Forms: 1 endian, 2–4 endien, enden, endenn (Orm.), 3–5 e(ende, (4 endy, hende, eondi, pa. pple. 4 ent), 4– end. See also Y-END. [OE. ęndian, corresp. to OFris. endia, OS. endôn, endiôn, (Du. einden), OHG. entôn, entiôn, (MHG., mod.G. enden), ON. enda (Sw. ända, Da. ende):—OTeut. *andjôjan, f. *andjo- END sb.]
I. Transitive and absolute senses.
† 1. trans. To carry through to the end; to finish, complete. Also (in ME.), to perform (religious duties). Obs.
c. 975. Rushw. Gosp., John iv. 34. Þætte ic endigo werc his.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 43. Men þe on þisse liue her hare scrift enden nalden.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 44. Goð biuoren ower weouede & endeð ðer þe graces.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 8310. Þis wark … mai noght thoru þi-self be don, Þin sun sal end it, salamon.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 4. Graunt me þi helpe … þis werke for to ende.
1483. Cath. Angl., 114. to Ende, conficere.
1593. Shaks., Lucr., 1843. He … kist the fatall knife to end his vow.
1597. T. Morley, Introd. Mus., Annot. When I had ended my booke … I was requested to explaine some thing.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., V. i. 114. This same day Must end that worke, the Ides of March began.
1738. Pope, Epit. Sat., ii. 254. Pray end what you began.
b. To be the end or result of.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 9699. Þes endes al þat wel es wroght.
2. To bring to an end, conclude, come to a termination of (an action, a speech, a period of time, one’s life, etc.; formerly sometimes with inf. as obj.). Often with adv. of manner or advb. phrase; also const. with.
c. 1305. Pilate, 259, in E. E. P. (1862). Þus pilatus endede his lyf.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 47. Eilred at London endid his life.
1340. Ayenb., 110. Huet may þe zone betere acsy to his uader: þanne bread wyþoute more uor þane day to endy?
c. 1340. Cursor M. (Trin.), 10487. Whenne she had endede hir preyere She pleyned efte on þis manere.
1483. Cath. Angl., 115. It is Endit, explicit.
1557. North, Diall of Princes, 229 b/2. We neuer cease to behold them, nor yet end to bewayle them.
1609. Bible (Douay), 2 Esdras vii. 1. When I had ended to speake these wordes.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., II. 560/88. Not then the drudging Hind his Labour ends.
1713. Berkeley, Guardian, viii. Wks. III. 170. He has ended his discourse with a Prayer. Ibid. (1717), Tour Italy, Wks. IV. 530. We ended the day with music at St. Agnes.
1830. Tennyson, Amphion, 50. Ere his song was ended.
1860. Ruskin, Mod. Paint., V. IX. xii. § 1. I find that I have only now the power of ending this work, not of concluding it.
1862. J. Grant, Capt. of Guard, xxxix. 282. He ended his life in misery.
b. absol.; esp. with reference to speech: To finish, conclude.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter xxvi[i]. 15. End as þou has bygunen.
a. 1340. Cursor M. (Trin.). 5459. Whenne he endide of his sawe His sones he blessed on a rawe.
1585. Abp. Sandys, Serm. (1841), 329. I will therefore add somewhat concerning the disgrace which cometh unto marriage … and so end.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., II. iv. 31. I know it wel, sir, you alwaies end ere you begin.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 106. He ended frowning, and his look denounc’d Desperate revenge.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Sat. agst. Woman, Wks. 1730, I. 57. Quite tired of the nauseous theme, I end.
1879. Furnivall, Rep. E. Eng. T. S., 24. To end, the Society wants more money.
Mod. I shall end with a motion.
† 3. To rid (a person) of. Obs.
1598. Greene, Jas. IV. (1861), 211. What may I do to end me of these doubts?
4. To put an end to, cause to cease, abrogate, destroy: formerly also to dissolve (a parliament).
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. ix. 6. Ða hi hit endian sceoldan.
c. 1200. Ormin, 19797. Þeȝȝ unnderstodenn wel, Þatt … teȝȝre laȝhe all endedd ben Þurrh Cristess newe lare.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 214. At þis parlement … was it ent, aliens to auance.
1490. Caxton, Eneydos, viii. 36. The swerde … ended in that hour hir lyf.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 647. The king dissolved his Parliament, which was the laste parliament that ever he ended.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., I. i. 41. If I were yong againe, the sword should end it.
