passingn.
/ˈpɑːsɪŋ/, /ˈpasɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈpæsɪŋ/ I. Senses relating to moving or proceeding on or beyond (literal and figurative).† 2. Excess, superabundance; the fact of surpassing. Obsolete.
1.
a. Originally: dying, death. Subsequently also more widely: the action of ceasing to exist or coming to an end; an instance of this. Cf. to pass away at pass v. Phrasal verbs 1. †passing of death (in quot. c1350): (perhaps) dissolution of death.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [noun]
hensithOE
qualmOE
bale-sithea1000
endingc1000
fallOE
forthsitheOE
soulingOE
life's endOE
deathOE
hethensithc1200
last end?c1225
forthfarec1275
dying1297
finec1300
partingc1300
endc1305
deceasec1330
departc1330
starving1340
passingc1350
latter enda1382
obita1382
perishingc1384
carrion1387
departing1388
finishmentc1400
trespassement14..
passing forthc1410
sesse1417
cess1419
fininga1425
resolutiona1425
departisona1450
passagea1450
departmentc1450
consummation?a1475
dormition1483
debt to (also of) naturea1513
dissolutionc1522
expirationa1530
funeral?a1534
change1543
departure1558
last change1574
transmigration1576
dissolving1577
shaking of the sheets?1577
departance1579
deceasure1580
mortality1582
deceasing1591
waftage1592
launching1599
quietus1603
doom1609
expire1612
expiring1612
period1613
defunctiona1616
Lethea1616
fail1623
dismissiona1631
set1635
passa1645
disanimation1646
suffering1651
abition1656
Passovera1662
latter (last) end1670
finis1682
exitus1706
perch1722
demission1735
demise1753
translation1760
transit1764
dropping1768
expiry1790
departal1823
finish1826
homegoing1866
the last (also final, great) round-up1879
snuffing1922
fade-out1924
thirty1929
appointment in Samarra1934
dirt nap1981
big chill1987
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xxi. 15 (MED) Þou ladde me in-to passyng of deþ [v.r. pouder or passyng; L. pulverem mortis].
a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) 1440 (MED) As he hadde leuyd yn hys lyfe clene, At hys passyng was hyt weyl sene.
c1450 (?c1425) St. Mary of Oignies ii. xiii , in Anglia (1885) 8 182 (MED) Þe þursdaye byfore þe daye of hir passynge..she wolde not speke to vs.
1512 in Southwell Visit. (1891) 115 I wyll that at the howre of my passyng the grettist bell in the church be rongen.
1683 Dutch Rogue 110 They..knockt at some of the Neighbours doors, praying them to have the goodness to come to the passing of Mrs. Manvel, who lay desperately sick.
1821 J. Galt Ann. Parish xl. 324 The gentle hand with which I feel the way from this world smoothed for my passing.
1869 Ld. Tennyson (title) The passing of Arthur.
1900 J. London Odyssey of North in Son of Wolf 216 It is said the two men came to that spot, turn about, through many days, and watched with the passing of the light.
1959 J. W. Krutch Human Nature & Human Condition i. 16 The passing of what seems..more worthy of admiration than anything which ever existed before.
2000 D. Adebayo My Once upon Time (2001) ii. 17 He had married her in the hospital on the eve of her passing.
b. The action of going or moving on, through, or by; an instance of this; the process or fact of changing from one state to another. Also: †movement, motion (obsolete).
ΚΠ
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 106 Þe firmament haþ..swift passinge..and is swiftest of all meovinges.
?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 93 (MED) A Passing: transitorius, transitus.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) cxviii. 136 Passyngis [L. Exitus] of watirs led myn eghyn.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 438 Of Pyrrus and of his passyng ffrom Troy.
1580 A. Saker Narbonus ii. 33 The passinge of a narrow floud that runneth swifte.
1607 J. Cowell Interpreter sig. Bbb2/2 Pedage (pedagium) signifieth money giuen for the passing by foote or horse through any countrey.
1703 W. Dampier Voy. New Holland iii. 97 In the Wake of the Ship..or the smoothness which the Ship's passing has made on the Sea.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 29. ¶2 The Transition from an Air to Recitative Musick being more natural than the passing from a Song to plain and ordinary Speaking.
1794 R. J. Sulivan View of Nature I. xxix. 423 The passing of a substance from a fluid into a solid state.
1842 G. W. Francis Dict. Arts at Peirameter The amount of resistance offered by the surfaces of roads..to the passing of wheel carriages.
1886 T. Hardy Mayor of Casterbridge II. ii. 24 A yellow flood of reflected sunlight..was produced by the passing of a load of newly-trussed hay.
1915 W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage xciv. 495 A dog running in front of her or the passing of a man in a loud blazer would call forth a remark.
1969 Jrnl. Inst. Navigation 22 286 Even when both vessels are navigated correctly, the imprecision of radar predictions may lead to dangerously close passings.
1991 G. Ehrlich Islands, Universe, Home ii. 15 The passing of Halley's comet.
c. in passing (also †in passing by) [compare French en passant] : by the way, incidentally; briefly and casually in the course of speech or writing; parenthetically.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > [adverb] > in passing
by the way?1520
in passing by1598
passant1602
passantly1602
in passage1605
in the bygoing1637
obviously1658
by the by?1710
passingly1836
in passing1849
1598 A. M. tr. J. Guillemeau Frenche Chirurg. 48/1 These remedyes, which in passinge by, it seemed convenient vnto me to rehearse.
1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode iii. iii. 46 The Affected smiles, the silly by-Words, and Amorous Tweers, in passing.
1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 80 He..does things in passing, at a venture, and in the quickest period of Time.
a1809 H. Cowley Which is Man? (1812) iv. iii. 56 I stopped, in passing, to send for you to my Carriage door.
1849 C. Brontë Shirley I. vi. 128 It may be remarked, in passing.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Elaine in Idylls of King 217 The Queen..sigh'd in passing, ‘Lancelot, Forgive me’.
1934 Discovery Sept. 251/2 In passing, it should be said that..their action is sufficiently similar.
1978 P. Roth Professor of Desire 127 To salve your wounds, I want to add..that your name only came up in passing.
2002 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 27 June 30/3 He informs us in passing that the sponges are descended from the otherwise mysterious ‘choanomonads’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > [noun]
goinga1250
passagec1300
passingc1350
progressiona1460
local motion1551
progress1564
pass1602
traverse1663
locomoving1704
roll1827
onwards1943
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > excessive amount or degree > [noun]
unhovea1300
passingc1350
distemperancec1374
excess1393
unmeasurea1400
surfeita1500
excessivenessa1513
ametry?1541
immoderation?1541
distemperature1572
exceedingnessa1586
grossness1585
unreasonableness1606
inordinacya1617
excrescency1638
immoderancy1646
fair share1650
overbalance1651
hyperbole1652
overheight1664
immoderacya1682
faggald1824
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) cxv. 2 (MED) Y said in my passing, ‘Ich man is liȝer.’
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 335 Þere is noȝt gret passynge and exces in hele [read chele] noþer in hete.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Psalms xxx. 23 Y seide in the passyng [v.r. out passyng; a1382 E.V. exces] of my soule, ‘Y am cast out fro the face of thin iȝen.’
