notionn.
/ˈnəʊʃn/, U.S. /ˈnoʊʃ(ə)n/ I. An idea or concept, and related senses.† 3. Knowledge or understanding; the mind, the intellect. Obsolete.† 5. The connotation or meaning of a word or term. Obsolete.† 6. A phrase, a term. Obsolete. rare.
1. † c. A form or guise in which something appears or is thought to consist; a form attributed to something. Obsolete.
a. A concept or idea, in various philosophical uses; spec. (a) Theology a character or relation through which the Persons of the Trinity are distinguished; (b) Logic = intention n. 11, esp. in first notions, second notions (now rare).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical classification > [noun] > logical concept > general concept
notiona1398
generalty1442
intention?1545
concept1561
conceit1576
conceptus1643
conception1701
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 9 Nociones beþ fyve..paternitas & innascibilitas, ffiliacio, processio, & comunis spiracio... Þese fyue nociouns beþ I-clepid nociones, for he notifieth þe persones.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 10 Þis word, principium, is I-take for twey persones and tokeneth on nocioun, þat is, þe comyn spiracioun.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Apol. Poetrie (1595) sig. C1v And the Metaphisick, though it be in the seconde and abstract notions, and therefore be counted supernaturall: yet doth hee indeede builde vpon the depth of Nature.
1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 502 This..alone maketh the differences of Images as wee call them or Abstracted Notions.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1958) IX. 61 God is the God of the whole world, in the generall notion, as he is so, God; but he is my God, most especially, and most applyably, as he is received by me in the severall notions of Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost.
1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iii. v. 206 Essences of the Species of mixed Modes, are by a more particular Name called Notions.
1725 I. Watts Logick 246 It is very useful to have some general principles of truth settled in the mind... These may be called first notions, or fundamental principles.
1785 T. Reid Ess. Intellect. Powers v. v, in Wks. (1846) 403 The words notion and conception, in their proper and most common sense, signify the act and operation of the mind in conceiving an object.
1833 W. Hamilton in Edinb. Rev. Apr. 210 A first notion is the conception of a thing as it exists of itself... A second notion is the conception, not of an object as it is in reality, but of the mode under which it is conceived by the mind.
1864 F. C. Bowen Treat. Logic iv. 70 A second intention or notion is a Concept which denotes first intentions in their relation, not to the things denoted, but to each other.
1912 A. Preuss tr. J. Poule Divine Trinity 241 The Notions of the Son are Filiation..and active Spiration..whereas the one distinctive Notion of the Holy Ghost is passive Spiration.
1957 B. J. F. Lonergan Insight xii. 356 The notion of being..is prior to conception and goes beyond it; and it is prior to judgment and goes beyond it. That notion must be the immanent, dynamic orientation of cognitional process.
1980 J. A. Hardon Mod. Catholic Dict. (1981) 380/2 In the Trinity, notions are the distinctive characteristics of the divine persons by which they are known.
b. A general concept, category, or designation, esp. one under which something is comprehended or classed; a classificatory term. Frequently with of.In the 17th and 18th centuries very common in under the notion of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > [noun] > a kind, sort, or class
kinc950
kindOE
distinction?c1225
rowc1300
spece1303
spice1303
fashionc1325
espicec1386
differencea1398
statec1450
sort?1523
notion1531
species1561
vein1568
brood1581
rank1585
order1588
race1590
breed1598
strain1612
batch1616
tap1623
siege1630
subdivision1646
notionality1651
category1660
denomination1664
footmark1666
genus1666
world1685
sortment1718
tribe1731
assortment1767
description1776
style1794
grouping1799
classification1803
subcategory1842
type1854
basket1916
1531 J. Vaus Rudimenta (new ed.) iii. sig. ffiiijv I haue collekit als scortly as I ma, in manere of rude introductione, generale notionis of the aucht partis of orisone.
1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 8v We haue beene occasioned, and shall be hereafter to vse it as the generaltie or notion of the name and stock in these kindes.
