Also 6–7 -cie. [ad. L. corpulentia: see prec. and -ENCY.]
† 1. Bigness of body; size, bulk. Obs.
1545. Raynold, Byrth Mankynde (1564), 19 b. Of equal corpulencie or bygnesse.
1594. T. B., La Primaud. Fr. Acad., II. 597. The soule of a great man is not greater then the soule of a little man, in regard of corpulency.
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Country Farme, 121. The dogge … for the keeping of the Farme, must be of grosse and great corpulencie.
2. = CORPULENCE 2.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb. (1586), 896. The Drones … by reason of unwieldinesse, or corpulency of their bodies.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., IV. x. 204. They are generally fat … and ranck of the savours which attend upon sluttish corpulency.
1791. Boswell, Johnson, 28 April, an. 1783. Talking of a man who was grown very fat, so as to be incommoded with corpulency.
1858. Froude, Hist. Eng., III. xiv. 257. The king’s health was growing visibly weaker; his corpulency was increasing.
† b. concr. Obs.
1641. Milton, Animadv. (1851), 246. Wipe your fat corpulencies out of our light.
† 3. Material quality or substance, density. Obs.
1594. Carew, Huarte’s Exam. Wits (1616), 191. This meat [Manna] had no corpulencie to fatten them.
1643. Hammond, Serm., vii. Wks. 1684, IV. 516. Men … phansie God μεθ᾽ ὔλης, with matter and corpulency.
1644. Digby, Nat. Bodies, viii. (1658), 67. Flame … being mixed with smoke and other corpulency.
1691. Ray, Creation, I. (1701), 169. The heaviness and corpulency of the Water.