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 45 (MED) Þer preued neuer nane his prik for passing of witt.
1656 J. Smith Myst. Rhetorique Unvail'd 46 Hyperbole... Exuperation or a passing of measure or bounds.
3. With the: that which is temporary or transient.
ΚΠ
1882 B. R. Browne Metaphysics v. 368 We must be able to contrast the passing with the abiding before succession can be reorganized.
1899 Daily News 16 Nov. 4/5 The confounding of the Passing with the Permanent.
1926 H. Bulcock (title) The passing and the permanent in Saint Paul.
1960 J. F. Danby Simple Wordsworth iv. 120 It is..the same perception of the passing and the recurrent in phenomena.
1999 A. Tallon tr. P. Rousselot Intelligence 5 The champion of reason..claims to represent..not only the passing and the spiritual, but the divine.
II. Causative senses.
4. † c. Fencing. The action of thrusting or lungeing. Obsolete. rare.
a. The action of causing or allowing someone or something to pass or move. Formerly: †spec. permission to cross a land, etc.; conveyance; transportation (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > [noun]
carryinga1382
passinga1382
carriage1423
portage1423
traduction1500
transporting1500
conveyancec1520
transportation1540
convoy1554
wafting1559
transportage1562
convey1587
portation1598
transportance1609
transport1611
weftage1615
conducta1618
vecture1625
vectitation1656
transit1753
messagerie1878
conveyal1886
intermodalism1979
society > travel > [noun]
yongc950
gangOE
goinga1250
walka1300
journeyingc1330
travela1400
progressionc1450
wayfarec1450
travelling1489
wayfaring1536
gate-going?1555
thorough-faring?1575
faring1594
fidging1604
voyaging1611
voyage1626
winning1651
locomotion1759
itinerating1770
passing1821
trekking1850
trooping1888
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Deut. ii. 30 Seon, þe kyng of Esebon, wolde not ȝeue to vs passynge [a1425 L.V. passage; L. transitum].
1488–9 Act 4 Hen. VII c. 4 An Acte for the passing and transmutacion of landes without fyne.
1565 Act 8 Eliz. c. 13 §5 The Ordinary Passing and Carrying of the Queen's Majesty's People to and from as other Watermen..do.
1590 W. Segar Bk. Honor & Armes v. xxiv. 66 Who can comprehend the ingenious..instruments apt for offence or defence of Townes, or passing of waters, vnlesse he hath knowledge of Geometrie?
1674 in O. Airy Essex Papers (1890) I. 276 Neglecting to take any Securities upon ye passing of Wooll.
1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 880 In the drill-sown lucern some recommend..the passing of a small shim between them.
1821 Act 1 & 2 Geo. IV c. 64 §1 The passing of any Rogue, Vagabond,..or other idle and disorderly Person, to his or her Place of legal Settlement or Place of Birth.
1901 Westm. Gaz. 12 Dec. 11/1 The business of ticket-days..is entirely clerical, consisting chiefly..of the passing of buyers' names to sellers of stock or shares.
1978 Nature 26 Oct. 697/1 The traditional yunqi therapy—the curing of disorders through the passing of qi (pneuma) from doctor to patient without bodily contact.
2000 Bookseller 31 Mar. 37/2 The passing of valuable recommendations from individual to individual.
b. Law. The action of officially approving a bill, measure, etc. Also: the pronouncing of a sentence on a person.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legislation > [noun] > passing into law
passing1496
passage1587
enacting1631
enaction1796
enactment1817
inuring1885
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > judging > [noun] > pronouncing of sentence
passing1855
1496 Acts Lords of Council II. 12 Apone the unordourely passing of our soverane lordis letters in the first, secund and thrid forme.
1606 R. Bowyer Diary 26 May in Parl. Diary (1931) 179 An Act against unlawfull Hunting and Killing of Conneys,..was now..put to the Question of passing.
1689 in W. H. L. Melville Leven & Melville Papers (1843) 347 It was bot jimp at the passing the proclamation for the adjurnment.
1739 C. Labelye Short Acct. Piers Westm. Bridge p. iii Before the passing the first Act for Building the Bridge.
1753 Scots Mag. Nov. 542/2 The question for the bill's passing was put.
1819 Act 59 Geo. III c. 46 §2 From and after the passing of this Act, in any Writ of Right..the Tenant shall not be received to wage Battel.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xv. 602 The passing of the sentence was therefore deferred.
1910 Westm. Gaz. 14 June 3/3 The Peers are merely securing for him a voice..in the passing of a Budget.
1983 K. M. MacMorran & K. J. T. Elphinstone Handbk. for Churchwardens & Parochial Church Councillors viii. 89 Nothing in this Measure shall affect a churchwarden in office before the passing of this Measure.
2003 Toronto Sun (Nexis) 9 Dec. (News section) 6 Since the passing of Bill C-68, more than one million Canadians have registered approximately 4.8 million long-barrel firearms.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > actions
buttc1330
overheadc1400
stopc1450
quarter-strokea1456
rabbeta1500
rakea1500
traverse1547
flourish1552
quarter-blow1555
veny1578
alarm1579
venue1591
cut1593
time1594
caricado1595
fincture1595
imbroccata1595
mandritta1595
punta riversa1595
remove1595
stramazon1595
traversa1595
imbrocado1597
passado1597
counter-time1598
foinery1598
canvasado1601
montant1601
punto1601
stock1602
embrocadoc1604
pass1604
stuck1604
stramazo1606
home thrust1622
longee1625
falsify?1635
false1637
traversion1637
canvassa1641
parade1652
flanconade1664
parry1673
fore-stroke1674
allonge1675
contretemps1684
counter1684
disengaging1684
feint1684
passing1687
under-counter1687
stringere1688
stringering1688
tempo1688
volte1688
overlapping1692
repost1692
volt-coupe1692
volting1692
disarm?1700
stamp1705
passade1706
riposte1707
swoop1711
retreat1734
lunge1748
beat1753
disengage1771
disengagement1771
opposition1771
time thrust1771
timing1771
whip1771
shifting1793
one-two1809
one-two-three1809
salute1809
estramazone1820
remise1823
engage1833
engaging1833
risposta1838
lunging1847
moulinet1861
reprise1861
stop-thrust1861
engagement1881
coupé1889
scrape1889
time attack1889
traverse1892
cut-over1897
tac-au-tac riposte1907
flèche1928
replacement1933
punta dritta1961
1687 W. Hope Scots Fencing-master 79 My next Lesson is of Passing, or making of a pass.
d. Sport (chiefly Association Football and Rugby). The action of passing a ball, puck, etc., to another player on the same team.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > characteristics of team ball games > [noun] > actions or manoeuvres
ball1483
through-pass1673
intercept1821
fielding1823
outfielding1851
wrist stroke1851
goalkeeping1856
shot1868
scrimmage1872
passing1882
save1883
touchback1884
angle shot1885
shooting1885
pass1887
line1891
tackling1893
feeding1897
centre1898
chip shot1899
glovework1906
back-lift1912
push pass1919
aerial1921
screen1921
ball-hawking1925
fast break1929
tackle1930
chip1939
screenshot1940
snapshot1961
hang time1969
one-two1969
blooter1976
passback1976
sidefoot1979
1882 Blackburn Times 1 Apr. 6/3 While the Rovers worked their way towards their opponents' goal by passing, the Etonians did so by rushes.
