarter1888
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. vi. xvii. 125 As for the hils Imaus, Emodisus, Paropamisus, as parts all and members of Caucasus.
1628 T. Venner Baths of Bathe 2 The Queenes Bath is a member of the Kings Bath, a wall onely going betweene them.
6. Rhetoric. A division or clause of a sentence or (occasionally) of a longer piece of text; a branch of a disjunctive proposition. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > a written composition > extract > [noun]
stitchena1225
outdraughtc1300
draught1382
sentencec1400
article1417
place1526
membera1535
gobbet?1550
extracture1602
excerption1614
excerpta1638
analects1641
extraction1656
extract1666
selection1805
worksheet1823
reading1828
screed1829
sectiuncle1838
snippet1864
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic unit or constituent > [noun] > clause
clausec1374
particlea1530
limb1577
member1762
main clause1853
colon1883
a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) i. viii. sig. B.iiii We shal therfore to geue it light withal touch euery member somewhat more at large.
1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper i. 8 I have..cast the Text according to the number of the verses, into three plain and conspicuous members.
1654 Z. Coke Art of Logick 215 Under-titles also of Controversies must be disposed according the members of the Probleme to be handled.
1659 J. Pearson Expos. Apostles Creed i. 8 As, for the other member of the Division, we may now plainly perceive that it is thus to be defined.
1741 I. Watts Improvem. Mind i. xiii. 181 The Opponent must directly prove his own Proposition in that Sense, and according to that Member of the Distinction in which the Respondent deny'd it.
1762 R. Lowth Short Introd. Eng. Gram. (1763) 170 The Colon, or Member, is a chief constructive part, or greater division, of a Sentence.
1816 L. Murray Eng. Gram. Illustr. (ed. 3) I. iii. 270 The simple members of compound sentences.
1891 S. R. Driver Introd. Lit. Old Test. (1892) 429 The verse itself may consist of one or more members; but each member..is divided by a cæsura into two unequal parts.
1981 Zeitschr. f. Anglistik u. Amerikanistik 29 22 The structure of the English and Czech sentences is implemented by the so-called members of the sentence.
7. Mathematics.
a. A symbol or group of symbols forming part of a numerical or algebraic expression.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > mathematical notation or symbol > [noun] > figure > groupings of figures
bimedial1570
member1608
degree1678
period1678
octad1801
1608 R. Norton tr. S. Stevin Disme: Art of Tenths sig. Aiij Every three Characters of a Number is called a Member..as in the number 357,876,297, the 297 is called the first Member.
1685 J. Wallis Treat. Algebra xxiii. 102 And here for every Figure or Member of the Root, we are to seek not only the several Members of the Cube, but of the Square also.
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Unciæ, in Algebra, signify those Numbers which are prefixed before the Letters of the Members of any Power produced from a Binomial, Residual, or Multinomial Root.
1875 Chem. News 9 Apr. 154/2 Its symbol will be {h k l, e f g}, where the second member of the symbol represents the poles equidistant with the poles {h k l} [etc.].
1926 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 111 84 Each term..in general will be a multiple term consisting of several members with different values of the ‘inner quantum number’ j.
b. Either of the two sides of an equation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > algebra > [noun] > expression > equation > either side of
member1702
1702 J. Raphson Math. Dict. Equation, (in Algebra) is a Comparison between two Quantities (or Members of the Equation,) to make them equal.
a1831 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) I. 544/2 Both members of an equation may be raised to the same power, or the same root of them may be extracted.
1859 Ladies' Repository Oct. 626/1 The equation to be solved is, x4−2x3+x=132, which, by transposing the second member, may be put under the form, x4−2x3+x−132.
1903 J. Walker Introd. Physical Chem. (ed. 3) xxvi. 307 Eliminating what is common to both members of the equation.
1972 M. Kline Math. Thought v. 122 An expression corresponding to the left or right member reappears under the concept of anharmonic ratio in the work of Pappus and in later work on projective geometry.
