Buy

v. Forms: 1 bycʓan, -can, (bicʓan), 2–5 buggen, biggen, bugge, bigge, 4 byȝe, 4–5 bygge(n, begge(n), 5 byche. Also 3 biȝen, 3–7 buye, 3–5 bien, 3–6 bie, 4–5 byen, 4–6 bye, by, (4 byi, biy, bii, bij, bi, byȝe, biȝe, byye, 4–5 be, 5 byin, -yn), 5 beye(n, bey, 6–7 buie, 7– buy; 3rd sing. 1 byȝ(e)þ, 2 bihð, 3 bu(e)ð, 4 (Ayenb.) bayþ, buyeþ, 5 bieth.

  Imper. 1 byʓe, 3 bu(e), 4 bye, by, pl. 1 bycʓað.

  Pa. t. 1–3 bohte, (2–3 bouchte), 3–4 bouhte, 3–5 boȝte, bouȝte, (3 bochte), 4 boȝt, (bohut), 4–5 bouȝt, boght, boughte, (5 bout), 5– bought, Sc. bocht, (6 bowth).

  Pa. pple. 1 (ʓe)boht, 2 iboht, 3 boht, 3–4 bohut, (i-, y-)bouȝt, 3–4, 7 boght, 3–5 boȝt, 4 yboht, bowght, (bout), 4–5 boghte, boȝte, (y-)bouȝte, (5 ybouȝht), 5–6 boughte, (6 bouht, bowte, beyght), 5– bought, Sc. bocht.

  [OE. bycʓ(e)an, bohte, ʓeboht, corresp. to OS. buggjan, *bohta, giboht, Goth. bugjan, bauhta, bauhts; of unknown origin, not found outside Teut., and not to be connected, so far as can be seen, with the stem bug- BOW. The inflexion was imper. byʓe, bycʓað; ind. pres. bycʓe, byʓest, byʓeþ, pl. bycʓað; subj. pres. bycʓe, bycʓen; whence ME. s. w. buye, buggeþ; bugge, buyest, buyeþ, buggeþ; bugge, -en; levelled before 1500 to buy- all through, whence the modern spelling. The forms in begge, bey- were Kentish; bigge, bie, by, midland and north.; in the latter the levelling to bie, by, took place as early as 1300. Cf. the comp. ABY, ABYE.

  In the pa. t. of this vb., the terminations were added without connecting vowel: WGer. boh-ta has the regular OTeut. o for u before an a- vowel, as in worhta, from wurkjan, OE. wyrcan to WORK.]

  1.  trans. To get possession of by giving an equivalent, usually in money; to obtain by paying a price; to purchase. (Correlative to sell.) Const. of, from, † at (the seller), for, with (the price).

c. 1000.  Ags. Gosp., Matt. xxvii. 7. Þa ʓebohten hiʓ ænne æcyr, mid þam feo. Ibid., John iv. 8. His leorning-cnihtas ferdon þa to þære ceastre woldon him mete bicʓan.

1154.  O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 1137. Þe Judeus of Noruuic bohten an Christen cild.

a. 1240.  Ureisun, in Cott. Hom., 185. Nis he fol chapmon þe buþ deore a wac þing.

1297.  R. Glouc., 390. Bu a peyre [hose] of a marc.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 4764. Þai moght noght find to bi þam bred.

1340.  Ayenb., 36. To begge … corn … lesse be þe haluedele, þanne hit his worþ.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Serm., lviii. Sel. Wks. I. 177. Men shulden not bie þis office.

1393.  Langl., P. Pl., C. IX. 304. Ich haue no peny … polettes for to bigge.

c. 1400.  Maundev., ii. 12. A kyng of Fraunce boughte theise Relikes … of the Jewes.

c. 1400.  Apol. Loll., 9. Wan I by meit for money, I selle þe money þat þe toþer man bieth.

c. 1420.  Pallad. on Husb., I. 1065. To bey thi been [i.e., bees] beholde hem riche and fulle.

c. 1430.  Freemasonry, 358. Þay wele every mon algate, That thou hast ybowȝht any vytayles ate.

c. 1440.  Agnes Paston, in Lett., xxv. I. 39. Gif ye wolde byin her a goune.

c. 1449.  Pecock, Repr., 493. It was not leeful that men ete fleisch which was offrid to idols neither bigge thilk fleisch.

1476.  Plumpton Corr., 37. Under a hundred shillings I can by non.

1502–3.  in Comm.-Place Bk. 15th Cent. (1886), 173. Item bowte of Roger Cawthaw … v cumbe berly.

1545.  Brinklow, Lament. (1874), 99. No man will bye their ware any more.

1580.  Baret, Alv., B 1000. Be the price neuer so great it is well bought that a man must needes haue.

1597.  Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., I. ii. 56. I bought him in Paules, and hee’l buy mee a horse in Smithfield.

