Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PUT, n.³ [Fr. putain; W. putan; It. putta, puttano; Sp. puta.]

A strumpet; a prostitute.

PUT, v.i.

1. To go or move; as, when the air first puts up. [Obs.] – Bacon.
2. To steer. His fury thus appeas'd, he puts to land. – Dryden.
3. To shoot; to germinate. The sap puts downward. – Bacon. To put forth, to shoot; to bud; to germinate. Take earth from under walls where nettles put forth. – Bacon. #2. To leave a port or haven. – Shak. To put in, to enter a harbor; to sail into port. #2. To offer a claim. A. puts in for a share of profits. To put in for, to offer one's self; to stand as a candidate for. – Locke. To put off, to leave land. To put on, to urge motion; to drive vehemently. To put over, to sail over or across. – Abbot. To put to sea, to set sail; to begin a voyage; to advance into the ocean. – Dryden. To put up, to take lodgings; to lodge. We put up at the Golden Ball. #2. To offer one's self as a candidate. – L'Estrange. To put up to, to advance to. [Little used.] – Swift. To put up with, to overlook or suffer without recompense, punishment or resentment; as, to put up with an injury or affront. #2. To take without opposition or dissatisfaction; as, to put up with bad fare. This verb, in all its uses, retains its primary sense, to set, throw, thrust, send, &c.; but its signification is modified in a great variety of ways, by other words standing in connection with it.

PUT, v.t. [pret. and pp. put. D. pooten, to set or plant; poot, the foot; Dan. poder, to graft; pode, a cion; Fr. bouter; Gr. φυω, contracted from φυδω or φυτω, whence φυτον, a germ, shoot or twig. We find the same word in the L. puto, to prune, that is, to thrust off, also to think or consider, that is, to set in the mind, as we use suppose, L. suppono. But we see the English sense more distinctly in the compounds, imputo, to impute, that is, to put to or on; computo, to compute, to put together. The Welsh pwtian, to poke, to thrust, and pwtiaw, to butt, are doubtless the same word. The L. posui, from pono, may be a dialectical orthography of the same root. See Class Bd, and Bs. The primary sense is to thrust, throw, drive or send.]