1737. Pope, Hor. Epist., II. i. 53. End all dispute: and fix the year precise.
1801. Southey, Thalaba, IV. xxvi. That merciful deed For ever ends thy suffering.
1808. J. Barlow, Columb., I. 79. The desperate crew … Resolve at once to end the audacious strife.
1877. Morley, Crit. Misc., Ser. I. (1878), 200. To talk of France seeing good to end Protestantism in a night.
† b. To make an end of (a person); to kill. Obs.
a. 1340. Hampole, Cant. Psalter, 497. Ffra morne til eueyn þou sall end me.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 1064. Hit is riht þat þe rink be reufully ended.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 453. All his enmys in þat erd he endid in a stounde.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., V. iii. 9. This Sword hath ended him.
1609. Bp. W. Barlow, Answ. Nameless Cath., 300. The Pope mingled powder with GEMENS Sugar, which should not END him presently, but WASTE him by little and little.
1623. Fletcher, Bloody Brother, IV. iii. Power enough … To end the murtherer.
II. Intransitive senses.
5. Of a period of time, action, continuous state, series, book, chapter, etc.: To come to an end. Also colloq. To end up.
a. 1000. Guthlac, 21 (Gr.). Ær þou endien ealle ʓesceafte.
c. 1200. Ormin, 6514. Her endeþþ nu þiss Goddspell þuss.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 166. Forð endede ðat fifte niȝt.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7840. Þat eild bigan at abraham. It endes her in godds nam.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 1770. When his lif sal here ende, He what never whider he sal wende.
c. 1350. Will Palerne, 540. Þis bitter bale botlesse wol hende!
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., IX. ii. (1495), 346. Whan meuynge fayllyth thenne tyme endyth.
1486. Bk. St. Albans, D iij a. Here endyth the proceis of hawkyng.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 2. Here endeth the prologue, and here after foloweth the fyrst boke.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, V. i. 25. All’s well that ends well, yet.
1605. Daniel, Queen’s Arcadia, IV. iv. All extremities must mend or end.
1676. Hobbes, Iliad, I. 289. Thus in disorder the Assembly ends.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Past., IV. 9/17. The base degenerate Iron off-spring ends.
1728. Pope, Dunc., II. 245. But that this well-disputed game may end, Sound forth, my brayers.
1812. J. Wilson, Isle of Palms, IV. 654. To-day our woes can never end.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., I. i. 305. For thinking how all stories end with this.
1874. Spurgeon, Treas. Dav., Ps. cii. Introd. It ends up right gloriously with calm confidence for the future.
1875. Bryce, Holy Rom. Emp., viii. (ed. 5), 122. The line of Charles the Great ended in A.D. 911.
Mod. The quarter ending June 24.
b. To issue or result in.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 102. Þe worldes urakele urouren … schulen enden ine sor & ine seoruwe.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 194. Couetous þere come knightes full ofte, And endit in auerys to ay lastand sorowe.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., I. vii. 30. No Discourse whatsoever, can End in absolute Knowledge of Fact, past, or to come.
1664. Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1706), 24. Sobbing the Leaves of the Plant … ends in scorching.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 10, ¶ 11. There is a contagious Sickness, which, it is feared, will end in a Pestilence.
1808. Med. Jrnl., XIX. 380. The controversy … ended in both parties admitting, [etc.].
1870. H. Macmillan, Bible Teach., x. 204. A life of godliness ends in a saintly death.
1885. Manch. Exam., 6 July, 4/7. The cricket match … ended in a draw.
c. Of persons, Const. in, or by, with gerund: To come ultimately to (do something).
1825. Coleridge, Aids Refl., 101. He, who begins by loving Christianity better than Truth, will … end in loving himself better than all.
6. To die. rare in mod. use. Also To end up (slang).
c. 1200. Ormin, 8347. Affterr þatt tatt Herode king Wass ended inn hiss sinne.
1297. R. Glouc. (1724), 370. Steuene … suþþe was kyng of Engelond, & endede myd ssame.
c. 1340. Cursor M., 6724. Þe beest shal wiþ stonyng ende.
c. 1435. Torr. Portugal, 1389. I yeve … To thy doughter alle my lond, Yf that I end there.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., V. i. 353. Farwell friends, thus Thisbie ends.
1858. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt. (1865), VI. XV. x. 63. A cannon-ball smites the life out of him, and he ended here.
1886. Rider Haggard, K. Solomon’s Mines, ii. 32. We should only end up like my poor friend Silvestre.
7. Of a portion of space, material object, treatise, etc.: To terminate, have its end or extremity.
1611. Cotgr., Aboutir en pointe, to end sharpe, or pointed.
1882. Geikie, Text-bk. Geol., VI. V. (1885), 890. It [the glacier] ended off upon the land.
1877. Encycl. Brit., VI. 424. The promontory which ends in the Lizard.
Mod. His property ends at the fifth milestone. An iron rod ending in a sharp point. The plateau ends abruptly in a precipice.
