v. [ad. med.L. unificēre, f. L. ūni- UNI-: see -FY. So F. unifier (14th c.), It. unificare, Sp. unificar.] trans. To make, form into, or cause to become one; to combine (two or more) in one; to join (one or more) to or with another or others so as to form one whole or unit; to unite, consolidate.
Rare in 18th c. (see the ppl. a.); frequent in recent use.
1502. Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W., 1506), I. vii. G iv. Ye holy goost vnyeth & vnyfyeth al these membres of the holy chyrche in one.
1509. Hawes, Joyf. Med., 6. Two tytles in one thou dydst well vnyfye.
1654. W. Montagu, Dev. Ess., II. viii. 156. Let then all the pretenders to peace, procure to simplifie and unifie their desires by this single address to the will and order of God.
1656. Blount, Glossogr., Unifie,… to joyn or make one, as mariage doth Husband and Wife. [Hence in later Dicts.]
1802. Coleridge, Lett. (1895), 404. A poet’s heart and intellect should be … intimately combined and unified with the great appearances of nature.
1853. Lynch, Self-Improv., 3. Religion will … unify and glorify all his studies.
1884. Manch. Exam., 26 March, 5/1. The great effect of successive Reform Bills has been to unify the nation.
absol. 1817. Coleridge, Biog. Lit., xiii. (1882), 144. It … dissipates, in order to re-create; or … at all events, it struggles to idealize and to unify.
1888. Classical Rev., Oct., 256/1. These Homeridæ … worked continuously…, adding and unifying, and so they produced the epics.
Hence Unifying vbl. sb.
1681. Baxter, Acc. Sherlocke, vi. 209. Distinguishing between the Unifying of the Society, and the uniting a single Member to that Society.