ΚΠ
1782 C. Burney Gen. Hist. Music II. 171 Music..is now become a rich, expressive, and picturesque language in itself; having its forms, proportions, contrasts, punctuations, members, phrases, and periods.
1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music at Passage Every member of a strain or movement is a passage.
III. Senses relating to an individual or constituent element within a social or other organized structure.
9. † c. A person who takes part in an action, shares in a benefit, etc. Obsolete.
a. Any of the individuals, countries, etc., belonging to or forming a group, society, committee, or assembly. Also formerly: †an inhabitant or native of a country or city (obsolete). member-at-large: a member of a committee, group, etc., with no specific responsibilities.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > part of body > [noun]
limbc1000
partyc1300
feature1393
member?a1400
partc1400
dimension1600
site1861
society > society and the community > social relations > an association, society, or organization > [noun] > member
schoolmanOE
fellowc1300
member?a1400
confrater1583
associationist1845
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 130 (MED) I þe forbede to chalange any clerke In lay courte..tille þat courte com to of whilk he is membre calde.
c1400 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 442 God and iche membre of his Chirche bene weddid togedre.
a1500 (a1455) in C. Monro Lett. Margaret of Anjou (1863) 124 Unto you that bene a member of chirche.
1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) i. vii. sig. h.i v The..holy goost vnyeth & vnyfyeth all these membres of the holy chirche in one.
1521 W. Warham Let. 8 Mar. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. I. 240 Seyng your Grace is the moost honorable membyr that ever was of that Universitie.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cccxiiiiv & with his protection to defend the members of the church.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost iv. i. 41 Here comes a member of the common wealth. View more context for this quotation
1640 Whole Bk. Psalmes: ‘Bay Psalm Bk.’ Pref. sig. *3 Therefore not some select members, but the whole Church is communicated to teach one another in all the special singing of Davids psalmes.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Pastorals ix, in tr. Virgil Wks. 42 Yet have the Muses made Me free, a Member of the tuneful trade.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 34. ¶1 The Club of which I am a Member.
1738 S.-Carolina Gaz. 30 Mar. 2/1 And 'tis observable, to the Honour of the Fraternity of real Free Masons (of which by the Way I am no Member) that no sort of People express'd a greater Abhorrence of the Fact on all Occasion than they did.
1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 78 I should be happy, if I were a useful member of society.
1842 A. Alison Hist. Europe from French Revol. X. lxxviii. 983 The state becomes poor, and its members rich.
1868 Debates & Proc. Constit. State Arkansas 677 Each county should be allowed at least one member in the House of Representatives, and in case of excesses, then a member at large, for the Senatorial district..should be chosen.
1891 Law Times 92 123/2 The Lord Chancellor need not be a member of the House of Lords of which he is the Speaker.
1938 D. Baker Young Man with Horn v. 42 Smoke and Rick came to learn, and they got proper teaching. They learned the playing style of Jeff's band so well that they should have been known as members-at-large.
