reckoningn.
/ˈrɛk(ə)nɪŋ/, /ˈrɛkn̩ɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈrɛk(ə)nɪŋ/ 1.
a. The action or an act of accounting to God after death for (one's) conduct in life; an account so given; the occasion of giving such an account, the Last Judgement. Also: God's judgement on or penalty for a person's actions (cf. sense 6).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > heaven > [noun] > rendering account of life
reckoning?c1335
?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 92 (MED) Þeiȝ man be rich..Hit nis no doute, he sal be dede To ȝeld recning at þe dome.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 214 (MED) God wile acsi rekeninge ate daye of dome.
?1387 T. Wimbledon Serm. (Corpus Cambr.) (1967) 66 (MED) Þe day of his rekenyng comeþ, þat is þe ende of þis lif.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. 301 Þe bisschop..shal answere for þe at þe heygh dome, For þe and for many mo þat man shal ȝif a rekenynge [c1400 C text ȝeue rekenynge].
1434 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 97 (MED) Myne executoures wyl answere at the laste rekenyng.
c1480 (a1400) St. Alexis 133 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 445 We sal..gyf reknyne þat Iuge til of al dedis, gud & Il.
a1500 Lancelot of Laik (1870) 1358 Wharof that god a raknyng sal craf At the, and a sore Raknyng sal hafe.
a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 67 The extreme iudgement of God, quhair he sould gif ane compt and rakning of all his cruell offences.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V iv. i. 134 The king hath a heauy reckoning to make, If his cause be not good.
a1629 W. Hinde Faithfull Remonstr. (1641) xxxiv. 108 The reckoning and account of a true Professor and sound Christian is not to seeke, nor to make at the houre of their death.
1693 W. Penn Some Fruits of Solitude §407. 131 Did we believe a final Reckoning and Judgment; or did we think eno' of what we do believe, we would allow more Love in Religion than we do.
1708 H. Sacheverell Nature Presumptuous Sins 12 The noble Faculties, and useful Endowments of Mind, or Body..are given, as so many mighty Blessings, and Talents, for Excellent Ends, and when mis-spent or abus'd..draw a fearful Reckoning down on the Presumptuous Offender.
1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 179 He will judge the earth, and call the fool To a sharp reckoning that has lived in vain.
1789 R. Burns Let. 4 Jan. (1985) I. 352 I thought that throwing a little filial piety & fraternal affection into the scale in my favor, might help to smooth matters at the Grand Reckoning.
1830 C. M. Sedgwick Clarence II. xiv. 265 Through grace, I am ready to meet my Judge; I have an honest account to render; poor fellow, you've a fearful reckoning—robbery and murder, on land, and on sea!
1873 T. B. Aldrich Marjorie Daw & other People 220 Maybe, when the final reckoning comes, all those good impulses will add up to something handsome.
1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist iii. 142 In the last day of terrible reckoning I pray fervently to God that not a single soul of those who are in this chapel today may be found among those miserable beings whom the Great Judge shall command to depart for ever from His sight.
1943 Jrnl. Hist. Ideas 4 197 [Christians] will not rebel against injustice and inequality, believing that there will be a reckoning before God.
2003 Nelson (Brit. Columbia) Daily News (Nexis) 9 May 14 There awaits a day when all will have to give a reckoning of how well we did.
b. The action or an act of giving or being required to give an account of something, esp. one's conduct or actions; an account or statement so given. Also: an occasion of giving or being required to give such a statement; a calling to account (cf. sense 6).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > [noun] > a statement or declaration > of facts or particulars
exposition1388
reckoningc1390
prepositiona1513
factum1648
exposé1715
statement1750
exposal1885
tell-all1940
position statement1960
society > communication > information > reporting > [noun] > a report
reckoningc1390
reporta1425
instruction1425
rehearsal?a1439
rapport1454
estatec1475
reportationc1475
reapport1514
remonstrancea1533
account1561
state1565
credit1569
referendary1581
delivery1592
tell1743
compte rendu1822
rundown1943
c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 444 (MED) Whon þat þou comest aȝeyn..þou miht haue more redi roume my rikenyng to here!
c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure 102 (MED) Thare schall thow gyffe rekkynynge for all thy round table.
a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Merlin (1904) I. l. 1300 (MED) Respyt gonnen they take..xv dayes thanne next Sewenge, hire forto bringen to Rekenenge.
1530–1 Act 22 Hen. VIII c. 12 If any man..be vagrant, and can gyue no rekenynge howe he dothe lefullye get his lyuynge.
1543 (title) The rekening and declaracion of the faith and beleif of Huldrik Zwingly.
1563 D. Fergusson Tracts (1860) 44 To giue a reconing of the hope that is in vs.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing v. iv. 9 Being..enforst To call young Claudio to a reckoning for it. View more context for this quotation
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 23 Nor will he trouble himself with calling of his Town to a reckoning for their giving of themselves to me. View more context for this quotation
1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 18 A servile Constraint being much more resented by a generous Soul, than a deep Reckoning.
