[ad. L. exact-us, pa. pple. of exigĕre: see EXACT v.
The L. adj. has the senses (1) ‘highly finished, consummate,’ from the vb. in the sense ‘to complete, bring to perfection,’ and (2) ‘accurate, precise,’ from the vb. in the sense ‘to calculate precisely.’ See EXACT v.]
I. Perfected, consummate, ‘finished.’
† 1. Of qualities, conditions, attainments, etc.: Consummate, finished, refined, perfect. Rarely in bad sense. Obs.
Expressions like ‘exact taste’ have a mixed notion of sense 5 b, to which the later instances should perh. be referred.
1633. G. Herbert, Temple, Providence, viii. We all acknowledge both thy power and love To be exact, transcendent, and divine.
a. 1659. Osborn, Queries, Epist. (1673), S s iv b. The imployment of Children in their exactest Innocencie, being to make Houses and raise Pies of Dirt.
1661. Lovell, Hist. Anim. & Min., Introd. The hearing is most exact in the hare.
1676. Hale, Contempl., I. 123. They … pursued … their Redeemer with … exact Bitterness.
1702. C. Mather, Magn. Chr., III. III. (1852), 546. Certain Indians, whose exacter education he was desirous of.
1726. W. R. Chetwood, Adv. Capt. R. Boyle, 203. Every Feature so exact and uniform … that I was amaz’d.
1727. Swift, To a very yng. Lady. A man … of an excellent understanding, and an exact taste.
† 2. Of persons: Highly skilled, accomplished, (in taste) refined. Obs.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. I. 28. Baldwine a Deuonshire man … was a very eloquent man, an exact Philosopher.
c. 1616. Fletcher, Q. Corinth, I. ii. A Lady of your youth … a most exact lady, may doe all this Out of a vertuous love.
1656. R. Robinson, Christ All, 80. Christ, he is as exact in all spiritual diseases as he is in any disease.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 1017. Eve, now I see thou art exact of taste.
1725. Pope, Odyss., XVI. 275. Two Sew’rs … Exact of taste.
† 3. Of material objects: Highly wrought, elaborate. Of buildings, etc.: Well-designed. Obs.
1667. Milton, P. L., VII. 477. Smallest Lineaments exact In all the Liveries dect of Summers pride.
c. 1710. Celia Fiennes, Diary (1888), 89. A very Exact house and gardens.
II. Precise, rigorous, accurate.
4. Of law and its administration, rules, order, procedure, etc.: Admitting of no deviation, precise, rigorous. † Of diet: Strictly regulated.
1538. Starkey, England, I. ii. 52. Hyt was not possybul sodeynly, by exacte law and pollycy, to bryng such a rude multytude to perfayt cyvylyte.
1594. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., I. ii. (1611), 4. Obserueth in working a most exact order or lawe.
1732. Arbuthnot, Rules of Diet, 355. The Patient … may protract a miserable Life with an exact thin Diet of Whey, Broths, [etc.].
1748. Hartley, Observ. Man, I. iii. 296. Here there is the exactest Uniformity.
1817. Jas. Mill, Brit. India, II. V. iii. 414. The troops were kept in such exact discipline, that the people … remained in their houses.
1870. Emerson, Soc. & Solit., Eloq., Wks. (Bohn), III. 41. Eloquence … rests on laws the most exact and determinate.
5. a. Of actions, processes, investigations, knowledge, etc.: Accurate in detail, strict, rigorous.
1533. More, Apol., i. Wks. 845/2. Suche exacte cyrcumspeccion … to be by me vsed in my wryting.
1561. T. Norton, Calvin’s Inst., I. 6 b. There nedeth … an exacter diligence.
1603. Jas. I., in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 244, III. 81. How waire judgis should be in trusting accusations withoute an exacte tryall.
1658. Vestry Bks. (Surtees), 324. That Tho. Johnson and Robt Chilton doe take an exact veiw of all the leads about the church.
1791. Cowper, Odyss., I. 549. Folding it with the exactest care.
1794. Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, I. i. 14–5. He gave her … an exact acquaintance with every part of elegant literature.
1857. Dickens, Lett. (1880), II. 19. I shall act upon it in the most exact manner.
1857. Buckle, Civiliz., I. vii. 337. He [Boyle] was the first who instituted exact experiments into the relation between colour and heat.
b. Of persons or their faculties: Characterized by accuracy of knowledge, observation, statement, workmanship, conduct, etc. Of a judge, etc.: Strict, rigorous.