1642 in Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion (1702) I. v. 400 Neither House had Presented them [sc. the Malignant Party] to his Majesty, under such a Notion, as he might well understand, Whom they intended.
1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme i. vii. §5 The notion or idea of God..is no more arbitrarious or fictitious than the notion of a cube or tetraedrum or any other of the regular bodies in Geometry.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ix. 52 These opposite parties,..concurring in doctrine, under the generall notion of Protestants.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ix. 192 No Spaniard setting foot on English ground, under other notion then a prisoner.
1710 J. Swift Tale of Tub (ed. 5) Apol. sig. A2v Under the Notion of Prejudices, he knew to what dangerous Heights some Men have proceeded.
1745 Bp. J. Butler Serm. in Wks. (1874) II. 276 It is true..children may be taught superstition, under the notion of religion.
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. i. v. 107 The notion of illocality is at least as old as Aristotle.
1836 J. Gilbert Christian Atonem. i. 23 It must be some other than the rule of perfection itself under the notion of law.
1864 F. C. Bowen Treat. Logic v. 138 When we bring an object under a notion, that is, when we predicate of it that it belongs to such a class.
1880 Macmillan's Mag. Dec. 149 Can you conceive such a thing as the notion of a bishopess?
1958 I. Berlin Two Concepts of Liberty 13 The notion of individual rights absent from the legal conceptions of the Romans and Greeks.
1991 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 36 279 F and L make a conscious attempt to show that tense and aspect are distinct, if interrelated, notions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > [noun] > in which anything exists or is conceived
notion1649
shape1667
the world > existence and causation > existence > extrinsicality or externality > [noun] > mode or form of existence
formc1310
affection?1543
modification1644
notion1649
mode1668
modus1675
1649 Kingdomes Weekly Intelligencer No. 323. 1453 There were many ships rifled, taken and sunke the last week by the Princes Fleet (or Pirates under that notion).
1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine ii. xiii. 274 Angels in the shape of men, Christ in the notion of an Angel.
1651 R. Baxter Plain Script. Proof Infants Church-membership & Baptism 47 It is the same thing in another notion.
1764 ‘G. Psalmanazar’ Memoirs 147 I travelled several hundred leagues..under the notion of a Japanese converted to Christianity.
2. A belief, opinion, theory, or view, held by a person or (now more usually) a group of people.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > [noun] > a view, notion, opinion
thingOE
thoughtc1300
opinion1340
device1393
holdingc1449
opinationc1475
sense1539
apprehension1579
suppose1587
supposal1589
conception1603
notion1603
opining1611
tenet1631
respect1662
sentiment1675
perception1701
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > idea, notion, or concept > [noun] > occupying the mind
thoughta1250
apprehension1579
intellection1579
reflect1594
notion1603
idea1633
reflection1648
presentment1817
earthly1897
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 1087 See how these Philosophers mainteine ordinary custome, and teach according to common notions [Fr. les communes conceptions].
1628 J. Doughty Church-Schismes in Disc. Divine Mysteries 23 Agrippa among others his foppish notions, perswades vs [etc.].
1697 C. Leslie Snake in Grass (ed. 2) 12 It will be very hard..to make Sense of the Quaker Notion of the Light within.
1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence viii. 372 That Notion of the Schools, of Sins being an Aversion from God.
1777 J. Brand Observ. Pop. Antiq. Gen. Pref. p. vii Seemingly trivial Reasons assigned for the beginning..of this or that Notion or Ceremony.
1857 F. D. Maurice Epist. St. John ix. 135 It is not a new notion..that the history of the world is divided into certain great periods.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest IV. xviii. 134 It is further remarkable as showing that the notion of succession through females was already beginning to be entertained.
1915 C. P. Gilman Herland in Forerunner Sept. 241/1 It was the eager happiness of the children and young people which first made me see the folly of that common notion of ours—that if life was smooth and happy people would not enjoy it.