1855 C. R. Kennedy tr. Demosthenes Orations on Crown & on Embassy in Demosthenes II. 123 Before he appeared in court to give a reckoning of his actions, one of the persons who came to demand it he has removed out of the way.
1869 Galaxy Mar. 451 It is of you—of you, her husband..that I ask a reckoning of my sister's year of married life... Why is she dead at two-and-twenty, she who should have lived to see the glory of maturity.
1930 P. Volkov tr. R. Altamira Hist. Spanish Civilization ix. 167 These officials were ordered to inspect public administration, give a reckoning of its defects and put into force remedies for them.
2000 J. C. Yardley tr. Livy Dawn Rom. Empire 461 Why do I not ask what you Romans did after capturing Capua since you demand a reckoning of what we Achaeans did after defeating the Spartans in war?
c. day of reckoning n. the Day of Judgement. Frequently in extended use (also in moment (also time, year, etc.) of reckoning): a time of calling or holding to account; a time when the consequences of an action must be faced; (more generally) a momentous occasion or period; a turning point.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > non-existence > [noun] > ending of existence > the last judgement > day of judgement
last dayc1275
day of doom1340
Great Dayc1350
the last time?1505
day of reckoning1547
accounting day1549
doomsday1578
reckoning day1581
day of accounting1666
?1387 T. Wimbledon Serm. (Corpus Cambr.) (1967) 68 (MED) Þe day of streyt rekenyng shal come, þat is þe day of doom.]
1547 J. Bale Lattre Examinacyon A. Askewe f. 36v They shulde also be wythout excuse of ignoraunce in the greate daye of reckenynge.
1651 Lady E. Douglas Hells Destr. 15 That Herodian Massacre not long after it, seen 74 years before the year 1644, the heavy day of Reckonings forerunner.
1792 M. Wollstonecraft Vindic. of Rights of Woman vi The virtues of a husband are thus thrown by love into the background, and gay hopes, or lively emotions, banish reflection till the day of reckoning come.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xx. 191 There will be a day of reckoning sooner or later.
1861 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. (1873) III. iii. 132 The patience of the country was well nigh exhausted, and the day of reckoning was at hand.
1877 Times 3 Feb. 5/2 The Government instinctively shrink from the moment of reckoning which they know must come, and which they wish to put off as long as possible.
1925 Amer. Mercury Oct. p. xxxiii (advt.) The day of reckoning for bone-crushers and faith healers has come.
1986 Z. Tomin Stalin's Shoe v. 81 The year of Dubček was a year of reckoning.
1991 R. Brookhiser Way of WASP (1992) vi. 70 When the market picked itself up, the censorious went back to waiting grimly for the day of reckoning.
1993 Cricket World 3 Apr. 35/2 The next season was a time of reckoning for those counties possessing bowlers with suspect actions, and to Kortright's horror his delivery came under scrutiny.
2005 Express (Nexis) 18 Mar. 58 He believes if he can just slay enough demons he might be given a second chance when it comes to the day of reckoning.
2. The action of providing an account or record of property, money, etc., entrusted to one's charge; an account or record so provided. Also: an occasion of giving such an account. In later use chiefly (Scots Law) in count and reckoning, with reference to a legal action whereby an agent may be compelled to provide such an account. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > [noun] > rendering accounts of property or expenses
reckoning1340
scoring1546
count-making1569
render1744
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > [noun] > according to rule or standard
examinationc1405
exam1568
reckoning1569
audit1839
diagnosis1855
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 18 His lhordes guodes, huer-of him behoueþ straitliche yelde rekeninge.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 370) (1850) 4 Kings xii. 15 No reknynge was maad [L. non fiebat ratio] to tho men that token the monee..bot in feith thei treteden it.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. 427 (MED) I can holde louedayes and here a Reues rekenynge.
1480 in P. E. Jones Cal. Plea & Mem. Rolls London Guildhall (1961) VI. 138 (MED) I will that all my part of goodes..wherof Robert Galyon, my servaunt, hath the reconyng, be evenly devided in vj partes.
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) iv. xxxiv. f. lxxxiij Of al other reuenues that to the kynge bylongen in his Countre he muste yeue rekkenynge before the kynges offycers.
1506 in Sc. Hist. Rev (1961) 40 90 Thai [sc. the king's officials] compere..to give compt, reknyn and payment of all dewitez awne.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 683 As for the towne of Calice..the sayde Monsire de Vawclere promised thereof to make him a good reconyng.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 58 The king..began to call him [sc. Becket] to reconynges, and to burthen him with paymentes.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 264 The keiperis of the Thesaurhous..he bringis to compte and rekning.
