Also 4–5 construccioun, 5–6 -cion, -cyon, 6 -tyon, -tione, etc. [ad. L. constructiōn-em, n. of action f. construĕre to CONSTRUE, CONSTRUCT. The F. construction is cited by Littré from 12th c., and may have been the immediate source.]
I. The action of constructing.
1. The action of framing, devising, or forming, by the putting together of parts; erection, building.
Arch of Construction: an arch built in the body of a wall or other structure, to relieve the part below it from superincumbent weight.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), I. 19. The construccion of the cite of Rome.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 91. Construccyon or construynge, construccio.
1705. Arbuthnot, Coins (1756), 259. The Construction of Ships was forbidden to Senators.
1837. Ht. Martineau, Soc. in Amer., II. 186. From whence a [railroad] line is now in course of construction to the Hudson.
1849. Freeman, Archit., 198. Others have only an arch of construction above the flat lintel.
b. of immaterial objects, systems, organizations, etc.
1841. Myers, Cath. Th., IV. xxv. 302. The Mosaic system was the first construction of a special instrumentality for a special end.
c. The art or science of constructing.
1842–76. Gwilt, Encycl. Arch., Gloss., Construction … amongst architects is more particularly used to denote the art of distributing the different forces and strains of the parts and materials of a building in so scientific a manner as to avoid failure and insure durability.
1864. C. Vaux, Villas & Cottages, 70. To study the capabilities and varieties of wooden construction.
1891. Graphic, 28 Feb. [The] Assistant-Controller of the Navy and Director of Naval Construction, who has designed the new ships.
2. The manner in which a thing is artificially constructed or naturally formed; structure, conformation, disposition.
1707. Curios. in Husb. & Gard., 28. The Order and … Construction of their essential or organical Parts.
1791. Gentl. Mag., LXI. II. 769. To build it [a dry dock] with a timber-floor of a new and peculiar construction.
1799. Med. Jrnl., I. 461. The bad construction of the hospitals.
1866. Engel, Nat. Mus., i. 15. The rather unusual rhythmical construction of six bars in the first part, and eight in the second.
a. 1871. T. R. Jones, Anim. Kingd. (ed. 4), 331. Beneath the mandibles is situated another pair of jaws, of similar construction.
b. The mental building up of materials; constructive faculty.
1826. Disraeli, Viv. Grey, III. vii. 119. At last he burst forth with an immense deal of science and a great want of construction, a want which scientific men often experience.
3. Geom. The action or method of drawing a figure for the purpose of solving a problem or proving a proposition.
1570. Billingsley, Euclid, I. i. 9. Then is set the construction of suche things which are necessary ether for the doing of the proposition or for the demonstration.
1660. Barrow, Euclid, I. ii. The construction, and the demonstration, are every where alike.
1840. Lardner, Geom., 133. Or the construction of equal and similar figures.
1882. Minchin, Unipl. Kinemat., 57. Graphic construction for Resultant Acceleration.
b. Naut. ‘The method of ascertaining a ship’s course by trigonometrical diagrams’ (Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk.).
1828. J. H. Moore, Pract. Navig., 41. By construction.
c. Construction of equations: see quot.
1727–51. Chambers, Cycl., Construction of equations, is the method of reducing a known equation into lines, and figures; whereby the truth of the rule, canon, or equation, may be demonstrated geometrically.
d. transf.
1884. trans. Lotze’s Logic, 123. A generic concept derived from experience, the inner organisation of which can only be represented imperfectly by description, not exactly by construction.
4. A thing constructed; a material structure; a formation of the mind or genius.
1796. Morse, Amer. Geog., II. 424. The subterraneous constructions of Italy are as stupendous as those above ground.
1862. M. Hopkins, Hawaii, 71. A number of other constructions were discovered.
1875. Maine, Hist. Inst., i. 11. The Brehon laws are in no sense a legislative construction.
II. The action of construing, and connected senses.
5. Gram. The action of syntactically arranging words in a sentence; ‘the putting of words, duly chosen, together in such a manner as is proper to convey a complete sense’ (J.).
1591. Percivall, Sp. Dict., E. iij. Construction is the apt ioining of words in framing of a sentence.
1612. Brinsley, Pos. Parts (1687), 61. Q. What mean you by Construction? A.… The due joyning, or right ordering and framing together of words in Speech.
1657. J. Smith, Myst. Rhet., 130. Prolepsis is also a figure of Construction.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., Construction … the arranging and connecting the words of a sentence, according to the rules of the language.
b. The syntactical connection between verbs and their objects or complements, adjectives and their extensions, prepositions and objects, etc.
(In this Dictionary the principal constructions of verbs, adjectives, etc., are given under the various senses, marked Const.)
1530. Palsgr., 137. There is nat a more straunger construction in all this tonge.
1571. Golding, Calvin on Ps. lv. 20. I cannot tell whither the construction will beare it or no.
1640. Sir R. Baker, in Spurgeon, Treas. Dav., Ps. i. 2. That stands in construction with all tenses.
1661. Milton, Accedence, Wks. 1738, I. 620. Construction consisteth either in the agreement of words together … which is call’d Concord; or the governing of one the other in such Case or Mood as is to follow.
1767. H. Walpole, Narr. Rousseau, 133. He changed the construction of the last phrase, though the thought remained exactly the same.