1973 R. Ellman Golden Codgers ii. 22 The notion that Christianity was merely a late development of Buddhism.
2001 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 4 Oct. 10 (advt.) Martin Rees explores the notion that our universe is just a part of a vast..ensemble of universes.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intellect > [noun]
i-witc888
anyitOE
witOE
thoughtOE
inwitc1305
intention1340
mindc1384
understandingc1384
intentc1386
intelligencec1390
intellecta1398
minda1398
understanda1400
intellectionc1449
ingeny1477
intellectivec1484
mind-sight1587
intellectual1598
notion1604
intelligency1663
mental1676
nous1678
grasp1683
thinker1835
Geist1871
noesis1881
1604 R. Cawdrey Table Alphabet. Notion, inwarde knowledge, or vnderstanding.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear iv. 222 Either his notion, weaknes, or his discernings are lethergie. View more context for this quotation
1649 Bp. J. Taylor Great Exemplar sect. vii. §5 Whether it were..by increase of notion or experience, it is certain the promotions of the holy Child were great.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 179 The Acts of God..Cannot without process of speech be told, So told as earthly notion can receave. View more context for this quotation
4.
a. An idea in a person's mind; a person's conception or understanding of something.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > idea, notion, or concept > [noun]
thoughtOE
thingOE
conceita1393
imagea1393
concept1479
conception1526
suppositiona1529
idee1542
idea1585
conceivement1599
project1600
representationa1602
notion1607
phantasma1620
conceptus1643
species1644
notice1654
revolution1675
representamen1677
vorstellung1807
brain-stuff1855
ideation1876
think1886
artefact1923
construct1933
mind1966
the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > epistemology > [noun] > cognition > concept
conception1526
concept1561
conceit1576
representationa1602
notion1607
dicible1656
pseudo-concept1866
cogitatum1878
1607 B. Jonson Volpone ii. i. sig. D3 I haue some generall notions; I do loue To note, and to obserue. View more context for this quotation
1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) ii. §1 Charity, without which Faith is a meer notion, and of no existence. View more context for this quotation
c1680 W. Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 279 That you may be able to form such an idea or notion of it.
1738 S.-Carolina Gaz. 2 Nov. 2/2 In order to give the Men a better Notion and Insight into the Exercise, the Officers drew out and form'd a distinct Company.
1760 S. Johnson Idler 15 Mar. 81 Her Notion of a Joke is not very delicate.
1781 W. Cowper Truth 424 His books well trimm'd..teach him notions splendid as themselves.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. xi. 280 Wayland Smith..had a good notion of horse diseases.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers l. 543 ‘Not a bad notion that, Sam,’ said Mr. Bob Sawyer approvingly.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xx. 330 The notion of my marrying her is absurd.
1934 G. B. Shaw Too True to be Good Pref. 8 Leave the reveller with a completely false notion of what a lifetime of such revelry would be.
1953 M. Kennedy Troy Chimneys (new ed.) 34 Everything at the park was always so flat and spiritless. They had no notion of fun.
1982 G. M. Fraser Flashman & Redskins 109 We, sir, have some notions of loyalty and good behaviour, I hope.
b. Esp. in negative contexts: an inkling, a suspicion; a hint.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > [noun] > slight knowledge
inkling1546
inkleth1568
umbrage1669
notion1698
conception1796
1698 S. Ronaldshay 72 As soon as Mr. Alexr. heard the least notion of his being under the scandal of fornication.
1705 J. Logan in Mem. Hist. Soc. Pennsylvania (1872) X. 365 I never had the least notion of thy mortgaging the quit-rents.
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 41 He had no Thoughts, no Notion of its being me.
1777 A. Grant Let. 15 Mar. in Lett. from Mountains (1806) III. 11 You have no notion how townified folks are in all these little garrisons.
1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. iii. 221 Little notion, indeed, could the bishops have possessed of the position in which they were standing.
1878 J. T. Trowbridge Guy Vernon in G. P. Lathrop Masque of Poets 181 How he first Learned of the complication, I've no notion.
a1918 W. Owen Coll. Poems (1963) 38 Happy the soldier home, with not a notion How somewhere, every dawn, some men attack, And many sighs are drained.