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings xxii. 7 Howbeit, there was no reckoning made with them, of the money that was deliuered into their hand. View more context for this quotation
1666 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1872) II. 225 It should be..lawfull to the said John, to intromit with..the haill quarters dutie of baptisms [etc.]..and to apply the samen to his awin wse without compt or reackoning.
1711 J. Spotiswood Form of Process p. xvi After an Act of Count and Reckoning is pronounc'd in the Cause, the Lords are appointed Auditors per vices.
1798 Decisions Court of Session 1792–6 xviii. 37 She brought an action of count and reckoning against her tutors.
1869 Act 32 & 33 Victoria c. 116 §7 The grantee being always bound, upon payment of the price, to hold count and reckoning with the grantor for the same.
1932 Michigan Law Rev. 30 551 Types of action have developed which are known by particular names, such as the ‘action of count and reckoning’.
2007 Session Cases 288 The Dowager Countess, as an individual and as executrix of the Sixth Earl, seeks count and reckoning for the intromissions of the..scheme trustees.
3.
a. An act or instance of counting, enumerating, or calculating something; the result of this; a tally, an account; a calculation. Also with up. Also figurative. to lose one's reckoning (of): to lose track (of); to lose count.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > [noun] > result, sum
telc1000
tale?c1225
tailc1330
reckoningc1392
suma1400
aggregatec1443
count1483
sum total1549
total1557
computation1586
calculation1646
quotient1659
tally1674
amount1751
tot1755
summation1841
c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 36 (MED) Where as endith thy reknynge in the Epicicle, ley ther the marked ende of thy label.
1432 in J. B. Sheppard Let. Bks. Monastery Christ Church Canterbury (1889) 162 (MED) Be our rekenyng they owe us..xliiij li. xiij s.
a1450 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Bodl. 619) (1898) ii. §22. 651/1 Understonde wel this rekenyng.
a1500 Promptorium Parvulorum (King's Cambr.) 428 Rekenynge, or a counte, compotus.
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique ii. f. 83 Why than master Uibius as farre as I can gather by my reckenyng..you were not then borne by al likelyhoode, if that be true whiche you saie.
1561 J. Daus tr. H. Bullinger Hundred Serm. vpon Apocalips xlviii. 326 Let vs thinke, that our Lorde God hath in a rekenyng [1573 rekoning] al the dayes of our calamitie.
1585 Queen Elizabeth I in W. B. Scoones Four Cent. Eng. Lett. (1880) 29 If I mad not my rekening the bettar of the moneths.
1631 W. Cornwallis Ess. (ed. 2) ii. li. sig. Hh8 Hee that can make so euen a reckoning, is none of the worst Accompters.
1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) i. xiv. 34 According to his reckoning, there will be two Ligaments, not one only.
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 188 There is not a full reckoning up of those attributes of his that have to do in the work.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 74 I should lose my Reckoning of Time.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 295 As for an exact Reckoning of Days, after I had once lost it, I could never recover it again.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas III. vii. xii. 150 He was short in his reckoning by an arm and a leg.
1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park II. xi. 239 No sounds were heard in the room for the next two hours beyond the reckonings of the game. View more context for this quotation
1864 D. G. Mitchell Seven Stories 284 I tried to keep some reckoning of the streets through which I passed.
1895 Mrs. H. Ward Bessie Costrell iii. 471 She counted both the gold and silver, losing her reckoning again and again, because of the sudden anguish of listening that would overtake her.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 439/1 The astrological reckonings, in which he found pleasure, of the chances for and against the world coming to an end in the near future.
1999 Near Eastern Arch. 62 171/1 Such wide discrepancies in estimates of population size highlight the absence of any reliable quantified reckonings.
b. The action of counting or calculating something; enumeration, calculation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > [noun] > action of calculating or counting
accountc1300
numberingc1325
telling1340
calculingc1374
countingc1380
accountinga1387
summinga1387
calculation1393
count?a1400
computationc1425
reckoningc1425
numeration?a1475
supputation?a1475
compute1531
calcule1601
summing up1607
computing1629
subduction1656
enumerating1864
headcount1913
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) v. 3367 (MED) Tyme complet of þis translacioun, By iust rekenyng & accountis clere, Was a þousand & foure hundrid ȝere And twenti..After..Crist.
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 428 Reknynge, computacio.
c1480 (a1400) St. Matthias 266 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 229 Of thre hundir þe teynd leyly,..cumys be raknyne to thretty.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 128 For rekkyning of my rentis and roumes Ȝie neid not for to tyre ȝour thowmes.
1514 in Facsimiles National MSS Scotl. (1871) III. xi And all that wauntis be rycht compt and reknyng the said Alexandir sall mak payment.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 496 Bero. I all wayes tooke three threes for nine. Clow. O Lord sir, it were pittie you should get your liuing by reckning sir. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. iv. 14 Without words, there is no possibility of reckoning of Numbers.
1751 B. Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanac (1987) 1266 When open to the Access of the Air, their Numbers are beyond reckoning.
