Expend

v. Forms: 5–6 expende, exspende, 6– expend. Pa. pple. 5 expent, 6 expend. [ad. L. expend-ĕre, f. ex- out + pend-ĕre to weigh, pay. Cf. also DISPEND, SPEND.]

  I.  To pay out, spend. It differs from spend in being less colloquial, and (in mod. use) in implying some determinate direction or object of outlay.

  1.  trans. To pay away, lay out, spend (money).

  † a.  To spend, make away with, consume in outlay. Obs.

1477.  Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 106. By expending more than his lyuelode cometh to.

1483.  Caxton, Cato, A vij. Zeno expended bothe hys goodes and the goodes of his fader and played hit at the dyse.

1608.  Shaks., Per., III. ii. 29, E iij. Noblenesse & Riches; Carelesse Heyres, may … darken and expend.

a. 1627.  Hayward, Edw. VI. (1630), 111. The K. of England … wasted the French Kings countrey, & thereby caused him to expend such summes of mony as exceeded the debt.

  b.  To lay out (money) for determinate objects. Const. in, upon.

1484.  Churchw. Acc. Wigtoft Lincolnsh. (Nichols, 1797), 79. For hiryng of 2 wrightes to mend y^e belles … expent 4d.

1552.  Huloet, Expend or laye out money.

1698–9.  Ludlow, Mem., I. 71. Part of this sum I expended upon the garison.

1763.  Ld. Barrington, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 505, IV. 474. If £50,000 had been given for that Speech, it would have been well expended.

1839.  Thirlwall, Greece, VII. 323. They began to doubt whether they were not about to expend their resources less for their own defence, than [etc.].

1867.  Mrs. H. Wood, Life’s Secret, II. 152. Very little indeed, even of bread, got those children; for James Dunn and his wife were too fond of beer, to expend in much else the trifle allowed them by the Trades’ Union.

  absol.  1605.  Bp. Hall, Medit. & Vowes, II. § 54. 177. The eare and the eye are the minds receiuers; but the tongue is onely busied in expending the treasure receiued.

1720.  in Picton, L’pool Munic. Rec. (1886), II. 64. To expend and lay out very extravagantly in repairing the highways &c.

1848.  Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 352. They go elsewhere to enjoy and to expend.

  2.  transf. and fig. To lay out, spend (blood, care, labor, time, etc.); to employ for a given purpose.

c. 1440.  Gesta Rom., xv. 53 (Harl. MS.). The first doughter … is þe worlde, whom a man loveth so well, that he expendith alle his lif aboute hit.

1550.  Bale, Image Both Ch., I. x. § 5. More God desireth not of the christian minister, than to expend his whole study, labour, and time for the lightening of others.

1602.  Shaks., Ham., II. ii. 23. To expend your time with vs a-while.

1728.  Young, Love Fame, II. (1757), 97. These all their care expend on outward show For wealth and fame.

1841–4.  Emerson, Ess. Prudence, Wks. (Bohn), I. 98. As much wisdom may be expended on a private economy as on an empire.

1854.  J. S. C. Abbott, Napoleon (1855), I. vii. 142. He … spoke … of the blood that must be expended in the attempt to resist such a victorious and well-disciplined army as he had at his disposal.

1864.  Skeat, trans. Uhland’s Poems, 42. Thyself hast thou expended As every poet should.

1874.  L. Morris, Songs of Two Worlds, To Unknown Poet, ix. Ser. II. 3. A humble healer thro’ a life obscure, Thou didst expend thy homely days.

  3.  To use up (material or force) in any operation; also refl. Formerly, † to consume (provisions); cf. EXPENSE 1 c.

1745.  P. Thomas, Jrnl. Anson’s Voy., 9. To procure what fresh Provisions we could expend during our Stay.

1825.  J. Nicholson, Operat. Mechanic, 80. The quantity of water expended in a minute was 96²/₃ pounds.

1859.  Jephson, Brittany, xii. 193. The English archers … having expended their arrows, drew their swords.

1860.  Tyndall, Glac., II. xix. 329. Gravity in this case has expended a certain amount of force in pulling the iron to the earth.

1869.  Phillips, Vesuv., iii. 51. After the currents had expended themselves, great explosions of ashes occurred.

1872.  Morley, Voltaire (1886), 14–5. All the social feeling and intellectual effort … seemed to have expended themselves.

  b.  Naut. To lose (spars, masts, etc.) either in action or by storms, etc. Also, to use up (a quantity of rope, etc.) in winding it round a spar or a rope.

1801.  Nelson, 23 May, in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), IV. 384. An account … of the spars expended in consequence of the Action of April 2nd.

1830.  Marryat, King’s Own, III. i. 12. Have you expended any boat’s masts?

c. 1860.  H. Stuart, Seaman’s Catech., 34. Expend the spunyarn round both parts of the lanyard.

1882.  Nares, Seamanship (ed. 6), 137. The heel rope is … expended round the jackstay and boom.

  † II.  4. To weigh mentally; to consider, determine accurately. Often, to expend with oneself [after L. expendere secum.] Obs.

1531.  Elyot, Gov., III. ix. Where fortitude expendeth euery thinge and acte diligently.

1533.  Tindale, Souper of Lorde, 32. Exhorte euery man depely to consyder and expende wyth hym selfe the sygnificacyon and substance of thys sacrament.

1563.  Homilies, II. Rogat. Week, III. (1859), 491. To expend the gracious good will of God to usward.

1625.  Hart, Anat. Ur., I. ii. 21. Now it behooueth the Physitian to ponder and expend with himselfe … the strength of euery accident apart.

1677.  Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., To Rdr. Moral Evidences … are herein particularly expended and examined.

  Hence Expended ppl. a.

1743.  Young, Nt. Th., IV. 9/196.