[a. Fr. activité, ad. med.L. actīvitātem, a word of the Scholastic Philosophy, = vis agendi, f. L. actīvus; see ACTIVE.]
1. The state of being active; the exertion of energy, action.
1549. Coverdale, Erasm. Paraphr., 1 Cor. 33. There is of al men but one god, of whome the power and actiuitie of al thinges … haue theyr begynnynges.
1648. Bp. Reynolds, Lord’s Supper, xi. All manner of activity requiring a contact and immediateness between the agents and the subject.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., Pref. 13. The supreme Being (who is Activity itself).
1665. Phil. Trans., I. 50. What is the Sphere of Activity of Cold?
1703. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 98. The Saw is designed to cut only in its Progress forwards; Man having in that Activity more strength.
1764. Reid, Inq. Hum. Mind., ii. § 10, 115. No man would attribute great activity to the paper I write upon.
1782. Priestley, Matter & Spirit, I. § 16, 189. We have no experience of … primary activity, in any respect.
1876. Mozley, Univ. Serm., iii. 49. Activity is naturally at first sight our one test of faith.
1879. Thomson & Tait, Nat. Phil., I. I. § 263. If the Activity of an agent be measured by its amount and its velocity conjointly; and if, similarly, the Counter-activity of the resistance be measured by the velocities of its several parts and their several amounts conjointly, whether these arise from friction, cohesion, weight, or acceleration;—Activity and Counter-activity, in all combinations of machines, will be equal and opposite.
2. The state or quality of being abundantly active; brisk or vigorous action; energy, diligence, nimbleness, liveliness.
1530. Palsgr., 193. Activyte, quickenesse, actiuite (Fr.).
1535. Coverdale, Gen. xlvii. 6. Yf thou knowest that there be men of actiuyte amonge them, make them rulers of my catell.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., III. ii. 60. If shee call your actiuity in question.
a. 1704. T. Brown, Table Talk, Wks. 1730, I. 144. Laziness and want of activity.
1775. Burke, Sp. Conc. Amer., Wks. III. 46. Neither the perseverance of Holland, nor the activity of France.
1832. Scott, Woodst., 183. The latter stepped back with activity.
1854. Alison, Hist. Eur., IV. xxvii. 255. The sieges of these places … were now pressed with activity.
1869. Phillips, Vesuv., iii. 51. The volcano continued to manifest activity till November.
1882. Daily News, 5 March. There is not quite so much activity in the iron market.
† 3. Physical exercise, gymnastics, athletics. Also attrib. Obs.
1552. Huloet, Abcedarium, Master whyche teacheth actiuitie, Gymnastes.
c. 1595. J. Norden, Spec. Brit., Cornwall (1728), 29. Especially Wrastling and Hurling, sharpe and seuere actiuities.
1624. Bolton, Nero Cæsar, 61. The antient Greeke Gymnasium was diuided into three chiefe spaces, or actiuitie-yards.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 51, ¶ 3. A great deal of good Company of us were this Day to see or rather to hear an artful Person do several Feats of Activity.
4. Anything active; an active force or operation.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., 307. Some … to salve the effect have recurred unto the influence of the starres, making their activities Nationall.
1677. Hale, Prim. Orig. Man., 348. Christ and his Apostles, did wonderful things, beyond the reach and power of created Agents or Activities.
1823. Lamb, Elia, II. ix. (1865), 294. An endless string of activities without purpose, of purposes destitute of motive.
1869. Huxley, in Scient. Opinion, 28 April, 486/1. The study of the activities of the living being is called its physiology.
1876. Geo. Eliot, D. Deronda, V. xxxvii. 353. Still more he wanted to escape standing as a critic outside the activities of men.