1869 E. A. Parkes Man. Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 2 The usual mode of reckoning is to divide the total daily supply in gallons by the total population.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 361/2 He calculated the period between the creation and the birth of Christ as 5499 years... This method of reckoning became known as the Alexandrian era.
1962 S. Wynter Hills of Hebron xiv. 171 The Prophet spun out his words like a man spending coins whose value were beyond reckoning.
1999 Land Econ. 75 369/2 The reckoning of costs has been limited to direct government payments to producers..using a fixed schedule of agricultural land rental values.
c. A particular manner or mode of calculating, numbering, or measuring something; esp. a method of calculating dates; a calendar.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > reckoning of time > calendar > [noun]
calendarc1340
calends1470
reckoningc1480
compute1483
compost1535
ephemeris1597
computus1675
year count1894
c1480 (a1400) St. Eugenia 943 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 151 Be þe reknyne of rome..twa hundir ȝere sex & fyfty.
?c1540 Hye wey to Spyttel Hous 919 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. IV. 64 That is but lytell used in this lande,..For Englysshe men knowe not of suche rekeninges.
1628 in G. Goudie Celtic & Scand. Antiq. Shetland (1904) 178 Anent the weychtis measuris and rekningis of the dewties of Yetland.
a1727 I. Newton Short. Chron. 1st Memory in Chronol. Anc. Kingdoms Amended (1728) Introd. 2 The reckoning by Olympiads was not yet in use.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. ix. 475 On the sixteenth of October, according to the English reckoning.
1912 Catholic Encycl. XIV. 336/1 The method of reckoning the Sunday from sunset to sunset continued in some places down to the seventeenth century.
1983 A. Mason Illusionist vi. 207 In the reckoning of the Holy One, a thousand years are but a day.
1991 S. J. Gould Bully for Brontosaurus vii. 110 New Zealand was a world of birds, dominated by several species (thirteen to twenty-two by various taxonomic reckonings) of large flightless moas.
d. The action or an act of calculating or estimating something, esp. a chance or contingency; expectation; anticipation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > [noun]
weenc888
rightnessOE
steemc1330
sight1362
witc1374
emprisea1393
reputation?c1400
apprizingc1449
nick?a1450
vail1471
countc1475
opinionc1480
estimationc1522
meting1548
reckoning1548
valuation1548
computation1558
account1583
cess1588
esteem1598
appreciation1605
resentiment1606
repute1610
ratea1616
assessmenta1626
estimate1637
vote1639
supputation1643
compute1646
value1651
resentment1655
contemplation1673
critique1798
appraisement1808
appraisal1817
viewa1854
sizing up1967
chit1989
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccixv Makyng sure reconynge to haue had for their pray & pryse, a Kyng, a Duke, diuers Barons & ryche gentelmen.
1588 R. Parke tr. J. G. de Mendoza Hist. Kingdome of China 144 It went not with Limahon and his foure hundred souldiers according as he did make reckoning.
1686 tr. J. Chardin Coronation Solyman 25 in Trav. Persia The General of the Slaves expected the Precedency as his due... However he missed of his reckoning.
1735 tr. C.-P. J. de Crébillon Skimmer I. xx. 166 The King..assured him of Saugrenutio's Obedience; but the High Priest, very much displeased with this Discourse, went immediately away, fully safisfy'd that his Majesty would be vastly mistaken in his Reckoning.
1760 C. Lennox Lady's Museum No. 1. ix. 54 Henry, after a more strict examination, was brought to believe, that he had been mistaken in his reckoning.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) IV. xviii. 113 Most likely the reckonings of the men of Kent did not go so far afield.
1962 Times 14 Nov. 12/7 The duration of the investigation will..depend on the number of witnesses who give evidence, but the reckoning is that the sittings will continue over Christmas into the new year.
1977 Belfast Tel. 28 Feb. 4/9 Looking an extra year ahead to Spring 1978, the reckoning is that North Sea oil will have worked wonders on the balance of payments.
2004 Internat. Herald Tribune (Nexis) 17 July 4 Roughly 40 million people today live with HIV. The best reckoning is that about a third of them are at a stage in their disease where, if they lived in the United States, they would be receiving antiretroviral drugs to keep them alive.
4. † c. Esteem, distinction, worth. Frequently with little, chief, mean, etc. Obsolete.
a. Manner or mode of considering or regarding a matter; way of thinking; (also) estimation; opinion, point of view.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > mental attitude, point of view > [noun]
spectaclec1386
reckoninga1393
view1573
sect1583
prospective1603
light1610
posture1642
point of view1701
stand1819
attitude of mind1832
psychology1834
standpoint1834
perspective1841–8
position1845
viewpoint1856
angle1860
way of looking at it1861
attitudea1873
pose1892
Anschauung1895
slant1905
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. 2283 (MED) If that he do it [sc. wage war] forto winne..As to the worldes rekeninge, Ther schal he finde no winnynge.
a1535 T. More Treat. Memorare Nouissima in Wks. (1557) I. 79/2 With this reckening shal thei loke vpon death muche nerer hande.
