c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women 1134 Eneas..bad his sone how that he shulde make The presenting and to the queen it take.

c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 261 An offring is not ellis þan a profering or a presenting or a mustring, bi which oon persoon profuriþ, mustriþ, or presentiþ, a þing or a deede in þe presence and siȝt of an oþer person.

a1500 (a1400) Sir Cleges (Adv.) (1930) 410 I thanke the hartyly..of thy yeft and presentynge.

1563 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1890) II. 43 Nocht a fenȝeit, bot a trew persoun; nocht in præsenting, bot in substance.

1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre v. xiii. 252 They..as it were scattered their powder in presenting, before they came to discharge.

1694 in Fountainhall's Decisions (1759) I. 603 The Lords found the Bishop's presenting as patron made it a patronate, but not a patrimonial mensal kirk.

1720 W. Kennett Monitions to Clergy of Peterborough i. 29 They [sc. churchwardens] have a general Prejudice to the sworn Duty of Presenting; for fear of offending this or that Neighbour.

1827 Colebrooke in Trans. Royal Asiatic Soc. 1 455 The presenting of expressed juice of the sóma plant.

1847 Times 9 Dec. 2/6 It is likewise expedient that all such and so many of the aforesaid disabilities shall in like manner be repealed and taken away as do not in anywise relate to the holding of offices..or to the presenting to ecclesiastical benefices.

1891 R. E. Gale Chaperon 50 Come, Jack, you do the presenting first, then we will take turns.

1901 C. Gore Body of Christ (1907) iv. §1. 226 The presenting before God of the one sacrifice.

1930 S. Zuckerman in Proc. Zool. Soc. 728 She [sc. a monkey] continually examines her swollen perinæum,..and presents herself, buttocks first, to visitors (this form of behaviour will in future be referred to as ‘presenting’).

1937 L. Lewis Radio Dict. in Printers' Ink Monthly May 40/2 Production, the building, organizing and presenting of a radio program.

1999 Cosmopolitan (U.K. ed.) Feb. 169/2 Accept the adrenalin rush as part of the experience of presenting or performing.

1779–80 Irish Act 19 & 20 Geo. III c. 19 §1 Any person..may sue..in the county of Dublin at the next presenting term.

1898 Act 61 & 62 Vict. c. 37 §113 (1) The grand jury of..the county of Dublin at the Easter presenting term, next after the passing of this Act, may choose [etc.].

1899 Times 24 Apr. 12/1 The presenting term of the Dublin grand jury has been much later than the meeting of other grand juries at the spring assizes.

1602 T. A. Massacre of Money sig. F3^v England thou art Pleasures-presenting stage, The perfect patterne of the golden age.

1662 J. Dauncey Eng. Lovers ii. i. 91 Finding all delays to be so many presenting perils, I immediately called a Counsel of War.

1687 A. Behn Amours Philander & Silvia 150 I want the presenting Eloquence that so perswades and charms the Fair.

1708 E. Arwaker Select Fables iii. liii. 269 Away he sail'd with next presenting Wind.

1820 W. Bate Patent in London Jrnl. Arts & Sci. (1821) 2 186 The filament descends..to the first of the presenting rollers, (as they are termed) of which there are several.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. (1856) xv. 114 I could see that the dark knoblike protrusions..were the presenting faces of hills.

1987 Broadcasting (Nexis) 23 Nov. 56 After assurances from the..presenting broadcaster, Connecticut Public Television, that the underwriter would exercise no influence over the program, PBS decided to go ahead.

2005 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 27 Feb. q1 He'll be backstage at the Kodak Theatre handing out winning envelopes to the presenting stars at the 77th Academy Awards.

1754 B. Pugh Treat. Midwifery xiii. 95 Introduce your Hand, carefully put back the presenting Part, and turn and extract by the Feet.

1802 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 8 394 The integuments of the presenting arm.

1872 Practitioner Jan. 62 The presenting part seemed firm.

1999 Singapore Med. Jrnl. 40 675 Nine [patients]..had a lesion on the side of the presenting shoulder.

1911 R. C. Cabot Differential Diagnosis 17 A ‘presenting symptom’, comparable to the ‘presenting part’ in obstetrics, may turn out to be of minor importance when we have studied the whole case.

1973 Times 17 Oct. 14/4 The temptation to shoplift may be a presenting complaint in depressive illness or melancholia.

1995 New Yorker 20 Nov. 112/2 Andrews exhibits none of the presenting symptoms of a star's crazy imperialism.