Strife

Forms: 3–5 strif, stryf, 3–7 strive, 4 strijfe, 4–5 strijf, striif, 4–6 striff(e, stryff(e, stryve, 4–7 stryfe, 5–6 stryif(f, 6 strief, Sc. strywe, 4– strife. Pl. 4–6 stryves (4–5 -is, -ys), 4–7 strives; 4 strifs, 5 stryfs, 4–5 stryfes, -ys, strifis, 6– strifes. [a. OF. estrif, related to estriver: see STRIVE v.]

  1.  The action of striving together or contending in opposition; a condition of antagonism, enmity or discord; contention, dispute.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 200. Þe uormest is Cheaste, oðer Strif.

c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 373. Nið, and strif, and ate, and san, Sal ben bitwen neddre and wimman.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 28196. Wit flitt, wit brixil, striue and strut.

c. 1350.  Leg. Rood, iii. 838. A fell woman and full of strife.

1471.  Caxton, Recuyell (Sommer), 74. They desired nothing but stryf & debate.

1535.  Coverdale, Ps. liv. 9. For I se vnrightuousnes & strife in y^e cite.

1546.  J. Heywood, Prov., II. ii. (1867), 47. The diuell hath cast a bone … to set stryfe Between you.

1601.  Shaks., Jul. C., III. i. 263. Domesticke Fury, and fierce Civill strife.

1692.  Prior, Ode Imit. Hor., viii. When bound in double Chains poor Belgia lay, To foreign Arms, and inward Strife a Prey.

1750.  Gray, Elegy, 73. Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife.

1867.  Smiles, Huguenots Eng., vi. (1880), 90. The unemployed sought to remove to some foreign country less disturbed by party strife.

  b.  An act or instance of contention or antagonism; a contest or conflict, a quarrel or dispute.

a. 1225.  Leg. Kath., 735. Comen alle strikinde … for to heren þis strif.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 18568. Þan bigan a neu strif Son bituix þam and min kynghtes.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Sel. Wks., I. 218. Suche divisioun is cause of bateilis and strives among men.

1474.  Caxton, Chesse, IV. iv. (1883), 173. To appese alle stryues and contencions. Ibid. (1484), Fables of Alfonce, iv. They fylle in a grete dyfferent or stryf.

1568.  Grafton, Chron., II. 111. Strifes increased in the land euery where.

1570.  Levins, Manip., 152/31. A striue, certamen.

1600.  Fairfax, Tasso, I. xxx. These striues … And discords.

1671.  Trenchfield, Cap Gray Hairs (1688), 43. He that blows the Coals in others strifes, shall be sure to have the sparks fly in his mouth.

1844.  H. H. Wilson, Brit. India, I. 217. The counsels of the elders of the tribe … arrested the strife upon the eve of its occurrence.

1846.  Sumner, Scholar, Jurist, etc. 69. Withdrawing from the strifes of the world.

1875.  Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), IV. 259. His simple and noble thoughts … soon degenerated into a mere strife of words.

  c.  transf. and fig. Now rare.

1398.  Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. xxxi. (1495), 142. Also it happeth that … wynde is gadred and closed wythin the smalle skynnes of the rybbes and by the stryf therof is brede sore pryckynge and ache.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 10105. Pollexene the pert with hir pure loue … stoppet the strif of his strong hert.

c. 1491.  Chast. Goddes Chyld., 12. That is somtime for a stryfe betwene the spirite and the flesshe.

1773.  Johnson (ed. 4), Strife … 4. Natural contrariety; as, the strife of acid and alkaly.

1797–1809.  Coleridge, Three Graves, III. 378. He reach’d his home, and by his looks They saw his inward strife.

1822.  Byron, Heaven & Earth, III. While safe amidst the elemental strife, Thou sitt’st within thy guarded ark!

1826.  Hood, Mermaid of Margate, 69. And whilst he stood, the watery strife Encroach’d on every hand.

1901.  Macm. Mag., April, 450/2. The north wind blew up the crests of the waves in the race as when we were in the strife of it.

  d.  A subject of contention. rare.