1958 G. Greene Our Man in Havana ii. i. 70 Wormold found a list of Country Club members in Milly's room.
1995 Times 9 June 17/1 The other EU members would gang up against Britain.
b. colloquial in later use. Short for ‘member of the community’; a person, a citizen.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > [noun]
hadc900
lifesmaneOE
maneOE
world-maneOE
ghostOE
wyeOE
lifeOE
son of manOE
wightc1175
soulc1180
earthmanc1225
foodc1225
person?c1225
creaturec1300
bodyc1325
beera1382
poppetc1390
flippera1400
wat1399
corsec1400
mortal?a1425
deadly?c1450
hec1450
personagec1485
wretcha1500
human1509
mundane1509
member1525
worma1556
homo1561
piece of flesh1567
sconce1567
squirrel?1567
fellow creature1572
Adamite1581
bloat herringa1586
earthling1593
mother's child1594
stuff1598
a piece of flesh1600
wagtail1607
bosom1608
fragment1609
boots1623
tick1631
worthy1649
earthlies1651
snap1653
pippin1665
being1666
personal1678
personality1678
sooterkin1680
party1686
worldling1687
human being1694
water-wagtail1694
noddle1705
human subject1712
piece of work1713
somebody1724
terrestrial1726
anybody1733
individual1742
character1773
cuss1775
jig1781
thingy1787
bod1788
curse1790
his nabs1790
article1796
Earthite1814
critter1815
potato1815
personeityc1816
nibs1821
somebody1826
tellurian1828
case1832
tangata1840
prawn1845
nigger1848
nut1856
Snooks1860
mug1865
outfit1867
to deliver the goods1870
hairpin1879
baby1880
possum1894
hot tamale1895
babe1900
jobbie1902
virile1903
cup of tea1908
skin1914
pisser1918
number1919
job1927
apple1928
mush1936
face1944
jong1956
naked ape1965
oke1970
punter1975
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Chron. ii. ccxxxv. [ccxxxi.] f. ccciiiiv/1 Where as therle and his chyldren shulde be great membres in Englande.
1573 I. Whitney Sweet Nosgay sig. Bviv The Plowman is accompted smal his reputation none: Yet of the members in a Realme of chiefest he is one.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) v. i. 235 These poore informall women, are no more But instruments of some more mightier member That sets them on. View more context for this quotation
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Coxcombe i. v, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Nn2v/1 You'le keep no Whores, Rogue, no good members.
1888 J. Runciman Chequers 187 You're a red-hot member!
1891 Sporting Life (Philadelphia) 28 Mar. 3/5 But, warm a member as our hero was, standing in front of a blazing furnace for hours..was too hot even for Jem's sanguinary temperament.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xii. [Cyclops] 291 Gob, he's a prudent member and no mistake.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > [noun] > participation in common interest > one who participates
party1399
member?a1560
intercommoner1581
fellow commoner1591
participate1648
?a1560 in T. Wright Songs & Ballads Reign Philip & Mary (1860) 3 To be members of mersye he hathe us up lyfft.
1569 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1878) 1st Ser. II. 66 The authoris and members of the said commotioun.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. i. 169 All members of our cause both here and hence. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iii. iv. 110 That..I may againe Exist, and be a member of his loue. View more context for this quotation
d. U.S. slang. A black person, esp. one regarded as a compatriot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > black person > [noun]
AfriceOE
MoorOE
EthiopOE
blomana1225
Ethiopiana1325
blue mana1387
Moriana1387
black mana1398
blackamoor1525
black Morian1526
black boy1530
molen1538
Nigro1548
Nigrite1554
Negro1555
neger1568
nigger1577
blackfellow1598
Kaffir1607
black1614
thick-lipsa1616
Hubsheea1627
black African1633
blackface1704
sambo1704
Cuffee1713
Nigritian1738
fellow1753
Cuff1755
blacky1759
mungo1768
Quashie1774
darkie?1775
snowball1785
blue skin1788
Moriscan1794
sooterkin1821
nigc1832
tar-brush1835–40
Jim Crow1838
sooty1838
mokec1847
dinge1848
monkey1849
Siddi1849
dark1853
nigre1853
Negroid1860
kink1865
Sam1867
Rastus1882
schvartze1886
race man1896
possum1900
shine1908
jigaboo1909
smoke1913
golliwog1916
jazzbo1918
boogie1923
jig1924
melanoderm1924
spade1928
jit1931
Zulu1931
eight ball1932
Afro1942
nigra1944
spook1945
munt1948
Tom1956
boot1957
soul brother1957
nig-nog1959
member1962
pork chop1963
splib1964
blood1965
non-voter1966
moolinyan1967
Oreo1968
boogaloo1972
pongo1972
moolie1988
1962 N.Y. Times Mag. 20 May . 45/4 Member, a Negro.
1963 L. Hairston in Freedomways Winter 53 Three more, one of 'em a member,..sailed over.
1966 S. Stevens Go down Dead 63 One cat near me he talking to this chick he saying to her ‘The word member means negro. You white are call grays or ofays.’