1574 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara Familiar Epist. 368 After I..read againe your letter, I fell in the reckoning that it was of Mosen Rubin my neighbour.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iv. i. 76 By this reckning he is more shrew than she. View more context for this quotation
1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης ix. 86 By this reckning his consents and his denials come all to one pass.
1670 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 5 1081 As these Gentlemen will have Vitriol and Iron to be one thing, so I finde Dr Jorden..making a doubt, whether Alome and Vitriol be distinct in specie: so that by this reckoning it might have sufficed for all, to have mentioned any of the three.
1707 tr. A. Bourignon Renovation of Gospel-spirit Pref. 3 They do also by their own Reckoning, and according to the Opinion of Men, a great many sorts of Good.
1868 Times 19 Dec. 9/2 We perfectly understand..that retrenchment must mean reduction of armaments, and that in a reduction of armaments all branches must take their share... But, even by this reckoning, the Marines should be the last to be touched.
1927 H. N. Brailsford How Soviets Work ix. 136 The reckoning was that if a voter is hostile or indifferent, he will not trouble to attend the election meeting.
1991 Times Lit. Suppl. 26 July 4/1 When it came to the basic creatural passions and feelings, he was, by any reckoning, very repressed.
b. The action or an act of considering or pondering a matter; consideration, contemplation; an instance of this. Frequently in to come into (or leave out of) the reckoning and variants. Cf. to make reckoning of at Phrases 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > [noun]
i-mindOE
studyinglOE
mindc1300
bethinking1340
poring1340
regard1348
weighingc1380
contemplationc1390
advisementa1393
deliberationa1393
advicec1405
reckoninga1413
visement?1414
considerancec1420
advisenessc1425
revolutionc1425
rewardc1432
mind-takingc1449
umbethinkingc1450
advisednessc1475
considering1483
beholding1530
meditationa1535
pondering1535
cogitation?1542
expending1545
ponderation1556
perpending1558
well weighing1566
surview1576
reflex1593
revolve1595
lucubration1596
agitation1600
perpension1612
vizamenta1616
pensitation1623
perpensation1623
perpendment1667
ruminating1668
commentationa1670
revolving1670
reflectiona1674
introspectiona1676
propendencya1676
ponderment1728
chawing1845
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 1640 Pandarus with-oute rekenynge, Out wente a-noon to Eleyne and Deiphebus.
1590 J. Smythe Certain Disc. Weapons f. 6v Their reasons may seeme pretie to such as knowe verie little of matters Militarie, and that do not fall into the reckoning of their second meanings.
1594 W. Burton Concl. of Peace (new ed.) sig. E6v But the faithfull indeed, hearing God calling them his sonnes and his daughters..do fall into the reckoning of Gods vnspeakable loue in Christ.
1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes IV. x. vii. 1881 They had made a Tilt with a Saile..and pitched a dozen poles in the ground ueere, on which were hanged diuers Furs, and chaines made of shels, which at that instant we fell not in the reckoning to what intent it was done, but after it came to our minde, as hereafter you shall pereeiue.
1776 G. Campbell Philos. of Rhetoric I. i. x. 276 The evil prevented, as well as the good promoted, ought here, in all justice, to come into the reckoning.
1783 W. Cowper Let. 13 Oct. (1981) II. 170 It is ever the way of those who rule the Earth, to leave out of their reckoning Him who rules the Universe.
1848 Amer. Whig. Rev. July 21/2 The masses of humanity, before overlooked, and left entirely out of the reckoning, now assume an importance that almost over-shadows the rest of mankind.
1890 Times 7 June 15/7 A few meanly frugal persons would always be found who would take advantage opportunities not designed for them, but they were a minute minority, and need scarcely come into their reckoning.
1908 Science Sept. 331/2 The food of these species must be determined and at least some facts pertaining thereto must enter into the reckoning.
1994 J. Galloway Foreign Parts xi. 165 Women didn't come into the reckoning at all.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun]
mund?c1250
steemc1330
greatnessc1410
substancec1425
importance1485
weight1521
moment1522
weightiness1530
importancy1531
importunance1546
import1548
reckoning1582
sequel1588
ponderosity1589
valure1594
consequence1597
significance1597
circumstance1599
consequent1599
eminency1622
importmenta1625
concernment1626
consideration1634
telling1636
signification1645
considerableness1647
concerningness1657
nearness1679
significancy1679
respectability1769
interest1809
noteworthiness1852
portee1893
valency1897
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis ii. 24 Whilst counsel auayled, Then we were of reckning.