1. To set; lay or place; in a general sense. Thus we say, to put the hand to the face; to put a book on the shelf; to put a horse in the stable; to put fire to the fuel; to put clothes on the body. God planted a garden and there he put Adam.
2. Put is applicable to state or condition, as well as to place. Put him in a condition to help himself. Put the fortress in a state of defense. The apostles were put in trust with the gospel. We are often put in jeopardy by our own ignorance or rashness. We do not always put the best men into office.
3. To repose. How wilt thou … put thy trust on Egypt for chariots? – 2 Kings xviii.
4. To push into action. Thank him who puts me, loth, to this revenge. – Milton.
5. To apply; to set to employment. No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. – Luke ix.
6. To throw or introduce suddenly. He had no time to put in a word.
7. To consign to letters. He made a proclamation … and put it also in writing. – 2 Chron. xxxvi.
8. To oblige; to require. We are put to prove things which can hardly be made plainer. – Tillotson.
9. To incite; to instigate; to urge by influence. The appearance of a formidable enemy put the king on making vigorous preparations for defense. This put me upon observing the thickness of the glass. – Newton. These wretches put us upon all mischief, to feed their lusts and extravagances. – Swift.
10. To propose; as, to put a question to the witness; to put a case in point.
11. To reach to another. – Hab. ii.
12. To bring into a state of mind or temper. Solyman, to put the Rhodians out of all suspicion of invasion … – Knolles.
13. To offer; to advance. I am ashamed to put a loose indigested play upon the public. – Dryden.
14. To cause. The natural constitutions of men put a wide difference between them. – Locke. To put about, to turn; to change the course; to gibe ship. To put by, to turn away; to divert. The design of the evil one is to put thee by from thy spiritual employment. – Taylor. A fright hath put by an ague fit. – Grew. #2. To thrust aside. Jonathan had died for being so, / Did not just God put by th' unnatural blow. – Cowley. To put down, to baffle; to repress; to crush; as, to put down a party. #2. To degrade; to deprive of authority, power or place. #3. To bring into disuse. Sugar hath put down the use of honey. [Obs.] – Bacon. #4. To confute; to silence. Mark now how a plain tale shall put you down. – Shak. To put forth, to propose; to offer to notice. Sampson said, I will now put forth a riddle to you. – Judges xiv. #2. To extend; to reach; as, to put forth the hand. #3. To shoot out; to send out, as a sprout; as, to put forth leaves. #4. To exert; to bring into action; as, to put forth strength. #5. To publish, as a book. To put in, to introduce among others; as, to put in a word while others are discoursing. #2. To insert; as, to put in a passage or clause; to put in a cion. #3. To conduct into a harbor. To put in fear, to affright; to make fearful. To put in mind, to remind; to call to remembrance. To put in practice, to use; to exercise; as, to put in practice the maxims of the wise man. To put into another's hands, to trust; to commit to the care of. To put off, to divest; to lay aside; as, to put off a robe; to put off mortality or the mortal body; to put off haughty airs. #2. To turn aside from a purpose or demand; to defeat or delay by artifice. I hoped for a demonstration, but Themistices hopes to put me off with a harangue. – Boyle. This is an unreasonable demand, and we might put him off with this answer. – Bentley. #3. To delay; to defer; to postpone. How generally do men put off the care of their salvation to future opportunities! #4. To pass fallaciously; to cause to be circulated or received; as, to put off upon the world some plausible reports or ingenious theory. #5. To discard. The clothiers all put off / The spinsters, carders, fullers, weavers. – Shak. #6. To recommend; to vend; to obtrude. – Bacon. #7. To vend; to sell. #8. To pass into other hands; as, to put off a counterfeit coin or note. #9. To push from land; as, to put of the boat. To put on or upon, to impute; to charge; as, to put one's own crime or blame on another. #2. To invest with, as clothes or covering; as, to put on a cloke. #3. To assume; as, to put on a grave countenance; to put on a counterfeit appearance. Mercury put on the shape of a man. – L'Estrange. #4. To forward; to promote. This came handsomely to put on the peace. [Obs.] – Bacon. #5. To impose; to inflict. That which thou puttest on me, I will bear. – 2 Kings xviii. To be put upon, to be imposed on; to be deceived; used chiefly in the passive form. To put over, to refer; to send. For the certain knowledge of that truth, / I put you o'er to heaven and to my mother. – Shak. #2. To defer; to postpone. The court put over the cause to the next term. To put out, to place at interest; to lend at use. Money put out at compound interest, nearly doubles in eleven years. #2. To extinguish; as, to put out a candle, lamp or fire; to put out the remains of affection. Addison. #3. To send; to emit to shoot; as a bud or sprout; as, to put out leaves. #4. To extend; to reach out; to protrude; as, to put out the hand. #5. To drive out; to expel; to dismiss. When I am put out of the stewardship. Luke xvi. #6. To publish; to make public; as, to put out a pamphlet. [Now vulgar.] #7. To confuse; to disconcert; to interrupt; as, to put one out in reading or speaking. To put out the eyes, to destroy the power of sight; to render blind. To put to, to add; to unite; as, to put one sum to another. #2. To refer to; to expose; as, to put the fate of the army or nation to a battle; to put the safety of the state to hazard. #3. To punish by; to distress by; as, to put a man to the rack or torture. To put to it, to distress; to press hard; to perplex; to give difficulty to. O gentle lady, do not put me to 't. – Shak. To be put to it, in the passive form, to have difficulty. I shall be hard put to it to bring myself off. – Addison. To put the hand to, to apply; to take hold; to begin; to undertake; as, to put the hand to the plow. – See Deut. xii. 7. #2. To take by theft or wrong; to embezzle. Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand to his neighbor's goods. – Exod. xxii. To put to the sword, to kill; to slay. – Bacon. To put to death, to kill. To put to a stand, to stop; to arrest by obstacles or difficulties. To put to trial, or on trial, to bring before a court and jury for examination and decision. #2. To bring to a test; to try. To put together, to unite in a sum, mass or compound; to add; as, to put two sums together; put together the ingredients. #2. To unite; to connect. Put the two chains together. #3. To place in company or in one society. To put trust in, to confide in; to repose confidence in. To put up, to pass unavenged; to overlook; not to punish or resent; as, to put up injuries; to put up indignities. Such national injuries are not to be put up, but when the offender is below resentment. – Addison. [I have never heard this phrase used in America. We always say, to put up with; we can not put up with such injuries.] #2. To send forth or shoot up, as plants; as, to put up mushrooms. [Obs.] – Bacon. #3. To expose; to offer publicly; as, to put up goods to sale at auction. #4. To start from a cover. [Obs.] – Spectator. #5. To hoard. Himself never put up any of the rent. – Spelman. #6. To reposit for preservation; as, to put up apples for winter. #7. To pack; to reposit in casks with salt for preservation; as, to put up pork, beef or fish. #8. To hide or lay aside. Put up that letter. – Shak. #9. To put in a trunk or box; to pack; as, to put up clothing for a journey.