1734.  Lady M. W. Montague, Lett., xc. 146. To … buy some little Cornish borough.

1790.  Burke, Fr. Rev., Wks. V. 346. With you a man can neither earn nor buy his dinner, without a speculation.

1855.  Tennyson, Brook, 222. We bought the farm we tenanted before.

  b.  absol. (Often coupled with sell.)

c. 1000.  Ags. Gosp., Matt. xxv. 10. Þa hiʓ ferdun and woldon bycʓean, þa com se bryd-guma.

c. 1200.  Trin. Coll. Hom., 213. Þat is ure alre wune, þe biggeð and silleð.

a. 1340.  Hampole, Pr. Consc., 4399. Nan sal bye with þam ne selle.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Schipm. T., 304. This marchaund … bieth, and creaunceth.

1483.  Cath. Angl., 30/1. To by and selle, auccionari.

c. 1538.  Starkey, England, II. i. 175. He that Byth dere, may sel dere.

1755.  Smollett, Quix. (1803), I. 233. He that buys and denies, his own purse belies.

1863.  Mrs. C. Clarke, Shaks. Char., xiv. 360. Pestering her swain to buy for her.

  c.  intr. To buy into (earlier also in, prep.): to buy a commission in (a regiment); to purchase stock in (the public funds), shares in (a trading company).

1681.  Treat. East-India Trade, 11. I … had rather buy in this Stock … at 300 l. for 100 l. then come into any New Stock at even Money.

1849.  Blackw. Mag., LXVI. 671. The man who buys into a public stock.

  d.  trans. Of things: To be an equivalent price for; to be the means of purchasing.

1599.  Shaks., Much Ado, I. i. 183. Can the world buie such a jewell?

1622.  Malynes, Anc. Law-Merch., 87. A London mingled colour cloth, would haue bought at Lisborne two chests of Sugar.

1691.  Locke, Wks. (1727), II. 67. If one Ounce of Silver will buy, i. e. is of equal Value to one Bushel of Wheat.

Mod.  Health is a treasure that gold cannot buy. It was his wife’s money that bought the farm.

  2.  fig. To obtain, gain, procure, in exchange for something else, or by making some sacrifice.

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 137. Ðenne bið þes monnes wile ibeht mid þere elmisse.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 190. Worldliche men buggeð deorre helle, þen ȝe doð heuene.

c. 1250.  Moral Ode, 65, in Cott. Hom., 163. Ech non mid þet he hauet mei buggen houene riche.

a. 1307.  Prov. Hendyng, xxix. Dere is boþt þe hony þat is licked of þe þorne, quoþ Hendyng.

1430.  Lydg., Chron. Troy, I. vi. No honor may be wonne, But that I muste with my deth it beye.

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, X. viii. 157. Desyrand he mycht by for mekill thing That he had nevyr tuichit Pallas ȝing.

1571.  Ascham, Scholem. (Arb.), 155. B[u]ying witte at the dearest hand, that is, by long experience of the hurt and shame that cummeth of mischeif.

1667.  Milton, P. L., IV. 102. Short intermission bought with double smart.

1813.  Scott, Rokeby, I. x. Forced the embarrassed host to buy By query close, direct reply.

1866.  Kingsley, Herew., xviii. (1877), 222. A war which could buy them neither spoil nor land.

  † 3.  To pay the penalty of, suffer the consequences of, ‘pay for’; to expiate, atone for; = ABY v. 2 (of which it was probably an aphetic form: cf. BYE v.). Often with dear; sometimes with bitter, sore; and in phrase, to buy the bargain.

c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 3683. Ðat guching hauen he dere boȝt.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 1115. And [god] will þat he bii þe vttrage.

c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron., 61. Griffyn … was proued traitoure fals, & þat bouht he fulle dere.

1393.  Langl., P. Pl., C. XVI. 304. Now he buyeþ hit ful bitere.

a. 1400[?].  Morte Arth. (Roxb.), 66. His dedis shall be bought full sore.

c. 1400.  Maundev., vii. 76. In tokene that the Synnes of Adam scholde ben boughte in that same place.

1530.  Palsgr., 455/1. I bye the bargayne, or I fele the hurte or displeasure of a thyng.

a. 1553.  Udall, Royster D. (Arb.), 72. Let them the bargaine bie.

1556.  J. Heywood, Spider & F., lvii. 87. Then is that bitter beyght.

1587.  Turberv., Trag. T. (1837), 154. Whether they Did buie their marriage deare.

1599.  Greene, George a Gr. (1861), 263. I will make thee by this treason dear.

c. 1615.  Chapman, Odyss., IV. 664. ’Twill not long be … Before thou buy this curious skill with tears.

