a. and sb. Also 6–7 verbale, -all(e. [a. OF. (also mod.F.) verbal (= Sp. and Pg. verbal, It. verbale), or ad. L. verbālis consisting of words, pertaining to verbs, f. verbum word, VERB.]
A. adj. 1. Of persons: a. Dealing in or with words, esp. with mere words in contrast to things or realities.
1484. Caxton, Curiall, 4. We be verbal or ful of wordes and desyre more the wordes than the thynges.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage (1614), 38. Henoch himselfe is made, not a verball but a reall Preacher.
1648. Milton, Tenure Kings (1650), 58. While they are onely verbal against the punishing of Tyrants, all the Scripture they bring is direct to inferr it altogether lawful.
1677. in Hubbard, Indian Wars (1865), II. 275. I am perswaded if Mars and Minerva go Hand in Hand, they will effect more Good in an Hour than those verbal Mercurians in their Lives.
1770. Beattie, Ess. on Truth, Introd. (1776), 4. A verbal disputant! what claim can he have to the title of Philosopher?
† b. Using many words; talkative, verbose. Obs.
1611. Shaks., Cymb., II. iii. 111. I am much sorry (Sir) You put me to forget a Ladies manners By being so verball.
1620. Middleton, Chaste Maid, I. i. He’s growne too verball, this Learning is a great Witch.
1647. Lilly, Chr. Astrol., I. xiii. 78. A meer verball fellow, frothy,… constant in nothing but idle words and bragging.
c. Interested in, attending to, the mere words of a literary composition.
1709. Pope, Ess. Crit., 264. Neglect the rules each verbal critic lays, For not to know some trifles, is a praise.
1782. V. Knox, Ess., xxxiii. (1819), I. 180. It is from the labours of verbal critics, that our language will receive the only excellencies it wanted.
1855. Paley, Æschylus, Pref. (1861), p. xxviii. Hermann, the leader of the verbal-critics.
2. Consisting or composed of words; also, of or pertaining to, manifested in, words.
Verbal inspiration: see INSPIRATION 3 a.
1530. Palsgr., 327/2. Verball, full of wordes, verbal, verballe.
1589. Cooper, Admon., 60. As he and other of his crewe babbling in their verbale sermons vse to doe.
1592. Shaks., Ven. & Ad., 831. All the neighbour caves, as seeming troubled, Make verbal repetition of her moans.
1620. W. Folkingham, Brachigraphy, i. Short-writing is either of the bare Letter, or of Words composed of Letters. That I call Literall or Elementall, this Dictionall or Verball.
1662. Hibbert, Body Divinity, I. 253. There is a threefold lie…. 1. Verbal, when a man tells a false tale.
1677. Govt. Venice, 163. The Council of Ten having stretched their Law against Treason, to Verbal Expressions.
1722. Wollaston, Relig. Nat., i. 9. Now … what has a meaning, may be either true or false; which is as much as can be said of any verbal sentence.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 140. ¶ 11. Samson’s complaint of the inconveniences of imprisonment is not wholly without verbal quaintness.
1791. Gentl. Mag., 26/2. Several pages of his sermons consisting of a series of verbal quibbles and jingles.
1820. Hazlitt, Table-T., Ser. II. iii. (1869), 72. We cannot by a little verbal sophistry confound the qualities of different minds.
1868. Peard, Water-farm., vi. 67. Instead of a verbal description, we will give a rough sketch of the nursery.
1874. Green, Short Hist., vii. § 7. 424. The young playwright quizzes the verbal wit and high-flown extravagance of thought and phrase which Euphues had made fashionable.
b. Of the nature of, or denoting, a word.
1605. Tryall Chev., III. iii. Bourbon! who names him? that same verball sound is like a thunderclap to Philips eares.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., II. xi. § 8. These verbal signs they [sc. children] sometimes borrow from others, and sometimes make themselves.
1701. Grew, Cosmol. Sacra, II. vi. 68. Observing by degrees, that all Words consist of a certain Number of Simple Sounds; they … brought them [sc. marks], from many Thousands of Verbal Marks, to Two or Four and twenty Literal ones.
† c. Verbal process (also process verbal), a detailed account or report. [After F. procès-verbal.]