1535.  Coverdale, Ps. lxxix. [lxxx.] 6. Thou hast made vs a very strife vnto our neghbours.

1662.  H. Newcome, Diary (Chetham Soc.), 118. But I have ever yet beene made the strife of tongues. [Cf. Ps. xxxi. 20 (1535 Coverdale and 1611).]

1738.  Wesley, Psalms, lxxx. vii. A Strife we are to All around.

  † e.  occas. (for rhyme). Trouble, toil, pain, distress. Obs.

c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 268. Fro swinc, and sorwe, and deades strif. Ibid., 778. Ðe king ðholede sorȝes strif.

1390.  Gower, Conf., III. 10. Mi joie is torned into strif.

1567.  Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.), 28. The flesche man die, with paine and striue.

  2.  Phr. † a. In strife: in a state of discord or contention. Obs.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 14544. Þir Iues þat him hild in strijf, Þai hatted na man mare on lijf.

1398.  Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., VI. xviii. (1495), 204. A good lorde … acordyth theym that ben in stryffe.

c. 1470.  Henry, Wallace, I. 194. For he with thaim hapnyt richt offt in stryff.

1544.  Betham, Precepts War, I. cxxxii. G v b. And chefely when thy kingdom is in stryfe.

1590.  Shaks., Mids. N., V. i. 228. If I should as Lion come in strife Into this place.

  b.  At strife: at variance. † Also, at a strife.

c. 1470.  Henry, Wallace, I. 237. The ȝong captane has fallyn with me at stryff.

1508.  Dunbar, Poems, v. 25. Scho … held Sanct Petir at stryfe.

1579–80.  North, Plutarch, Romulus (1595), 25. Romulus and Remus … fell sodainely at a strife together about the place where the citie should be builded.

1593.  Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., I. ii. 4. Why how now Sonnes, and Brother, at a strife?

1670.  Dryden, Tyr. Love, V. i. 52. My lab’ring thoughts are with themselves at strife.

1746.  P. Francis, trans. Horace, Ep., I. i. 141. If my judgment, with itself at strife, Should contradict my general course of life.

1861.  Pattison, Ess. (1889), I. 34. The crown of England, always at strife, and often at open war, with its own barons.

1878.  Browning, La Saisiaz, 35. Why are right and wrong at strife?

  † c.  Without strife: without demur; without doubt, indisputably, unquestionably. Sometimes app. a mere tag, for rhyme. Also, thereof no strife: that is not disputed. Obs.

1297.  R. Glouc. (Rolls), 6417. & wan Edmond made is eir of is lond wiþoute striue.

a. 1300.  K. Horn, 407. ‘Horn,’ heo sede, ‘wiþute strif Þu schalt haue me to þi wif.’

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 4622. ‘Do wai,’ he said, ‘þer-of na strif.’

c. 1380.  Sir Ferumb., 1892. Noþeles woldy of þe fayn wyte wyþ-oute strif, Wat maner man ys Charlemayn.

1375.  in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1878), 124/2. And bad hem boþe wiþoute stryf Naȝt eten of þe tre of lyf.

c. 1407.  Lydg., Reson & Sens., 6831. Alceste … ches to goon vn-to hir grave Wilfully, without[e] stryve.

  † d.  By or with strife: by force or violence. Obs.

c. 1330.  Arth. & Merl., 6493. What bi loue & what bi striif, He forlay þe stewardes wiif.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 174. And wo this wethur shuld wyn bude wirke as I say, Ayre euyn to þe Oxen, entre hom in yoke, With striffe or with stroke till þai stonde wolde.

  † e.  To have, hold, make, take strife: to contend, quarrel (with). Obs.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Boeth., I. pr. iv. (1886), 9. I took stryf [L. certamen suscepi] ayeins the prouost of the pretorie for comune profit.

c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, xxxvi. (Baptist), 721. Cese, þare-for, & hald na strife.

c. 1385.  Chaucer, L. G. W., 595. For which he tok with rome & Cesar stryf.

c. 1400.  Rule St. Benet (Verse), 650. And mak no strif with old no ȝing.

