Forms: 3–6 statur, 5 statour(e, 6 statyre, 4– stature. [a. OF. stature, estature (mod.F. stature) ad. L. statūra f. sta-, stāre to stand. Cf. It. statura, Sp., Pg. estatura.]
1. The height of an animal body in its normal standing position. a. esp. of a human body.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 22321. [Þis king Constans was] a mikel man, o statur hei.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 73. God … man last made Til hys lyknes and semely stature.
1382. Wyclif, Matt. vi. 27. Sothely who of ȝou thenkinge may putte to to his stature oo cubite?
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 1702. Darius … Askis þam of sir Alexander all at he cuthe, Bathe of his statoure & his strenth.
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales, ccclxxii. 256. He was so febull & of so little a statur.
1551. T. Wilson, Logic, C j b. Stature or brodenes cannot be taken from man.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., IV. iv. 163. Sil. How tall was she? Jul. About my stature. Ibid. (1597), 2 Hen. IV., III. ii. 277. Care for the Limbe, the Thewes, the stature, bulke, and bigge assemblance of a man? giue me the spirit.
1625. N. Carpenter, Geog. Del., II. xiv. (1635), 224. Hippocrates pronounced the people of the North to be … of a small and dwarfish stature.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 75, ¶ 5. He was low of Stature…. But he was more prudent than Men of that Height usually are.
1726. Pope, Odyss., XVIII. 258. Thy riper days no growing worth impart, A man in stature, still a boy in heart!
1839. Fr. A. Kemble, Resid. in Georgia (1863), 38. Her stature … must have been … five feet seven or eight.
1847. Tennyson, Princess, Prol. 40. Her stature more than mortal in the burst Of sunrise.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xvi. 104. A remarkable-looking man,… of middle stature.
† b. of a beast or a fish. Obs.
1390. Gower, Conf., A. III. 117. The ferste … is cleped Aries, which lich a wether of stature Resembled is in his figure.
a. 1505. in Kingsford, Chron. Lond. (1905), 255. The later ende of ffebruary was taken … a ffishe of greate statur.
1600. J. Pory, trans. Leo’s Africa, IX. 341. It is … shaped like a ramme, and of the stature of an asse.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), IV. 216. These [monkeys] … are all small in stature.
c. transf. esp. of a tree.
1633. T. Johnson, Gerarde’s Herbal, II. clxxxiii. § 8. 593. This [Dwarfe Mountaine Pinke] for his stature may iustly take the next place.
1707. Mortimer, Husb. (1721), II. 26. In transplanting … be very sparing of the Roots, that is, for such Trees as are of Stature.
1742. Shenstone, Schoolmistress, xviii. Their books, of stature small, they take in hand.
a. 1767. M. Bruce, Lochleven, 79 Poems (1796), 73. The stately ash Rear’d high his nervous stature.
1796. C. Marshall, Gardening, Contents, note. Those trees, shrubs, and flowers … must be looked for in this Section; where is mentioned their stature,… nature, and propagation.
1830. J. G. Strutt, Sylva Brit., 89. The lives and stature of trees, like those of animals, must vary with the situations in which they are placed.
1898. ‘H. S. Merriman,’ Roden’s Corner, vi. 61. There are quiet nooks … where the trees have grown to a quite respectable stature.
d. put for: Standard of height.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., xvii. (1787), II. 48. Yet, although the stature was lowered,… the insurmountable difficulty of procuring a regular … supply of volunteers, obliged the emperors to adopt … more effectual and coercive methods.
e. fig.
1834. Newman, Par. Serm., I. xii. 186. Not making matters worse than they are, or showing our whole Christian stature … when we need but put out a hand … or give a glance.
1850. S. Dobell, Roman, vii. Poet. Wks. 1875, I. 117. You do mistake The stature of your courtesy for that Of my desert.
1857. H. Reed, Lect. Brit. Poets, iv. 125. The language had gradually reached its full stature.
1868. E. Edwards, Ralegh, I. xxiii. 530. A leading mark of Ralegh’s mental stature.
1875. Stubbs, Const. Hist. (1896), II. xvi. 323. The men are of meaner moral stature.
† 2. Bodily form, build. Obs.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 2446. And lyk his fadyr of face & of stature And fals of loue.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), III. 469. Þe stature of þe body of mankynde is made of þe elementes i-medled to-gidres.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 3. And aboue ye myddle he was the moost amiable stature of a man.
1626. T. H., trans. Caussin’s Holy Court, 45. Nicephorus relateth certaine lineaments of his [the Saviour’s] stature, colour and proportion of his members, which he drew out of antiquity.
† 3. An effigy, statue. Obs. [So F. stature in 15th c.]
1390. Gower, Conf., III. 52. And while he slepte … Him thoghte he syh a stature evene.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 11654. Lelly, the lett, þat vs long taries, Is a statur full strong of a stith god [sc. the Palladium]. Ibid., 11698.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VI. xv. 3. The peple of vdyr realmis … Bene moyr expert … To forge and carve lyflyk staturis of bras. Ibid., VII. iv. 31. And Janus statur eik with double face.
1583. Melbancke, Philotimus, K iij. Parrhasius painted an erected statyre, and on the top thereof a Partridge, so liuely, that [etc.].
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., II. iii. 33. The stature of a woman cloathed after the Grecian fashion. Ibid., II. xiv. 49 b. The stature of a dragon of the length of 120. foote.
1592. R. Johnson, Nine Worthies, C 2. [Fame] vowed to erect his stature where … it should stande immoveable.
1596. Warner, Alb. Eng., XII. lxxiii. (1612), 301. The statures huge, of Porphyrie and costlier matters made.
1653. trans. Carmeni’s Nissena, 142. An alter was raised trampled on by a stature of Pallace.
† 4. State, condition. Obs.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Plays, i. 86. I haue forbyd that yow ne sholde, but kepe yow well in this stature, the same Covenant, I charge yow, hold.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xiv. 41. Sic vant of wostouris with hairtis in sinfull staturis … Within this land was nevir hard nor sene.
5. The posture of standing. In quot. fig. rare.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., VII. 1441. And what is reason?… Reason is upright stature in the soul.