1954 I. Murdoch Under Net ii. 30 ‘I am not so at all,’ I said. ‘Anyway I have no notion where she is.’
1982 H. Hood Black & White Keys ii. 93 I had no notion that the officers and men of the RCNVR faced precisely the same dangers as those of the regular force.
c. A rudiment, an element; a basic idea. Now rare.Chiefly in plural in the titles of textbooks.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > learning > study > subject or object of study > [noun] > rudiments
elements1382
ABCa1393
ground1528
introduction1532
principles1532
rudiments1534
institution1537
accidence1562
institute1578
alphabet1593
ut, re1598
gamut1600
Christ-cross-row1608
grammates1633
initiament1727
notion1839
propaedeutics1842
rudimentaries1852
1839 A. De Morgan (title) First notions of logic, preparatory to the study of geometry.
1872 C. P. Mason (title) First notions of grammar for young learners.
1880 A. Milnes (title) Elementary notions of logic.
1913 P. Gibbs (title) First notions on social service.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > meaning of linguistic unit > [noun]
to owe a wolda1325
meaninga1387
significationa1398
understanding1433
pretensionc1443
intellect?a1475
tendment1519
sense1530
reciprocation1604
sensing1613
denotation1614
apprehension1615
explicitness1630
sounda1631
notion1646
bodementa1657
means1656
force1709
notation1829
connotation1865
content1875
territory1875
1646 H. Hammond View Exceptions to Visct. Falkland's Disc. Infallibilitie 59 Probable being more than credible in the ordinary notion of the words.
1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ ii. v. §5 This being then the chief notion of a Prophet.
1713 R. Bentley Remarks Disc. Free-thinking I. xxxi. 61 For pray, what's the Notion of the word Canon?
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > linguistic unit > phrase > [noun] > term or expression
wordeOE
terma1398
conveyance1586
epithet1600
terminations1600
notion1655
description1826
1655 H. Vaughan Silex Scintillans (ed. 2) ii. Pref. sig. A3 This Kingdom hath abounded with those ingenious persons, which in the late notion are termed Wits.
1657 J. Trapp Comm. Psalms iii. 2 [Selah] The Greek maketh it only a Musical Notion.
7. A slang phrase or term in use at Winchester College; a custom, conceit, or peculiarity enshrined in the culture of the school. Also in plural (with capital initial): the slang of Winchester College.
ΚΠ
1866 J. M. Callender (title) Winton notions.
1891 R. G. K. Wrench (title) A Winchester word-book. A collection of past and present notions.
1912 H. Jackson Let. 9 Apr. in R. St. J. Parry Henry Jackson OM (1926) 151 I have an impression, derived (I think) from an illustrated MS notion book, that football at Winchester in the forties was different from what it is now.
1969 C. Stevens Notions (Winchester College) (typescript) 156 In 1920, it was..a Praefects' and Tollykeepers' notion to carry the gown.
1996 C. Stray Mushri-Eng. Pronouncing Dict. i. 11 The intensely localised nature of Notions is apparent in the first known word list, compiled in 1842.
1996 C. Stray Mushri-Eng. Pronouncing Dict. i. 12 Winchester had its own form of football, played only there, whose rules, and hence the ‘notions’ embedded in them, reflected its unique physical setting.
II. An impulse or disposition, and related senses.† 9. Imagination, fancy. Obsolete.† 10. A product of invention. Obsolete. rare.Quot. a1700 in N.E.D. reads ‘motions’ in the 1955 ed. of Evelyn's diary.
8.
a. An inclination, disposition, or desire to do something specified; a fancy for something (now esp. a capricious one); a whim.Frequently followed by of with gerund, or the to-infinitive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > [noun]
willeOE
hearteOE
i-willc888
self-willeOE
intent?c1225
device1303
couragec1320
talentc1325
greec1330
voluntyc1330
fantasyc1374
likinga1375
disposingc1380
pleasancea1382
affectionc1390
wish1390
disposition1393
affecta1398
likea1400
lista1400
pleasingc1400
emplesance1424
pleasurec1425
well-willingc1443
notiona1450
mindc1450
fancy1465
empleseur1473
hest?a1513
plighta1535
inclination1541
cue1567
month's mind1580
disposedness1583
leaning1587
humour1595
wouldings1613
beneplacit1643
wouldingness1645
vergency1649
bene-placiture1662
good liking1690
draught1758
tida1774
inkling1787
a1450 York Plays (1885) 316 (MED) Nowe be my nociens, myght I negh nere þe..schulde I lere þe To lordis to speke curtaisely.
