Expense

Forms: 4–9 expence, 5 expens, exspense, 6 exspence, 4– expense. See also SPENCE. [a. AF. expense (OF. espense), ad. late L. expēnsa, orig. pa. pple. fem. of expendĕre: see EXPEND. Cf. Sp. expensas pl., also It. spesa, which is the only popular representative of the word in Romanic, the Fr. and Sp. forms being of learned origin.

  Ger. speise ‘viand’ is an early adoption of the L. word.]

  † 1.  The action of expending; the state of being expended. Obs. Cf. EXPENDITURE 1.

  † a.  Disbursement, spending, laying out (of money); an instance of this. Also occas. wasteful expenditure, extravagance. Person of expense: one who spends largely; so also, person of great, little expense. Obs.

1393.  Gower, Conf., III. 153. That he mesure in his expence So kepe, that of indigence He may be sauf.

c. 1430.  Compl. Christ, 169, in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866), 179. My waast expensis y wole with-drawe.

1597.  Bacon, Ess., Expense (Arb.), 59. Extraordinarie Expence must bee limited by the worth of the occasion.

1633.  Ford, ’Tis Pity, V. This suddaine solemne Feast Was not ordayn’d to riott in expence.

1644.  Quarles, Barnabas & B. (1851), 18. God is not honored in the expense of that money which is bedewed with the tears of the oppressed.

a. 1715.  Burnet, Own Time (1766), I. 130. A man of great expence.

1750.  Johnson, Rambler, No. 26, ¶ 3. This exuberance of money displayed itself in wantonness of expence.

1766.  Fordyce, Serm. Yng. Wom. (ed. 4), I. iv. 101. All of them, to a man, dread a woman of expence.

1794.  Godwin, Cal. Williams, 267. An obscure house of entertainment for persons of small expence.

  † b.  The expending or using up (of material or immaterial resources); the state of being expended or used up; expenditure (of substance, strength, labor, time, etc.); loss (of blood, etc., of men in battle, etc.). Obs.

1588.  Shaks., L. L. L., V. II. 523. I implore so much expence of thy royall sweet breath, as will vtter a brace of words.

1594.  Hooker, Eccl. Pol., I. xi. (1611), 36. With bootlesse expense of trauell.

1608.  Yorksh. Trag., I. x. 218, D iij. Heauen giue my body strength, which yet is faint With much expence of bloud.

1626.  Bacon, Sylva, § 352. Fire and Flame are in continual expence.

1647.  Sprigge, Anglia Rediv., I. i. (1854), 14. After the expense of about fourteen men upon it, the design was given over.

1669.  Worlidge, Syst. Agric. (1681), 293. They … move as other Meteors do, from a certain expence of their own substance the one way, which inforceth their motion another.

1749.  Power Pros. Numbers, 70. The former require too great Expense of Breath to pronounce them.

1752.  Franklin, Wks., 1840, V. 286. The sun is not wasted by expense of light.

1797.  Nelson, 23 June, in Nicolas, Disp. (1846), XII. p. cxliv. No service that could have made an expense [of stores].

  † c.  Consumption (of produce, provisions). Obs.

1587.  Harrison, England, II. vi. (1877), I. 156. The gentlemen commonlie make sufficient malt for their owne expenses onelie.

1594.  in Arb., Garner, I. 299. Proclamations for the expense and observation of Fish Days.

1668.  Markham’s Way to Wealth, IX. III. i. 96. To gather [Pears] for expence, for transportation, or to sell.

  † d.  Loss (of a possession). Obs.

c. 1600.  Shaks., Sonn., xxx. 8. Then can I … mone th’expence of many a vannisht sight.

1607.  Tourneur, Rev. Trag., I. iii. B 4 b. Enter vpon the portion of her soule, Her honor, which she calls her chastity And bring it into expence.

  † 2.  Money expended (cf. EXPENDITURE 2); a sum expended. Obs.

  (The apparent instances in recent use belong to 3 or 3 c.)

1382.  Wyclif, Ex. xxi. 19. That he restore … the expensis into leches.

c. 1460.  Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714), 32. If a Kyng be powre, he schal by necessite make his Expences … by Creaunce of borrowyng.

1673.  Temple, Ess. Irel., Wks. 1731, I. 111. The Country loses the Expence of many of the richest Persons.

a. 1687.  Petty, Pol. Arith., vii. (1690), 103. Where a People thrive, there the income is greater than the expence.

1737.  Whiston, Josephus’ Antiq., XI. iv. § 9. You … do not supply them with the expences … for their sacrifices.

1765.  A. Dickson, Treat. Agric., III. (ed. 2), 402. The difference betwixt these, is the expense which the farmer may lay out.

  transf.  1692.  Ray, Dissol. World, II. ii. (1732), 78. The Receipts from the Rivers fall short of the Expence in Vapour.

1693.  Phil. Trans., XVII. 616. As to the Expence of the Sea-Water by Vapour, he concludes the Receipts of the Mediterranean to fall short of its expence.

  3.  Burden of expenditure; the pecuniary charge, cost or sacrifice involved in any course of action, mode of living, etc., or requisite for the attainment of any object. Also transf. [Originally a contextual use of 1.]

1632.  J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Eromena, 27. Many companies of souldiers to be levied … without a penny of expence, of either his, or his complices.

1711.  Addison, Spect., No. 102, ¶ 11. I have several little plain Fans made for this Use, to avoid expence.

1799.  T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), IV. 277. The direct tax and stamp tax will add two millions clear of expence.

1808.  A. Parsons, Trav., iii. 65. Those who can afford the expence, usually go to some part of the sea coast.

1837.  [C. J. Apperley], Chase, Turf, etc. 133. All got up ‘regardless of expense.’