1970 C. Major Dict. Afro-Amer. Slang 81 Member,..one black person to another; club member; member of the race.
1987 D. Covin Brown Sky vii. 91 Well, the shit has done got so bad, that the members just ain't gon' take it no more.
10. A person formally elected as a representative to a parliament or other legislative body. More fully Member of Parliament, (in the United States) Member of Congress, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > English or British parliament > [noun] > Member of Parliament
member1454
parliament man1555
parliamentary1626
parliamenter1656
MP1764
parliamentarian1834
MSP1994
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > other national governing or legislative bodies > [noun] > in U.S.A. > member of
Member of Congress1774
Congressman1780
state senator1800
M.C.1832
freshman1892
majority leader1909
Minority Leader1909
congressperson1972
1454 Rolls of Parl. V. 240/1 Any persone that is a membre of this high Court of Parlement.
1477 Rolls of Parl. VI. 191/2 All the membres usually called to the forseid Parlementes.
1542 King Henry VIII in State Papers Henry VIII (1834) III. 395 But you muste remembre, that the heire of th'Erle of Thomond from hensforth, must abide his tyme to be admitted as a membre of our Parlyament, till his father or parent shalbe decessed.
1604 Orig. Jrnls. House of Commons 19 Mar. 3 f. 7 The intrusion of sundry gentlemen his Mjests servants and others (no members of Parliament) into the higher House.
1649 Εἰκων Βασιλικη iii. 12 My going to the Hous of Commons to demand Justice upon the five Members, was an act, which My enemies loaded with all the obloquies and exasperations they could.
1711 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 8 Dec. (1948) II. 433 I dined with Dr. Cockburn, and after a Scotch member came in, and told us that the clause was carried against the Court in the house of lords.
1752 W. Kenrick Parodi-tragi-comical Satire ii. 11 You heard I suppose, I was chosen Member for our Borough, and that obliges me you know to attend the Parliament.
1774 G. Washington Writings (1889) II. 438 Dined at the State House, at an entertainment given by the city [of Philadelphia] to the members of the Congress.
1822 Ld. J. Russell in Select. Speeches (1870) I. 205 My hon. Friend the member for Winchelsea.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. ii. 175 The Commons began by resolving that every member should [etc.].
1884 H. C. Bunner in B. Matthews & H. C. Bunner In Partnership 83 The member from New Jersey..engaged him in debate.
1949 Sooner Mag. (Norman, Oklahoma) June 22/3 Before joining the Foreign Service he was Secretary to a member of Congress for a year.
1977 H. Kaplan Damascus Cover (1978) v. 54 [He] is a member of the Syrian Parliament.
1991 Pink Paper 30 Mar. 5/1 Hazel Hannan [is] a member of the House of Keys (MHK) and a key figure in the reform campaign.
11.
a. Any of the items forming a series; any of the individual constituents or elements belonging to a group or class; any of the animals or plants belonging to or forming a group of related organisms.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > [noun] > a series or succession > member or item in a series
article1606
link1732
term1792
member1816
serie1840
1816 P. Cleaveland Elem. Treat. Mineral. & Geol. 284 Basalt often forms one member of a series, beginning with gravel, sand, and clay; this clay gradually becomes less sandy and harder, till it passes into wacke, and the wacke is by insensible degrees lost in Basalt.
1839 C. Darwin in R. Fitzroy & C. Darwin Narr. Surv. Voy. H.M.S. Adventure & Beagle III. xix. 460 One of the most singular characters of the Flora, considering the position of this archipelago, is the absence of every member of the palm family.
1873 C. H. Ralfe Outl. Physiol. Chem. Introd. 17 Series of this kind are termed homologous series, and the members are said to be homologues of one another.
