Obs. Forms: 1 íecan, ícan, ýcan, écan (also with prefix ʓe-), 2–3 echen, 4–7 eche, eech(e, 6 etche, eatch, 7 each, ich. See also EKE v. [repr. OE. écan, in WS. íecan wk. vb. = OS. ôkian:—OTeut. *aukjan (cf. OHG. auhhôn:—*aukôjan), f. *auk-an str. vb. (ON. auka, Goth. aukan; elsewhere only in pa. pple. OE. éacen, OS. ôkan) to increase, cogn. w. L. augēre, Gr. αὐξάνειν to increase.]
1. trans. To enlarge, augment, increase.
a. 1000. Andreas, 1386 (Gr.). Ðu scealt ecan ðine yrmþu.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 208. Gif him fefer ne sie, yc þæt mid wine.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 103. He … his sunnen echeð.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 44. God ou echeð furðre his deorewurðe grace.
a. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, III. 1460. God might not oo poynt of my joyes eche.
1530. Palsgr., 531/1. I etche, I increase a thynge, Je augmente.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., III. ii. 23. To peize the time, To ich [Qo. 2, 3, 4 ech and eech] and to draw it out in length. Ibid. (1608), Per., III. Prol. 13. Time … with your fine fancies quaintly eche [rhyme-wd. speech].
b. with out = Eke out.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., III. Prol. 35. Still be kind, And eech out our performance with your mind.
1655. trans. Sorel’s Com. Hist. Francion, I. iii. 63. He had such a full Character eech’d out with long Cloak-bag-string dashes, [etc.].
2. To add (something) to.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke xii. 25. Hwylc eower mæʓ þencende ican [c. 950 Lindisf. and c. 975 Rushw. ʓe-ece; c. 1160 Hatton echan] ane elne to his anlicnesse?
1382. Wyclif, Lev. ix. 17. He made brent sacrifice, echynge into the sacrifyce offrynges of licours.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., I. 1122. Hardde pitche and wex, take even weight, And herdde with pix liquide herto eche An halven dele.
b. ? To increase (one’s) stature. [But possibly a different word; cf. ICCHE.]
1640. A. Harsnet, God’s Summ., 413. Neither can they [riches] each us one haires breadth neerer heaven.
3. intr. To grow.
1565. Golding, Ovid’s Met., X. (1593), 249. Her bellie big The eatching [L. crescens] tree had overgrowne.
b. Of a ‘pace’: To increase, be quickened.
1644. Quarles, Sheph. Orac., ix. How each envious pace Vies to be first, and eches for the place.
