Unseasonable

a. [UN-¹ 7 b.]

  1.  Not suited to, not in accordance with, the time or occasion; untimely, inopportune.

c. 1448.  Ten Commandments of Love, in Stow’s Chaucer (1561), 342 b. Take measure in langage,… For mesure … Thynges vnseasonable setteth in season.

1591.  Acts Privy Council (1900), XXI. 123. The unordinate and unseasonable taking of the same [spawn] by the common fishers.

1607–12.  Bacon, Ess., Dispatch (Arb.), 248/1. To chuse tyme is to save tyme, and an vnseasonable mocion is but beating the ayre.

1667.  Milton, P. L., VIII. 201. Whence haply mention may arise Of somthing not unseasonable to ask.

1718.  Free-thinker, No. 7. 42. A Notion prevails … that Marriage in Lent, is at least unseasonable.

1752.  Johnson, Rambler, No. 207, ¶ 9. Unseasonable importunity of discontent.

1817.  Jas. Mill, Brit. India, II. V. v. 522. The English fleet … dispersed by the weather, incurred considerable danger of a very unseasonable rencounter.

1839.  W. C. Taylor, Anc. Hist., xvii. § 2 (ed. 2), 501. This rash conspiracy induced Galba to sully the commencement of his reign by unseasonable severities.

1844.  H. H. Wilson, Brit. India, II. 497. The omission to inspect the accounts was unseasonable and injudicious.

  transf.  1722.  Steele, Consc. Lovers, III. i. The familiar, learned, unseasonable Puppy!

  b.  Of time: Not suitable for the action specified or implied.

  Freq. (with hour) implying an unusual time of the night.

1595.  Shaks., John, IV. ii. 20. This acte … Being vrged at a time vnseasonable.

1621.  in Foster, Eng. Factories Ind., I. (1906), 261. The said ship … at last at unseasonable time made tryall to com for Petapolie.

1674.  Jackson’s Recant., B 1. To let them out at unseasonable hours, and stay up for them, till it be early.

1715.  De Foe, Fam. Instruct., I. iii. (1841), I. 62. Who knows but God may bless instruction, though begun at an unseasonable time.

1759.  Franklin, Ess., Wks. 1840, III. 218. Neither did they conceive the time to be unseasonable for an application to the crown.

1800.  Mrs. Hervey, Mourtray Fam., II. 176. If I presume to intrude upon you at an unseasonable hour.

1838.  Lytton, Leila, I. vi. The alarm it might occasion … if he endeavoured at so unseasonable an hour, to force an entrance.

  c.  As adv. Unseasonably; out of season.

a. 1634.  Chapman, Bussy d’Ambois, III. (1641), 42. How most unseasonable thou playest the Cucko, In this thy fall of friendship.

1680.  R. L’Estrange, trans. Erasmus’ Colloquies, 174. This came very Unseasonable; Or if there had been any Errour, it might have been dissembled.

  2.  Of fish, etc.: Not in season.

c. 1450.  Cal. Letter-bks. London, D. (1902), IV. 198. Ye shalle not suffre no fysshe corrupt ne unsesynable to be solde.

1477.  [see VICTUAL sb. 1 γ].

1488–9.  Act 4 Hen. VII., c. 21. Aswell grete fisshes unsesonable as the seid frie.

1533–4.  Act 25 Hen. VIII., c. 7. Kyllyng of salmons when they be unsesonable and not holsome for manns body.

1563.  in Liturg. Serv. Q. Eliz. (1847), 488. The same poor which either lack food, or else that which they have is unseasonable and cause of sickness.

1653.  Walton, Angler, vi. 133. The old Salmon … grow sick in fresh waters, and by degrees unseasonable.

1677.  Quarter Sess. Rec. (N. Riding Rec. Soc.), VII. 6. A Startforth yeoman for catching ten unseasonable fish called scurfes.

1842.  Act 5–6 Vict., c. 106 § 74. If any Person shall … have in his Possession any … unclean or unseasonable Salmon or Trout.

  † b.  Not properly matured; unseasoned. Obs.^–1

1515.  Nottingham Rec., III. 344. We present Ser John Bagula for makyng on seysnabulle tyle.

1548.  Act 2 & 3 Edw. VI., c. 10 § 1. Sondrie persons … made myche Malte unpure and unseasonable.

  3.  Of weather: Not appropriate to the season of the year; esp. stormy, tempestuous. Also of days, seasons, etc., marked by such weather.

a. 1513.  Fabyan, Chron., VII. 433. Great scarcete of corne and frute … by meane of vnsesonable wederynge.

1593.  Shaks., Rich. II., III. ii. 106. An vnseasonable stormie day.

1602.  in Moryson Itin. (1617), II. 261. Their Haruest was so vnseasonable, and their Corne was so destroied by the weather, as numbers of subiects will vndoubtedly die of famine.

1610.  Holland, Camden’s Brit., 466. By reason of vnseasonable weather the corne … was choked and blasted in the eare.

1645.  Boate, Ireland’s Nat. Hist., xxi. (1652), 166. The ripeness of the fruits … is greatly retarded by the abundance of unseasonable rain.

1696.  Ray, in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden), 203. Heer hath been a very unseasonable Summer, for the most part very cold and wet.

1707.  Mortimer, Husb., 212. A cold, dry, unseasonable Spring.

1820.  Shelley, Prometh. Unb., II. iv. 52. The unseasonable seasons drove With alternating shafts of frost and fire, Their … pale tribes to mountain caves.

1854.  Poultry Chron., I. 578/1. Notwithstanding the cold, dark, unseasonable day.

1879.  S. C. Bartlett, Egypt to Pal., xx. 442. Plucking lilies of the field from beneath the unseasonable snow.