[ME. concorda·nce, a. F. concordance (12th c.):—late L. concordāntia, f. concordānt-em: see CONCORDANT and -ANCE.]
1. The fact of agreeing or being concordant; agreement, harmony.
c. 1450. Castle Hd. Life St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 3686. Aythir to othir haue concordans.
1481. Caxton, Myrr., I. v. 27. They fonde the science of musyque for to sette alle thinges in concordaunce.
1576. Fleming, Panopl. Epist., A ij b. By a concordance or agreement of circumstaunces.
1602. Warner, Alb. Eng., Epit. (1612), 365. Hardly find I heerein a concordance in any two Authors.
1855. E. Forbes, Lit. Papers, vi. 166. There should … be a concordance in the arrangements of the recent and fossil collections.
1865. Cornh. Mag., XI. 512. Such a concordance of opinion in the representatives.
b. (with pl.) An instance of agreement or accord.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. i. 10. The nature of this great Citie of the world … must bee first sought in meane concordances, and small portions.
1851. Carlyle, Sterling, II. i. (1872), 89. Contrasts, and yet concordances.
1885. R. L. Stevenson, in Contemp. Rev., April, 557. The art of rightly using these concordances is the final art in literature.
† 2. spec. A treaty, agreement, or compact. Obs.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, ix. 220. Telle me where the concordauns shall be made.
† 3. Gram. = CONCORD sb. 6. Obs.
1570. Ascham, Scholem. (Arb.), 26. The three Concordances learned … let the master read vnto hym the Epistles of Cicero.
† 4. An agreeable or satisfactory blending of musical sounds or notes; harmony: = CONCORD 4.
1513. Bradshaw, St. Werburge, I. 1692. Dyuers other mynstrelles … Made swete concordaunce.
1579. E. K., in Spenser’s Sheph. Cal., Ep. Ded. Oftentimes a dischorde in Musick maketh a comely concordaunce.
1674. Playford, Skill Mus., Pref. 1. A true Concordance of sounds or Harmony.
† 5. A composition combining and harmonizing various accounts; a harmony. Obs.
1494. Fabyan, 5. For this boke Includyth Storyes fele … Therfore this name it shall nowe purchace, ‘Concordaunce of Storyes.’
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies (1840), II. 573. His ‘Concordance on the Evangelists’ was … a worthy work, to shew the harmony betwixt those four writers.
† 6. A citation of parallel passages in a book, esp. in the Bible. Obs.
1538. Coverdale, N. T., title-p., With a true Concordaunce in the margent.
a. 1714. Burnet, Own Time (1766), I. 267. A long opening of a text with the concordance of every word in it.
b. An alphabetical arrangement of the principal words contained in a book, with citations of the passages in which they occur. These were first made for the Bible; hence Johnson’s explanation ‘A book which shows in how many texts of scripture any word occurs.’ Orig. in pl. (med.L. concordantiæ), each group of parallel passages being properly a concordantia.
This is sometimes denominated a verbal concordance as distinguished from a real concordance, which is an index of subjects or topics.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls. VIII. 235. Frere Hewe [ob. 1262] … þat expownede al þe bible, and made a greet concordaunce [Harl. MS. concordances] uppon þe bible.
1460. Capgrave, Chron., 154. Hewe [of S. Victor] … was eke the first begynner of the Concordauns, whech is a tabil onto the Bibil.
1550. Marbeck (title) A Concordance, that is to saie, a Worke wherein by the Ordre of the Letters of the A. B. C. ye maie redely finde any Worde conteigned in the whole Bible.
1561. T. Norton, Calvin’s Inst., Pref. to Contents. They followed the Concordances of the Bible, called the great Concordances, which is collected according to the common translation.
a. 1631. Donne, in Select. (1840), 192. To search the Scriptures, not as though thou wouldst make a concordance, but an application.
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl., Pref. (1675), 27. I had not a Bible or Concordance at hand.
1737. Cruden (title), Complete Concordance to the Old and New Testament.
1828. E. Irving, Last Days, 37. A simple reference to the concordance … will serve to clear up these prophetic matters.
1837. Penny Cycl., VII. 434/2. The compiler of the first concordance in any language was Hugo de St. Caro, or Cardinal Hugo, who died in 1262.
1845. Mrs. C. Clarke (title), Concordance to Shakespeare.
1869. D. B. Brightwell (title), A Concordance to the entire Works of Alfred Tennyson.
fig. 1741. Watts, Improv. Mind, I. i. § 5. Memorino has learnt half the Bible by heart, and is become a living concordance.
attrib. and comb. 1856. S. R. Maitland, False Worship, 163. All that the concordance-maker can tell us about it. Ibid., 196. Finding so much discordance in the concordance part of his work.