1592 A. Day Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) i. sig. C1 A woman of very meane reckoning.
1598 J. Manwood Treat. Lawes Forrest xx. f. 160 Such beastes..are..not meete for any man of reckoning to eate.
1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall i. f. 6 For Windowes, Dornes, and Chimnies, Moore stone carrieth chiefest reckoning.
1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures xlvii. 271 He found that some fifty thousand were missing, all men of little reckoning.
d. Chiefly Sport. With the, in into (also in, out of) the reckoning. Contention for a (leading or winning) place or position.
ΚΠ
1913 Times 26 Aug. 8/1 It will be necessary for him [sc. a racehorse] to have made altogether extraordinary improvement if he is to come into the reckoning.
1925 A. P. McKishnie Brains, Limited 245 He wondered whimsically what would happen when at the last moment the dark horse came into the reckoning.
1977 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 14 Nov. George Eastham..leads the list of possibles for the Newcastle managership... Lawrie McMenemy.., Davie Smith..and Jock Wallace..are also in the reckoning.
1997 Financial Times 29 Sept. 15 It would be ironic if triathlon becomes an Olympic sport just in time for Britain to fade out of the reckoning.
2005 Cornishman (Nexis) 3 Mar. 65 Some of his fish would not have been in the reckoning for any awards whatsoever just a few years ago.
5. † b. A calculated term of pregnancy; (also) the end of this. Obsolete.
a. A calculation or account of a sum owing; a statement of charges; a bill. Also figurative. †upon reckoning: by adding to the bill; on account.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > account or statement of > [noun] > an account or reckoning
accountc1300
taila1325
laya1400
tale1401
reckoningc1405
tailye1497
accounterc1503
lawing1535
note1587
post1604
chalking1613
tally1614
computus1631
tick1681
tab1889
slate1909
c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 760 After souper pleyen he bigan And spak of murthe..Whan þt we hadde maad oure rekenynges [v.r. rekenyngges].
1446 in E. Hobhouse Church-wardens' Accts. (1890) 82 (MED) Item, that Wyliam Reynan howeth to the Church of Yatton a clere rekenyng, xx s.
1533 T. More Debellacyon Salem & Bizance ii. xv. f. lxiiii He fareth lo lyke a geste, that maketh hys rekenynge hym self without his hoste.
1590 in W. Greenwell Wills & Inventories Registry Durham (1860) II. 198 He owes me the rest of a reckening for c quarters of barley.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 165 I paid each night foure bolinei for my bed, and eating vpon reckoning, I spent lesse then two giulij by the day.
1656 A. Cowley Davideis iv. 135 in Poems Our watchful Prince by bending sav'ed the wound, But Death in other coyn his reck'ning found.
1688 G. Miege Great French Dict. ii. sig. Qqq3/1 To smuggle the Coal, to make people believe one has no Mony when the Reckoning is to be paid.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones III. vii. xi. 83 Having now pretty well satisfied their Thirst, nothing remained but to pay the Reckoning . View more context for this quotation
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 278 He deems a thousand..lives, Spent in the purchase of renown for him, An easy reckoning.
1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. iv. 87 He called for a reckoning for the wine.
1874 T. Taylor Leicester Sq. vii. 154 Reckonings were called and paid.
1931 Social Forces 10 159/1 When peace came there was a reckoning to pay.
1947 M. Lowry Under Volcano x. 313 He didn't pay for his pulque at the El Amor de los Amores and the pubkeeper's brother followed him and claimed the reckoning.
1965 E. Mannin Burning Bush i. iii. 37 It was impossible to enjoy drinking if you had to pay, for how could you relax with the reckoning always hanging over you?
2001 Jrnl. Social Hist. 34 565 Often such disputes broke out over an attack of honor or the question of who had to pay the reckoning.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > pregnancy or gestation > [noun] > period of
timeOE
reckoning1575
full term1607
trimester1821
1575 in D. H. Fleming Reg. Christian Congregation St. Andrews 411 And gyf the bairn cummis not to the said raknyng [etc.].
1591 Troublesome Raigne Iohn i. sig. Bv Are you so cunning growen To make account of womens reckonings.
1602 T. Lodge tr. Josephus Wks. xviii. 20 After the death of Abraham, Rebecca (Isaacs wife) waxed bigge with child, and the time of her reckoning being neere at hand, Isaac was sore troubled, and sought counsell at Gods hands.
1638 G. Sandys Paraphr. Iob xxxix, in Paraphr. Divine Poems Can'st thou their Recknings keepe, the time compute.
1682 A. Marsh Ten Pleasures of Marriage vii. 117 A little while ago she said that she was but seventh months gone of her reckoning.
1751 Mem. Lady of Quality in T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle III. lxxxviii. 115 The term of my reckoning was almost expired.
1789 E. Sheridan Let. in Betsy Sheridan's Jrnl. (1986) vii. 175 Her reckoning is out, and she has now the dread of confinement.
