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more about had
had |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Had \Had\, imp. & p. p. of {Have}. [OE. had hafde, hefde, AS h[ae]fde.] See {Have}. {Had as lief}, {Had rather}, {Had better}, {Had as soon}, etc., with a nominative and followed by the infinitive without to are well established idiomatic forms. The original construction was that of the dative with forms of be followed by the infinitive. See {Had better}, under {Better}. And lever me is be pore and trewe. [And more agreeable to me it is to be poor and true.] --C. Mundi (Trans. ). Him had been lever to be syke. [To him it had been preferable to be sick.] --Fabian. For him was lever have at his bed's head Twenty bookes, clad in black or red, . . . Than robes rich, or fithel, or gay sawtrie. --Chaucer. Note: Gradually the nominative was substituted for the dative, and had for the forms of be During the process of transition, the nominative with was or were and the dative with had are found Poor lady, she were better love a dream. --Shak. You were best hang yourself --Beau. & Fl Me rather had my heart might feel your love Than my unpleased eye see your courtesy. --Shak. I hadde levere than my scherte, That ye hadde rad his legende, as have I. --Chaucer. I had as lief not be as live to be In awe of such a thing as I myself. --Shak. I had rather be a dog and bay the moon, Than such a Roman. --Shak. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. --Ps. lxxxiv.10. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Have \Have\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Had}; p. pr & vb n. {Having}. Indic. present, I {have}, thou {hast}, he {has}; we ye they {have}.] [OE. haven, habben AS habben (imperf. h[ae]fde, p. p. geh[ae]fd); akin to OS hebbian, D. hebben, OFries hebba OHG. hab?n, G. haben, Icel. hafa, Sw hafva Dan. have Goth. haban, and prob. to L. habere whence F. avoir. Cf {Able}, {Avoirdupois}, {Binnacle}, {Habit}.] 1. To hold in possession or control; to own as he has a farm. 2. To possess, as something which appertains to is connected with or affects, one The earth hath bubbles, as the water has --Shak. He had a fever late. --Keats. 3. To accept possession of to take or accept Break thy mind to me in broken English; wilt thou have me? --Shak. 4. To get possession of to obtain; to get --Shak. 5. To cause or procure to be to effect; to exact; to desire; to require. It had the church accurately described to me --Sir W. Scott. Wouldst thou have me turn traitor also? --Ld. Lytton. 6. To bear, as young; as she has just had a child. 7. To hold regard, or esteem. Of them shall I be had in honor. --2 Sam. vi 22. 8. To cause or force to go to take ``The stars have us to bed.'' --Herbert. ``Have out all men from me.'' --2 Sam. xiii. 9. 9. To take or hold (one's self); to proceed promptly; -- used reflexively, often with ellipsis of the pronoun; as to have after one to have at one or at a thing i. e., to aim at one or at a thing to attack; to have with a companion. --Shak. 10. To be under necessity or obligation; to be compelled; followed by an infinitive. Science has and will long have to be a divider and a separatist. --M. Arnold. The laws of philology have to be established by external comparison and induction. --Earle. 11. To understand. You have me have you not? --Shak. 12. To put in an awkward position; to have the advantage of as that is where he had him [Slang] Note: Have as an auxiliary verb is used with the past participle to form preterit tenses; as I have loved; I shall have eaten. Originally it was used only with the participle of transitive verbs, and denoted the possession of the object in the state indicated by the participle; as I have conquered him I have or hold him in a conquered state; but it has long since lost this independent significance, and is used with the participles both of transitive and intransitive verbs as a device for expressing past time. Had is used especially in poetry, for would have or should have Myself for such a face had boldly died. --Tennyson. {To have a care}, to take care to be on one's guard. {To have (a man) out}, to engage one in a duel. {To have done} (with). See under Do v. i. {To have it out}, to speak freely; to bring an affair to a conclusion. {To have on}, to wear. {To have to do with}. See under Do v. t. Syn: To possess; to own See {Possess}.
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