1889 Pauline 8 38 Carter got in once more, owing to a good piece of passing between himself, Stokoe, and Browne.
1927 G. S. Warner Football Coaches & Players 191 There are three..systems of defense to forward passing.
1952 J. B. Pick Phoenix Dict. Games i. 63 This..ensures that the passing will be precise.
2001 FourFourTwo Aug. 86 (advt.) [She] is a big fan of the razor sharp passing of David Beckham.
III. Concrete senses.† 5. A means of passing; a passing place; a bridge or ford. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > other means of passage or access > [noun] > place where something may be crossed > fordable place
passing placea1540
going-over1650
fordage1728
passing1825
fording1833
wagon-drift1850
1825 N. Wood Pract. Treat. Railroads 299 BB' is a siding or passing for the carriages going in opposite directions.
1872 Ld. Tennyson Gareth & Lynette 39 O'er it [sc. the river] are three passings, and three knights Defend the passings.
6. Embroidery. A type of thread made by winding a thin strip of gold or silver around a core of silk.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > thread or yarn > [noun] > metallic > gold or silver
goldOE
fildora1350
gold or silk threadc1386
purl1394
silver1423
shreda1450
Venice gold1506
Venice silver1574
spun gold1728
passing1848
tambour1899
1848 E. C. P. in C. H. Hartshorne Eng. Medieval Embroidery 113 A rich gold thread, called passing, or tambour.
1880 L. Higgin Handbk. Embroidery i. 8 Gold and silver passing, a very fine kind of thread.
1899 W. G. P. Townsend Embroidery iv. 73 A diaper in string worked over in gold passing.
1901 L. F. Day & M. Buckle Art in Needlewk. (ed. 2) xxix. 245 Japanese gold does not tarnish so readily as ‘passing’.
1960 B. L. Snook Eng. Hist. Embroidery 48 A very fine flexible metal thread called ‘passing’ was known to the Elizabethans.
1987 Workbox Spring–Summer 45/1 (advt.) We are long established manufacturers of..pearl purls, passings, plate..and braids.
IV. Senses relating to acceptance or approval.
7. attributive. Of, relating to, or designating a mark that is sufficient to obtain or merit a pass (in a test, examination, activity, endeavour, etc.).
ΚΠ
1863 Times 21 Oct. 9/6 Candidates passing will be selected for entry in the dockyards according to the number of their passing marks.
1903 O. Wister Philosophy 4 iv. 71 ‘Even with another day,’ he told himself, ‘those young men could not have got fifty per cent.’ In those times this was the passing mark.
1944 National Math. Mag. 19 31 After studying the results obtained on the test and the course objectives, a minimum passing score can be fixed to the passing grade in the course.
1975 M. Bradbury Hist. Man (1977) viii. 145 Do all you can to bring his work up to passing level.
2003 Financial Times (Nexis) 1 Apr. 19 If the quartet were to give the Palestinian leadership a passing grade in the war on terrorism, when it still has done nothing at all to root it out, the lives of Israeli citizens would again be put at risk.
8. The fact of being accepted, or representing oneself successfully as, a member of a different ethnic, religious, or sexual group. See pass v. 43d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > ethnicities > division of mankind by physical characteristics > one who passes as one of another race > [noun] > action of
passing1926
1926 C. Van Vechten Nigger Heaven 286 Passing, passing for white.
1952 M. Steen Phoenix Rising vii. 176 Those who succeed in ‘passing’ live their lives in mortal terror of being found out.
1973 G. D. Berreman Caste in Mod. World 10/2 The response of Burakumin to their birth-ascribed status is that common to all low castes: accommodation on the most part, and occasional ‘passing’.
2000 Newsweek 1 Jan. 30/1 Passing, after all, implies a denial of one's authentic ancestry to be accepted as a member of another race.
Phrases
With adverbs and prepositions in specialized senses. P1. passing out n.
a. The action of issuing from, going out of, or departing from something; an instance of this; spec. the action of leaving or going out of this world or life, used euphemistically of a person's death.In quot. c1484 referring to the coming out of a child from the womb.
ΚΠ
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Wisd. xix. 16 Eche oon soȝte þe passyng out [a1425 L.V. passyng] of his dore.
c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 242 (MED) He thurstede bodely by cause of the grete passynge out of blood.
1459 in F. W. Weaver Somerset Medieval Wills (1901) 192 (MED) I have ordeigned my houshold shalbe kept to gedir aftre my passing oute of this lief.
c1484 (a1475) J. de Caritate tr. Secreta Secret. (Takamiya) (1977) 182 (MED) He infudyth þe bestly soule sensibyl, tylle þe pasyng owte or þe departyng, and it [sc. a child] getyth a-nodyr gouirnauns to þe fyllyng of tyme of iiij yeris.
a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 171 (MED) The day of my passynge out of this world commeþ nye.
1633 T. Heywood Eng. Traveller iii. i Neither Wife, Friend, Seruant, no third soule..Know of my comming in, or passing out.
1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician x. 368 They stop the passing out of the influxed humours.
1820 J. H. Wiffen Julia Alpinula xxx. 63 The eager shout..which hailed his passing out.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xxxii. 314 Before the door had swung upon its hinges after Sir Mulberry's passing out, they stood side by side in the street together.
1850 P. H. Myers King of Hurons xxxv. 308 Major Bain..ordered the strictest vigilance to prevent his passing out.
1969 B. Colgarve & R. A. B. Mynors tr. Cuthbert Let. on Death Bede in Bede's Eccles. Hist. Eng. People (1998) 581 I take delight..in sending you a brief account of his passing out of this world.
2002 Sunday Gaz.-Mail (Charleston, W. Va.) 3 Mar. 4 c/1 To better understand our passing out of this world and our entrance into the next, the scriptures plainly say we can study God's creation to find clues.
b. Graduation from a school or college, esp. a military academy. Frequently attributive, as passing-out examination, passing-out inspection, passing-out parade, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > ceremonial > [noun] > parade > type of
church parade1788
dress parade1808
passing-out parade1955
1916 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 28 July 4/7 He came out first in the recent passing-out examinations.
1930 Times Educ. Suppl. 2 Aug. 340/3 The passing-out inspection of aircraft apprentices..was held on Tuesday.
1955 Times 11 Aug. 6/5 The Sudan defence force to-day held the first passing-out parade of officer cadets since the Sudanization of the force.
2002 Times 4 Apr. 20/4 The passing out of the First Battalion, Afghan National Guard, marks the rebirth of the national army.
P2.
a. With other adverbs, in nouns of action corresponding to the verb with adverbs in specialized senses s.v. pass v.
passing away n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > non-use > [noun] > falling out of use
passing away?c1425
obsoletion1804
desuetude1821
obsolescence1832
?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 88 (MED) Flegmon haþ foure tymes: þe bygynnynge, þe encresynge, þe standynge, and þe declynacioun, i. passyng away.
