Also 7–8 exspect. [ad. L. ex(s)pect-āre to look out for, await, f. ex- (see EX- pref.1) + spect-āre to look, freq. of spec-ĕre to see. Cf. OF. especter (14th c.) to await.]
I. To wait.
† 1. intr. To wait; to defer action until some contingency arises. To expect of: = sense 2. Obs.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 407 b. He desireth ernestly, that Duke Maurice woulde be content to expect so long as he may goe and come.
1600. Holland, Livy, XXI. xlviii. 420. Scipio … thinking it good to expect the comming of the other Consull his Colleague.
1611. Bible, Heb. x. 13. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstoole.
1653. H. More, Antid. Ath., II. xii. (1712), 82. A Dog expects till his Master has done picking of the bone.
1703. Rules of Civility, 15. We must not knock, but expect patiently.
1765. G. Colman, Terence, Brother, IV. vi. 388.
| Æsch. Was it for Her, a girl of such an age, | |
| To sit at home, expecting till a kinsman | |
| Came, nobody knows whence, to marry her? |
† b. quasi-trans. with out. Obs. rare.
a. 1664. M. Frank, Serm. (1672), 497. Men having … diligently made use of the opportunity, and expected it out.
† 2. trans. To wait for, await. Obs.
1585. Abp. Sandys, Serm., xiv. § 19. 239. Note in Cornelius with what humanitie … he receiued Peter … he called to him his kinsemen and friends, and expected him.
1609. Bible (Douay), Ecclus. xi. Comm., Expect the end of an other mans speach, before you beginne to answer.
1633. Bp. Hall, Hard Texts N. T., 223. Yee … eate your owne good cheere not expecting your poorer brethren.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 202, ¶ 5. There was a great crowd in my Antichamber, who expected Audience.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., II. 92. The … king of the Goths, instead of expecting the attack of the Legions, boldly passed the Danube.
1801. Southey, Thalaba, IX. xviii. With … talons sheathed The ounce expects his liberty.
1822. Shelley, in R. Garnett, Relics (1862), 189. With what anxiety I expect your news of her health!
b. With indirect question as obj.: To wait to see or know. ? Obs. or arch.
1572. G. Buchanan, Detect. Q. Mary, N j. Do you now expect quhat sentence men chosen agaynst law … haue pronounced?
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turkes (1610), 79. All this great fight the Constantinopolitanes beheld, with doubtfull harts expecting what should bee the euent thereof.
1687. T. Brown, Saints in Uproar, Wks. 1730, I. 72. I expected every minute when it would come to downright kick and cuff between ’em.
1741. Middleton, Cicero (ed. 3), II. VII. 191. While he [Cicero] lay encamped in Cappadocia, expecting what way the Parthians would move.
1794. Godwin, Cal. Williams, 20. Mr. Tyrrel … expected every moment when he would withdraw to another part of the room.
† c. Of a destiny, etc.: To be in reserve for, be in store for. Cf. AWAIT 8. Obs.
1611. Chapman, Iliad, XVIII. 113/256. If such Fate expect my life; where death strikes, I will lie.
1659. Hammond, On Ps. lxxxii. 7 Paraphr. 409. That severe account and reward of their actions, which after death expects all such.
1741. Middleton, Cicero (ed. 3), III. X. 166. If any other fate expects me, I tast a joy however before-hand, in the sure foresight of your punishment.
1781. Cowper, Charity, 280. Prisons expect the wicked.
II. To look for mentally.
† 3. To look forward to as one’s goal or motive.
1578. T. N., trans. Conq. W. India, 24. Good men doe rather expect renowne, then treasure.
4. To look forward to (an event), regard (it) as about to happen; to anticipate the occurrence of (something whether good or evil). Also, to ‘look for,’ anticipate the coming of (a person or thing), the receipt of (anything).
Often with advbs. or phrases indicating time, which by a sort of ellipsis relate to the event ‘expected’; e.g., ‘I expect him next week’; ‘When do you expect payment?’
a. with simple obj. When the obj. denotes an action, manifestation, etc., often const. of, from.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., I. ii. 297. Cassi. Will you Dine with me to morrow? Cask. I. Cassi. Good, I will expect you.
1605. Bp. Hall, Medit. & Vowes, I. § 9. 14–5. I will expect the woorst, because it may come the best, because I know it will come.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., III. xli. 263. They that bare rule amongst them, and they that were governed, did all expect the Messiah.
1701. De Foe, True-born Eng., Pref. I expect a Storm of Ill Language.
1724. R. Falconer, Adv. & Esc. (1769), 83. Finding we could not expect his Life, we prayed for a speedy and painless Release from it.
1802. Mar. Edgeworth, Moral T. (1816), I. xiii. 104. They expected a visit in a few hours.
1866. Geo. Eliot, F. Holt (1868), 24. I am afraid of ever expecting anything good again.
1882. J. H. Blunt. Ref. Ch. Eng., II. 18. If he did similar things, he should expect similar punishment.
1891. Speaker, 2 May, 533/1. The book is very much what might have been expected from the author.
Mod. I expect my mother to dinner.
b. with obj. and inf.; when the action or condition anticipated is that of the subject, with inf. alone.
1656. B. Harris, Parival’s Iron Age, 148. The Imperial Garrisons, who were not expected to be ever seen again in those parts.
1660. Willsford, Scales Comm., 182. A Captain of a Castle expecting to be beleagured, makes good his outworks.
1710. Hearne, Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.), III. 6. I expect to receive them this week.
1724. De Foe, Mem. Cavalier (1840), 172. They expected us, and we expected to come.
1818. Jas. Mill, Brit. India, I. II. vi. 226. He expected to perform to him one of the most agreeable of all possible services.
