[f. L. exhaust- ppl. stem of exhaurīre; see EXHAURIATE.]
1. trans. To draw off or out (now only, air); lit. and fig.
1540. Act 32 Hen. VIII., c. 24. Innumerable summes of monei, crafteli exhausted out of this realme.
1607. Shaks., Timon, IV. iii. 119. The Babe, Whose dimpled smiles from Fooles exhaust their mercy.
1632. Massinger & Field, Fatal Dowry, II. i. Your thankless Cruelty, and Savage Manners … Exhaust these Floods [of tears].
1665. G. Harvey, Advice agst. Plague, 23. Exhaust a convenient proportion of bloud.
1705. Derham, in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden), 319. Those … with double Barrells … exhaust the air with greater ease and quickness.
1728. Earbery, trans. Burnet’s St. Dead, I. 157. These Things we have exhausted from the sacred Scriptures.
1839. G. Bird, Nat. Philos., 101. Exhaust the air from beneath the bladder.
1858. O. W. Holmes, Aut. Breakf.-t., xii. 353. Putting an animal under the bell of an air-pump and exhausting the air from it.
† b. To take a draught of; to drink or suck up. Cf. L. exhaurire vinum. Obs.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. II. 331. The Dragon thrusteth his head into his [the Elephant’s] tronke and exhausteth his breath.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 360. Some that have kept Chamelions … might observe their Bellies to swell after they had exhausted the air.
1679. W. Jane, Fast-Serm., 8. Salmanasser … like an insatiable gulph devoured and exhausted all.
2. To use up completely (either a material or immaterial thing); to expend the whole of; to consume entirely.
1533. Elyot, Cast. Helthe, II. vii. (1541), 18 b. The fyre hathe not exhausted the moysture of them.
c. 1698. Locke, Cond. Underst. (1741), § 23. 58 (J.). Though the Knowledge they have left us be worth our Study, yet they exhausted not all its Treasures.
1709. Pope, Ess. Crit., 555. Here point your thunder, and exhaust your rage!
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 87, ¶ 14. A student may easily exhaust his life in comparing divines and moralists.
1786. Burke, W. Hastings, Wks. 1842, II. 125. Whatever relief was given the same was soon exhausted.
1853. H. Rogers, Ecl. Faith, 223. How do they almost exhaust the resources of language to express their sentiments.
† b. in weaker sense: To expend, spend. Obs.
1616. Bullokar, Exhaust to consume, spend, or waste.
1659. Hammond, On Ps. xvii. 14. Paraphr. 87. To leave abundantly to their children (as having no care of charity or mercy to others, on which to exhaust any thing.)
c. To account for or utilize the whole number or quantity of (anything).
1748. Hartley, Observ. Man, II. i. 23. In the same manner as mathematical Quantities are exhausted by the Terms of an infinite Series.
1816. Bentham, Chrestom., 241. The parts … exhaust the contents of the whole.
1846. Mill, Logic, III. xxv. § 6. There have taken place a sufficient number of drawings to exhaust all the possible combinations.
1874. Morley, Compromise (1886), 227. Good ideas are not all exhausted by the ancient forms.
3. To empty by drawing the contents off or out; to drain; to empty of (specified contents).
1614. Earl Stirling, Dooms-day 3rd Hour lxxvi. The litle Brookes exhausted in their Springs.
1660. Boyle, New Exp. Phys.-Mech., Proem 19. We never were able totally to exhaust the Receiver.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 483/110.
| The still distended Udders never fail; | |
| But when they seem exhausted swell the Pail. |
1784. Specif. Watt’s Patent No. 1432. Which vessel [a condenser] by cooling and condensing part of the steam does partly exhaust the steam vessel [i.e., the cylinder].
1807. T. Thomson, Chem. (ed. 3), II. 138. Having … closed my nostrils and exhausted my lungs.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., II. iii. 245. A tube which could be exhausted of air. Ibid. (1871), Fragm. Sc. (ed. 6), I. ii. 38. Let us suppose the glass tube … to be exhausted by an air-pump.
b. refl. Of a river: To empty itself. rare.
1833. Lytton, Eng. & English, III. i. The waters of Terek exhaust themselves in the Caspian Sea.
c. intr. Of steam: To escape from the cylinder after doing its work; cf. EXHAUST sb. 1 a.
1851. Pract. Mech. Jrnl., IV. 146. The steam exhausts through the centre opening.
1865. Burgh, Slide Valve, 52. Before the steam can exhaust, the valve must open the same port.
4. To draw out all that is essential or interesting in (an object of investigation or exposition); to treat or study (a subject) so as to leave nothing further to be explained or discovered.
1705. Addison, Italy, Pref. There are still several of these Topicks that are far from being exhausted.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 150, ¶ 6. He who … soon exhausts any single subject, is always eager for new enquiries.
1845. M. Pattison, Ess. (1889), I. 2. Hooke was considered to have exhausted the history of the Roman Republic.
1860. Trench, Serm. Westm. Abbey, ix. 92. It is not easy to exhaust them [words of Scripture] so to draw out all their meaning.
1875. Hamerton, Intell. Life, IX. i. 301. We do not easily exhaust the mind of another.
5. To drain (a person, kingdom, etc.) of strength or resources, or (a soil) of nutritive ingredients; hence, to weary out, enfeeble extremely.
1631. Gouge, God’s Arrows, III. xcv. 364. The Kingdome was much exhausted of men and mony.
1676. Wiseman, Chirurg. Treat., VII. v. 58 (J.). Spermatick matter of a vitious sort … exhausts it [the blood] of its best spirits.
1707. Addison, Pres. St. War, Wks. 1746, III. 253. The French monarchy is already exhausted of its best and bravest subjects.
1711. Earl Oxford, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 409, IV. 266. This the Queen has done … notwithstanding the great need we have of peace, and that the nation is exhausted.
a. 1714. J. Sharp, Serm. (1754), III. iii. 44. There is no man that thinks warmly … upon a thing, but mightily exhausts his spirits.
1787. Winter, Syst. Husb., 31. Lime … exhausts the earth by absorbing its oily particles.
1798. Ferriar, Eng. Histor., in Illustr. Sterne, 233. Great exertions seem to exhaust the moral, as well as the physical world.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xi. 78–9. The thought of being absolutely exhausted had never occurred to me.
1862. Merivale, Rom. Emp., V. xlii. 163. The inhospitable wilderness was exhausted of its scanty resources.
1887. Stubbs, Med. & Mod. Hist., 230. The Thirty Years’ War exhausted Germany.
¶ Incorrectly used for EXHANCE.
1622. F. Markham, Bk. War, II. iii. 49–50. The priuiledge whereof doth … exhaust and raise vp his entertainement.