  † b.  In pass. Of an offence: To be expiated or ‘visited’ upon (the offender). Obs. rare.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 13849. And qua þis couenand haldes noght Þat it be dere apon him boght.

  † 4.  To set free by paying a price; to redeem, ransom; esp. fig. in Theol. to redeem (from sin, hell, etc.). Obs. exc. in theological use, and in that now rather a conscious metaphor from 1; redeem being the ordinary word for this sense.

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 19. Þet þet ear us bohte deore.

a. 1300.  Hymn to God, in Trin. Coll. Hom., 258. He vs bouchte wið his blod of þe feondes swiche.

a. 1300.  E. E. Psalter cxxix. [cxxx.] 8. And he sal bie [v.r. bien] Irael of alle his wicednesses. Ibid., xxv[i]. 11. Bye me, and of me have merci.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 152. He com his folk to bij. Ibid., 6173. Mans barn wit pris he boght. Ibid., 9598. For to bij his prisun vte.

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, XVII. 336. Mary, That bare the byrth that all can by.

1377.  Langl., P. Pl., B. XI. 202. Redemptor was his name, And we his bretheren, þourgh hym ybouȝt.

c. 1400.  Maundev., Prol. 2. To bye and to delyvere us from Peynes of Helle.

1413.  Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, IV. xiii. (1483), 63. He that hath mysdone hath no thynge wherwith to beyen hym seluen.

1534.  More, On the Passion, Wks. 1325/1. By hys payne to … bye our soules from payne.

1552.  Abp. Hamilton, Catech., 95. Quhilk hais bocht us with his precious blude.

1633.  P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., I. xxxii. Who bought’st man, whom man (though God) did sell.

1709.  Watts, Hymn, ‘I [We] give immortal praise.’ God the Son … who bought us with his blood.

1836.  J. Gilbert, Chr. Atonem., vi. (1852), 172. So far from mercy having been properly purchased for us, mercy herself buys us.

  5.  To gain over, engage (a person) by money or otherwise (to or to do something); usually in bad sense, to hire. arch. (Cf. buy off, 7 a; buy over, 9.)

1652.  Free State comp. Monarchy, 1. [I] did … lay out … the poore Talent God intrusted me with, to buy them to the waies of Peace.

1655–60.  Stanley, Hist. Philos. (1701), 88/1. One that for a Drachm might be bought into any thing.

1697.  Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 573. Nor is [he] with Pray’rs, or Bribes, or Flatt’ry bought.

1713.  Addison, Cato, II. ii. 57. Millions of worlds Should never buy me to be like that Cæsar.

1878.  Morley, Diderot, II. 121. She did her best … to buy the author.

  II.  Phrases and combinations.

  * Combined with adverbs.

  6.  Buy in.

  a.  trans. To collect a stock of (commodities) by purchase; often in expressed or implied opposition to sell out. Often absol.

1622.  E. Misselden, Free Trade, 71. Some … few … doe ioine … to engrosse and buy in a Commodity, and sell it out againe at their owne price.

1628.  Sanderson, Two Serm. at St. Paul’s, I. 36. To buy in provision for his house.

1861.  Times, 16 Oct., 8/3. Many farmers buy in ewes in autumn.

  b.  To buy back for the owner, esp. at an auction when no sufficient price has been offered.

1642.  Sir E. Dering, Sp. on Relig., 161. Impropriations may be bought in.

1770.  Wilkes, Corr. (1805), IV. 31. Mrs. Macauley bought-in herself the house in Berners-street.

a. 1845.  Hood, Sniff. Birthday, xvi. Let Robins advertise … My ‘Man’s Estate,’ I’m sure enough I shall not buy it in.

  c.  (absol. from 1 c.) To buy a commission in a regiment; to purchase stock or shares.

1826.  Disraeli, Viv. Grey, III. viii. 124. Young Premium, the son of the celebrated loan-monger, has bought in.

1840.  Fraser’s Mag., XL. 606. The … capitalist reappeared on the Bourse; buying in cautiously for the rise.

  7.  Buy off.

  a.  trans. To induce (a person) by payment, to relinquish a claim, a course of action, etc.; to get rid of (a claim, a person’s opposition or interference) by paying money to the claimant or opponent. Often fig.

1629.  Earle, Microcosm., lxvii. (Arb.), 91. One whom no rate can buy off from the least piece of his freedom.

1851.  Ht. Martineau, Hist. Eng., I. iv. (1878), 89. Buying off the Prince’s claim for the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall.

1865.  Trench, Gust. Adolphus, ii. 65. To buy off the presence of troops by enormous gifts to their captains.

1868.  Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), II. ix. 408. Gruffydd was perhaps bought off in this way.

  b.  To release from military service by payment.

Mod.  He has enlisted, but his friends will buy him off.