1607 T. Campion Discr. Maske Ld. Hayes (note) Either by the simplicity, negligence, or conspiracy of the painter, the passing away of the trees was somewhat hazarded the patterne of them the same day hauing bene showne.
1869 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast (rev. ed.) xxxvi I almost feel as if I were lamenting the passing away of something loved and dear.
1995 Daily Tel. 20 Feb. 10/2 The northern Pomo language..died with the passing away of 90-year-old Edna Guerro.
passing down n.
ΚΠ
1936 N. Streatfeild Ballet Shoes ii. 13 There was a good deal of passing down of clothes.
1994 S. P. McCaleb Building Communities of Learners (1997) vii. 74 The passing down of heritage and culture was..part of the family learning experience.
passing forth n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [noun]
hensithOE
qualmOE
bale-sithea1000
endingc1000
fallOE
forthsitheOE
soulingOE
life's endOE
deathOE
hethensithc1200
last end?c1225
forthfarec1275
dying1297
finec1300
partingc1300
endc1305
deceasec1330
departc1330
starving1340
passingc1350
latter enda1382
obita1382
perishingc1384
carrion1387
departing1388
finishmentc1400
trespassement14..
passing forthc1410
sesse1417
cess1419
fininga1425
resolutiona1425
departisona1450
passagea1450
departmentc1450
consummation?a1475
dormition1483
debt to (also of) naturea1513
dissolutionc1522
expirationa1530
funeral?a1534
change1543
departure1558
last change1574
transmigration1576
dissolving1577
shaking of the sheets?1577
departance1579
deceasure1580
mortality1582
deceasing1591
waftage1592
launching1599
quietus1603
doom1609
expire1612
expiring1612
period1613
defunctiona1616
Lethea1616
fail1623
dismissiona1631
set1635
passa1645
disanimation1646
suffering1651
abition1656
Passovera1662
latter (last) end1670
finis1682
exitus1706
perch1722
demission1735
demise1753
translation1760
transit1764
dropping1768
expiry1790
departal1823
finish1826
homegoing1866
the last (also final, great) round-up1879
snuffing1922
fade-out1924
thirty1929
appointment in Samarra1934
dirt nap1981
big chill1987
c1410 tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 193 Of whos ende and passing forþ [L. exitu] it is expressid in þinges þat gooþ bifore.
1827 R. Emmons Fredoniad II. xii. 50 The earth was shaken in his passing forth.
1914 G. Galloway Philos. Relig. xii. 473 Creation denotes the passing forth of these ‘potencies’ into existence by an act of the Divine Will.
passing in n.
ΚΠ
1535 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (rev. ed.) xvii. cxl. f. cclxxxivv/2 Rubus..lettethe the passynge in of the sonne beame by the thicknes therof.
1845 N. P. Willis Dashes at Life with Free Pencil 40 The passing in of a tall footman..interrupted my gaze.
passing on n.
ΚΠ
1861 A. K. H. Boyd Recreations of Country Parson 386 What must be done by the passing on of time.
1990 R. Staines Market Gardening ii. 20 Co-operation can..lead to other advantages for the smaller grower. These can include the passing on of discounts for bulk purchases.
passing over n.
ΚΠ
a1425 (a1382) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Ezek. xii. 3 Mak to thee vessels of transmygracioun, or passyng ouer.
1542 King Henry VIII Declar. Sc. D iij b The passing ouer of tyme not commodious for the purpose.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie P 140 A passing ouer, a conueighing or carying ouer. Traiectio.
1622 T. May Heire i. I would thou wouldest passe ouer this passing ouer of Authors.
1831 J. G. Whittier Legends New Eng. 15 The passing over of a shadow.
1998 T. Jones & T. Newburn Private Security & Public Policing vi. 170 Co-operative relationships took a range of forms, including the following:..passing over of cases, joint operations, [etc.].
passing through n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [noun] > charm or amulet > healing ritual
passing through1824
1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller II. 87 The village was agitated for a day or two, by the passing through of several caravans.
1968 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 112 388/1 Passing-through rituals in the earth usually involved grassy terrain, where sod could be cut, piled, and arched to make a passageway.
2000 S. A. Hart Montgomery & ‘Colossal Cracks’ iv. 88 This passing through of echeloned forces in pursuit of modest objectives..helped sustain combat power.
passing up and down n.
ΚΠ
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 74 Ants, with constant passing up and down, will wear traces even in flints.
1930 O. Lattimore High Tartary ii. 20 I was now traveling..in a province where the constant passing up and down of mails brought no astonishment.
b.
passing off n. Law the action or practice of representing goods as those of another for the purposes of trade.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > [noun] > fraudulent substitution > so as to get rid of
palming off1873
passing off1900
1900 Rep. Patent Cases (Patent Office) 15 Aug. 482 In the Yorkshire Relish case the inference was drawn that the mere use of a name implied passing off.
1960 Times 20 Sept. (Pure Food Suppl.) p. i/5 There still remains..the possibility of verbal passing-off at the time of sale.
2001 Times 24 Apr. 5/1 Arsenal sued Reed for passing off and trademark infringement.
Compounds
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > insignia > [noun] > braid
aiguillette1792
aglet1816
military braid1851
passing braid1882
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 378/2 Passing Braid. A description of Braid employed in Embroidery, made with gold or silver thread, such as used on military uniforms.
passing certificate n. a certificate of having passed an examination or test.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > school examinations > certificates
passing certificate1787
School Certificate1835
leaving certificate1871
School Cert1926
advanced level1947
matric1947
ordinary level1947
scholarship level1947
O level1949
S level1951
ordinary grade1959
Certificate of Secondary Education1961
O grade1962
GCSE1978
1787 Ld. Nelson Let. 20 July in Dispatches & Lett. (1844) I. 248 I transmit to you a Passing Certificate, with two Warrants, for Mr. James Ballentine.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple II. xix. 342 My passing certificate was signed, and the captains did me the honour to shake hands with me, and wish me speedy promotion.
2003 Ithaca (N.Y.) Jrnl. (Nexis) 7 Feb. (Local section) 1 b Earning a passing certificate entitles a person to significant savings on boat insurance.
passing chord n. Music a chord incorporating a passing note.
ΚΠ
1899 E. E. Kellett & E. W. Naylor tr. O. Bie Hist. Pianoforte i. 37 He darts, in the midst of his technique, through a graceful ‘Spagnioletta’, and often lights on interesting modern passing chords.
1997 Guardian 28 Feb. (Friday Review section) 19/1 Thin Man slinks along among tricky harmonies and beboppy passing chords, while Caramel is a flat-out samba.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > section of piece of music > [noun] > ending > cadence > types of
passing close1597
perfect cadence1636
inganno1753
interrupted cadence1801
plagal cadence1836
false cadence1888
female close1928
female cadence1930
1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 127 They be passing closes, which we commonly call false closes, being deuised to shun a final end and go on with some other purpose.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > landing- or passing-place
shamble1671
passing doors1839
pass-by1883
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 989 Passing doors..may be substituted in any place for a passage where there is a stopping.
passing game n. Sport a form of play in which a team uses passing as its main tactic.
