[ad. (either directly or through Fr. exporter) L. export-āre, f. ex- out + portāre to carry: see PORT v.]
† 1. trans. (gen.) To carry (things or persons) out of a place; to take away, carry off. Also fig. Obs.
(The sense of the two first quots. is obscure.)
c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), III. 458. Swych desepcyouns, potyt peynes to exsport, prynt yow in sportes whych best doth yow plese.
1548. Gest, Pr. Masse, 81. Thensuyng saying … Gracian exporteth and fathereth upon Austyne.
a. 1612. Donne, Βιαθανατος (1644), 133. Paulinus … delivered himselfe as a slave to the Vandals, and was exported from Italy to Afrique.
1612. Bacon, Ess., Followers & Fr. (Arb.), 35. They export honour from a man and make him a returne in Enuy.
1641. Nicholas Papers (Camden), I. 29. Fowr thousand men to bee exported hence for the service of … forreine Princes.
1691. Ray, Creation, II. (1704), 319. The Arteries are known to export the Blood.
2. Comm. To send out (commodities of any kind) from one country to another.
1665. Manley, Grotius’ Low-C. Warrs, 179. They might export any thing, but Materials for War and Corn.
1672. Petty, Pol. Anat. (1691), 57. There are 60 M. [black cattle] exported alive, and 30 M. dead in Barrels.
1745. De Foe’s Eng. Tradesman, Introd. (1841), I. 2. Exporting the growth and manufacture of England to other countries.
1841. W. Spalding, Italy & It. Isl., III. 399. Olives … could always be exported without duty.
1845. McCulloch, Taxation, II. v. (1852), 209. Customs duties were charged … on all sorts of commodities, whether exported or imported.
absol. 1776. Adam Smith, W. N., IV. i. 28. By exporting to a greater value than it imported.
1873. C. Robinson, N. S. Wales, 75. We exported to Great Britain to the value of £30,208,485.
b. transf. and fig.
1760. Sterne, Tr. Shandy, 290. Susannah was sufficient by herself … in exporting a family secret.
1781. Cowper, Expost., 365. Hast thou … Exported slavery to the conquered East?
Hence Exported ppl. a., Exporting vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
1716. Addison, Freeholder, No. 41. The Exported commodities amounted to Two Hundred Ninety Four Thousand Pounds.
1727. W. Mather, Yng. Man’s Comp., 409. The Exporting and Importing so many and great Quantities of rich Commodities.
1812. G. Chalmers, Dom. Econ. Gt. Brit., 171. The value of exported cargoes in 1766.
1845. McCulloch, Taxation, II. iv. (1852), 197. Poland and other exporting countries.