1682. Burnet, Rights Princes, viii. 263. In the Process Verbal of the Assembly General of the Clergy of France.
1688. Lond. Gaz., No. 2330/2. But the Nuncio and Clergy … have drawn up a Verbal Process of all that passed, which they have transmitted to Rome.
1749. Smollett, Gil Blas, VII. xv. I took an inventory of the particulars, of which I formed in my pocket-book a small verbal process.
1756–9. A. Butler, Lives of Saints, St. Jane Frances. He left an authentic verbal process of this vision, but as of a third person.
1762. Ann. Reg., I. 129. The next day, what is called the verbal process, was taken at the town-house…. This verbal process is somewhat like our coroner’s inquest.
d. Verbal note, in diplomacy, an unsigned note or memorandum sent as a mere reminder of some matter not of immediate importance.
1860. Wharton, Law-Lex. (ed. 2).
3. Concerned with, affecting or involving, words only, without touching things or realities.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. 36. Socrates … separated Philosophy and Rhetoricke, whereupon Rhetorick became an emptie and verball Art.
1611. Bible, Transl. Pref., ¶ 16. Wee might iustly feare hard censure, if generally wee should make verball and vnnecessary changings.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., III. xi. § 7. Whether the greatest part of the Disputes in the World, are not meerly Verbal, and about the Signification of Words.
a. 1761. Law, Comf. Weary Pilgr. (1809), 122. Men fallen from the … truth of the Christian life under the power of natural reason, and verbal learning.
1785. T. Reid, Powers Hum. Mind, iv. 369. If all the general words of a language had a precise meaning,… all verbal disputes would be at an end.
1807. Knox & Jebb’s Corr., I. 372. If our liturgy … had been cast … in a vulgar mould; subsequent alterations, not only verbal but radical, would have been indispensable.
c. 1820. Whately, Logic, in Encycl. Metrop. (1845), I. 224/1. A definition of the term…; viz. a verbal, not necessarily a real definition.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), V. 121. The opposition between these two modes of speaking is rather verbal than real.
b. Finding expression in words only, without being manifested in action.
1622. Rowlands, Good Newes & Bad N., 32. Telling him that her selfe, and her estate Is not to be obtain’d with verball prate Of loue, and fancie.
1639. Massinger, Unnat. Combat, IV. i. Nor shall you find A verbal friendship in me, but an active.
1690. C. Nesse, Hist. & Myst. O. & N. Test., I. 68. They put not God off with empty complements, and verbal acknowledgments.
c. 1718. Prior, Knowledge, 706. My Prophets, and my Sophists finish’d here Their Civil Efforts of the Verbal War.
1741. Butler, Serm., Wks. 1874, II. 256. These merely verbal professions … were thought the proper language for the public ear.
1838. Thirlwall, Greece, xli. V. 173. Some solid and extraordinary benefit, something … beyond a mere verbal recognition of its independence.
c. Consisting merely in words or speech.
1618. Bolton, Florus (1636), 301. How true is that speech … That vertue was only a verbal thing, and not a real.
1633. P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., VII. v. Of these great monarchies … Onely a fading verball memorie, And empty name in writ is left behinde.
1653. Milton, Hirelings, Wks. 1851, V. 349. But our Ministers … for the verbal labor of a seventh days Preachment … exact as due the tenth … of our … Labors.
4. Expressed or conveyed by speech instead of writing; stated or delivered by word of mouth; oral.
1591. Horsey, Trav. (Hakluyt Soc.), 241. His Majestys verball answer to those two points conteyned within her Majestys letters.
1617. Moryson, Itin., I. 193. The Chamber of the Pallace where verball appeales are decided, is called, the Golden Chamber.
1646. Hamilton Papers (Camden), 131. The gentleman … carried nothing from hence in writing; but I belieue he had a verball commission.
1667. Pepys, Diary, 14 June. He did it by verbal order from Sir W. Coventry.
1727. Swift, Poisoning of E. Curll, Wks. 1755, III. I. 150. Mr. Curll … immediately proceeded to make a verbal will.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., A Verbal Contract, is that made merely by Word of Mouth; in opposition to that made in Writing.