ΚΠ
1879 Irish Times 22 Oct. 6 The ‘passing’ game was carefully studied, but a few instances of ‘hand ball’ rather spoiled the general effect of the play.
1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 4 Oct. 3/1 Seven years ago hockey was an utterly unscientific game... The Moulsey Club was the first to adopt a passing game.
2001 FourFourTwo Oct. 124/1 Rowe taught a passing game at odds with the conventional kick-and-rush tactics.
passing gear n. U.S. (in a vehicle) a high gear engaged when overtaking another vehicle; also figurative.
ΚΠ
1955 N.Y. Times 25 Oct. 25/3 A two-stage passing gear on the transmission provides for sudden acceleration in emergencies.
1980 Washington Post (Nexis) 9 May e5 QR is a 6-second technique that..will abort automatically the inappropriate stress response, yet permit the body to slip into what Stroebel calls ‘passing gear’ for a real emergency.
2003 Forth Worth Star Telegram (Nexis) 13 Apr. (Sports section) 1 He compounded his problems with bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17 while Maggert shifted into passing gear.
passing knell n. now rare a sound, event, etc., that heralds the death of a person (cf. passing bell n.).
ΚΠ
1627 P. Fletcher Locustæ i. xvi. 36 In th'entrance Sicknes, and faint Languour dwelt, Who with sad grones tolle out their passing knell.
1798 R. Southey Bp. Bruno i The sound it gave was his passing knell.
1901 E. Gilliat Story of Bruges xiv. 146 The bell which should have signalled the work of destruction was for more than one of the plotters his own passing knell.
passing lane n. (a) North American a lane on a road which a driver may legally use for overtaking (also figurative); (b) Basketball an open space through which a player may move the ball.
ΚΠ
1932 Public Roads Nov. 148/1 Considerations of safety may influence the choice of a 4-lane width, as it eliminates the conflict between vehicles on the single passing lane.
1952 H. Newsom Basketball for High School Coach & P.E. Teacher vii. 97 Some of the passing lanes that are open in the man-to-man defense are closed when a zone defense is used.
1984 Washington Post 30 Oct. a18/3 Any motorist guilty of causing a traffic slowdown in the passing lane of any highway..should be cited and fined.
1994 Internet World July 9/3 (advt.) Why not start your journey on the superhighway in the passing lane?
2002 Chicago Tribune 21 Oct. iii. 9/6 The Lions used a variety of defensive looks to clog his routes and the passing lanes to him.
passing loop n. Railways an extra section of track added to a single line so that two trains may pass one another.
ΚΠ
1955 Econ. Geogr. 31 63/1 The provision of new passing loops, and above all the import of many new locomotives..have made possible considerable increases in capacity.
2001 Mod. Railways Feb. 9/1 A new passing loop at Dovey Junction will enable services between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth to be doubled to hourly.
passing modulation n. Music a modulation incorporating a passing note.
ΚΠ
1922 Jrnl. Hellenic Stud. 42 141 The C mode may be taken in Scales I, II, or III. IV is used when a passing modulation is made into the supertonic minor.
2001 New Grove Dict. Mus. (Online ed.) at Steely Dan Their music blended rock with rich jazz harmonies, making large use of major seventh and ninth chords and ornate passing modulations.
ΚΠ
1857 W. Brady Kedge-anchor 196 There should also be had in readiness an ample quantity of nippers. (See passing nippers.)
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 660/2 Passing Nippers, a strong hank of untwisted but mailed yarn used in binding the messenger to the cable.
passing novel n. a novel about passing as a member of a different ethnic, religious, or sexual group.
ΚΠ
1964 E. C. Holmes in J. H. Clarke Harlem U.S.A. 345 James Weldon Johnson..wrote ‘passing’ novels, i.e. novels about Negroes who were able to pass as whites.
1997 Amer. Lit. 69 144 While the passing novel seems to subvert the stability of racial categories, it does so within a framework of individualism.
2000 S. B. Somerville Queering Color Line iii. 83 The passing novel offered to challenge the stability of racial categories.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > obsequies > [noun] > bell > passing-bell
passing bell1526
passing peal1533
forthfare1551
death bell1554
soul bell1599
welcome home1878
1533 in W. H. Stevenson Rec. Borough Nottingham (1889) IV. 202 For a passyng pele xij d.
1692 in P. Thompson Hist. & Antiq. Boston (1856) 574 In ringing the passing peal, it has been time out of mind customary, for a man that dies, to toll 12 tolls.
a1729 E. Taylor Metrical Hist. Christianity (1962) 118 On the fourth day following Eudoxia her passing Peale doth ring.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > [noun] > fare > by ship > by ferry > across Styx
passing-penny1651
pass-penny1657
1651 Bp. J. Taylor Rule & Exercises Holy Dying iv. §9. 233 It is good so to carry our passing penny in our hand.
passing percentage n. (a) American Football the percentage of attempted passes by a quarterback that are successfully received by another player in the same team; (b) the percentage of candidates passing a particular examination.
ΚΠ
1935 N.Y. Times 15 Dec. v. 4/1 (table) Passing percentage.
1938 Mod. Lang. Jrnl. 22 337 Some subjects have fallen victims to the sugar-coating mania in order to preserve high passing-percentage.
1983 Jrnl. Negro Educ. 52 111 The screening procedures would eliminate fifty students. If fifteen of the remaining students passed, the passing percentage was 30.
2002 Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) (Nexis) 3 Dec. c1 Vick's impact hardly rests on numbers, but we can talk about them—his 57.5 passing percentage; three interceptions in 280 throws; [etc.].
passing rule n. a rule about when and how vehicles should overtake one another.
ΚΠ
1900 Westm. Gaz. 30 Apr. 8/1 The competing cars..streamed off in single file with strict injunctions as to observance of the passing rule.
1997 Arizona Republic (Nexis) 12 Oct. t2 Mexican citizens drive like people in the United States do—on the right side of the street. Passing rules are the same.
passing tone n. Music = passing-note n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > harmony or sounds in combination > [noun] > movement of parts > by passing note > passing note
passing-note1658
changing note1847
passing tone1874
1874 Proc. Royal Soc. 23 20 It often happens that passing tones, changing notes and appoggiature, are introduced which do not belong to the harmony.
1991 Musical Q. Fall 360 In the next stage of the derivation, a chromatic passing tone, eb2, is introduced in the upper voice.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
passingadj.prep.adv.
/ˈpɑːsɪŋ/, /ˈpasɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈpæsɪŋ/ A. adj.† 2. Surpassing, pre-eminent; outstanding; extreme. Occasionally: excessive, very numerous. Obsolete (poetic in later use).