1660 S. Ronaldshay 31 He went of his own notione.
1746 H. Walpole Let. 3 July in Corr. (1941) IX. 36 I have no notion of going to anybody's house, and have the servants look on the arms of the chaise to find out one's name.
1773 D. Jones Jrnl. 9 Feb. (1865) 100 It would have been otherwise, if I had come last fall, while they were in the notion of it.
1776 J. Verrieul Let. 17 Apr. in F. Chase Hist. Dartmouth Coll. (1891) I. vi. 347 Ther was Ten Regt ordert to march for Newyoark, and I toock a notion to go with them.
1807 P. Gass Jrnls. 225 The Indian..said he had a notion to cross the mountains with us.
1826 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 7 Oct. 73 The Gloucestershire people have no notion of dying with hunger.
1891 C. Roberts Adrift in Amer. 207 After being here for a week, I took a notion to leave, and accordingly did so.
1946 L. Lenski Blue Ridge Billy viii. 115 ‘You're a master-hand for notions, gal,’ scolded Granny.
1957 ‘R. West’ Fountain Overflows vii. 153 She could not understand why they had got this silly notion of wearing coats and trousers in bed when nightshirts were so much easier to iron.
1985 M. Monroe Upper Room (1986) vi. 32 The one what got to my house and sucked up all my beer then had a notion to rape me.
b. British regional (chiefly Scottish) and U.S. regional. A liking or affection for someone, esp. one of a romantic or sexual nature.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > liking or favourable regard > [noun]
loveeOE
well-likinglOE
favoura1340
liking1340
greea1400
study?c1400
benevolence1423
lustc1430
carec1540
goût1586
like1589
infection1600
predilection1626
notion1789
grá1833
shindy1855
hard-on1949
1789 A. Steel Shepherd's Wedding 14 I hae lang, altho' I didna tell, Had a strang notion o' the lass mysel.
1824 J. Mactaggart Sc. Gallovidian Encycl. 226 In the regular routine of a proper matrimonial transaction; first, taking the notion; secondly, courting.
1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 65 The boy might get a notion into him; The girl might be entangled ere she knew.
1864 T. L. Nichols Forty Years Amer. Life I. 386 A plain girl is as homely as a hedge-fence, but a Yankee may have a kinder sneakin' notion arter her.
1898 S. MacManus Bend of Road 18 Don't you go for to tell me..that the Masther hadn't a notion, an' a mortal powerful notion, of the Widow's Mary.
1916 J. C. Lincoln Mary-'Gusta 330 They thoug-ht as much of Farmer as they did of themselves. He was that kind—you couldn't help takin' a notion to him.
