[ad. L. expans-um, neut. sb. f. expansus: see EXPANSE a.]
1. That which is expanded or spread out; a widely extended space or area; a wide extent of anything; ‘the length and breadth.’
1667. Milton, P. L., VII. 340. Th’ Almightie spake: Let there be Lights High in th’ expanse of Heaven.
1711. Pope, Temp. Fame, 436. The smooth expanse of crystal lakes.
1742. Gray, Ode on Eton, 6. Th’ expanse … Of grove, of lawn, of mead survey.
1781. Cowper, Expost., 9. Her fields a rich expanse of wavy corn.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, ix. The … blue eyes, with the broad expanse of brow.
1858. Hawthorne, Fr. & It. Jrnls. (1872), I. 18. Hung with broad expanses of black cloth.
1869. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), III. xii. 235. The army crossed over that vast expanse of sand.
fig. 1758. Johnson, Idler, No. 2, ¶ 7. Those who wander at large through the expanse of life.
b. esp. in The expanse: the ‘firmament.’ Cf. EXPANSUM.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 1014. Satan … Springs upward … Into the wild expanse.
a. 1711. Ken, Hymnotheo, Poet. Wks. 1721, III. 304.
| All the Expanse, as he pursu’d his Flight, | |
| Was straw’d with Rays of ante-solar Light. |
1765. Smart, Ps. cxlviii. (1791), 219. Moon and Stars … Silv’ring in the blue expanse.
1863. R. Young, Lit. Tr. Bible, Gen. i. 8. And God calleth the expanse Heaven.
2. The action of expanding; the state of being expanded; enlargement, expansion. Also, the amount or distance of expansion; = EXPANSION 3.
1860. Motley, Netherl. (1867), IV. lii. 532. To shut off the mighty movement of the great revolt from its destined expanse.
1874. Coues, Birds N. W., 544. Audubon mentions one nearly ten feet in alar expanse.