1.
a. Of time, or things bound or measured by time: that passes away or elapses; that is in the process of passing away; transient, fleeting; ephemeral.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > shortness or brevity in time > swift movement of time > [adjective]
slidinga900
scrithingOE
henwardOE
swifta1225
short livya1325
passing1340
flittingc1374
shadowy1374
temporalc1384
speedfula1400
transitory?c1400
brittlea1425
unabidingc1430
frail?c1450
indurablec1450
scrithel?c1475
caduke1483
transitorious1492
passanta1500
perishinga1500
caducea1513
fugitive?1518
caducal?1548
quick1548
delible1549
flittering1549
undurable?1555
shadowish1561
fleeting1563
vading1566
flightful1571
wanzing1571
transitive1575
slipping1581
diary1583
unlasting1585
never-lasting1588
flit1590
post-like1594
running1598
short-lived1598
short-winded1598
transient1599
unpermanent1607
flashy1609
of a day1612
passable1613
dureless1614
urgenta1616
waxena1616
decayable1617
horary1620
evanid1626
fugitable1628
short-dated1632
fugacious1635
ephemerala1639
impermanent1653
fungous1655
volatile1655
ephemerousa1660
unimmortal1667
timesome1674
while-being1674
of passage1680
journal1685
ephemeron1714
admovent1727
evanescent1728
meteorous1750
deciduous1763
preterient1786
ephemeridal1795
meteorica1802
meteor1803
ephemerean1804
ephemerid1804
evanescing1805
fleeted1810
fleet1812
unenduring1814
unremaining1817
unimmortalized1839
impersistent1849
flighty1850
uneternal1862
caducous1863
diurnal1866
horarious1866
brisk1879
evasive1881
picaresque1959
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 209 (MED) Me ne ssel naȝt hyealde uor greate þinges þe guodes pasinde þet god yefþ.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 121v Noþing is more passinge [L. labilius] þan tyme, for tyme restiþ neuere.
c1440 S. Scrope tr. C. de Pisan Epist. of Othea (St. John's Cambr.) (1970) 117 Delites be passing & not sure & ledith a persoone to dampnacion.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) v. 14 This luf is noght passand bot lastand.
1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer ii. f. cccxliiiv Howe passynge is the beautie of flesshly bodyes? more flyttynge than mouable floures of sommer.
1654 Z. Coke Art of Logick 38 Action is either Immanent and tarrying [or] Transient and passing.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 15. ⁋1 The History of the passing Day.
1751 J. Harris Hermes i. vii. 128 The Middle Tenses, (which express Time as extended and passing) and the Perfect or Completive, which express its Completion or End.
1826 J. F. Cooper Last of Mohicans I. xiv. 214 Like all that passing and gloomy scene,..the low basin..melted in the darkness.
1850 R. W. Emerson Shakspeare in Representative Men v. 199 The madness with which the passing age mischooses the object on which all candles shine.
1932 R. Niebuhr Moral Man & Immoral Society i. 3 Conflict between the national units remains as a permanent rather than a passing characteristic of their relations to each other.
1956 G. Durrell Drunken Forest 105 This simple action transformed the coconut from being a passing fancy to being Pooh's favourite toy.
1991–2 City & Country Home Winter 6/1 Luminescent hands mark the passing hours on Cartier's..carriage clock.
b. Done, made, or shown in passing; casual, cursory.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of ideation > topic, subject-matter > [adjective] > mentioned in passing
passing1751
1751 T. Gray Elegy xx. 9 Some frail memorial..Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth iv, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. III. 64 Few opportunities..of exchanging even such passing greetings.
1840 C. F. Hoffman Greyslaer II. ii. xii. 67 A character so earnest as his cannot always find material for conversation amid themes of passing interest.
1866 W. Collins Armadale II. iii. 168 The lawyer's passing reference to the great house had led him back in a moment to the purpose that he had in view.
1904 Collier's 7 May 8/1 The welcome given by Russia to her first heroes of the war with Japan has more than passing interest.
1980 S. Naipaul Black & White i. ii. 14 This kind of technical education required more than a passing acquaintance with addition and subtraction.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > surpassing excellence > [adjective]
sunderlyOE
noblec1330
precellentc1384
passantc1385
especialc1386
passinga1387
surmountingc1407
superlative?a1430
precelling?1435
pre-eminenta1460
outrepassed1477
divine1488
pre-excellenta1500
superexcellent1508
transcending1528
pre-ordinate1543
exceeding1552
superexcelling1554
exquisite1578
surpassingc1580
summary1587
paragon1593
transcendent1598
overmatchful1609
termless1609
overtoppinga1615
paramounta1626
overtowering1639
surpassant1654
transcendental1701
superior1711
towery1731
prize1739
supernala1817
tiptopsome1819
tip-topping1826
par excellence1839
superfine1850
towering1894
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective] > very great or extreme
strangec1380
overpassinga1382
passinga1387
most?c1430
extremec1460
horriblea1464
violenta1500
mainc1540
immortal?c1550
exquisite1552
sore1555
three-piled1598
thundering1618
devilish1639
shrewda1643
deadly1660
woundy1681
vast1696
monstrous1711
mortal1716
terrific1743
hell-fired1754
hellish1764
colossal1794
severe1805
awful1818
all-fired1829
terrible1829
quare and1847
ferocious1877
pluperfect1889
raging1889
giddy1896
utter1898
stiff1905
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 321 Þis Boys was a passing man [?a1475 anon. tr. singuler] in his werkes and dedes.
a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xxxvi. 179 (MED) Sche hadde the moste passyng Bewte Aforn Alle womman that Evere Sawh he.
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 841 The passynge bounte of your noble astate.
1575 J. Rolland Treat. Court Venus i. f. 1 Eolus..With passand pith, fra Poleartike come doun.
1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. ii. viii. f. 82/1, in R. Holinshed Chron. I Tokens..of passing workmanship.
1606 Sir Gyles Goosecappe iv. i. 50 The passingst description of a candle, that euer liu'd.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 195 To the passing content of her grand-parents.
1649 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1877) VI. ii. 389/2 Those places..which have bein overburdinit by passing quarteringis.
1794 W. J. Mickle Siege of Marseilles i. 232 I named her passing beauty; but I named it with careless voice.
1830 R. Mant Scriptural Narr. 416 On a rainbow throne..Sate one of passing splendour, passing might.
1916 C. M. Doughty Titans v. 128 He, of passing strength, is named, his Nations Rock.
3. That goes or passes by.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > movement over, across, through, or past > [adjective] > moving past
awaywardc1350
passinga1398
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 246 Passynge men [L. transeuntes] comeþ and beþ y-spoyled.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 3269 Of passand men þe herd þat tuo breþer wan alle þe werld.
a1500 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Hunterian) (1976) i. 290 (MED) Þei..letyn to hyre hors and carte..to pasyng folc.
1621 M. Wroth Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania i. 39 A pleasant and sweetly passing river, over which was a Bridge.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 143 Th' Infernal Troops like passing Shadows glide. View more context for this quotation
1746 J. Hervey Medit. (1818) 223 The city swarmed with passing and repassing multitudes.
1794 R. Southey Wat Tyler ii. i The green corn waves to the passing gale.
1815 J. Scott Visit to Paris iii. 48 In the inn-yards of our great North-road, when the passing coachmen pay their devoirs to the expectant chambermaids.