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 599 A shepherd that has attentively..marked the reckoning of every ewe.
c. Nautical. An estimate of a ship's position calculated from the log, the course steered, observation of the sun, etc.; (also) the action of estimating this. Cf. to be out in (or of) one's reckoning at Phrases 3. See also dead reckoning n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > [noun] > position > reckoning
reckoning1595
dead reckoning1613
?1574 W. Bourne Regiment for Sea xv. f. 43v Let them keepe a perfite accompt and reckening of the way of their shippe, whether the shippe goeth to lewards or makith hir way good.]
1595 J. Davis Seamans Secrets sig. O2v There he maketh a prick for the place of his ships being, according to his reconing and Corse.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. iv. i. 138 [I] took our Reckoning from Lundy, in the Mouth of Severn.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. iv. i. 139 Currents is a means of great mistake in keeping of a Reckoning.
1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 14 Sometimes he comes many Leagues short of his Reckoning, for through Want of Hands to work her, the Ship is lost.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Log Log-Board is a Table divided into four or five Columns, whereon are mark'd the Reckonings of every Day.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Dead-reckoning This reckoning..is always to be corrected, as often as any good observation of the sun can be obtained.
1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxx. 108 Having gone by reckoning over thirteen hundred miles in seven days.
1879 H. N. Moseley Notes by Naturalist on ‘Challenger’ 191 The boss said, as we landed, he ‘guessed we were out of our reckoning’.
1992 B. Unsworth Sacred Hunger xxii. 176 The water continued a deep-sea colour, giving him hope he was not too much out in his reckoning.
6. The settlement of accounts or differences between parties; the settling of scores or grievances; an instance of this. Cf. reckon v. 5.In quots. 1546, 1776, 19181 in proverbial use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > explanation, exposition > [noun] > account of conduct
count?c1425
count?1483
reckoning1488
society > society and the community > dissent > absence of dissension or peace > bringing about concord or peace > [noun] > settling quarrels or disputes
reckoning1488
composing1574
compounding1601
atonement1605
composure1640
compositiona1654
sopiting1659
resolution1890
alternative dispute resolution1980
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) viii. l. 1582 Thai durst nocht weill bid rekynnyng off Wallace.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. cii* Rude reknyng raise thair renkis betuene.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. iv. sig. Giv v Euen recknyng maketh long freends,..For alwaie owne is owne, at the recknyngs eend.
1776 T. Paine Common Sense iv. 74 A right reckoning makes long friends.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth vi, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. I. 143 I have also a reckoning to hold with you.
1890 ‘W. A. Wallace’ Only a Sister xxxi I'll have a reckoning with the wizened-faced old rogue.
1918 Baroness Orczy Man in Grey 15 Short reckonings make long friends. I'll have a couple of hundred francs now.
1918 W. Cather My Ántonia ii. xv. 288 His zest in debauchery might wane, but never Mrs. Cutter's belief in it. The reckoning with his wife at the end of an escapade was something he counted on.
1992 P. C. Doherty Prince of Darkness (BNC) 157 I tell you this, Clerk, one day the poor will rise and there will be a terrible reckoning.
Phrases
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > pay attention [phrase]
to nim or take yemec1175
to bow the eyec1230
give tenta1300
to take (nim) heed13..
to have respect toa1398
to have an eye to (also in)1425
to give, pay heed (to)?1504
to make reckoning of1525
to take notice1573
to take into consideration1652
to return to our sheep1871
to sit up and take notice1886
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > [verb (transitive)]
haveeOE
weenc1000
praisec1250
setc1374
set by1393
endaunt1399
prizec1400
reverencec1400
tender1439
repute1445
to have (also make, take) regard to or that1457
to take, make, set (no) count of (upon, by)c1475
pricec1480
to make (great, etc.) account (also count, esteem, estimation, reckoning, regard, store) of1483
force1509
to look upon ——c1515
to have (also hold) in estimationc1522
to make reckoning of1525
esteem1530
regard1533
to tell, make, hold, set (great, little, no) store of1540
value1549
to make dainty of (anything)1555
reckon1576
to be struck on1602
agrade1611
respect1613
beteem1627
appreciate1648
to put, set (an) esteem, a high, low esteem upon1665
to think small beer of1816
to think the world of1826
existimate1847
reckon1919
rate1973
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. f. lxxxxiiiv The comons of Englande in dyuers cytees knewe well of this dyscorde, they that were sage men reputed it for a grete euyl..but suche as were lyght persones made noo rekenynge therof.
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. i. f. 7v A man must not make reckoning or account of the multitude of people.
1614 S. Purchas Pilgrimage (ed. 2) ii. xix. 217 That Iew..is accounted a Traytor, and neuer made reckoning of after.
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre v. xix. 261 Their glib pennes making no more reckoning of men then of pinnes.
1686 tr. J. Chardin Coronation Solyman 99 in Trav. Persia The General at that time made little reck'ning of what he said.