1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns 165 The division walls between the members of the series.
1937 S. F. Armstrong Brit. Grasses (ed. 3) vii. 92 British members of this genus may be recognised by the rather large several-flowered spikelets.
1946 A. Nelson Princ. Agric. Bot. xxv. 487 Common potato-scab is caused by a member of the Actinomycetes group.
1957 H. S. Zim & P. R. Shaffer Rocks & Minerals 106 Olivine, also called chrysolite or peridot, is the most common member of a group of silicates.
1999 New Scientist 31 July 12/3 Ropinirole is a newer member of an established class of drugs called dopamine agonists.
b. Mathematics. Any of the individual entities belonging to a set (set n.2 10c); = element n. 5d.
ΚΠ
1889 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 12 44 Every such solution can be expressed in terms of the members of the above set.
1900 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 1 333 The circles form two sets of four, every member of either set being orthogonal to every member of the other.
1944 E. P. Northrop Riddles in Math. ix. 204 We shall denote by S the class of all self-membered classes—that is, classes which are members of themselves.
1983 R. B. J. T. Allenby Rings, Fields & Groups 2 A set with no members is called an empty set.
B. adj.
That is a member, esp. of an international organization or confederation. Cf. member bank n. at Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > an association, society, or organization > [adjective]
membral1603
aggregatea1625
associational1815
member1870
teleocratic1955
1870 Jrnl. Proc. Convent. Delegates elected by People of Tennessee 59 The people of the territory of the United States south of the Ohio river, having the right of admission into the General Government as a member State thereof.
1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 28 May 429/4 Common action by a society of States against a member-State.
1953 Times 31 Oct. 5/6 Further concrete steps can be taken to remove quantitative restrictions on trade to achieve the abolition of such restrictions between member countries.
1962 Economist 17 Nov. 701/1 The member-societies announced a reduction.
1971 W. Z. Laqueur Dict. Politics 525 All member nations have one voice and one vote.
1991 Community Devel. Jrnl. 26 277 Inter-Group Associations (IGAs)..should be monitoring the progress and performance of their constituent member groups.
Compounds
C1. Compounds of the noun.
member-mug n. slang (now rare) a chamber pot.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > chamber-pot, etc.
jordan1402
pissing vessel1440
pisspot1440
urinalc1475
pissing basin1481
piss bowlc1527
chamber vessel?1529
chamber pot1540
pot1568
jordan-pot1577
night-tub1616
looking-glassa1627
water-pot1629
chamber utensil1699
member-mug1699
utensil1699
pot de chambre1777
chanty1788
pig1810
piss bucket1819
chamber1829
jerry1859
po1880
thunder-mug1890
article1922
potty1937
honeypotc1947
totty-pot1966
piss-tin1974
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Member-mug, a Chamber-pot.
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue Member Mug, a chamber pot.
1932 W. H. Auden Orators iii. 104 The war-memorials decorate with member-mugs.
C2. Compounds of the adjective.† member-port n. Obsolete = sense A. 5b.
member bank n. a bank which belongs to a central banking or clearing system; (spec. in the United States) a bank belonging to the Federal Reserve System.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > financial dealings > banking > [noun] > bank > other types of bank
merchant bank1620
land-bank1696
private bank1696
paper bankc1720
national bank1736
bank of circulation1767
bank of deposit1767
corporate bank1780
state bank1791
branch bank1796
reserve bank1816
investment bank1824
bank of issue1831
commercial bank1838
red dog1838
wild cat1838
central bank1841
national bank1864
investment house1878
issue house1878
clearing-bank1883
issuing house1890
member bank1914
custodian1915
merchant banker1924
Swiss bank1949
development bank1950
Transcash1982
telephone bank1985
bancassurer1991
1914 Federal Reserve Act §1 The term ‘member bank’ shall be held to mean any national bank, state bank, or bank or trust company which has become a member of one of the reserve banks created by this Act.
