Also 7 Sc. steat. [f. STATE sb.]
1. trans. To place, station. rare.
c. 1590. Marlowe, Jew of Malta, II. The Christian Ile of Rhodes, from whence you came, Was lately lost, and you were stated here To be at deadly enmity with Turkes.
a. 1734. North, Exam., III. vii. § 8 (1740), 510. The capital Practice in the Court of King’s Bench, wherein he was stated before he had any Preferment.
1742. De Foe’s Tour Gt. Brit. (ed. 3), II. 129. As the Court is now stated, all the Offices and Places for Business are scatter’d about, here and there.
1845. Bailey, Festus, i. (ed. 2), 5. Some vast temptation calmly comes And states itself before it, like the sun Low looming in the west.
† b. In passive, of a quality: To reside, inhere in a subject. Obs.
1678. Barclay, Apol., VII. vii. 216. The Adjective [Just] … signifies a Man … in whom this Quality of Justice is stated.
† 2. To give a certain rank or position to, to rank; also in pass., to have a position, to be ranked. Obs.
1592. Arden of Feversham, III. v. 84. I haue neglected matters of import That would have stated me aboue thy state.
1631. R. H., Arraignm. Whole Creature, Ep. Ded. Some of you are in a high manner, and all of You in some sort seated and stated.
1632. Heywood, 2nd Pt. Iron Age, IV. i. Shall hee inioy my birth-right, or inherite Where I am heire apparant?… where I am stated, sit?
1669. Penn, No Cross no Crown, I. ix. § 31 (1857), 122. The aspiring fallen angels, that affected to be greater and better than they were made and stated by the great Lord of all.
a. 1715. Burnet, Own Time, III. xiii. (1900), II. 314. The two religions, popish and protestant, were so equally stated in his mind, that a few grains of loyalty … turned the balance with him.
† b. ? To assign a value to, have an opinion upon. Obs.
1671. Milton, Samson, 424. Thou didst plead Divine impulsion prompting how thou might’st Find some occasion to infest our Foes. I state not that; this I am sure, our Foes Found soon occasion [etc.].
† c. With complement: To constitute, to give (a person) the status of. Sc. Obs.
1689. in Sc. Acts (1875), XII. 58/2. That … The clerks should not be allowed to call the Earle of Selkirk before him least þat myght steat him ane petitorie.
† 3. To place in a specified condition; in early use chiefly to settle, place in safety or quiet. Obs.
1605. B. Jonson, Volpone, III. ix. On which [violence done to his parent] the Law should take sufficient hold, And you be stated in a double hope.
1628. Feltham, Resolves, II. lii. 152. Then, the soule stated in a deepe repose, bewrayed her true affections.
1640. Shirley, Constant Maid, II. ii. My next work Shall be … To state her body in that modest temper She was possessed of.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., II. x. 90. An excellent Chirurgeon he was at joynting of a broken soul, and at stating of a doubtfull conscience.
1654. H. L’Estrange, Chas. I. (1655), 53. This answer of the Duke to his impeachment … seemed to state him in impunity.
c. 1681. T. Hunt, Def. Charter Lond., 37. Which put many thousand Persons well stated to starving.
1685. Cotton, trans. Montaigne, I. 495. I see nowhere … a house more nobly and constantly maintain’d than his, happy in this to have stated his affairs to so just a proportion, that his estate is sufficient to do it without his care or trouble.
1722. De Foe, Plague (1756), 142. I mean especially, as you and I are stated, without a Dwelling-House of our own.
1786. A. Gib, Sacr. Contempl., I. iv. 147. His will was stated in a wicked contradiction to the authority and will of God.
† b. To bring about (a state of things). Obs.
1654. J. Owen, Saints Persev., viii. § 16. 197. Take a Cyon … bind it on as close as possible, yet ’tis not united to the Tree, untill the Sappe … be communicated to it, which communication states the union.
4. To place, install in a dignity, office, right, etc.
1617. Middleton & Rowley, Fair Quarrel, I. i. Heere you boaste to mee Of a great reuenew, a large substance Wherein you would endow & state my daughter.
1625. Gill, Sacred Philos., iv. 35. In which right, If He had not fully stated man-kind, then had the benefit of His purchase beene utterly lost.
1648. J. Beaumont, Psyche, IX. xcix. No Proxy He, nor stated in his Might Barely by Patent, but by Native Right.
1651. Baxter, Inf. Bapt., 24. Either members must be baptized at their admission, or else after they are stated in the Church.
1654. in Burton’s Diary (1828), 1. 81. To state him in the right of disposing of the forces.