1756 C. Lennox tr. P. M. de L'Écluse des Loges Mem. Maximilian de Bethune I. Pref. p. xii I make so little reckoning of the works of the compilers, that I could wish to have only the originals as they had them.
ΚΠ
1581 W. Fulke Reioynder Bristows Replie vii. viii. 730 A fond cauill, all commeth to one reckoning.
1592 A. Willet Synopsis Papismi i. iv. 158 [The reign of the Antichrist] is described by dayes 1260. dayes, and by moneths..two and fourtie moneths: which all come to one reckoning, and make three yeeres and an halfe.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V iv. vii. 17 Great, or magnanimous..it is all one reconing.
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 93 To take away place, or to take away the body plac'd, comes all to a reckoning.
1691 J. Flavell Πλανηλογια 201 The Reader will..find that Mr. C. there allows that very interpretation which he here calls corrupt; and saith it comes all to one reckoning with his own.
P3. to be out in (or of) one's reckoning: to be mistaken in one's calculation, assessment, or expectation. In later use cf. sense 5c.
ΚΠ
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 9 In all, and euery one of these, haue I found some markes and signes of their saluation: Onely in the Scriuener, I misse in my account, and am quite out of my reckoning, nor doe I finde in him any amendment at all.
1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) Pref. p. xii A plain argument, that the Examiner is quite out in his reckoning.
a1749 P. Cockburn Enq. into Truth Mosaic Deluge (1750) ii. 93 How he made his computation he tells us not, but on examination it will appear that never was a man more out in his reckoning.
1855 E. C. Gaskell North & South I. xv. 178 Every five or six years, there comes a struggle between masters and men. They'll find themselves mistaken this time, I fancy,—a little out of their reckoning.
1855 Ld. Lonsdale in Croker Papers (1884) III. 323 There never was a division where the calculators and whips were more out of their reckoning.
1906 E. Nesbit Railway Children xi. 239 They were a couple of hundred yards out of their reckoning and had to creep along the face of the hill.
1942 H. H. Peck Mem. of Stockman 106 A wonderful bushman, able to strike across new country without tracks for hundreds of miles and never out in his reckoning.
1971 Math. Gaz. 55 195 He wasn't very good at pacing, and his little legs were rather podgy: so by the time he had paced 9/ 10 of a mile he was a good deal out of his reckoning.
Compounds
C1. attributive, with sense ‘of or relating to reckoning, used in or for reckoning’, as reckoning book, †reckoning chamber, reckoning tablet.
ΚΠ
1548 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Rationarius codex,..a reckenyng booke.
1604 R. Cawdrey Table Alphabet. Register, kalender, a reckoning booke.
1647 H. Hexham Copious Eng. & Netherduytch Dict. (at cited word) A reckoning chamber, or a chamber of accounts, een reecken-kamer.
1714 R. North Gentleman Accomptant 97 I have here made the Post from the Reckoning-book to Cash.
1832 Times 18 Feb. 4/3 Mr. Lovat said that the reckoning book had existed for only four years.
1930 T. S. Eliot tr. ‘St.-J. Perse’ Anabasis 67 He who has spread on the ground his reckoning tablets.
1957 Jrnl. Econ. Hist. 17 341 There were specialized printed specimens devoted to the moneys of various regions which appeared as early as 1530 or thereabouts in Antwerp, and in Vienna in 1563 (which had progressed to being a reckoning book).
1982 Pop. Music 2 193 The landlords held the destinies of the tenant farmers in their reckoning books.
C2.
reckoning day n. (a) = day of reckoning n. at sense 1c; (b) a day on which accounts are settled or debts paid.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > non-existence > [noun] > ending of existence > the last judgement > day of judgement
last dayc1275
day of doom1340
Great Dayc1350
the last time?1505
day of reckoning1547
accounting day1549
doomsday1578
reckoning day1581
day of accounting1666
1581 R. Parsons Discouerie I. Nicols sig. f.vi There will come a reconing day, and a iudge to strike with an yron rodd.
1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 163 However thou mayest think of thy self, when the reckoning day shall come, thou wilt have laid to thy charge, that thou art a Theif [sic] and a Robber. View more context for this quotation
1812 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II i. lii. 34 Ah! Spain! how sad will be thy reckoning-day.
1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters I. xvii. 218 I may yet find a reckoning day for him.
1888 W. E. Nicholson Gloss. Terms Coal Trade Reckoning-day, the day on which the workmen receive their pay-notes or cheques from the overman.
1986 E. G. Holland Coniston Copper (BNC) 76 An unskilled man taken on in such a partnership, might easily find himself with the smallest share on reckoning day, which was usually at the end of a two month term.
1998 Early Sci. & Med. 3 126 At New College, the copy listed for the theological faculty is priced, which indicates that it circulated, the price listed being the sum the fellow to whom it had been distributed would have to pay if he did not bring it back on reckoning day.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.?c1335