1874 L. Stephen Hours in Libr. 1st Ser. 36 Some passing traveller from distant lands.
1925 F. G. Bond Flatboating on Yellowstone, 1877 12 I asked a passing corporal the way to the haybag quarters.
1974 Daily Tel. 18 Jan. (Colour Suppl.) 19/1 A child..may see the nose of a passing bus come into his line of vision.
4. † a. That is in charge of testing and passing candidates; examining. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > educational administration > examination > [adjective] > examining
passing1788
examining1912
1788 Ld. Nelson Let. 26 Dec. in Dispatches & Lett. (1844) I. 277 On his going to be Examined..the Passing Captains had refused to examine him.
1840 F. Marryat Olla Podrida III. 28 The passing captains..suffered from the heat of the weather.
b. Of a mark, grade, score, or standard: that is high enough to be acceptable, spec. high enough to enable a candidate to pass an examination or course.
ΚΠ
1837 Morning Post 23 Dec. 8/2 The average price of Muscovado Sugar is 39s. 11½d.... The[re] has been good demand for lumps under the passing standard.
1861 H. Woodrow in Gen. Rep. Public Instruction Bengal Presidency 1860–61 (1862) App. A. 18 Dacca students who had passed brilliantly in four branches were plucked because they fell short of the passing standard in the fifth branch by one single mark.
1868 Rep. Sel. Comm. Sci. Instruction (House of Commons) 115 Suppose a man is below the normal passing standard, a certain modification is allowed, but that is a matter for the examiners to decide.
1894 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 1 Sept. 474/1 He may, at the discretion of the examiners, receive credit for the subjects in which he obtains passing marks.
1948 Billboard 31 Jan. 73/2 It was necessary that each skater receive a passing score in six tests from each member of the judging panel.
1974 Amer. Bar Assoc. Jrnl. Feb. 204/1 His examination in the course is poor and not deserving of a passing grade by the standards of the school.
2003 C. H. Hargis Grades & Grading Practices xi. 83 Passing grades are, by definition, necessary for the rites of passage that society has assigned largely to the schools.
B. prep. (Originally the present participle governing an object in a non-finite clause and resembling a preposition with its object; its participial character remains more perceptible in senses A. 2 and A. 3, where the phrases so formed are used as modifiers, than in A. 1, where they are frequently adverbial.)† 1. Beyond (a specified measure or number); more than. In later use only with negative, esp. in not passing. Obsolete.† 2. Beyond in degree; to a greater degree than; more or better than; surpassing (a person) in a specified activity. Also: in preference to, rather than. Obsolete (poetic in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > [phrase] > no more > no more than
not passingc1370
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > great in quantity, amount, or degree [preposition] > more than
top1340
passingc1370
abovea1398
atourc1475
beyond?a1500
c1370 in L. F. Salzman Building in Eng. (1992) iii. 58 (MED) Yai sall noghte cese no lefe yair werk in slepyng tyme passande ye tyme of a mileway.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xxiii. 218 Proude preostes cam with hym passend an hundred [c1400 B text moo þan a thousand].
a1450 MS Sloane 2463 in R. V. Fleischhacker Lanfrank's Sci. Cirurgie (1894) 244 (MED) Yf he wexe riȝt hoot in þe bathth, lete hym dwelle therin not passyng an houre.
1540 R. Jonas tr. E. Roesslin Byrth of Mankynde i. f. xxviiv To a woman geue neuer passynge a drame at once of Safrane.
1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie i. xix. 22 The trenches of the Salaris beeing not passing 150. paces from the Castle.
1609 Pasquils Iestes (new ed.) 10 They were at that time not passing two miles from a small towne in Barkshire.
1685 H. More Paralipomena Prophetica ix. 57 He was not passing fifty nine years when he died.
1730 J. Mottley Widow Bewitch'd iv. i. 41 Sir George did not live passing two Months.
1767 P. Gibbes Woman of Fashion I. 24 It is not passing four Month's ago, that I must needs..let my Girl go to an Assembly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [preposition] > to a greater degree than
passingc1385
beyond1789
c1385 G. Chaucer Knight's Tale 2885 Tho cam this woful Theban Palamoun..And, passyng othere of wepyng, Emelye, The rufulleste of al the compaignye.
1417 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 38 Yt ys my will þat Wyllyam Aluowe haue it, passynge eny oþer man.
c1475 (c1399) Mum & Sothsegger (Cambr. Ll.4.14) (1936) ii. 108 (MED) Þe kyng loued hem For her priuy prynte passinge anoþer.
1539 Bible (Great) 2 Sam. i. 26 Thy loue to me was wonderfull, passyng the loue of wemen.
1588 J. Aske Elizabetha Triumphans 1 A maiden Queene..for Learning, passing all.
1619 Two Wise Men & All Rest Fooles i. i. 3 A man..passing all that liued before or behind him in the nouell straine.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 41/1 The Smaradge, is of an excellent fresh green, far passing any Leaf.
a1788 C. Wesley Shall Man exalt Himself in Poet. Wks. (1871) XI. 226 Passing all in purity He takes the highest place.
1801 M. G. Lewis Alfonso iii. i. 55 Oh! weakness Passing all strength!
1867 A. Webster Woman Sold & Other Poems 151 The whilome dwellers in this hall..Loved by the fairies passing all.
1906 C. M. Doughty Dawn in Brit. III. x. 65 Passing all, is..his skill of making well.
3. Beyond or exceeding the limit or range of; passing measure = beyond measure at measure n. 1c.In quots. 1891, 1986, and 1996 with allusion to to pass (all) understanding at pass v. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > excessive amount or degree > [preposition] > beyond the limit
passingc1443
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 316 (MED) Neiþer þilk power neiþer þilk deede was aboue kinde, passing þe boundis of nature, neiþer of suche now seid feiþ.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 36 (MED) Thanne he dide a maistrie passing his power.
a1500 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 15th Cent. (1939) 17 (MED) With fauoure in hir face ferr passyng my Reason..of hir sore weepyng this was the enchesone.
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer iii. sig. Hh.iiiiv Men past feare and hardie passinge measure.
1781 J. Delap Royal Suppliants v. 68 Oh direful change! Passing all thought, all patience!
1812 J. N. Barker Marmion iii. xii. 55 Unnatural, fiend-like, passing every bound of gentle pity.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Talking Oak xv, in Poems (new ed.) II. 67 The slight she-slips of loyal blood, And others, passing praise.
1867 E. H. Plumptre tr. Sophocles Maidens of Trachis in tr. Sophocles Trag. (ed. 2) 263 O my friends, most strange, For you to hear, yea, passing all belief.
1891 E. Arnold Light of World v. 243 Passing all understanding.
1913 L. Binyon Mirror iii, in Auguries 37 Pardon, pity, peace, Passing all mortal wit.
1986 M. Hofmann Acrimony ii. 52 I..read mystical cricket thrillers passing all understanding.
1996 Independent (Nexis) 8 Sept. (Features section) 12 I felt as if I had indeed been in touch with something passing human understanding.