1597. Bacon, Ess., Studies (Arb.), 10. Reading maketh a full man, conference a readye man, and writing an exacte man.
1607. Shaks., Timon, II. ii. 165. Call me before th’exactest Auditors And set me on the proofe.
1659. Hammond, On Ps. cxliii. 2 Paraphr. 690. To appear with hope or comfort before thine exact tribunal.
1682. Burnet, Rights Princes, v. 148. Mezeray is the exacter Writer.
1696. Whiston, Th. Earth, I. (1722), 34. I have followed our most exact Observer Mr. Flamstead.
1725. Pope, Odyss., XXI. 439. The bow perusing with exactest eye.
1780. Cowper, Table-t., 646. Then Pope, as harmony itself exact … Gave Virtue and Morality a grace.
1848. M. Arnold, Poems, 1877, I. 26. I … Am the exacter labourer.
1849. Grote, Greece, II. xlvii. (1862), IV. 144. The poorer citizens … were more exact in obedience and discipline.
6. Of ideas, images, representations, expressions, descriptions, resemblances, etc.: Perfectly corresponding, strictly correct, precise, accurate.
1645. Milton, Tetrach. (1851), 236. The visible and exactest figure of lonelines it selfe.
1663. Cowley, Royal Society, iv. Who to the Life an exact Piece would make.
a. 1672. Wilkins, Nat. Relig. (1676), II. ix. 400. This Book contains as the most ancient, so the most exact story of the world.
1753. Hogarth, Anal. Beauty, iii. 19. The exact similarity of the two halves of the face.
1782. Priestley, Corrupt. Chr., I. I. 79. It is not easy to give an exact translation of this passage.
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St. Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), III. 178. Though such a one is able to form in his own mind an exact idea of order, he cannot form one of disorder.
1816. Scott, Antiq., vii. It was some time before they [shouts] were in exact response to their own.
1881. Tylor, Anthropol., v. 133. Man’s efforts to get easier, fuller, and exacter expression for his thoughts.
7. Of a calculated result, a quantity or quantitative relation, a position, figure, date, etc.: Precise as opposed to approximate. Also with defining word: That is precisely what is designated; = ‘(the) precise.’
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, III. vi. 65. The merit of seruice is sildome attributed to the true and exact performer.
1664. Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1729), 187. The Cutting and the Pruning were perform’d in such and such an exact Minute of the Moon.
1802. Paley, Nat. Theol., iii. § 1. 21. The pupil, under all its different dimensions, retains its exact circular shape.
1806. Hutton, Course Math., I. 205. When the given surd contains no exact power, it is already in its most simple terms.
1849. Mrs. Somerville, Connex. Phys. Sc., iv. 32. Not following the exact law of gravity.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. vii. 50. In some atmospheric colourings it has the exact appearance of a mountain of cast copper.
1861. Flor. Nightingale, Nursing, 5. The exact value of particular remedies … is by no means ascertained.
1878. Huxley, Physiogr., 7. At the instant of reaching its greatest height, or in other words at exact noon.
Mod. These are his exact words. A is an exact multiple of B.
8. Of methods, instruments of research, language, etc.: Characterized by precision, not admitting of vagueness or uncertainty. Exact sciences: those that admit of absolute precision in their results; esp. the mathematical sciences.
1665. Phil. Trans., I. 37. Having no instruments exact enough.
1681. Chetham, Angler’s Vade-m., Pref. (1689), 4. Perfect knowledge of the exactest ways of the practical part of the Art.
1762–71. H. Walpole, Vertue’s Anecd. Paint. (1786), II. 73. The exactest arts of building ships … were not unknown to him.
1841. Myers, Cath. Th., III. § 7. 16. No spoken language has yet been found exact enough to express the highest generalisations.
1863. Fawcett, Pol. Econ., I. i. 3. All those who have studied an exact science must have experienced the formidable difficulties which elementary chapters invariably present.
1866. J. Martineau, Ess., I. 3. The exact sciences constituted the preponderant discipline.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), IV. 26. Of the creative arts … we may make two classes—the less exact and the more exact.
† 9. As adv. = EXACTLY. Obs.
1677. Gilpin, Dæmonol. (1867), 407. In seeming exact-suiting scripture suggested.
1693. Locke, Educ., § 11. 10. Nature … works of her self a great deal better, and exacter, than we can direct her.
1703. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 182. Guide his Foot the firmer and exacter.
1737. Pope, Hor. Epist., II. ii. 97. There’s a Rehearsal, Sir, exact at one.
1791. Cowper, Yardley Oak, 36. Two lobes, protruding, paired exact.