1920 G. P. Dunbar Peat Reek 39 For a notion he'd ta'en tae the fowk o' Drumclack.
1985 A. Blair Tea at Miss Cranston's ix. 74 This soldier took a notion to my granny.
c. colloquial (now chiefly Irish English). In plural. Pretensions, affectations; ambitions or desires beyond what might be expected of one's social position, class, community, etc. Often in to get (also have) notions.Cf. ideas above one's station at above adv., prep., n., and adj. Phrases 8b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > affected behaviour or affectation > [noun]
affectation1548
affection1570
phantastry1656
stilt1735
fal-lal1775
coxcombality1785
meemaw1790
posture-making1797
attitudinarianism1803
attitudinizing1812
piminy1819
stiltishness1824
niminy-piminyism1840
gyvera1866
notion1866
attitudinization1871
effectism1871
jam1882
chichi1908
poncing1969
pseudery1972
the mind > emotion > pride > pretension to superiority > [noun]
pensifulnessc1450
affectation1548
affection1570
affectedness1622
lady aira1637
fastuousness1649
gentility1650
fastuosity1656
vapouring1656
flatulency1662
hoity-toity1668
pretendingness1701
with an air1701
pretension1706
flatulence1711
uppishness1716
high and mightiness1771
pensieness1825
fine-gentlemanism1831
pretentiousness1838
ambitiousness1845
stuckupishness1853
pretensiveness1859
notion1866
side1870
dog1871
hoity-toityism1881
superiority complex1921
snootiness1932
uppitiness1935
snottiness1973
snoot1984
swag2002
the mind > emotion > pride > pretension to superiority > pretend to superiority [verb (intransitive)]
to make it goodlyc1325
usurpc1400
to take state upon one1597
to come over ——1600
to gentilize it1607
to state it1625
to give oneself airs1701
to put on airs1715
to mount (also ride) the high horse1782
to put on (the) dog1865
to get (also have) notions1866
to put on side1870
to have a roll on1881
to put (or pile) on lugs1889
side1890
to put on the Ritz1921
1866 C. Adams John Hartley ii. 13 ‘I hope, John,’ replied his mother, gravely, ‘that you are not getting high notions—notions above your station.’ ‘No, mother, I am not,’ said the boy. ‘I know I am born poor.’
1900 Table Talk (Melbourne) 26 July 14/3 He had a jauntier air than usual, and flicked his crop in a dandy fashion on one of his corduroys. Mr. Shiels is surely getting notions.
1971 S. O'Faoláin Talking Trees 83 His sister Jenny had been thrown out of class that morning in St Monica's for turning up with a red ribbon in her hair... ‘Ould Sister Eustasia..said they didn't want any girls in their school who had notions.’
2020 Daily Mirror (Ireland) (Nexis) 18 June 15 I have a fear of her attending ballet class because I don't want her getting notions.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > [noun]
sightc1175
thoughtc1175
imagination1340
thinking1340
conceptiona1387
imaginativea1398
phantasm1490
concept1536
fetch1549
conceit1556
conceiving1559
fancy1581
notion1647
fantastic1764
ideality1815
ideoplasty1884
phantastikon1917
1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. sig. A4v Ambition hath done much..to bring forth Monarchy out of the wombe of notion.
1671 J. Glanvill Further Discov. Stubbe 11 I spake of the Natural Philosophers, and their Methods, which were made up of Notion, and ministred to everlasting Disputes.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [noun] > creative design or product
findalOE
ideaa1586
conception1587
creationa1616
birth1625
brainchild1631
constructurea1652
notion1742
construction1796
baby1890
1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the Second 18 And Other worlds send Odours, Sauce, and Song, And Robes, and Notions, fram'd in foreign Looms.
11. In plural.† b. North American. Articles or wares of various kinds, forming a miscellaneous cargo on a ship. Obsolete.
a. Chiefly North American. Small wares, esp. cheap, useful articles. Now chiefly: spec. haberdashery; buttons, hooks, ribbon, thread, etc.Yankee notions: see Yankee n. and adj. Compounds b.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > fancy goods
fancy goods1792
notions1796
Yankee notions1819
1796 Aurora (Philadelphia) 1 Feb. A nest of Boston boxes, commonly called notions.
1803 F. Asbury Jrnl. 13 June (1821) III. 106 How would it tell to the South, that priests were among the notions of Yankee traffick?
1830 J. Galt Lawrie Todd I. iii. xiv. 278 Mr. Hoskins and his wife, with a great cargo of wares and other notions in their waggons, arrived.
1842 C. M. Kirkland Forest Life II. xxxix. 166 Can I suit ye to-day, ma'am? I've all sorts o' notions.
1876 C. D. Warner Winter on Nile xii. 157 The artisans work up ostrich feathers into a variety of ‘notions’.
1902 G. H. Lorimer Lett. Merchant 135 I was traveling out of Chicago for hammer & Hawkins, wholesale dry-goods, gent's furnishings and notions.
