sufficientadj.adv.n.
/səˈfɪʃənt/ A. adj.† 3. † b. Const. to, for (a function, work), to do something. Obsolete.† 4. Of persons: Of adequate means or wealth; having a competence, substantial, well-to-do; hence, qualified by means or status for an office or duty. (Const. of = in respect of; to with inf.) Obsolete.† 5. Of things: Of adequate quality; of a good standard; substantial; in good condition. Obsolete.1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Phil. iv. 11 I haue lerud, in whiche thingis I am, sufficient [L. sufficiens, Gk. αὐτάρκης] for to be.?1504 W. Atkinson tr. Thomas à Kempis Ful Treat. Imytacyon Cryste (Pynson) iii. xxiii. 216 Thou, good lorde, amonge all thinges art best, hyest, moost mighty & moost sufficient.† 7. = self-sufficient adj. 2. Obsolete.
1. † f. Satisfactory. Obsolete. rare.
a. Of a quantity, extent, or scope adequate to a certain purpose or object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective]
enoughOE
enowOE
goodOE
suffisanta1340
skilfula1350
sufficientc1380
duea1398
aboundable?1440
competentc1440
suffiand1456
sufficient1539
answerable1551
honourable1590
sufficinga1616
well1673
undeficient1854
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 260 Ȝif þei tellen a good sufficient cause, telle we þe same cause whi we bileuen þat þis is cristis gospel.
a1400–50 Wars Alex. 4396 Þat seising burde sufficiant, þofe soȝt ȝe na ferre.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lxxxi. 242 Ye hadde mete and also good wynes suffycyent at home.
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. E7v In former time a mans bare word was sufficient, now no instrument, band, nor obligation can be sure inough.
1615 J. Day Festivals 318 Should we..praise our God whole Daies, and whole Nights.., it were not sufficient enough.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost viii. 5 What thanks sufficient..have I to render thee. View more context for this quotation
1721 R. Bradley Philos. Acct. Wks. Nature 186 Some Variety of such exotick Rarities from the hotter Climates, as afford the curious sufficient matter of Admiration.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. iv. v. 177 Intelligence was in sufficient time received..to enable him to collect an army.
1865 S. Wilberforce Speeches on Missions (1874) 166 It will be quite sufficient if, in the fewest words, I venture to suggest one or two considerations which [etc.].
1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xxxi. 361 Many a lama who has nominally a sufficient income never receives..more than..half of his due.
b. Const. for:
(a) = to furnish means or material for, to supply, to provide for the performance of (a thing).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > to furnish means or material
sufficientc1380
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 346 For noumbre of preestis brouȝt in bi Crist was sufficient for Cristis hous... Who mai denye þat ne þis noumbre of þes officeris is now to myche?
c1460 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (1885) viii. 126 How necessarie it is þat livelod sufficient be asseigned ffor the kynges ordinarie charges.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry IV f. xxxiiv Treasure sufficient..for suche a iourney roiall.
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer i. sig. K.iii My talke hath not bene..sufficient ynoughe for the waightinesse of the matter.
a1732 F. Atterbury Serm. Several Occas. (1734) I. 132 These Prophecies..were sufficient for the Conviction of any Men, who did not lie..under a Judicial Infatuation.
1774 Ld. Chesterfield Lett. to Son I. xv Romulus..not having sufficient inhabitants for his new city.
1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 557 That is sufficient range for any purpose.
(b) = to provide for the needs or accommodation of, to satisfy (a person or animal). Also with accusative and infinitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > to provide for needs or accommodation
sufficienta1535
a1535 J. Fisher Wayes to Perfect Relig. in Eng. Wks. (1876) i. 382 Yet hath he still in him self loue suffitient for infinite moe.
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Scotl. 432/1 in Chron. I It appeareth to be sufficient ynough for vs.
1585 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 150 Sufficient hay for his horse.
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. ⁋4 A doctrine..so tempered, that euery one may draw from thence that which is sufficient for him.
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1644 (1955) II. 175 The publique Armory..sufficient for 30000 men.
a1720 W. Sewel Hist. Quakers (1795) II. vii. 1 There was not sufficient room for all to sit down at once.
