[f. as prec. + -NESS.] The quality or condition of being tedious.
1. Wearisomeness on account of long continuance; tiresome lengthiness, prolixity; also, wearisomeness in general; irksomeness, troublesomeness; trouble, annoyance (obs. or dial.).
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), II. 229. Tubal exercisede firste musike to alleuiate the tediosenes pastoralle. Ibid., IV. 255. The vthe age of the worlde … afflicte with moche tediousenesse [orig. crebris malis quassata].
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet. (1580), 139. Euen in this our tyme, some offende much in tediousnesse.
1599. Davies, Immort. Soul, cccix. She distastes them all, within a while; And in the sweetest, finds a tediousness.
1658. Rowland, Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 936. The bloud of beasts, which with great tediousnesse and pain he [the bee-fly] sucks out.
1798. S. & Ht. Lee, Canterb. T., Yng. Lady’s T., II. 434. He … resolved rather to endure the tediousness of a passage by sea.
1881. Times, 9 April, 11/3. Ecclesiastical litigation abuses the common legal privilege of tediousness.
† 2. Weariness, ennui; disgust, distaste. Obs.
1482. Monk of Evesham (Arb.), 25. Vnto the tedusnes of some stondyng by, he thankyd owr lord and redemer … for innumerabulle benefetis.
c. 1561. Veron, Free-will, 46. To engender in them a hatred and tediousnesse of vyce, and of this wicked and synnefull world, who dareth saye that they be superflue or vnprofitable?
1576. Fleming, trans. Caius’ Eng. Dogs (1880), 5. These Dogges … applying to their pursuit, agilitie and nimblenesse, without tediousnesse.
1684. Contempl. St. Man, II. v. (1699), 171. All there know God without Error…. Love him without Tediousness.
3. Slowness, tardiness; dilatoriness. Obs. exc. dial.
1691. T. H[ale], Acc. New Invent., 6. Its tediousness in bringing on and off.
1742. H. Walpole, Lett. to Mann (1834), I. xlviii. 189. By the tediousness of the post and distance of place I am still receiving letters from you about the Secret Committee.
1900. [see Eng. Dial. Dict.].