1776. Trial of Nundocomar, 61/2. Did you send a verbal or a written message?
1807. J. Landseer, Lect. Engraving, Pref. 8. The verbal communications of Sir Henry Englefield, and Mr. Douce; the printed researches of Raspe, Hayley,… and various other authors.
1834. Marryat, P. Simple, xiv. Sending a polite verbal refusal to the commissioner, upon the plea of there being no paper or pens on board.
1877. Froude, Short Stud. (1883), IV. I. iii. 37. The archbishop believed that a verbal agreement was all which would be demanded of him.
b. Of persons: Using uttered words.
1822. Scott, Nigel, i. The verbal proclaimers of the excellence of their commodities, had this advantage over those who … use the public papers for the same purpose.
5. Corresponding word for word; = VERBATIM a.
1612. Brinsley, Lud. Lit., 238. I take the very same help of translations, either Verball or Grammaticall, to be the most speedy furtherances.
1656. Cowley, Pindar. Odes, Pref. When he that understands not the Original [of Pindar] reads the verbal Traduction of him into Latin Prose.
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 464, ¶ 1. Of this kind is a beautiful saying in Theognis;… to give it in the Verbal Translation, Among Men [etc.].
1786. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), II. 46. You will perceive that it is almost a verbal Copy.
1909. R. Law, Tests of Life, ii. 29. We have what may be supposed to be almost verbal quotations of current forms of Gnostic profession.
b. In respect of each single word.
1790. Paley, Horæ Paul., i. 4. In close and verbal conformity with the account … preserved by St. Luke.
1882. Farrar, Early Chr., I. 443, note. The sacred writers never aim at verbal accuracy in their quotations.
6. Of, pertaining to, or derived from a verb.
1530. Palsgr., 37. They come of latyn nownes verballes endyng in tio. Ibid., 154. All nownes verballes endyng in eur be of the masculyne gendre.
1636. B. Jonson, Eng. Gram., xvi. Wks. (Rtldg.), 780/1. A person is the special difference of a verbal number, whereof the present, and the time past, have in every number three.
1648. Hexham, II. Gramm. (1658), V u 4 b/2. All Substantives derived from Verbals are called Verball words.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), Verbals or Verbal Nouns, those Nouns that are derived from Verbs; as Considerable,… from the Verb, To consider.
1755. Johnson, Abandoning. (A verbal noun from abandon.)
c. 1818. Encycl. Metrop. (1845), I. 54/2. Verbal adjectives (commonly so called), which express the conception in the form of an attribute, as the Latin verbals in bilis, &c.
1843. Proc. Philol. Soc., I. 31. The Grammar proceeds to describe other verbal derivatives.
1875. Whitney, Life Lang., iii. 38. The plural verbal inflection.
B. sb. 1. A noun, or other part of speech, derived from a verb.
1530. Palsgr., 154. Broderésse, a woman brodurar,… tenceresse, a woman chyder; and so of all other verballes.
1570. Levins, Manip., 89. Some verbals in bilis.
1591. Percivall, Sp. Dict., B 4 b. Verbals in or, are of the masculine gender.
c. 1620. A. Hume, Brit. Tongue (1865), 19. [Words] that we derive from latin verbales in tio, sould also be wrytten with t.
1665. R. Johnson, Scholars Guide, 6. The Latine tongue loves Verbals, Participials, Gerundives, and Participles of the future in rus.
1726. S. Lowe, Lat. Gram., 12. Verbals are wanting, for the most part in Impersonals.
1747. trans. Le Blanc’s Lett. Eng. & Fr. Nations, I. 293. The rules of etymology and formation of Greek verbals evince that it must be so.
1836. J. R. Major, Guide Grk. Trag., 105. Α is long before μα in verbals derived from the first person of the preterite passive.
1882. F. W. Newman, Libyan Vocab., 38. Kabail Verbs and Verbals, including Adjectives.
† 2. [After med.L. verbale.] A collection of words; a vocabulary or dictionary. Obs. rare.
1599. Bk. Preserv. K. Hen. VII., i. Untill I have set forth a Verball or little Dictionarie.
1623. T. Spicer, in Cockeram, Eng. Dict., A vij b. To the Reader on this Verball of his esteemed friend, Master Henry Cockeram of Exeter.