1832 D. Brewster Lett. Nat. Magic x. 252 A few general observations will perhaps be sufficient for ordinary readers.
1876 E. Mellor Priesthood iv. 164 If the sacrament in one kind is sufficient for the people it is sufficient for the priest.
c.
(a) Const. to in the same senses. rare except in allusion to or imitation of Matthew vi. 34.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective]
enoughOE
enowOE
goodOE
suffisanta1340
skilfula1350
sufficientc1380
duea1398
aboundable?1440
competentc1440
suffiand1456
sufficient1539
answerable1551
honourable1590
sufficinga1616
well1673
undeficient1854
1539 Bible (Great) Matt. vi. 34 Sufficient vnto the daye, is the trauayle therof.
1647 J. Saltmarsh Sparkles of Glory (1847) 20 It ought to be sufficient to us, that the Scriptures [etc.].
a1732 F. Atterbury Serm. Several Occas. (1734) I. 174 It was sufficient to that Purpose.
1751 Earl of Orrery Remarks Swift (1752) 78 His wit was sufficient to every labour.
1766 A. Adams Let. 13 Oct. in L. H. Butterfield et al. Adams Family Corr. (1963) I. 56 Sufficient to the Day is the Evil thereof.
1886 G. Saintsbury Ess. Eng. Lit. (1891) 439 He..is very sufficient also to the tastes of all those who love good English.
1917 H. B. Twyford Purchasing & Storing 323 A ‘sufficient unto the day’ policy has brought some rude jolts to many manufacturing establishments.
1921 J. Galsworthy To Let i. xii. 114 He never looks happy—not really happy. I don't want to make him worse, but of course I shall have to, when Jon comes back. Oh! well, sufficient unto the night!
1928 D. H. Lawrence Lady Chatterley's Lover ii. 18 Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Sufficient unto the moment is the appearance of reality.
1960 C. Day Lewis Buried Day ii. 34 They watch the spring rise inexhaustibly—a breathing thread out of the eddied sand, sufficient to their day.
1967 S. Beckett Stories & Texts for Nothing v. 93 I haven't been damned for what seems an eternity, yes, but sufficient unto the day, this evening I'm the scribe.
1983 E. Rossiter Lemon Garden v. 72 ‘What about this hospital business?’ Sufficient, I thought, unto another day.
(b) Construed as present participle with dative regimen.
ΚΠ
1423 Acts Privy Counc. III. 95 Wee consideringe ye saide some..nought suffeceant yow to ye..redy paiement of youre saide wages.
d. Const. to with infinitive.
ΚΠ
c1380 J. Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 413 Siþ þo gospel is..sufficyent in treuthe to governe Cristis Churche.
1527 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Star Chamber (1911) II. 166 They can not fynde..that ther is corne sufficient in the same shyre to susteyne the people.
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 80 The ouer excessiue speaches..were not sufficient enough to expresse the peaceable raigne.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) i. xv. sig. K2v He..hauing a fortune sufficient to content, & he content with a sufficient fortune.
1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke 115 I cannot cease to praie you diligentlie to practise, for that onelie is sufficient to make a perfect Musician.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 102 And by proof we feel Our power sufficient to disturb his Heav'n. View more context for this quotation
1688 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) I. 228 A sufficient number to make a Quorum.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. i. i. 27 The same Kind of Force which is sufficient to suspend our Faculties,..will be sufficient to destroy them.
1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. II. 99 The beauty of the day was of itself sufficient to inspire philanthropy.
1890 Law Times Rep. 63 765/1 Even a threatened interference with a plaintiff's rights..is sufficient to justify him in taking proceedings.
e. impersonal with subordinate clause or infinitive.
ΚΠ
a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 30 Suffycyent hyt ys that no man ys by nature excludyd from felycyte.