† b. To confer or settle (a possession, right, etc.) upon, vest in a person, etc. Obs.
1633. Bp. Hall, Hard Texts, Eph. i. 14. Untill that purchased possession of eternall life may be fully accomplished and stated upon us.
1638. Brathwait, Barnabees Jrnl., III. (1818), 101. These [i.e., the Little Gidding community] hold and walke together wholly, And state their lands on uses holy.
a. 1641. Bp. Mountagu, Acts & Mon. (1642), 107. The Scepter … was not stated upon them of the Tribe of Iudah.
1678. Sanderson, 9 Cases, 104. I acknowledge the Soveraign Power of this Nation … to be rightly stated in the House of Commons.
† 5. To set in state, to treat with ceremony of state. Obs.
1613. Heywood, Braz. Age, II. ii. Oh you Gods! or make her mine, Stated with vs the Calidonian Queene.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 80. For shee was not onely publikely contracted, but stated as a Bride, and solemnly Bedded.
a. 1625. Fletcher, Noble Gent., III. i. ’Twill be rarely strange To see him stated thus, as though he went A shroving through the City.
† b. To state it: to affect the attributes of rank; to go or live in state. Obs.
1631. J. Taylor (Water P.), Sudden Turn Fortunes Wheel (1848), 23. Nassau,… you did gather The fearfull rebells into warlike bands, Who now do state it in the Netherlands.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., V. xvi. 178. Wolsey began to state it at York as high as ever before.
1663. Killigrew, Parson’s Wed., III. v. These Gentlemen are quickly satisfi’d; what an ugly Whore they have got! how she states it!
† 6. To settle, or regulate, by authority. Obs.
1647. Ward, Simp. Cobler, 28. I seriously feare, if the pious Parliament doe not finde a time to state fashions,… God will hardly finde a time to state Religion or Peace.
1699. Plea agst. Price of Corn, 16. Suppose, for instance in the Southern parts of England,… Corn were stated at 5s. per Bushel for Wheat.
1714. in Hist. Northfield (Mass.) (1875), 133. The said Committee are further impowered to state the place of the town upon small lots so as it may be made defensible.
† b. ? To fix, make dependent upon. Obs.
1671. J. Livingstone, Lett., 7 Oct., in Sel. Biogr. (Wodrow Soc., 1845), I. 242. Persecution [is] bended against all who go not alongs in that apostacie and perjury; and is not, then, suffering stated on as important a quarrel as ever was since the foundation of the world?
1692. South, Serm. (1697), I. 14. One of the grand duties of which [sc. Religion] is stated upon Repentance.
7. To set out (a question, problem, etc.) in proper form; spec. in Logic.
a. 1641. Bp. Mountagu, Acts & Mon. (1642), 110. First the question is not rightly stated in the Conclusion.
1662. Jer. Taylor, Via Intell., 8. We find by a sad experience, that few Questions are well stated.
1680. Dryden, Ovid’s Ep., Pref. To state it fairly; imitation of an author is the most advantageous way for a translator to show himself, [etc.].
1795. Gentl. Mag., LXV. II. 543/2. Permit me to state a few queries to your Correspondents in general.
1826. Whately, Logic, I. i. § 2 (1827), 24. An argument thus stated regularly and at full length, is called a Syllogism.
1869. J. Martineau, Ess., II. 6. A problem must be stated in order to be solved.
1883. Manch. Guard., 22 Oct., 5/3. The question is surely one which, stated in this way, needs no answer.
b. Arithmetic. (See quot. 1740.)
1740. Dyche & Pardon, Dict. (ed. 3), State v. … in Arithmetick, it is the arranging numbers in such order, that the question may be truly answered.
1797. Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3), II. 302. (Compound Proportion), The above question may therefore be stated and wrought as follows: Men 18 : 24 :: 6 bolls [etc.]…. In general, state the several particulars on which the question depends, as so many simple proportions, [etc.].
c. To state a case: to set out the facts of a matter or pleading for consideration by a court. Said of a pleader or advocate; also of a court when allowing an appeal from its own judgment; also gen.
1692. Cal. Treas. Papers, 265. Mr. Lowndes to state his case to be laid before the King.
1710. Addison, Whig-Exam., No. 5, ¶ 3. I must observe, that the Advocates for this doctrine have stated the case in the softest and most palatable terms that it will bear.
1857. Act 20 & 21 Vict., c. 43 § 4. If the … justices be of opinion that the application is merely frivolous … they may refuse to state a case.