1430–40.  Lydg., Bochas, VIII. i. (1558), 2 b. The tyraunt Decius agayn them toke a stryfe.

a. 1450.  Knt. de la Tour, xiv. 20. Faire doughters, kepe you that ye take no striff with no comberous folke.

c. 1600.  Shaks., Sonn., lxxv. 3. And for the peace of you I hold such strife, As twixt a miser and his wealth is found.

  f.  To make strife: to cause dissension.

1303.  R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 1192. Take no wyfe For to make betwyxe ȝou stryfe.

c. 1400.  Maundev. (1839), ii. 11. Thei seyd, that he made Discord and Strif amonges hem.

1822.  Byron, Heaven & Earth, iii. Get thee hence, son of Noah; thou makest strife.

  3.  Competition, emulation; an effort or exertion of rivalry, a contest of emulation. † To make strife: to contend or compete (for). † By strifes: in emulation or rivalry.

1530.  Palsgr., 277/1. Stryfe bytwene two, brigue. Ibid., 277/2. Stryfe who shall do best, estriue a lestriuee. Ibid., 630/1. I make stryfe to gette an offyce that gothe by election, je brigue.

1556.  T. Hoby, Castiglione’s Courtyer (1561), Ep. Transl. A iiij. With an honest strife of matching others.

1592.  Shaks., Ven. & Ad., 291. His Art with Natures workmanship at strife, As if the dead the liuing should exceed. Ibid. (1593), Lucr., 1791. Then sonne and father weep with equall strife, Who shuld weep most for daughter or for wife.

1623.  B. Jonson, in Shaks. Wks., To Rdr. Wherein the Grauer had a strife with Nature, to out-doo the life.

1630.  R. N., Camden’s Hist. Eliz., I. 56. The wealthier Inhabitants also of the Sea-coasts … built them ships of warre by striues who should exceede.

1697.  Dryden, Virg. Past., vii. 23. Great was the strife betwixt the Singing Swains.

1709.  J. Johnson, Clergym. Vade-M., II. p. cx. In those Ages, when … the Laity did as it were by strifes run into Monasteries.

a. 1710.  Congreve, To Earl Godolphin, 105. Thus Gods contended, (noble Strife! Worthy the heavnly Mind) Who most should do to soften anxious Life.

1836.  Thirlwall, Greece, xv. II. 305. Let us still be rivals: but let our strife be, which can best serve our country.

  4.  The act of striving; strong effort. rare.

1601.  Shaks., All’s Well, V. iii. 338. Which we will pay, With strife to please you, day exceeding day. Ibid. (1603), Meas. for M., III. ii. 246. One, that aboue all other strifes, Contended especially to know himselfe.

1642.  D. Rogers, Naaman, 136. We know what strife a man useth in his trade, who hath no inward principle of skill to enable him.

1687.  trans. Sallust (1692), To Rdr. As if these Mystic Authors made it their strife to imitate Nature.

1827.  Keble, Chr. Yr., 2nd Sund. Advent, vi. Be your strife To lead on earth an Angel’s life.

  5.  attrib. and Comb., as strife-fellow, † -race; objective, as strife-maker, -monger; strife-hatching, -stirring ppl. adjs.

1552.  Huloet, Stryfe maker, litistonsor, rixosus, contumeliosus.

1591.  Sylvester, Ivry, 315. Our strife-stirring Quils. Ibid. (1598), Du Bartas, II. ii. IV. Columnes, 32. Men’s strife-hatching, haut ambition.

1647.  Trapp, Comm., Heb. xii. 1. Ἀγῶνα…. The strife-race, for we must run, and fight as we run, strive also to outstrip our fellow-racers.

1875.  Morris, Æneids, V. 108. But some were dight amid the games their strife-fellows to be.

1909.  Edin. Rev., Oct., 466. The solemn warning to strife-mongers with which he concludes.