1553 R. Eden in tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India Ded. sig. aaijv They thought it not sufficiente in their life time to deserue prayse.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 252 Sufficient that thy Prayers are heard. View more context for this quotation
1797 H. Lee Canterbury Tales I. 390 It is sufficient that I know thy guilt.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > quality of being satisfactory > [adjective]
wellOE
sufferablea1340
worthy1340
sufficient1489
paregala1500
competent1535
something like?1556
right1567
sweet1577
fairish1611
all right1652
fair1656
comfortable1658
decent1711
respectable1750
unrepulsive1787
decentisha1814
fair-to-middling1822
fine1828
christena1838
OK1839
tidy1844
not (or none) so dusty?1856
sweet1898
oke1928
okey-doke1934
okey-dokey1936
tickety-boo1939
cool1951
aight1993
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 368 With a wertu & leavte A man may ȝeit sufficyand be.
g. Achieving its object; effective. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > efficacy > [adjective]
frameeOE
goodeOE
mightyOE
vailanta1325
sicker1338
mightful1340
suffisant1340
virtuousa1387
effectivea1398
effectuala1398
worthya1398
availingc1420
effectuous?a1425
operant?a1425
substantialc1449
virtual?a1475
substantious1483
available1502
efficacious1528
energial1528
working1532
operatory1551
operatoriousa1555
stately1567
feckful1568
efficace?1572
shifty1585
operative1590
instrumental1601
efficable1607
speeding1612
effectuating1615
officious1618
availsome1619
prevailable1624
valid1651
perficient1659
affectuous1664
implemental1676
virtual1760
efficient1787
sufficient1831
slick1833
roadworthy1837
practician1863
positive1903
performant1977
1831 W. Scott Count Robert xi, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. I. 324 She..dealt him so sufficient a blow, that Toxartis lay lifeless on the plain.
1897 ‘A. Hope’ Phroso (1905) vii. 130 Phroso paused in her recital of the savage, simple, sufficient old trick.
2. In technical language.1717 S. Clarke tr. G. W. Leibniz in Papers between Leibnitz & Clarke 21 In order to proceed from Mathematicks to Natural Philosophy, another Principle is requisite, as I have observed in my Theodicæa: I mean, the Principle of a sufficient Reason, viz. that nothing happens without a Reason why it should be so, rather than otherwise.1717 S. Clarke tr. G. W. Leibniz in Papers between Leibnitz & Clarke 207 The Principle of the Want of a sufficient Reason does alone drive away all these Spectres of Imagination.1838 A. De Morgan Ess. Probabilities 10 Many of our conclusions are derived from this principle, which is called in mathematics the want of sufficient reason.1839 Penny Cycl. XIII. 398/2 The fundamental principles of all reasoning, namely, the principle of contradiction and the law of sufficient reason.1839 Penny Cycl. XIII. 399/1 This adjustment of the monads was in accordance with certain sufficient reasons in each monad..; this sufficient reason was their comparative perfection.1862 F. D. Maurice Mod. Philos. viii. §72. 516 The sufficient reason..must be found, seeing that it is implied in all demonstrations.1914 B. Russell Our Knowl. External World iv. 109 In the hypothetical sense, continuity may be allowed to be a necessary condition if two appearances are to be classed as appearances of the same thing. But it is not a sufficient condition, as appears from the instance of the drops in the sea.1923 C. D. Broad Sci. Thought xiii. 499 Certain brain-events are the necessary and sufficient conditions of the occurrence of all our different sensations.1930 L. S. Stebbing Mod. Introd. Logic xv. 271 A condition X is a sufficient condition of an occurrence A provided that whenever X is present A occurs. But if A may occur when X is absent, then X, though a sufficient is not a necessary condition of A.1948 A. Ambrose & M. Lazerowitz Fund. Symbolic Logic v. 83 The sufficient condition for q's truth is given by ‘p ⊃ q’.1949 A. Pap Elem. Analyt. Philos. x. 212 If a sufficient condition is complex—as it almost invariably is—then it may consist in a conjunction of necessary conditions.1965 E. J. Lemmon Beginning Logic i. 28 Hence we shall say that, whenever it is the case that if P then Q, P is sufficient condition for Q, and, whenever it is the case that only if P then Q, P is a necessary condition for Q.
a. Of legal documents, securities, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > efficacy > [adjective] > specifically of sanctions, dispositions, etc.
strongc1405
sufficient1461
1461 King Edward IV Grant in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 244 [They] shall haue a signement sufficient to hem aggreabill for the seid payment.
1472–3 Rolls of Parl. VI. 40/2 That the seid writyng endented..be lawfull and sufficient warant and discharge ayenst your Highnes.
1495 Act 11 Hen. VII c. 54 §5 The Kingis lettres under his pryve seale..shalbe sufficient discharge for the..payment thereof.
