a. Also 6 æ-, egregius. [f. L. ēgregi-us, f. ē out + grex, greg-is flock + -OUS: hence lit., towering above the flock.]
† 1. Prominent, projecting.
1578. Banister, Hist. Man, VII. 92. All the poynt, and egregious portion of the right side of this inuolucre.
2. Remarkable in a good sense:
a. Of persons and personal qualities: Distinguished, eminent, excellent, renowned. Obs. (exc. in humorously pedantic use).
c. 1534. trans. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (1846), I. 172. Peda, the sonne of Penda, an ægregius yonge gentilmanne.
1590. Marlowe, 2nd Pt. Tamburl., I. i. Egregious viceroys of these eastern parts.
1609. Bible (Douay), Ex. xxxviii. 23. Ooliab … was himself also an egregious artificer in wood.
1656. Hobbes, Six Lessons, Wks. 1845, VII. 283. I am not so egregious a mathematician as you are.
1738. Birch, Life Milton, in M.’s Wks., I. App. 84. Egregious was their Loyalty and Veneration of Majesty.
1820. L. Hunt, Indicator, No. 53. There is a school book by the egregious John Amos Comenius.
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, I. 122. When he wanted to draw … some one splendid and egregious, it was Clive he took for a model.
b. Of things: Remarkably good or great. Of events and utterances: Striking, significant. ? Obs.
1547–64. Bauldwin, Mor. Philos., II. (Palfr.), Prol. Certain reserved sentences very egregious lively and excellent.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., IV. iv. 11. Except … thou doe giue to me egregious Ransome.
1645. Milton, Tetrach. (1851), 220. This is egregious doctrine, and for which one day charity will much thanke them.
1710. T. Fuller, Pharm. Extemp., 147. It [emulsion] is especially of egregious use in Fevers.
3. Remarkable in a bad sense; gross, flagrant, outrageous. [This sense does not belong to L. egregius or to It. egregio; prob. it arose from an ironical use of 2, though our earliest quotations afford no evidence of this.]
a. of persons and personal attributes.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (1884), 33. Thai them selvs cannot dissemble it without egregius impudenci.
1593. Nashe, Four Lett. Confut., 67. Egregious is neuer used in english but in the extreame ill part.
1611. Shaks., Cymb., V. v. 211. Italian Fiend … Egregious murtherer.
1648. Milton, Observ. Art. Peace (1851), 576. Egregious Liars and Impostors.
1734. Fielding, Univ. Gallant, V. i. He would be an egregious ass who wou’d venture to lay out his money in them [jewels].
1839. G. P. R. James, Louis XIV., I. 50. The egregious superstition of the higher orders.
1864. Daily Post (L’pool), 14 Sept., 7/4. Every tradesman … with egregious bonhomie tries to cheat you.
b. of things, actions, etc.
1630. Brathwait, Eng. Gentl. (1641), 88. Hee toucheth severity towards servants, as a hainous and egregious offence.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 47, ¶ 2. People that want Sense, do always in an egregious Manner want Modesty.
1761–2. Hume, Hist. Eng. (1806), IV. li. 48. An egregious exercise of tyranny.
1816. Kirby & Sp., Entomol., ii. (1828), I. 21. An egregious waste of time.
1878. Lecky, Eng. in 18th C., II. vii. 426. No blunder could have been more egregious.
4. nonce-use. Wandering from the flock.
1873. Browning, Red Cott. Nt.-cap, 1203. An egregious sheep … Unearthed the image in good Mailleville’s time.
Hence Egregiousness, the quality of being egregious; the possession of uncommon qualities.
1632. Sherwood, Egregiousness, excellence.
1877. Times, 19 Feb., 12/1. He [Professor Guthrie] pointed out that water, which is so very common, is unusual, and shows egregiousness in its properties.