1876. Mason, Eng. Gram., Pref. Help towards the understanding of the more difficult constructions.
c. Heb. Gram. The relation of a sb. in the construct state. See CONSTRUCT a. 2.
1762. Parkhurst, Heb. Lex. (1792) 4. A noun is said to be in Regimine or in Construction, when it is in a particular relation to a Noun following it, or has a Pronoun Suffix.
† 6. The action of analyzing the structure of a sentence and translating it word for word into another language; construing, translation. Obs.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), II. 161. John Cornewaile … chaunged the lore in grammar scole, and construction, of [i.e., from] Frenche into Englische.
1388. Wyclif, Prol., xv. 57. Whanne riȝtful construccioun is lettid bi relacion, I resolue it openli.
1430. Lydg., Chron. Troy, II. x. To sewe his style in my translation Worde by worde like the construction After the maner of gramariens.
1580. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 362. She drew out hir petrarke, requesting him to conster hir a lesson … Thus walking in the alley, she listned to his construction.
1643. Sir T. Browne, Relig. Med., II. § 8. I have seene a grammarian … shew more pride in the construction of one Ode [of Horace] than the Author in the composure of the whole booke.
7. The construing, explaining, or interpreting of a text or statement; explanation, interpretation; meaning, sense.
1483. Cath. Angl., 75. A Construccion, construccio, exposicio.
c. 1489. Caxton, Blanchardyn, xiv. (1890), 47. Whan blanchardyn had wel loked and rede the verses … & well vnderstode theire sentence … the prouost axed hyr yf he was counseylled for to fulfylle the construction of that texte.
1532. More, Confut. Tindale, Wks. 654/1. Al the question for the more part riseth … vpon the construccion thereof, that is to say … what was for that scripture the true sense and right vnderstanding.
a. 1656. Bp. Hall, Breath. Devout Soul (1851), 169. What riddles are in that prophecy, which … undergoes as many constructions, as there are pens that have undertaken it.
1782. Priestley, Corrupt. Chr., I. I. 146. Those texts … will admit of some other construction.
1803. Wellington, in Owen, Disp., 58. My construction of the tenor of the letter … may I hope prove erroneous.
8. Interpretation put upon conduct, action, facts, words, etc.; the way in which these are taken or viewed by onlookers; usually with qualification, as to put a good, bad, favorable, charitable (or other) construction upon.
1586. A. Day, Eng. Secretarie, II. (1625), 28. To admit me favourable and indifferent construction, of what I shall here unfold unto you by writing.
1599. Shaks., Much Ado, III. iv. 50. O illegitimate construction! I scorne that with my heeles. Ibid. (1605), Macb., I. iv. 12. To finde the Mindes construction in the Face.
1609. Tourneur, Fun. Poeme, 313. The bitter censures of malignancies In managements so subject to construction.
1641. Bp. Hall, Rem. Wks. (1660), 82. A charitable construction of each others acts and intentions.
1677. W. Hubbard, Narrative, II. 38. To put the best Construction might be, on such Irregular actions.
1705. Stanhope, Paraphr., III. 499. Some Good may be done, though at the Expence of Envy and ill Construction.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, vii. Since such is the construction that is put upon my patience.
1869. J. Martineau, Ess., II. 126. Locke … guards himself … against any such construction.
b. † To make (a) construction: to give an explanation or meaning to; to explain or interpret in a certain way. Obs. To bear a construction: to allow of being explained in a certain way.
c. 1525. Skelton, Replyc., 152. Ye may soone make construction With right lytell instruction.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., II. ii. 232. There is shrewd construction made of her.
1620. Bacon, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 259. III. 236. I humblye praye your Lordships to make a favourable and true construction of my absence.
1741. Richardson, Pamela, I. 27. He would have made a less angry Construction, had I less deserv’d that he should do so.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xxi. Facts which would bear two constructions.
9. Law. The explaining or interpreting of the words of a statute, deed, or other legal document.
1523. Fitzherb., Surv., B iij b. To the declaracyon and constructyon of this statute [etc.].
1649. Selden, Laws Eng., II. xiii. (1739), 69. By the Resignation of Richard the Second, the Parliament might seem, in strict construction of Law, to be expired.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., III. 226. By an equitable construction of the statute of Glocester.
1845. Stephen, Laws Eng., II. 63. The construction or interpretation of a contract.
1890. Ld. Halsbury in Law Times Rep., LXIV. 3/2. The question … turns upon the true construction of the Waterworks Clauses Act, 1847.
b. A particular explanation or interpretation put upon a law, etc.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 1324. The true meaning of which statute, they did impugne and overthrowe by divers subtile and sinister constructions of the same.
1612. Bacon, Ess., Judicature (Arb.), 452. Iudges must beware of Hard Constructions, and Strained Inferences.
1827. Jarman, Powell’s Devises (ed. 3), II. 329. The Master of the Rolls … adopted the latter construction.
1890. Sir N. Lindley, in Law Times Rep., LXIII. 690/1. Forcing upon this order a construction which would not be put upon it by those who are in the habit of dealing with orders in this form.
10. attrib. and Comb. in sense 1, as construction timber, material, etc.; construction-way, -railway, a temporary railway laid down for use in the construction of a permanent railway, canal or similar undertaking.
1796. Nelson, in Nicolas, Disp., VII. p. civ. A Vessel … loaded with construction-timber.
1881. Chicago Times, 18 June. A construction train backing down to Elwood.