1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Surueyeng xi. f. 12v Than must the tenaunt shewe a discharge by suffycient writyng, and nat by wordes, or elles to paye the same.
1551 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Edward VI (1914) 56 This our Lettre shalbe your sufficient discharge for the same.
1592 W. West Symbolæogr.: 1st Pt. §103 d That then the suruiuor..shall with ij. other sufficient suerties..by their sufficient & lawfull writing obligatory become.. bound [etc.].
1628 E. Coke 1st Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. 270 If the lessee enter into the land, and hath possession of it by force of the said lease, then such release made to him by the feoffor, or by his heire is sufficient to him.
a1768 J. Erskine Inst. Law Scotl. (1773) II. iv. iv. §90 737 Libels might be so laid as to deprive the pannel of every article of exculpation, let it be ever so sufficient.
1820 J. Gifford Compl. Eng. Lawyer 82 The sheriff..is obliged to take (if it be tendered) a sufficient bail-bond.
1820 J. Gifford Compl. Eng. Lawyer 662 The said H. B. doth hereby agree, by good and sufficient conveyance in the law..to assign..unto the said C. D...all those three houses [etc.].
b. Theology. sufficient grace [after post-classical Latin gratia sufficiens (1555 or earlier); compare 2 Corinthians 12:9 sufficit tibi gratia mea (Vulgate) ‘my grace is sufficient for you’] : the grace which (merely) renders the soul capable of performing a supernatural act. Cf efficacious adj.
ΚΠ
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Grace Grace..is Efficacious, or Efficient, when it has the Effect; and Sufficient when it has it not, tho' it might have had it.
1898 A. G. Mortimer Catholic Faith & Pract. I. 120 Exciting grace regarded in its result is called (1) Sufficient and (2) Efficient grace.
c. Modern Philosophy. (principle or law of) sufficient reason: see quot. 17171. sufficient condition (see quot. 1930); cf. necessary condition n. at necessary adj. 1e. Sufficient reason is a translation of Leibniz's ‘raison suffisante’ ( Monadologie, 1714, §§31, 32), for which he had previously suggested ‘raison déterminante’ ( Réfl. sur le livre de Hobbes, 1710); he may have been influenced in his final selection of the adjective by the use of sufficient cause in:
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > philosophy of optimism > [noun] > Leibniz' philosophy of optimism and its adherents > elements of
(principle or law of) sufficient reason1656
possible worlda1674
pre-established harmony1725
the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > logic > logical truth > [noun] > truth condition
sufficient condition1914
truth condition1922
1656 T. Hobbes Quest. Liberty, Necess. & Chance 294 I hold that to be a sufficient cause to which nothing is wanting that is needful to the producing of the effect. The same is also a necessary cause.
d. sufficient statistic n. a statistic that contains all the information in the observations it is based on that is relevant to the estimate being made.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > probability or statistics > [noun] > population > numerical characteristic of > method used to estimate > statistic with all relevant information for
sufficient statistic1922
1922 R. A. Fisher in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 222 316 The statistic chosen should summarise the whole of the relevant information supplied by the sample. This may be called the Criterion of Sufficiency.]
1922 R. A. Fisher in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 222 359 In the case of the normal curve of distribution it is evident that the second moment is a sufficient statistic for estimating the standard deviation.
1972 A. W. F. Edwards Likelihood ii. 18 If we were certain that no other model would ever be contemplated, then the sufficient statistic could replace the original data as raw material for inductive inference.
a. Qualified by talent or ability; competent, capable, able. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > [adjective] > competent
goodc1275
sufficientc1385
suffisantc1385
capable1609
adequate1867
c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Dido. 1067 That he was lyk a knyght, And sufficiaunt [v.rr. suffisa(u)nt] of persone & of mygh[t].
1424 Cov. Leet Bk. 85 One or ij sufficiante men to ouerse the Collectours.
1576 E. Grindal Remains (1843) (modernized text) 360 I pray your lordship's help that Mr Redmayn..may be archdeacon of Canterbury. He is a very sufficient man.
1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 332 Where they were by sufficient teachers, first instructed in the principles of the Mahometan religion.