1879. Act 42 & 43 Vict., c. 49 § 33. Any person aggrieved who desires to question a conviction … of a court of summary jurisdiction … may apply to such court to state a special case.
d. To state an account or accounts: to set down formally the debits and credits arising in a course of business transactions. Also fig.
1648. Heylin, Relat. & Observ., I. 83. About the beginning of March, was given to Col. Sydenham and Col. Bingham 1000l. apiece, as part of their Arrears; their Accounts not yet stated.
c. 1685. Cal. Treas. Papers, 16. To be referred to Mr. Surveyor to state ye accompt and examine ye bills and report it to ye Lords Commissioners.
1690. Jrnls. Ho. Lords, XIV. 606/1. An Act for appointing and enabling Commissioners to examine, take, and state, the Public Accompts of the Kingdom.
1712. Arbuthnot, John Bull, I. xi. John spent several Weeks in looking over his Bills, and by comparing and stating his Accompts he discovered, that … he had been egregiously Cheated.
1718. Freethinker, No. 33, ¶ 9. After this, when he finds himself most in Temper, let him coolly state the Accompts of his Love, by computing … the Profits and the Losses, arising from it.
† e. To state a vote, a question: to frame a question in the form in which it is intended to vote upon it. Sc.
1700. Sir D. Hume, Diary Parl. Scot. (Bannatyne Club), 9. And then the vote came to be stated, Whether the Parliament should proceed to the Sheriff’s procedure, or the Lords’ their coming in, under these words Lords or Sheriff, Carried by one vote Sheriffs. Ibid., 33. Then the question was offered to be stated To allow the exportation … or Not.
a. 1712. Fountainhall, Decis. (1759), II. 420. Then the vote was stated, If Sir Andrew Kennedy’s taking Conservator dues … was relevant to infer deprivation.
8. To declare in words; to represent (a matter) in all the circumstances of modification; to set out fully or in a definite form.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., I. § 34. Whereupon it was thought fit that the whole affair … should be stated and enlarged upon in a conference between the two Houses.
1667. Boyle, Orig. Formes & Qual. (ed. 2), 332. Themes, where the names that are of very common and necessary use have (yet) their significations very little stated or agreed upon.
1764. Goldsm., Trav., 361. Yet think not, thus when Freedom’s ills I state, I mean to flatter kings, or court the great.
1781. Cowper, Conversat., 816. It has indeed been told me (with what weight, How credible, ’tis hard for me to state) That [etc.].
1802. Maria Edgeworth, Mor. Tales, Forester, xii. (1848), 57. The facts were so plainly and forcibly stated, that his hopes even from law began to falter.
1810. Scott, Lett., in Lockhart (1837), II. viii. 284. The only purpose which I suppose Lord Lauderdale had in view was to state charges which could neither be understood nor refuted.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., II. i. 224. It will not be a useless labour … to state … our present views of light and heat.
1862. Kalisch, Hebr. Gram., I. 19. Exercise vii. State the reasons why metheg is employed in the following words.
1891. Law Times, XC. 463/1. The contents of the deed were falsely stated.
b. Const. (a) with a clause (introduced by that) as object; (b) with object followed by the inf., chiefly pass.
(a) 1801. Farmer’s Mag., April, 137. It has already been stated, that 3,000,000 of acres are required to be in wheat.
1850. Gladstone, Glean. (1879), II. 123. We may state that his father was known … to be a man of extreme opinions.
1866. Thirlwall, Lett. (1881), II. 77. Diego then stated that he was going to the university of Salamanca.
(b) 1838. Lindley, Flora Med., 57. Conium is stated by Arctæus to be anti-aphrodisiac.
1839. Fr. A. Kemble, Resid. in Georgia (1863), 13. Upon an English lady’s stating it to be her intention to visit these persons.
1846. Penny Cycl., Suppl. II. 502/2. The inhabitants, whose number is stated not to exceed a thousand.
1857. Gladstone, Glean. (1879), VI. 89. It is sometimes stated to have been owing to accident.
c. To specify (a number, price, etc.).
1789. New Lond. Mag., July, 370/2. Fifteen thousand men effective are stated.
1823. Southey, Penins. War, I. 373. The numbers of the Spanish army have been variously stated from 14,000 to 40,000.
1842. Bischoff, Woollen Manuf. (1862), II. 169. To enable the manufacturers to afford the cloths at the prices I have stated.
1854. Poultry Chron., II. 147. State your profession, especially if a clergyman.
1859. Rankine, Steam Engine, etc. 428. The vacuum in the condenser being often measured by a mercurial gauge, is sometimes stated in inches of mercury.