1856.  Emerson, Eng. Traits, Character, 142. The scale of expense on which people live.

1872.  Raymond, Statist. Mines & Mining, 135. A long list of legal expenses.

  fig.  1839.  De Quincey, Recollect. Lakes, Wks. (1862), II. 214. Who took upon herself the whole expenses of the flying colloquies exchanged with stragglers on the road.

  b.  Phrases. † To lie at expense: (of a prisoner) to be a cause of outlay. At an expense of: at a cost or loss amounting to. At the expense of: at the cost of (a certain sum), by the sacrifice of (something); so at (a) great, little, etc., expense. To be at expense: to incur expenditure; so, to put (a person) to expense. To be at the expense, expenses (of): to defray the costs (of); also const. to with inf.

a. 1610.  Healey, Theophrastus (1636), 41. Now what expence soeuer he is at, he proclaimeth and aggrauateth it, as a great disbursement.

1658–9.  Burton’s Diary (1828), IV. 6. He lies at expense. I move therefore, to call him in.

1710.  Steele, Tatler, No. 262, ¶ 3. The new Pair of Gloves and Coach-hire that he was at the Expence of in her Service.

c. 1710.  Celia Fiennes, Diary (1888), 153. Some part of that mer one Mr. Fleetewood has been at the Expence to draine.

1712.  Addison, Spect., No. 418, ¶ 7. He is at no more Expence in a long Vista, than a short one.

1713.  Guardian, No. 97, ¶ 4. Where, at the expence of 4 or 5000l. … he built a new one.

1765.  H. Walpole, Otranto, iii. (1798), 62. Vowing to guard the princess at the expence of his life.

1774.  Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1862), I. I. i. 254–5. We have been at such expence and trouble to produce an excellent breed of horses.

1793.  Burke, Corr. (1844), IV. 160. All operations between the tropics are at an immense expense of human lives.

1859.  Musketry Instruct., 52. At a considerable expense, to erect marker’s butts.

1882.  Daily Tel., 12 June, 3/6. The home eleven had got 52 at an expense of two wickets.

  c.  In pl. esp.: The charges, costs, items of outlay, incurred by a person in the execution of any commission or duty; ‘money out of pocket’; also, money paid to a person in reimbursement of these.

1382.  Wyclif, 1 Macc. x. 44. Expensis shuln be ȝouen of the kyngies resoun … to bilde out the wallis of Jerusalem.

1460.  Capgrave, Chron., 198. The old Edward had every month to his expensis a hundred mark.

1535.  Coverdale, Jer. xl. 5. The chefe captayne gaue him his expenses with a rewarde.

1601.  Shaks., Twel. N., III. i. 49. There’s expences for thee.

1656.  Ben Israel, Vind. Judæorum, in Phenix (1708), II. 410. Of the Tribute, Expences should be forthwith given unto the Elders.

Mod.  You will allow me my expenses.

  d.  A cause or occasion of expense. Also transf.

1873.  H. Spencer, Study Sociol., iii. 51. Exertion is a physiological expense.

Mod.  His sons have been a great expense to him.

  4.  At († on) the expense († expenses) of a person, etc.: so that he defrays the cost; ‘at the charges of.’

c. 1400.  Maundev. (1839), xx. 221. The grete Chane haþ euery day folk at His costages & expense.

c. 1477.  Caxton, Jason, 69. Appollo dide do make the arke … at the expensis of the king.

1549.  Compl. Scot., xi. 89. He furnest … tua hundretht lycht horse, on his auen expensis.

1608.  Shaks., Per., IV. iii. 46, G ij b. Vs at whose expence tis done.

1678.  Butler, Hud., III. III. 456/220.

1697.  Potter, Antiq. Greece, III. ii. (1715), 7. The Soldiers were all maintain’d at their own Expences.

1834.  Medwin, Angler in Wales, I. 67. Our piscator … declined dining at our expense.

1873.  Act 36–7 Vict., c. 71 § 59. The Secretary of State may … cause any water-course to be widened at the expense of such board.

  b.  transf. At the expense of a person (or thing): so that he (or it) suffers consequent loss, injury or diminution.

1695.  Ld. Preston, Boeth., Pref. 6. And so, at his Expence, advance a little Trophy of Reputations to themselves.

1754.  Sherlock, Disc. (1759), I. xiii. 344. Gratify our Envy at the Expence of our Neighbour’s Credit and Reputation.

1807.  T. Thomson, Chem. (ed. 3), II. 189. The copper wires … were oxidized at the expence of the acid.

1817.  Jas. Mill, Brit. India, II. V. ix. 711. The interest of the subordinates, in every branch, is naturally pursued at the expense of the service.

1849.  Robertson, Serm., Ser. I. vii. (1866), 120. There was obedience at the expense of … feeling.

1879.  M. Arnold, Falkland, Mixed Ess., 234. But the lovers of Hampden cannot forbear to extol him at Falkland’s expense.

  5.  attrib. and Comb. as in expense-account; expense-book, Naut. (see quot. 1867); expense magazine, a magazine in which a small portion of ammunition is kept for immediate use; expense-reforming, -saving adjs.

1828.  J. M. Spearman, Brit. Gunner (ed. 2), 80. Expence Books.

1867.  Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Expense books. Accounts of the expenditure of the warrant officer’s stores, attested by the signing officers.

1839.  Sir W. Napier, Penins. War, XIII. v. The explosion of an expense magazine.

1845.  Stocqueler, Handbk. Brit. India (1854), 174. There are, also, branch or expense magazines in the outworks.

1872.  Raymond, Mines, 284. The item of roads is a big one in the expense account.

1880.  Fortn. Rev., Feb., 267. Any expense-reforming proposal meets with scant courtesy from the House.