sb. and a. Forms: 3 aduersere, 5 adversaire, 6 adversare, 4–6 adversarie, 4– adversary. Sc. 4 adversour, 5 adwerser, 6–7 adversair, -ar, -are. [a. OFr. aversier, adversier, Anglo-Fr. 13th c. adverser (mod.Fr. adversaire) sb. and adj.:—L. adversārius opposed, opponent, f. adversus: see ADVERSE and -ARY. The forms with -arie, -ary, as in Wyclif, directly from L. Shaks. accents a·dversary, Milton both a·dversary and adve·rsary.]
A. sb.
1. One who, or that which, takes up a position of antagonism, or acts in a hostile manner; an opponent, antagonist; an enemy, foc. spec. The enemy of mankind, the Devil.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 82. Þer men him teld, who was his aduersere, Of Northfolk þe Erle Roger, men said of him treson.
1340. Ayenb., 238. To ouercome hire aduersarie þet is þe dieuel.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVII. 736. Thair aduersouris assailȝeit swa.
1382. Wyclif, 1 Pet. v. 8. Ȝoure aduersarie, the deuel, as a roryng lioun goith aboute. [Also in Tindale, Cranmer, Geneva, Rheims, 1611, and Revised.]
1413. Lydg., Pylgr. Sowle, I. viii. (1859), 6. Let us haue place to ben herd, and thenne oure aduersarys.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., I. 529. Gooses dounge … is an adversarie to every seed.
a. 1541. Wyatt, Poet. Wks., 1861, 142. Mine adversare with such grievous reproof, Thus he began.
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., III. i. 182. His ancient Knot of dangerous Aduersaries To morrow are let blood at Pomfret Castle.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 629. The Adversary of God and Man, Satan. Ibid., III. 156. Or shall the Adversary thus obtain, His end?
1771. Junius Lett., lxiii. 324. Our adversaries would fain reduce us to the difficulty of proving too much.
1825. J. Neal, Bro. Jonathan, III. 154. He … overthrew his brutal adversaries, like a giant.
1861. J. Tulloch, Eng. Purit., ii. 276. A hard adversary with his pen.
2. pl. See ADVERSARIA.
B. adj. Opposed, antagonistic, hostile, inimical, adverse (to). arch. In Law, An adversary suit: one in which an opposing party appears.
1382. Wyclif, 1 Chron. xviii. 10. Forsothe kyng Adadezer was aduersarie to Thou.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVIII. lxxi. (1495), 827. All the kynde of wulues is contrary and aduersary to all the kynde of shepe.
1461. Paston Lett., 397. II. 22. On the adversaire parte Judas slepith.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., 8. The name of him, quha is adversare partie to him, quha is summoned (that is, the name of the persewer).
1618. Bolton, Florus, I. xiii. 42. Manlius, in a single combat, tooke from the adversary Champion a Torques.
1710. Prideaux, Orig. Tithes, iii. 149. Least we become Adversary to ourselves.
1860. J. P. Kennedy, Rob of the Bowl, xvii. 206. Your whole life has been adversary to the good will of the father.