1659 J. Rushworth Hist. Coll. 605 A sufficient preaching Minister shall be provided..to serve the Cure.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 404 Whom shall we send In search of this new world, whom shall we find Sufficient ? View more context for this quotation
1719 G. London & H. Wise J. de la Quintinie's Compl. Gard'ner (ed. 7) p. xiii Those that..have a sufficient Gardener.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. v. 497 Sir Eyre Coote should be requested to take upon himself, as alone sufficient, the task [etc.].
ΚΠ
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. iii. 5 Not that we ben sufficient [L. sufficientes, Gk. ἱκανοί] for to thenke ony thing of vs.
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 295 To holdyn offyse þat a man is noȝt suffycyent to.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 22 He was nat sufficiand to gouerne the office.
?1598 in Lismore Papers (1887) 2nd Ser. I. 14 A Master of Artes, and euery waie uery sufficient to be the Warden.
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. ⁋6 Who had bene so sufficient for this worke as the Apostles or Apostolike men?
1639 S. Du Verger tr. J.-P. Camus Admirable Events 69 Sufficient to performe their huswifery.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 99 I made him just and right, Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. View more context for this quotation
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > wealth > [adjective] > well-off
wellc1405
sufficient1436
full?1483
suffisant1484
beina1525
warmc1571
well-breeched1571
meaned1605
well-meaned1605
well-lined1611
substanced?1614
well-circumstanced1643
forehanded1658
uppish1678
easy1701
brownstone1780
forehand1784
solid1788
well-to-do1794
snug1801
strong farmer1802
well-fixed1822
unindigent1830
well off1842
fixed1844
comfortably offc1850
heeled1871
well-heeled1871
well in1888
independent1893
the world > action or operation > ability > [adjective] > competent > competent or fit > for office or duty
sufficient1436
1436 Rolls of Parl. IV. 501/2 The more sufficient that men be of liflode..ye more [etc.].
c1482 in Cal. Proc. Chanc. Q. Eliz. (1830) II. Pref. 63 The same Robert is not sufficient to pay and content the said arrerages.
1590 R. Payne Briefe Descr. Ireland (1841) 11 [He] hath gotten more sufficient tennauntes into his said countrie then any other two.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iv. v. 21 Some sufficient honest witnesses. View more context for this quotation
1655 R. Younge Blemish of Govt. 2 More is thrown out of one swines nose, and mouth, and guts, then would maintein five sufficient familes.
c1672 A. Wood Life (1891) I. 178 An honest and sufficient farmer.
1678 Penn Life in Wks. (1782) I. p. lxiv How many sufficient and trading families are reduced to great poverty by it.
1679 W. Penn Addr. Protestants ii. 226 Many, once sufficient, are expos'd to Charity.
1782 E. Blower George Bateman II. 157 A great many very sufficient people.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective] > in good condition
well-repaireda1470
sufficient1473
in tone1513
in reparation (also reparations)1565
in repair1648
in good (fair, etc.) nick1890
on-form1965
on (full) song1967
1473 in C. Rogers Rental Bk. Cupar-Angus (1879) I. 165 ij bollis of hors corn sufficiand.
1490 in C. Innes Liber Sancte Marie de Melros (1837) 600 Of þe quhilk viij chalder five salbe of gud sufficient qwheit.
1507 in M. Livingstone Reg. Secreti Sigilli Regum Scotorum (1908) I. 209/2 Sufficiand merchand gudis.
1682 in Thanes of Cawdor (Spalding Club) 360 Guild and sufficient work built according to airt.
1699 in Thanes of Cawdor (Spalding Club) 393 Ane sufficient stair caise.
c1800 Tennant in R. Southey Common-place Bk. (1849) 2nd Ser. 422/1 Their enlargement gradually loosens and shatters the most sufficient buildings.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. iv. iv. 206 Making shoes,—one may hope, in a sufficient manner.]
6. In full, sufficient for (†to) oneself: = self-sufficient adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > freedom or liberty > independence > [adjective] > self-sufficient
suffisanta1340
sufficient for (to) oneself1382
substantive1543
self-suffisant1589
self-sufficient1596
self-sustaining1598
self-contained1605
self-subsisting1608
self-supporting1632
self-dependent1642
self-full1642
self-subsistent1646
self-sufficing1647
self-relying1648
self-depending1669
independent1670
self-sustained1675
unbenefitable1688
self-sufficed1709
self-supported1736
self-containing1826
self-reliant1834
autarkic1883
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Prov. xii. 9 A pore man, and sufficient to him silf.
