Supervise v.

Also 9 -vize. [f. med.L. supervīs-, pa. ppl. stem of supervidēre: see SUPERVIDE.]

  † 1.  trans. To look over, survey, inspect; to read through, peruse. Obs.

1588.  Shaks., L. L. L., IV. ii. 125. You finde not the apostraphas, and so misse the accent. Let me superuise the cangenet [= canzonet].

1596.  Nashe, Saffron Walden, V 4. In both my bookes I haue obiected some perticular vice more against him than pumps and pantofles, which those that haue not faith inough to beleeue, may toote & superuize.

1629.  Wadsworth, Pilgr., viii. 78. I superuised the letter of D^r. Hall and M^r. Bedell, which I found in my Father’s study.

1700.  T. Brown, trans. Fresny’s Amusem., 10. If any Man … has an Inclination … to supervise almost all the Conditions of Humane Life.

a. 1711.  Ken, Preparatives, Poet. Wks. 1721, IV. 15. All my Omissions supervise, And to what Guilt they all arise To my own self my Vileness shew.

  † b.  To overlook, command a view of. Obs.

1658.  R. Franck, North. Mem. (1821), 127. Those eminent high Highlands, that supervise those shady valleys below them.

  † c.  spec. To read through for correction; to revise. Obs.

1655.  [see supervising below].

1725.  Pope, Shaks. Wks., I. Pref. p. xv. If any were supervised by himself, I should fancy the two parts of Henry the 4th, and Midsummer-Night’s Dream might have been so.

1751.  Earl Orrery, Rem. Swift, xvii. (1752), 131. Two additional volumes, both which were supervised and corrected by the author.

  2.  To oversee, have the oversight of, superintend the execution or performance of (a thing), the movements or work of (a person).

c. 1645.  Howell, Lett., I. I. iii. The small time I supervis’d the Glasse-house, I got amongst those Venetians some smatterings of the Italian Toung.

1667.  Primatt, City & C. Build., 58. Adde one shilling for every square for the master-Brick-layers super-vising them.

1678.  Cudworth, Intell. Syst., I. v. 672. All is supervised by One Understanding and Intending Cause.

1726.  Leoni, Alberti’s Archit., II. 97/1. You undertake to supervise and compleat the work.

1856.  Kane, Arctic Expl., II. xv. 166. My own energies just equal to the duty of supervising our final departure.

1869.  Latest News, 5 Sept., 7. The formation of local committees of vigilance to supervise the police.

1914.  Eng. Hist. Rev., Jan., 185. As Papal Chancellor, Albert of Mora supervized the drafting of papal bulls.

  Hence Supervising vbl. sb. and ppl. a.

1655.  trans. Semedo’s Hist. China, vi. 35. Every one hath the liberty to print what he pleaseth, without the Supervising, Censure, or Licence, or any one.

1766.  Entick, London, IV. 188. Who shall have the supervising … of all the physicians.

1845.  Stocqueler, Handbk. Brit. India (1854), 45. The responsibility of the local administration to the two supervising authorities.

1871.  Figure Training, 110. The foot … requiring almost as much supervising care as the figure.