1876. Jevons, Logic Primer, 9. Seeing a bright flash of lightning, I expect thunder to follow.
1891. Law Times, XC. 473/2. We are now daily expecting the question to come again before the Divisional Court.
c. with clause as obj.; also with ellipsis of subordinate clause.
1603. Sir D. Carleton, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 245, III. 82. It is exspected the two courts being joyned will produce somewhat extraordinary.
1726. Chetwood, Adv. Capt. Boyle, 74. They did not expect she could ever recover.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, II. ix. This lady was … as well as could be expected for one in her condition.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. I. xi. 79. The Mur … was by no means so bad as we had expected.
d. absol.
1779. Johnson, L. P., Wks. 1816, IX. 170. We love to expect; and when expectation is disappointed or gratified we want to be again expecting.
1847. Tennyson, Princess, III. 191. Our King expects—was there no precontract?
¶ e. ellipt. (a) Anglo-Irish (see quot. 1813); (b) colloq. (see quot. 1890).
1813. Mar. Edgeworth, Patron. (1815), II. 22. ‘Sure I tould you he was not expicted, that is if you don’t know in England, not expicted to live.’
1845. Mrs. S. C. Hall, Whiteboy, I. v. 95. Poor Mrs. Macarthy, of the Inch, isn’t expected—indeed I must ride hard to overtake her.
1890. Farmer, Slang Dict., Expecting, with child.
† f. intr. To expect for = to look for. Obs.
1591. Harington, Orl. Fur., Pref. A Sophister … made a long … Oration … expecting at the end thereof for some great thankes.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., 98–9. Travellers … expecting in an Almanacke for a year of Iubile, flie over Sea by flocks towards Rome.
1656. B. Harris, Parival’s Iron Age, 270. A peace, for which so many people long, and earnestly expect.
5. In sense 4 with various additional notions.
a. In combination with can, with expressed or implied negation, this vb. often = ‘to look for with reason or likelihood, or without great risk of disappointment.’ Cf. count on, rely on, in similar connection.
1650. R. Stapylton, Strada’s Low-C. Warres, Strada to Rdr. A 3. A History … which I cannot expect should be either praised or pardoned.
1759. [see ERRONEOUS 3].
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 538. The despotic viceroy soon found that he could not expect entire support from Argyle.
1872. Morley, Voltaire (1886), 135. Nor can we be expected to be deeply moved by a form of art that is so unfamiliar to us.
b. To look for as due from another. In stronger sense: To look for (something) with an implied injunction or requisition.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 184. These Negroes … impart freely of what they haue to any ciuill Traueller, expecting some small retribution for their curtesie.
1650. Cromwell, Lett. & Sp. (1871), III. 104. I expect it be encouraged.
1690. Dryden, Amphitryon, Pref. There is a Pride of doing more than is expected from us.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 115, ¶ 5. Providence furnishes Materials, but expects that we should work them up ourselves.
1729. Butler, Serm., Wks. 1874, II. 72. The unhappy, from whom can be expected no returns either of present entertainment or future service.
1805. Nelson, in Southey, Life, ix. [Nelson’s last signal] England expects every man to do his duty!
1818. Whately, Commpl. Bk. (1864), 97. Thus I may fairly expect that one who has received great kindness from me should protect me in distress.
1884. Punch, 6 Dec., 276/1. What do you expect me to do?
1890. Besant, Demoniac, v. 55. The crew won’t expect any drink.
† c. Hence of things, conditions, etc.: To call for, need, require. Obs.
1664. J. Strype, in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden), 181. I am sensible of the charges that a College life doth expect.
1687. J. Boyse, in Thoresby’s Corr. (ed. Hunter), I. 93. One assertion in it I could not but think expected greater evidence.
1691. T. H[ale], Acc. New Invent., 29. To order the doing of that now, which the Practice of the Navy … would have expected their having done long since.
6. To anticipate that it will turn out to be the case that; hence, to suspect, suppose, surmise.
Now rare in literary use. The misuse of the word as a synonym of suppose, without any notion of ‘anticipating’ or ‘looking for,’ is often cited as an Americanism, but is very common in dialectal, vulgar or carelessly colloquial speech in England.
1592. Unton, Corr. (Roxb.), 382. It is expected that the Duke of Guiese’s horse was shott under him.
1607. Tourneur, Rev. Trag., V. i. The Duchesse is expected fowly bent.
1645. in Select. fr. Harl. Misc. (1793), 346/1. I … expect they [the forces] are much stronger than I am made believe.
1763. T. Jefferson, Corr., Wks. 1858, I. 186. I say has been, because I expect there is one [an opening] no longer. Ibid. (1785), I. 384. I expect he left London for the Hague. Ibid. (1812), Writ. (1830), IV. 177. How many children have you? You beat me, I expect, in that count; but I you in that of our grand-children.
1821. Whewell, in Todhunter, Acc. W.’s Wks. (1876), II. 43. I expect they are of a character which will not set you upon making comparisons.
1856. Sebastopol, II. xiv. 385. I expect my friend was a paragon of sanctity.
1861. Sir G. W. Dasent, Burnt Njal, I. Pref. viii. It is an old saying, that a story never loses in telling, and so we may expect it must have been with this story.
1877. W. H. Mallock, New Republic (1878), 184. Now, I expect, Lady Ambrose, that, in its true sense, you know a good deal more history than you are aware of.
