[ad. F. transporter (14th c. in Hatz.-Darm.), or its source L. transportāre, f. trans across + portāre to carry.]
1. trans. To carry, convey, or remove from one place or person to another; to convey across.
Formerly used in general sense: see quots.; now mostly restricted to the conveyance of persons, animals, and things as an organized operation, or with allusion to other senses.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 260 b/1. Where it shalle plese the to enhabyte it transporte me to the. Ibid. (1490), Eneydos, x. 39. They were separed & transported in to dyuerse places.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., VII. ccxxii. 245. Dyuers bysshoppes sees were transported from one place to another; as Selwey to Chechester, Kyrton to Exetor, Wellys to Bathe,… Dorchester to Lyncolne.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Edw. IV., 235. If the Duke of Britayne, would transporte hym into England.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 284. That he should neither make a brydge nor finde a foorde to transport his armie.
1579. Galway Arch., in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 430. To tranchporte any manner tymber.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., II. Prol. 35. The Scene Is now transported (Gentles) to Southampton.
1606. in Calr. S. P. Irel., 551. To demise to the said Grames and such other persons as shall be transported … 120 quarters of land.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., X. 457. He made fast the doore, and transported the keyes.
1635. Swan, Spec. M., vii. § 3 (1643), 323. As a … Mirrour transporteth the light of the fire, or the sunne against a wall.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 3, ¶ 6. Mules to transport his Provisions and Ammunition.
1829. Scott, Anne of G., ii. I have no wings to transport me from cliff to cliff.
1853. J. H. Newman, Hist. Sk. (1873), II. I. ii. 65. This region … receiving the merchandize of East and North, and transporting it by its rivers.
1856. Kane, Arctic Explor., II. vi. 75. The dogs are indispensable in … transporting us to Anoatoh.
1901. [see TRANSPORTABILITY].
b. fig. (app. the earliest use.)
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., III. pr. ix. 65 (Camb. MS.). The errour and folye of mankynde departeth and deuydeth it,… and transporteth from verray and parfyt good to goode þat ben false and vnparfyt.
c. 1475. Partenay, 3739. And in to sorow transport our gladnesse.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., xxxi. (Percy Soc.), 150. Consyder well that your lusty courage Age of his cours must at the last transporte.
1652. G. Collier, Vind. Sabbath (1656), 45. The Apostolick churches transported the exercises of that day to the Sunday.
1798. Ferriar, Eng. Historians, 234. They transport our imagination to the scene.
1857. W. Smith, Thorndale, 547. Man transports himself into nature, endues the great objects or powers of nature with human feelings, human will.
† c. To transfer or convey (property). Obs.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. ccxii. 257. All the right that oure sayde brother hath…, he yeldeth and transporteth them to vs perpetually. Ibid., 258, 259 [see CESS v.2 2].
1607. (July 31) E. India Co. Court Bk., II. 44 (MS.). Sir James Deane’s letter to the Company that his stock of the 3rd voyage, being £200, be transported over to the accompt of Andrew Holdip his kinsman.
a. 1649. Drumm. of Hawth., Hist. Jas. II., Wks. (1711), 24. Transporting lands to themselves and their friends, distributing offices and places of the crown and state.
† d. intr. for refl. To transfer oneself to another place of abode; to emigrate. Obs.
c. 1540. trans. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden No. 29), 143. Six months after that he had transported into Flanders.
1631. Weever, Anc. Fun. Mon., 794. He required him (before he transported) to returne.
1633. T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., II. x. (1821), 338. It shall be lawfull for any of the Inhabitants … to transport, without any molestation.
1675. trans. Machiavelli’s Prince, viii. (Rtldg.), 56. He transported into Africa.
† e. To remove from this world to the next: cf. TRANSLATE v. 1 b. Obs.
In quot. 1603, a euphemism for ‘put to death, kill.’ So taken by Schmidt in quot. 1590; but W. Aldis Wright takes it as, in Starveling’s language, = ‘transform, transfigure,’ comparing the use of ‘translate’ in III. i. 122.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., IV. iii. 72. A creature vnprepar’d, vnmeet for death, And to transport him in the minde he is, Were damnable. (Ibid. (1590), Mids. N., IV. ii. 4. He cannot be heard of. Out of doubt hee is transported.)
2. spec. a. Sc. Ch. To translate (a minister) from one charge to another.
1637–50. Row, Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.), 164. There wes an intention to have had four of the ministers of Edinburgh transported to other places.
1726. Wodrow Corr. (1843), III. 257. Discharging them to be transported without the consent of the General Assembly, or declared transportable without consent of the people.
a. 1791. Grose, Olio (1796), 111. By transported we mean, in Scotland, removed to another parish.
1858. Ramsay, Remin., v. (1870), 118. A Seceding minister at Kircaldy. But I hear he expects to be transported soon.
1904. R. Small, Hist. U. P. Congregat., I. 457. It was carried [in] 1830 by a great majority to transport.
b. Sc. Eccl. Law. To remove (the site of the church) to a different part of the parish.
1707. Sc. Act Anne, c. 10 (1824), XI. 433/1. The transporting of Kirks,… or erecting and building of new kirks, being alwayes with the consent of the heritors of three parts … at least of the valuation of the parock whereof the kirk is craved to be transported or … new kirks to be erected and built.
1765–8. Erskine, Inst. Law Scot., I. v. § 21. With more ample powers, of … transporting churches already built to more convenient places.
1838. [see TRANSPORTATION 2 b].
c. To carry away or convey into banishment, as a criminal or a slave; to deport.
1666. Act 18 & 19 Chas. II., c. 3 § 2. It shall be lawfull to and for the Justices … to transport or cause to be transported the said Offenders … into any of his Majestyes Dominions in America.
1667. Pepys, Diary, 8 Sept. A prisoner being condemned at Salisbury for a small matter…. They were considering to transport him to save his life.
1759. Hume, Hist. Eng., III. lxi. 326. The rest were sold for slaves and transported to Barbadoes.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., ii. I. 177. It was provided that the offender should not be transported to New England.
3. fig. To ‘carry away’ with the strength of some emotion; to cause to be beside oneself, to put into an ecstasy, to enrapture.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., xxv. (Percy Soc.), 179. But loke hye his hart to transport.
1596. Spenser, Hymne Heavenly Beautie, iii. Transported with celestiall desyre Of those faire formes.
1604. E. G[rimstone], trans. D’Acosta’s Hist. Indies, I. xxi. 69. They stood transported with amazement.
1667. Milton, P. L., III. 81. Onely begotten Son, seest thou what rage Transports our adversarie?
1712. Addison, Hymn, ‘When all thy mercies,’ i. Transported with the view, I’m lost In wonder, love, and praise.
1840. Dickens, Barn. Rudge, lxxi. Transported with the thought that rescue had at length arrived, Emma and Dolly shrieked aloud for help.