1850 J. H. Newman Lect. Diffic. Anglicans i. (1891) 21 The English people is sufficient for itself.
1872 J. Ruskin Eagle's Nest §77 The first order of Charity is to be sufficient for thyself.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > excessive self-confidence > [adjective]
over-trusty?c1225
assured1477
self-wise1573
confident1600
flush1604
crested1619
sufficienta1625
self-sufficient1628
self-confiding1647
self-trustinga1660
self-secure1679
self-assured1711
cocksure1842
secure1859
self-sufficing1874
ten feet tall1962
a1625 J. Fletcher Chances v. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Cccv/1 Thou art the most sufficient, (I'le say for thee) Not to beleeve a thing.
1671 W. Temple Let. to Sir J. Temple in Wks. (1731) II. 246 Sufficient and confident that no Endeavours can break the Measures between us and Holland.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 51. ⁋5 A sufficient self-conceited Coxcomb.
1709 C. Cibber Rival Fools iii. 31 The dull stupidity of a sufficient Fool.
= sufficiently adv. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb]
enougheOE
well enoughOE
enowc1300
fairc1300
suffisantlya1340
enoughly1340
meeta1350
sufficientlyc1380
duly1393
competentlyc1440
sufficient1509
'nougha1618
adequately1639
nuff1778
sufficingly1821
1509 S. Hawes Conuercyon Swerers (de Worde) xliv Am not I wounded for the suffycyent?
1562 P. Whitehorne Certain Waies Orderyng Souldiers f. 15v, in tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre A triangle battel, maie bee all waye sufficiente able to breake all maner of fowersquare battelles.
1592 Arden of Feversham i. i I haue talkt sufficient.
1640 J. Fletcher & J. Shirley Night-walker iii. sig. F1 Was I not late in my unhappy marriage, Sufficient miserable?
1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 25 When down sufficient, they securely brace [the yard].
1826 W. A. Miles Descr. Deverel Barrow 17 When it takes a sufficient southerly course to admit of avoiding the mound.
C. n. (This is probably in origin partly a reduced form of sufficiante, sufficienty n.)† 1. The quality or condition of being sufficient; sufficiency. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > [noun]
fillc893
enoughOE
no lack (of)c1305
sufficiencec1380
suffisancec1381
suffisance1390
sufficienta1450
sufficienty1450
sufficient1470
store1471
sufficientlyc1485
sufficiency1531
satiety1569
strength1593
competence1600
sufficiency1608
competency1616
quantum sufficit1693
quantum suff.1763
adequacy1790
quant. suff.1799
critical mass1947
a1450 Lett. Marg. Anjou & Bp. Beckington (Camden) 140 His suffisiant of cunnyng and habilite thereto.
1600 W. Cornwallis Ess. I. xix. sig. L4v I know not much of want, neither desire I Riches: I am borne to sufficient.
2. A sufficient quantity or supply; sufficient means; enough.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > [noun]
fillc893
enoughOE
no lack (of)c1305
sufficiencec1380
suffisancec1381
suffisance1390
sufficienta1450
sufficienty1450
sufficient1470
store1471
sufficientlyc1485
sufficiency1531
satiety1569
strength1593
competence1600
sufficiency1608
competency1616
quantum sufficit1693
quantum suff.1763
adequacy1790
quant. suff.1799
critical mass1947
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur xx. xvii. 828 For haue I suffycyaunt that may longe to my person I wylle aske none other ryche araye.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. 60 b They founde reasonably sufficyent therof.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Tim. v. 16 Let not the congregacion be charged: that hytt maye have sufficient for them that are widdowes in dede.
1587 J. Higgins Mirour for Magistrates (new ed.) i. Porrex. f. 44 v Sufficient here is sayd to warne the wise.
1804 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. III. 550 Whether sufficient appears, by the special verdict in this case, to prevent the lessor of the plaintiff..from recovering in this ejectment?
1807 Salmagundi 25 Apr. 176 I have not, nor perhaps ever shall acquire, sufficient of the philosophic policy of this government.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. ii. 14 We saw sufficient to account for the noise.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1915; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.adv.n.c1380