PU'TAGE, n. [See Put, a prostitute.]

In law, prostitution or fornication on the part of a female. – Cowel.

PU'TAN-ISM, n. [Fr. putanisme.]

Customary lewdness or prostitution of a female.

PU'TA-TIVE, a. [Fr. putatif; It. putativo; from L. puto, to suppose.]

Supposed; reputed; commonly thought or deemed; as, the putative father of a child.

PUT-CASE, n. [Put case.]

For put the case, suppose the case to be so; a vulgar or at least inelegant phrase. – Burton.

PU'TID, a. [L. putidus, from puteo, to have an ill smell; W. pwd.]

Mean; base; worthless. – L'Estrange. Taylor.

PU'TID-NESS, n.

Meanness; vileness.

PUT'LOG, n.

A short piece of timber used in scaffolds. – Moxon.

PUT'-OFF, n.

An excuse; a shift for evasion or delay. – L'Estrange.

PU-TRED'IN-OUS, a. [from L. putredo, from putreo, putris.]

Proceeding from putrefaction, or partaking of the putrefactive process; having an offensive smell. – Floyer.

PU-TRE-FAC'TION, n. [Fr. from L. putrefactio; putris, putrid, and facio, to make.]

A natural process by which animal and vegetable bodies are disorganized and reduced either to their original separate elements, or to much more simple compounds. Putrefaction is greatly accelerated by heat and moisture.

PU-TRE-FAC'TIVE, a.

1. Pertaining to putrefaction; as, the putrefactive smell or process.
2. Tending to promote putrefaction; causing putrefaction. – Brown.

PU'TRE-FI-ED, pp.

Dissolved; rotten.

PU'TRE-FY, v.i.

To dissolve and return to the original distinct elements, or to less complex compounds, as animal and vegetable substances deprived of the living principle; to rot.

PU'TRE-FY, v.t. [Fr. putrefier; L. putrefacio; putris, putrid, and facio, to make.]

1. To cause to be decomposed; to disorganize and reduce to the simple constituent elements, or more simple compounds, as animal or vegetable bodies; to cause to rot. Heat and moisture soon putrefy dead flesh or vegetables.
2. To corrupt; to make foul; as, to putrefy the air. [Little used.] – Shak.
3. To make morbid, carious or gangrenous; as, to putrefy an ulcer or wound. – Wiseman. Temple.

PU'TRE-FY-ING, ppr.

Causing to be decomposed; making rotten.

PU-TRES'CENCE, n. [from L. putrescens, putresco.]

The state of decomposing, as in an animal or vegetable substance; a putrid state. – Brown.

PU-TRES'CENT, a.

1. Becoming putrid; passing from an organized state into the constituent elements, or more simple compounds. – Brown.
2. Pertaining to the process of putrefaction; as, putrescent smell.

PU-TRES'CI-BLE, a.

That may be putrefied; liable to become putrid; as, putrescible substances. – Ramsay, Hist.

PU'TRID, a. [Fr. putride; L. putridus, from putris, putreo.]

1. In a state of dissolution or disorganization, as animal and vegetable bodies; corrupt; rotten; as, putrid flesh.
2. Indicating a state of dissolution; tending to disorganize the substances composing the body.
3. Proceeding from putrefaction or pertaining to it; as, a putrid scent.

PU'TRID-NESS, or PU-TRID'I-TY, n.

The state of being putrid; corruption. – Floyer.

PU'TRY, a.

Rotten. [Not used.] – Marston.

PUT'TER, n. [from put.]

One who puts or places. – L'Estrange.