a. and sb. Also 5–6 corespondent(e. [f. med.L. correspondēnt-em, pr. pple. of correspondēre: see CORRESPOND and -ENT. In F. correspondant, 14th c.]
A. adj. (In this use CORRESPONDING is now more frequent.)
1. Answering to something else in the way of mutual adaptation or fitness; in agreement or harmony, congruous, accordant with; consonant, conformable, suitable, agreeable to.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546), D vj. Not correspondent to the good gouernaunce of the Empyre.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 248. Can God be pleased to do anythyng that is not most correspondent to reason?
1612. Dekker, Lond. Triumph., Wks. 1873, III. 242. His roabe and mantle … are correspondent to the quality of his person.
1678. Cudworth, Intell. Syst., I. i. § 41. 51. One entire system of Philosophy correspondent with, and agreeable to, the true and real world.
1798. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), IV. 246. An order of things more correspondent to the sentiments of our constituents.
1809. Pinkney, Trav. France, 103. Nothing could … have fallen out more correspondent with my wishes.
1866. J. G. Murphy, Comm., Exod. xiv. 19, 141. A series of steps or movements in the narrative correspondent with the native grandeur of the occasion.
† b. Characterized by agreement or harmony of parts; harmonious, congruous. Obs. rare.
1555. Eden, Decades, 206. Shewing as it were a fayre woorke and correspondent picture.
1653. H. Cogan, trans. Pinto’s Trav., xxxv. § 2. 140. The workmanship thereof is so correspondent, that all the perfection … from a good workman is observed in it.
2. Answering to or agreeing with something else in the way of likeness of relation or analogy; analogous, or having an analogous relation to.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), I. 219. An horse man made of brasse corespondente to the ymage of that prouince [eques quidam æneus concordans mobiliter motui illius imaginis].
c. 1460. J. Russell, Bk. Nurture, 1007. The pope hath no peere; Emperowre is nex hym euery where; Kynge corespondent.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 52. The peticyon of the Pater noster corespondent to this braunche or gyfte is … wryten in the margent.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1673), 510. Squirrels which have such lines of white and black, with correspondent lines in the tail.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., I. iv. 13. To these Uses [of speech] there are also foure correspondent Abuses.
1739. Hume, Human Nature, I. i. I venture to affirm … that every simple impression [has] a correspondent idea.
1849. Ruskin, Sev. Lamps, v. § 8. 144. Sculptural sketching, exactly correspondent to a painter’s light execution of a background.
1875. Emerson, Lett. & Soc. Aims, ix. 220. The poet cannot see a natural phenomenon which does not express to him a correspondent fact in his mental experience.
b. Agreeing (with each other) in relative position.
1570. Billingsley, Euclid, I. iv. 13. Two triangles, of which two sides of th’ one be equal to two sides of the other, eche side to his correspondent side.
a. 1700. Dryden, Ovid’s Met., I. 53. As five zones th’ ætherial regions bind, Five correspondent are to earth assigned.
1842. Sir W. Hamilton, in Reid’s Wks., I. 164/1. Two points anatomically correspondent, when on opposite sides of the body they severally hold the same relation to the centre.
c. Agreeing (with something else) in relative magnitude or value; proportional.
a. 1656. Ussher, Power Princes, I. xxxi. (1683), 56. What correspondent thing can he repay to God, who by his gift enjoyeth an Empire?
1800. Wellington, in Owen, Desp., 650. The … price has been … increased without any correspondent improvement in the quality of the goods.
† 3. Responsive; compliant, submissive. Obs.
1610. Shaks., Temp., I. ii. 297. I will be correspondent to command.
1647. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., I. iii. (1739), 4. It [Britain] continued correspondent to the Romans.
† 4. Answerable, responsible. Obs.
1612. Chapman, Widowes T., V. We are not correspondent for any but our own places.
c. 1658. Osborn, Wks., II. 37. I am no ways correspondent for the praise or blame due to any verses.
† 5. Used advb. Obs. (Cf. according.)
1684. R. Waller, Nat. Exper., 1. The Mercurial Standard … rises or falls … correspondent to the various Temperaments which the Air receives.
B. sb.
1. A thing that corresponds or answers to something else; a correlative.
1650. Jer. Taylor, Holy Living (1727), 276. Eggs are to birds as a relative to its correspondent.
1779–81. Johnson, L. P., Gray. The first line was dearly bought by the admission of its wretched correspondent.
1875. Whitney, Life Lang., 56. The nearest correspondent in quality to the short e of ‘met.’
† 2. A person who holds communication with another, esp. secret communication; a confederate, accomplice. Obs.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, III. viii. 123. Their faithfull correspondent, who advised them by his letters, could no where be found.
1720. De Foe, Capt. Singleton, x. (1840), 172. His [a mutineer’s] correspondent in the other ship … began the work.
1771. Smollett, Humph. Cl., 11 June. He [a highwayman] had always acted … without partner or correspondent.
3. A person who has regular business relations with another (esp. in a distant place).
a. 1674. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., XVI. (1704), III. 601. To take Bills of Exchange from Amsterdam upon their Correspondents in London.
1698. Norris, Pract. Disc., IV. 33. A Man may … meet with a Correspondent in Piety with whom he may Traffique … in the Affairs of Heaven.
1722. De Foe, Col. Jack (1840), 171. I … had gotten … a correspondent in London, with whom I traded.
1827. O. W. Roberts, Centr. Amer., 226. This worthy man also gave me a letter to his correspondent at Granada.
4. One who communicates with another by letters. (The ordinary modern use.)
c. 1630. Sir H. Wotton, The Parallel, in Reliq. Wotton. The Secretary … knew there were some Letters in it from his Correspondents.
1717. Lady M. W. Montague, Lett. C’tess Mar, 18 April. I wrote to … all my … correspondents by the last ship.
1841–4. Emerson, Ess., Spir. Laws, Wks. (Bohn), I. 70. I have not answered the letters of my own correspondents.
1872. E. Peacock, Mabel Heron, I. viii. 127. The lady was a voluminous correspondent.
b. One who contributes letters to a newspaper or journal; spec. one employed by a journal to contribute news and other material to its columns from some particular place.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 22, ¶ 1. The Letters of my Correspondents will represent this Affair in a more lively Manner.
1798. Anti-Jacobin, x. For the two following Poems we are indebted to unknown Correspondents.
1844. Dickens, Mart. Chuz., xvi. ‘He is a man of fine moral elements’ … said the war correspondent.
1873. ‘Mrs. Alexander,’ Wooing o’t, xii. ‘The triumph of decorative art,’ as ‘our own correspondent’ would call it.
5. nonce-use. An organism in vital communication with its environment: see CORRESPOND 4 d.
1883. H. Drummond, Nat. Law in Spir. W., vii. (1890), 214. Some change might occur in it [the environment] which the correspondents had no adaptive changes to meet.