1964 McCall's Sewing in Colour ii. 22 While making a list of the fabrics and trims needed, check the ‘Notions’ section to see what notions are needed.
1978 A. S. Byatt Virgin in Garden xix. 192 Down past the ground floor, a mart of little things, a Vanity Fair of notions and necessities, novelties, and eye-catchers.
1992 E. Lipman Way Men Act (1993) 6 They put everything back in the green bag from Goldenberg's department Store—the pattern pieces pinned to the fabric, the notions, [etc.].
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1805 Ann. Rev. 3 31 The Americans.., finding no longer a market there for their lumber cargoes, or notions, as they call them.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple III. v. 68 Her cargo consisted of what the Americans called notions, that is, in English, an assorted cargo.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxxv. 133 A cargo of fresh provisions, mules, tin bake-pans and other notions.
1872 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 398 A schooner full of ‘fish & notions’, a flag of truce to the enemy, and a free range of the seas.
Compounds
C1.
a. (In sense 2.)† notion-work n. Obsolete
notion-building n.
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1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma x. 320 A piece of metaphysical notion-building.
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1873 M. Arnold Lit. & Dogma xi. 346 To read between the lines of a notion-work is absurd, for it is of the essence of a notion-work not to need it.
b. (In sense 11.)
(a) † notion-vessel n. Obsolete
notion counter n.
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1891 S. Fiske Holiday Stories (Boston ed.) ii. 39 I went to the store..and recognized her..at the notion counter.
1913 F. H. Burnett T. Tembarom xx. 264 The young lady from the notion counter (those wonderful shops!).
1992 Sea News Dec. 19/2 A convenient way to assemble the findings for a custom belt is to peruse the ‘buckle boutique’ at your favorite fabric store's notion counter.
notion pedlar n.
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1932 L. C. Douglas Forgive us our Trespasses i. 1 The steel-bowed spectacles that had been her mother's, had of a notion peddler for two dozen eggs & a pound of butter.
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1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. 501 A notion-vessel on the west coast of America is a perfect bazaar.
(b)
notion-peddling adj.
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1809 W. Irving Hist. N.Y. I. iv. iii. 214 He swore that he would have nothing more to do with such a squatting, bundling, guessing,..notion-peddling crew.
C2. † notion-writing n. Obsolete = ideography n.
notion seller n. (also notions seller) a seller of haberdashery, small items, etc.
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1839 Chemung (N.Y.) Democrat 17 Apr. A ‘notion seller’ was offering Yankee clocks, &c.
1997 Jerusalem Post (Nexis) 7 Aug. 3 The slump in business was evident everywhere, from the felafel vendors to the notions sellers.
notion store n. (also notions store) a shop selling haberdashery, etc.
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1830 J. Galt Lawrie Todd I. iii. x. 251 A small seed and notion store.
1915 W. Cather Song of Lark i. v. 34 She used to sit for hours in Mrs. Smiley's millinery and notion store.
2001 Real Estate Weekly (Nexis) 15 Aug. 2 The conversion of these two buildings..will transform the mostly empty 50-year home of a yam and notions store.
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society > communication > writing > system of writing > [noun] > thought-writing
ideography1836
word-writing1843
thought-writing1860
notion-writing1863
1863 J. Summers Handbk. Chinese Introd. p. xviii Notion-writing..is independent of any given language and conveys its meaning to the understanding immediately through the eye.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
notionv.
/ˈnəʊʃn/, U.S. /ˈnoʊʃ(ə)n/ rare.† 1. transitive. To divide into several categories or sections. Obsolete.
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1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper i. 8 I have therefore notioned and cast the Text according to the number of the verses, into three plain and conspicuous members.
2. transitive. To conceive, imagine, envisage.
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1894 W. D. Howells Let. 4 Aug. in Sel. Lett. (1981) IV. 72 I finished it [sc. a book] today at a single sprawling (on the bed). It is delightfully notioned.
1997 San Antonio (Texas) Express-News (Nexis) 19 Jan. j7 The proposed international event, vaguely notioned as having to do with digital communications..is generating a great deal of intellectual exercise.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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