Forms: 5– utterance (5–6 -aunce), 5–7 vtterance (5–6 -aunce, 6 -ans), 5 vttrawnce (6 -ance), vttr-, 8 utt’rance; 5 ottyrance, oterauns, uter-, 6 vteraunce. [f. UTTER v.1 + -ANCE.]
I. † 1. The disposal of goods, commodities, etc., by sale or barter. Obs.
1436. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 499/1. If it seme come to, that utterance and sale of the seid Wolle … be so escarse.
1461. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 300. If ony citsaine … wil gyve the utterance of ony marchandise … unto a strangere.
a. 1513. Fabyan, Chron., VII. 630. Theyr vtteraunce of clothe of golde and sylkys to the … lordes of the realme.
1579. Southampton Court Leet Rec. (1906), II. 176. The fishemongers should have shoppes … built in the ffishe marcket for the … vtterance of the same.
c. 1630. T. Mun, Eng. Treas. (1664), 18. We must … sell as cheap as possible … rather than to lose the utterance of such wares.
1632. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 478. The greate losse which husbandmen receive for want of utterance for their corne.
† b. In the phr. to have or make (…) utterance.
1502. Arnolde, Chron. (1811), 129. The said peper is so musty … your said suppliant as yet can haue non vttraunce therof. Ibid. He is neuer lyke to haue ani vttiraunce of the said peper heraftir.
1577. Harrison, England, II. v. (1877), I. 136. By ridding their worke to make speedie vtterance of their wares.
1600. Hakluyt, Voy. (1810), III. 594. There hee had reasonable vtterance of his English commodities.
1622. Mabbe, trans. Aleman’s Guzman d’Alf., II. 313. Having no such vtterance of her Ware.
1675. Machiavelli’s Prince, Wks. 238. Towards the Sea-side they have no utterance for any thing.
† 2. The action of giving out of a store; issue. Obs. rare.
a. 1483. Liber Niger, in Househ. Ord. (1790), 57. That ye take … suche oversights of all … stuffe, comprised within your charge,… that the utterance of it be guyded to the King’s most worship and profitt.
1603. Breton, Packet Mad Lett., xliii. Usurers are halfe mad, for lacke of vtterance of their mony.
1757. Jos. Harris, Coins, 86. Coining only ascertains the quantity of metal contained in the several pieces, at their utterance out of the mint.
fig. c. 1585. Fair Em, I. iv. 24. Nature vniust, in vtterance of thy arte, To grace a pesant with a Princes fame!
3. The action of uttering with the voice; vocal expression of something; speaking, speech. Also with of.
Also freq. from c. 1667 in the phrase to give utterance (to something).
c. 1456. Pecock, Bk. of Faith (1909), 130. A publisching or a nakid uttraunce, telling, or denouncing.
1474. Caxton, Chesse, II. iii. (1883), 38. Oftetymes they selle as welle theyr scilence as theyr vtterance.
1489. Cov. Leet Bk., 536. For disclosure & vtteraunce of certain seducious langage.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 4. Utterance therefore is a framyng of the voyce, countenaunce, and gesture, after a comely maner.
a. 1589. Palfreyman, Baldwin’s Mor. Philos. (1600), 156. The holinesse and cleannesse of the mouth, standeth in the utterance of rightnesse and truth.
1589. Greene, Menaphon (Arb.), 51. Samela … seeing his vtterance full of broken sighes.
1642. Milton, Apol. Smect., 47. In vaine therefore do they pretend to want utterance in prayer, who can finde utterance to preach.
1648. Wilkins, Math. Magic, II. iv. 176. The utterance of articulate sounds.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 1066. Adam … At length gave utterance to these words constraind.
1703. Rowe, Fair Penit., I. i. Utterance all is vile; since I can only Swear you reign here, but never tell how much.
1784. Cowper, Task, VI. 339. The total herd … resolv’d … To give such act and utt’rance as they may To ecstasy.
1794. Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, xxix. Her courage failed as often as she attempted utterance.
1839. Dickens, Nickleby, xii. With such energy of utterance as might have been … mistaken for rapture.
1847. Mrs. S. Austin, Ranke’s Hist. Ref., III. 141. These protests were only the utterance of the feeling that France yielded to force.
1861. Geo. Eliot, Silas M., ix. The Squire was purple with anger…, and found utterance difficult.
transf. 1602. Shaks., Ham., III. ii. 378. These [sc. recorder stops] cannot I command to any vtterance of hermony, I haue not the skill.
1842. Tennyson, Love & Duty, 61. We … to the want … Gave utterance by the yearning of an eye.
a. 1854. H. Reed, Lect. Brit. Poets, i. (1857), 14. The souls of mighty poets finding utterance in the music of English words.
b. The action of expelling breath.
1844. W. Upton, Physioglyphics, 186. This primary reference … of a r, to the utterance of the breath with earnestness.
4. The faculty or power of speech; manner of speaking.
1474. Caxton, Chesse, III. v. (1883), 119. The gracious speche and vtterance of rethorique. Ibid. (1480), Trevisa’s Higden (1482), 140. He … was connyng in crafte of fayre vtteraunce.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 30. To some persones is gyuen syngular good vtteraunce of eloquence.
1553. Wilson, Rhet., 116 b. Hauing a good tongue,… he shall be thought to passe all other, that haue the like utteraunce.
1602. 2nd Pt. Return Parnass., III. i. 1151. It remaines to try whether you bee a man of good vtterance.
1667. Milton, P. L., III. 62. All the Sanctities of Heaven … from his sight receiv’d Beatitude past utterance.
1676. Dryden, Aureng Z., Ep. Ded. A 2 b. ’Tis onely because God has not bestow’d on them the gift of utterance.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 27, ¶ 5. She has naturally a very agreeable Voice and Utterance.
1782. Miss Burney, Cecilia, V. iv. All utterance seemed denied her.
1828. D’Israeli, Chas. I., I. ii. 21. The King’s difficult utterance rendered his addresses … painful to himself and the Parliament.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, xxiii. A deep, gruff, husky utterance.
1871. Tylor, Prim. Cult., I. 45. A kind of Singhalese patois, peculiar in dialect and utterance.
fig. 1702. Steele, Grief à-la-Mode, III. i. 43. Her Charms are Dumb, they want utterance.
5. That which is uttered or expressed in words; a spoken (or written) statement or expression; an articulated sound.
Freq. from c. 1865, esp. with an and pl.
c. 1454. Pecock, Folewer, 103. Suche wordis, countenauncis, gesturis and vttrauncis.
1596. Edward III., II. i. I might perceiue … His eare to drinke her sweet tongues vtterance.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 410. Eve … turnd him all eare to heare new utterance flow.
1817. Shelley, Rev. Islam, VII. xxxii. Sweet melodies Of love … I caught,… when thy dear eyes Shone through my sleep, and did that utterance harmonize.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., I. iii. To hear a whole series and river of the most memorable utterances.
1860. Geo. Eliot, in Cross, Life (1884), II. 131. The ‘Mill on the Floss’ be it then!… The title is rather a laborious utterance.
1871. Blackie, Four Phases, i. 97. Let us attempt to analyse this utterance.
1887. Bowen, Æneid, IV. 280. Horror bristles his locks, on his lips all utterance dies.
II. † 6. A place of egress; an outlet. Obs.
1662. J. Chandler, Van Helmont’s Oriat., 222. In what part the Stomach layeth open at top… is called its Orifice or mouth: But its utterance beneath [L. infernus vero ejus exitus], is named the Pylorus or Porter.