C. adv. † b. passing old: of advanced age, superannuated. Obsolete.
a. In a surpassing degree; surpassingly, pre-eminently; exceedingly. Chiefly (in later use only) with adjectives or adverbs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > extremely or exceedingly > surpassingly
passinga1382
passinglya1382
excellentlyc1460
overpassingc1475
passantlya1500
surpassing1598
superpassing1608
surpassingly1658
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) 3 Esdras iii. 18 Hou myche wyn is passinge [v.r. passende] strong to alle men þat drinken it.
c1450 (a1400) Orologium Sapientiæ in Anglia (1888) 10 344 Experience proveþ..þat þou wher passingley sorrowfulle, for þou lovest passynge.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll.) 325 He hath done passynge ylle and shamefully.
c1528 Everyman (1961) 647 He pleaseth God passynge well.
1582 S. Batman Vppon Bartholome, De Proprietatibus Rerum xvi. lxxxvii. f. 266/2 This Saphire stone is thick and not passing bright.
1596 J. Harington New Disc. Aiax sig. E4 Vitellius, who is noted to haue beene a passing great eater.
1633 J. Ford Loves Sacrifice i. i The French are passing courtly.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 155 Many are in each Region passing fair As the noon Skie. View more context for this quotation
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones IV. xii. x. 266 He swore 'twas strange, 'twas passing strange. View more context for this quotation
1770 O. Goldsmith Deserted Village 142 A man he was..passing rich with forty pounds a year.
1837 B. Disraeli Venetia I. 230 Strange, passing strange indeed, and very bitter!
1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles III. xli. 21 It would be passing mean to enrich herself by a legal title to them which was not essentially hers at all.
1909 H. G. Wells Tono Bungay iii. iv. 407 That cold side that gives you the air-eddy I was beginning to know passing well.
1954 O. St. J. Gogarty It isn't this Time of Year at All xxxvi. 236 It is passing strange that so few politicians, ‘leaders’ or dictators have been amusing.
1999 Herald (Glasgow) 2 July 19/1 It was passing strange to see the Dukes..as they were styled for the day.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > age > old age > [adjective] > old (of beings, etc.)
oldeOE
winteredeOE
oldlyOE
over-oldOE
eldernc1175
at-oldc1200
stricken on, in age, in eldec1380
oldlya1382
(well, far, etc.) stepped in age, in or into yearsc1386
ancientc1400
aged1420
well-agedc1450
ripec1480
passing oldc1485
(well) shot in years1530
old aged1535
agey1547
Ogygian1567
strucken1576
oldish1580
stricken in yearsa1586
declined1591
far1591
struck1597
Nestorian1605
overripe1605
elderly1611
eld1619
antiquated1631
enaged1631
thorough-old1639
emerita1643
grandevous1647
magnaevous1727
badgerly1753
(as) old as the hills1819
olden days1823
crusted1833
long in the tooth1841
oldened1854
mature1867
over the hill1950
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 89 Quhethir a passand alde ancien man be law of armes may be haldin prisoner.
a1762 Lady M. W. Montagu Squire of Dames in R. Dodsley Coll. Poems (1763) IV. 125 The dame, who own'd the house, was passing old.
1876 J. W. Inchbold Annus Amoris 37 O life so dead! O youth so passing old!
Compounds
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > [noun] > types of stroke
following stroke1837
rush1868
stop-stroke1868
cut1874
cut-over1874
jump-stroke1874
take-off1874
tice1874
passing croquet1877
split1896
split stroke1897
passing stroke1901
jump shot1909
Hong Kong1957
split shot1975
1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 609/2 Passing croquet is a sort of roll.
passing phase n. a temporary situation or trend; spec. a temporarily difficult or unhappy period, esp. in the life of an adolescent.
ΚΠ
1848 Spectator 22 July 709/1 Such sketches of passing phases of society do not, however, suffice to form the materials of a fiction.
1946 D. de Carle Pract. Watch Repairing (1947) xx. 262 The shock-resistant watch cannot be looked upon as a novelty, in the sense that it is a passing phase.
1991 M. Mackie Gender Relations Canada iv. 91/1 The garden variety of tomboyish behaviour in girls tends to be regarded as a passing phase.
2003 Post & Courier (Charleston, S. Carolina) (Nexis) 7 Jan. 1 c Now Robert knows he likes soccer, and his mom knows it's not just a passing phase. He'll stick with it.
passing resemblance n. a slight similarity or likeness.
ΚΠ
1850 P. H. Myers King of Hurons xviii. 150 Whoever had beheld the marked countenance of the Baron Montaigne..could not fail to perceive the passing resemblance..betwixt father and child.
1994 Independent on Sunday 3 July 13/1 The giant muntjac, a deer-like animal with a passing resemblance to Bambi.
ΚΠ
1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. vi. 66 The Passing Shake is expressed in Germany by a particular character.
1813 J. M. Good et al. Pantologia Passing-shake, a short trill, made en passant, in flowing passages of quavers or semiquavers, without..interrupting the natural course of the melody.
1853 W. T. Brande Dict. Sci., Lit., & Art 796/2 What the Germans call the passing shake is..marked..over the note where it is intended.
passing shot n. Tennis a shot in which the ball is aimed beyond and wide of an opponent.
ΚΠ
1903 H. S. Mahony in A. W. Myers Lawn Tennis at Home & Abroad i. 21 A very remarkable feature of his [sc. Wilfred Baddeley's] play was the considerable height at which some of his passing shots down the line would cross the net.
1928 Sunday Express 24 June 20/4 The way he flashed the passing shot wide of Higgs..was world-beating stuff.
1977 Time 11 July 46/2 Ilie Nastase, 30, victim of his own bad behavior and Borg's precisely controlled passing shots.
2004 J. Brown Tennis (ed. 3) iv. 60/1 You have three good return choices: a passing shot to the backhand side, a passing shot to the forehand side, or a lob over your opponent's head.
passing stroke n. (a) Croquet a stroke which sends the ball in a straight line without roqueting another ball; (b) Tennis a stroke which returns the ball straight across the net.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > croquet > [noun] > types of stroke
following stroke1837
rush1868
stop-stroke1868
cut1874
cut-over1874
jump-stroke1874
take-off1874
tice1874
passing croquet1877
split1896
split stroke1897
passing stroke1901
jump shot1909
Hong Kong1957
split shot1975
1901 Scotsman 16 Sept. 10/4 The ‘passing stroke’ is used when it is necessary that the player's ball should go further than the ball which has been roqueted.
1981 Washington Post (Nexis) 29 June (Sport section) d1 Borg's topsin passing strokes are uniquely effective because they dive as they cross the net.
2002 Florida Today 27 Dec. (Sport section) 1 He has the shortest passing stroke to get some zip on the ball as I've seen in a long time.
passing trade n. (a) trade that passes through a region not containing the parties conducting it; (b) customers or clientele who are attracted into a shop, restaurant, etc., as they go past.
ΚΠ
1873 W. J. McAlpine Addr. before Chamber of Commerce 15 There is so complete an identity of interest between the two countries that there can be no obstructions or onerous exactions made upon the passing trade.
1883 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 12 3 They seem..sufficiently powerful to demand a share in passing trade, in which, by their unsettled position, they are unable to take a legitimate share.
1980 Economist (Nexis) 23 Feb. 51 Preference is given to established businessmen who already have a clientele and who do not depend on passing trade.
2000 Independent 8 Jan. i. 3/2 There was a chance the operators might be able to open earlier for passing trade.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.c1350adj.prep.adv.1340