1948 G. Crowther Outl. Money (ed. 2) ii. 43 The banks other than the Central Bank are usually called ‘joint-stock banks’ in Great Britain and ‘member banks’ in the United States (i.e. members of the Federal Reserve System).
2000 Independent (Nexis) 26 Feb. 5 His remarks came just days before the member banks of Link, the national cash-machine network, were due to agree a new charging structure for automatic teller machine (ATM) withdrawals.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > berthing, mooring, or anchoring > harbour or port > [noun] > town possessing > types of
member1485
free port1530
member-porta1623
port of entry1714
lake-port1837
treaty-port1863
passport port1898
a1623 W. Camden in T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1886) II. 279 Sandwich & the Member-Portes in Kent.
1656 T. Tucker Rep. in Misc. Sc. Burgh Rec. Soc. (1881) 24 A checque, and three wayters, some of which are still sent into the member ports.
Derivatives
ΚΠ
1648 J. Cotton Way Congregational Churches ii. 18 Every Member of the Body hath a special Calling distinct from such Believers or others, as are not yet received into Member-like communion with this or that particular Church.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† memberv.1
Obsolete.
transitive. To mention; to remember; to be mindful of.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > retention in the mind > retain in the memory [verb (transitive)]
i-mune971
to have (also bear, keep, hold, etc.) in minda1200
withholdc1200
membera1382
treasure1382
demeanc1460
mindc1460
retain1474
keep1574
to take (a thing) with one1577
carry1583
weara1586
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Wisd. xi. 14 Þei membreden þe lord.
c1460 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Oseney Abbey (1907) 71 (MED) Hit is to be membrid that þabbot of Oseney hath in Walton Diuerse londes and tenementes.
1589 W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) v. xxiiii. 108 They Carles garre syke a dinne, That more we member of their iapes [1602 they member vs of iapes] than mende vs of our sinne.
1589 W. Warner Albions Eng. (new ed.) vi. xxx. 131 I member scarce thy arging.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
memberv.2
/ˈmɛmbə/, U.S. /ˈmɛmbər/ colloquial (chiefly U.S.).
transitive. To remember.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > call to mind, recollect [verb (transitive)]
i-thenchec897
bethinkOE
mingOE
thinkOE
monelOE
umbethinkc1175
to draw (also take) into (or to) memorya1275
minc1330
record1340
revert1340
remembera1382
mindc1384
monishc1384
to bring to mindc1390
remenec1390
me meanetha1400
reducec1425
to call to mind1427
gaincall1434
pense1493
remord?1507
revocate1527
revive1531
cite1549
to call back1572
recall1579
to call to mind (also memory, remembrance)1583
to call to remembrance1583
revoke1586
reverse1590
submonish1591
recover1602
recordate1603
to call up1606
to fetch up1608
reconjure1611
collect1612
remind1615
recollect1631
rememorize1632
retrieve1644
think1671
reconnoitre1729
member1823
reminisce1829
rememorate1835
recomember1852
evoke1856
updraw1879
withcall1901
access1978
1823 J. F. Cooper Pioneers I. iv. 62 Yes, Massa Richard, I 'member 'em!
1899 R. Kipling Stalky & Co. 254 'Member the snow all white on his eyebrows, Tertius?
1921 H. Williamson Beautiful Years 24 I axe ye to 'member thaät ye axe me to tend to all of ees cloes!
1936 M. Mitchell Gone with the Wind lxi. 1009 I gave him to you, once before—'member?—before he was born.
1945 ‘O. Malet’ My Bird Sings ii. x. 167 ‘I remember Papa!’ shouted out Amaryllis... ‘So do I 'member Papa!’ said Acanthus.
1971 Black World June 72/2 You member the day I left, Carrie Jean?
1991 R. R. McCammon Boy's Life iii. vi. 277 ‘I 'member you,’ he said. ‘Sim's house. Little fucker.’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.c1300
v.1a1382
v.21823