adv. Forms: see THERE and BY. [OE. þǽrbí, f. þǽr, THERE 17 + bí, BY prep. Cf. G. dabei, Du. daarbij.]
1. By that; by means of, or because of, that; through that. Cf. BY A. 30–33, 36.
c. 897. K. Ælfred, Past. C., v. 42. ʓif he ðonne bearn ðærbiʓ [v.r. -bie, Hatt. -biʓ] ʓestriene.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 160. He … feste … one iðe wildernesse vorte scheawen þerbi þet [etc.].
a. 1300. Cursor M., 107. Þar bi man mai hir helping kenn.
1413. Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton), IV. xxxviii. (1859), 63. Supposyng therby for to geten honoure and fame.
1551. Cranmer, in Strype, Life (1694), App. 158. God shal therby be glorified.
1588. A. King, trans. Canisius’ Catech., i vij. Ye sall haiff yairby ye hicht of ye æquinoctiall lyne.
1600. Hamilton, Facile Tr., in Cath. Tractates (S.T.S.), 220. Desyrous to ressaue thairbe, thair eternel felicitie in heauin.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 83. They cannot abide the savour of ointments, but fall mad thereby.
1703. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 126. Of the Ten-foot Rod, and thereby to measure and describe the Ground-plot.
1809. Pinkney, Trav. France, 93. The rooms were so full as to render our stay unpleasant, and we thereby lost an anatomy lecture.
1896. R. S. S. Baden-Powell, Matabele Campaign, vi. For fear of having my attention distracted … and of my thereby losing my bearings.
2. Beside, adjacent to, or near that. (In quot. c. 1220, Up against that.) Now arch. and dial.
c. 1220. Bestiary, 634. A tre he sekeð … ðat is strong … and leneð him … ðer bi.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3361. It was a stede henden ðor bi, On a syde of munt synay.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 13765. Þar bi lai many [man] vn-fere.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., II. iii. 151. Ȝondir is the Holi Goost and therbi is Marie with Seint Peter.
c. 1450. St. Cuthbert (Surtees), 3915. He duelt in a place þare by.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. vii. 32. A couetous Spright … Who thereby did attend.
1641. Heylin, Hist. Episc., I. (1657), 23. The twelve fountaines of Elim, and the seventy Palmes that grew thereby.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe (1840), II. iv. 94. At the foot of a tree thereby.
1875. Morris, Æneid, Proem, 2. Fields that are thereby.
1888. Elworthy, W. Somerset Word-bk., s.v., Nif I baint there, you’ll vind me thereby.
b. With verbs of motion, in sense of BY A. 16.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 15634. Quer i sal þis calice drinc, Or i sal pass þar bi.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 3. Whan my glory shall passe therby, thou shalt se my hynder partes.
1606. G. W[oodcocke], Hist. Ivstine, IV. 21. The tales of Scylla and Charibdis, which made men beleeve in sailing thereby that they heard the continuall barking of doggs.
c. To come thereby = to ‘come by’ or get possession of that: see COME v. 39 b and BY A. 15.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Wife’s T., 128. Whan that he saugh he myghte nat come therby This is to seye what wommen loue moost.
c. 1430. [see COME v. 39 b].
1567. Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.), 27. I traist eternall glore to se; Christ grant that I may cum thairby.
† 3. Besides, together with, or in addition to that.
13[?]. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS., xxxii. 524. Wȝuche ben þe seuen synnes dedly, And þe seuen vertuwes þerby.
14[?]. Tundale’s Vis., 803. All ȝif god be fulle of mercye, Ryght-wysnesse behoves go þer by.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl. (E.E.T.S.), 388. That he would revive them sone in hye, With flesh and Sinew and Skynn therby, Which sone he can them geue.
4. In reference to a number or quantity: Very nearly so; somewhere about that; = THEREABOUTS 2, 2 b. Sc.
[c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., IX. xiv. 1568. A thousande and thre hundyr ȝhere Nynti and v. or þar by nere.]
1557–75. Diurn. Occur. (1833), 82. At xij houris at evin or thairby.
1563. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 245. To the nowmer of fourtie personis or thairby.
1582–8. Hist. Jas. VI. (1804), 172. Thair were takin prisoneris 9 scoire and ten gentillmen or thairby.
1726. Wodrow Corr. (1843), III. 271. The spurious paper … dully written, two years or thereby after Mr. Henderson’s death.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., x. There was one maiden of fifteen or thereby.
1863. A. B. Grosart, Small Sins, Pref. (ed. 2), 8. It is my intention … to print half-a-dozen or thereby of small books.
† 5. With reference thereto; apropos of that; thereanent. Obs.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 244. Aday [= by day] þu art blynd oþer bisne, Þar by men seggeþ a vorbisne.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 3909. Seynt Gregory telleþ a tale þar by.
b. Thereby hangs a tale: see TALE sb. 3.
† 6. In accordance with that. Obs.
1512. Act 4 Hen. VIII., c. 19, Preamble. The seid Frensche kyng … the Decree of the enterdiccion dispysyng will not therby reforme himself.
7. quasi-adj. Consequent. nonce-use.
1661. Feltham, Resolves, II. xl. 262. The chiefest Knowledg that we get, is that of our thereby guilt and misery.