  8.  Buy out.

  † a.  trans. To ransom, redeem. Obs.

1297.  R. Glouc., 496. Hor maistres hom out bouȝte.

c. 1440.  Gesta Rom. (1879), 306. This yong man wrote to his fadir, praying him to bey him out [of prison].

1590.  Shaks., Com. Err., I. ii. 5. Not being able to buy out his life.

1633.  Bp. Hall, Hard Texts, 291. By whom wee are … bought out from the bondage of sin.

  b.  To purchase a person’s estate, or share in any concern, and so to turn (him) out of it.

[1297.  R. Glouc. 379. So þat hii þat bode meste broȝt out monyon … me boȝte [v.r. broute] ys out wyþ woȝ].

1644.  J. Goodwin, Danger Fight. agst. God, 26. By buying out some Inhabitant, or by purchasing ground.

1840.  Barham, Ingol. Leg., Ser. I. (1858), 77. A Yeoman of Kent, With his yearly rent, Will buy them out all three!

1885.  Spectator, 25 July, 967/1. In so far as the landlords are bought out.

  c.  To get rid of or remove (any kind of liability) by a money payment.

1595.  Shaks., John, III. i. 164. Dreading the curse that money may buy out.

1596.  Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., IV. ii. 24. They haue bought out their seruices.

1828.  Ld. Grenville, Sink. Fund, 42. A landed proprietor … buys out … a rent-charge with which it [his estate] is burthened.

1885.  Law Reports 14 Queen’s B. Div., 875. Money paid in order to buy out the execution.

  9.  Buy over.

  trans. To gain over by a payment or bribe.

1848.  Blackw. Mag., LXIV. 630. Attempting to buy over their chiefs?

1860.  Freer, Henry IV., I. I. i. 9. [He] had bought the soldiers over to a man.

1877.  Miss Braddon, Weavers & W., 328. He … bought over the lodging-house keeper to his interest.

  10.  Buy up [cf. heap up, scrape up].

  To purchase with the aim of amassing in one’s own hands or taking up out of the market (a stock, or the whole of any commodity).

1533–4.  Act 25 Hen. VIII., iv. They bie vp all maner of fishe thither brought.

1543.  Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 250 b. Augustus … meruaillyng at the same thyng in a pye, bought hir vp also.

1593.  Nashe, Christ’s T. (1613), 107. Them … that would buy them vp by the whole sale, and make them away againe by retaile.

1622.  E. Misselden, Free Trade, 56. Another who bought vp all the Iron in Sicilia.

1624.  Gee, Foot out of Snare, 48. The most of these Books … were bought-vp by Papists.

1667.  Pepys, Diary (1879), IV. 269. Buying up of goods in case there should be war.

1701.  W. Wotton, Hist. Rome, 214. Cleander had bought up all the Corn.

1867.  R. Patterson, in Fortn. Rev., July, 77. An … appeal to the State to buy up all the railways in the kingdom.

1874.  Stubbs, Const. Hist., I. xiii. 630. John … was buying up help on every side.

  ** Phrases.

  11.  † a. To buy and sell: to barter, traffic with (in bad sense). Obs. or arch.

1613.  Shaks., Hen. VIII., I. i. 192. The Cardinall Does buy and sell his Honour as he pleases.

  b.  To be bought and sold: often fig., chiefly in sense To be betrayed for a bribe. arch.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 142. How þat ioseph was boght and sald.

1426.  Audelay, Poems, 4. Sche schal be boȝt and sold.

1594.  Shaks., Rich. III., V. iii. 305. Dickon thy maister is bought and sold.

1791.  Burns, Such a Parcel of Rogues, &c. iii. We’re bought and sold for English gold.

1864.  Tennyson, Ringlet, 33. She that gave you’s bought and sold.

  12.  To buy a pig (in Scotl. a cat) in a poke: (Fr. acheter chat en poche) to purchase something that one has not examined; hence, to enter into an engagement in ignorance of the responsibilities incurred.

1562.  J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 80. Ye loue not to bye the pyg in the poke.

1573.  Tusser, Husb. (1878), 16.

1611.  Cotgr., s.v. Sac, To buy a Pig in a poake (say we); to bargaine vnaduisedly or hand ouer head.

1821.  Southey, Lett. (1856), III. 252.

1882.  The Garden, 7 Oct., 313/2. Timidly buying … a pig-in-a-poke cheap collection.

  13.  To buy over a person’s head: to buy for a higher price, to outbid.

1682.  Wheler, Journ. Greece, II. 195. The Bishops are always buying it over one anothers Heads.

  14.  To buy a brush: = BRUSH v.¹ 3. (slang.)

1690.  B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Let’s buy a Brush, let us scour off.

1725.  in New Cant. Dict.