Also 5 astent. [ME. extente, a. AF. extente, estente (= med.L. extenta), fem. pa. pple. of estendre to EXTEND used subst. (cf. mod.Fr. étendue) in various senses; (1) extent in space, (2) superficial area, (3) valuation; f. estendre (F. étendre):—L. extendĕre: see EXTEND.]
I. 1. Hist. a. The valuation of land or other property; esp. such a valuation made for the purpose of taxation; assessment; an instance of this. b. The value assigned to such land or property: assessed value; = STENT. Old extent, New extent (see quots.).
[1292. Britton, III. vii. § 5. La estente soit fete en ceste manere. En primes soit enquis par serment des jurours, cum bien les edifices et chief maner … vaillent par an de cleer.]
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 83. William wist of alle what it suld amounte, Of lordyng & of thralle þe extente þorgh acounte.
1424. Sc. Acts Jas. I., § 10. That all schirefis be sworne … that thai sall lelely and treuly ger this extent be fulfillit of all the landis and gudis.
1479. Acta Audit., 89 (Jam.). That Dauid Halyday … sal bruk and joyss the xs worth of land of als astent of Dalruskel.
1540. Act 32 Hen. VIII., c. 5. Such Lands … have been by reasonable Extent to them delivered in execution for the satisfaction of their said debts.
1597. Skene, De Verb. Sign., Extent of landes, signifies the rents, profites, and issues of the samin, quhair of there is twa kindes, the auld extent, and the new extent. Ibid., s.v. Extent, Ane vther taxation and extent was maid in the time of peace … quhilk therefore is called the new or second extent.
1682. Warburton, Hist. Guernsey (1822), 75. The extent of the King’s revenue in the island, taken 5 Edw. III. 1331, gives an account … of all the lands, rents, and duties belonging to the King.
1778. Pennant, Tour Wales (1883), I. 23. They [coals] were discovered in the township of Mostyn, as early as the time of Edward I. as appears by an extent of that place, in the twenty-third year of his reign.
1872. E. W. Robertson, Hist. Ess., 140. The valuation of Bagimont … became the standard … of ecclesiastical assessment … lay lands remaining at the earlier standard known … as the Old Extent.
† c. A tax levied on such a valuation. Obs.
1597. Skene, De Verb. Sign., s.v. Extent, They suld baith make personall service, and also pay extent or taxation.
1746–7. Act 20 Geo. II., c. 50 § 2. Lands … liable to the annual payment of the new extent or retour duty.
2. Law. a. (In full writ of extent): A writ to recover debts of record due to the Crown, under which the body, lands and goods of the debtor may be all seized at once to compel payment of the debt. Extent in aid, in chief (see quots.).
1630. J. Taylor (Water P.), Wks., I. 91/1. Her small shot are Arrests and Actions, her great Ordnance are Extents, out-lawries and Executions.
1754. Fielding, Voy. Lisbon, Wks. 1784, X. 256. He did not long escape the sharp eyes of the revenue-solicitors, and was by extents from the Court of Exchequer, soon reduced below his original state, to that of confinement in the Fleet.
1817. Parl. Deb., 761. Extents of the Crown were formidable to persons who became debtors of the Crown.
1848. Wharton, Law Lex., 242/1. Extent in chief. It issues from the Court of Exchequer…. It directs the sheriff to take an inquisition or inquest of office, on the oaths of lawful men, to ascertain the lands, &c., of the debtor, and seize the same into the Queen’s hands.
1866. Crump, Banking, v. 111. A bill seized under an extent, for instance, as laches cannot be imputed to the crown.
b. Seizure of lands, etc., in execution of a writ; the condition of being seized and held in satisfaction for debt, sequestration; also, the right of seizure; also = EXECUTION 7 b. In U.S. ‘A levy of an execution upon real estate by metes and bounds’ (Webster, 1864).
1592. West, 1st Pt. Symbol., § 104 C. By force of the said statute & extent.
1600. Shaks., A. Y. L., III. i. 17. Duke. Push him out of dores And let my officers of such a nature Make an extent vpon his house and Lands.
1632. Massinger, City Madam, V. ii. (1658), 74. Yet there lives a foolish creature Call’d an Under-sheriffe, who being well paid, will serve An extent on Lords, or Lowns land.
1768. [see EXTENDED 5].
1776. Foote, Bankrupt, III. Wks. 1799, II. 134. They say an extent is brought into the house. Ibid., 138. Only an extent, to seize on all his effects.
1818. Cruise, Digest (ed. 2), II. 75. All such remedies to recover a moiety of the rent, as the cognizor himself might have had … before the extent.
1867. Knight, Begg’d at Court, iv. 66. And is it come to this! An extent in my house. I must get a bed and a supper at the Bolt-in-Tun.
† c. transf. A predatory attack; an assault.
1594. ? Greene, Selimus, Wks. (Grosart), XIV. 196. On all the world we make extent.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., IV. i. 57. In this vnciuill, and vniust extent Against thy peace.
† 3. Rents, etc., arising from extended lands.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 6076. Persones, prestes, þan han here rente And ouþer þat han grete extente.
a. 1626. Bacon, Max. & Uses Com. Law (1630), 78. All the propertie of their Goods, Leases for Yeares, Wardships and Extents.
II. 4. ‘Space or degree to which anything is extended’ (J.). a. Of a material thing: The amount of space over which it extends; dimensions, compass, size; † a space or distance ‘taken’ with a pair of compasses.
1624. [see EXTEND v. 3].
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 60. The greatest extent [of this Citie] from the South-east to North-west [is] neere three miles.
1667. Milton, P. L., VII. 496. The Serpent … Of huge extent.
1680. Morden, Geog. Rect., Introd. (1688), 6. No Country doth in all parts of its Territories make use of the same extent in measuring.
1720. Ozell, Vertet’s Rom. Rep., I. I. 6. The Power of a State consists not so much in its Extent, as in the Number of its Inhabitants.
1794. J. H. Moore, Pract. Navig. (ed. 10), 60. That extent will reach from the departure 406 to the distance 449 miles.
1797–1804. Bewick, Brit. Birds (1847), I. 37. The Extent of its [the Kite’s] wings is more than five feet.
1863. Lyell, Antiq. Man, 17. Such platforms must have been of considerable extent.
1881. Jowett, Thucyd., I. 235. The place … was in danger of having to capitulate owing to the extent of the wall.
b. Breadth of comprehension; width of application, operation, etc.; scope.
1594. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., I. viii. (1611), 21. In goodnes therefore there is a latitude or extent.
1604. Shaks., Oth., I. iii. 81. True, I haue married her; The verie head, and front of my offending, Hath this extent, no more.
1652. Needham, trans. Selden’s Mare Cl., 108. This Law, in the extent of it, reached as well to forraigners, as to the King’s subjects.
a. 1715. Burnet, Own Time, I. 285. He [Leighton] gave his vote for it, not having sufficiently considered the extent of the words.
1752. Johnson, Rambler, No. 208, ¶ 11. Whoever knows the English tongue in its present extent, will be able to express his thoughts.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., IV. 376. The Act … had not defined the extent of the power which was to be exercised by the Sovereign.
c. Phrases: To a certain, great, etc., extent, to the (full) extent of. Hence: The limit to which anything extends; e.g., in phr. to reach the extent.
1671. Milton, P. R., III. 406. If I … David’s … full Scepter sway … To just extent over all Israel’s sons.
1724. R. Falconer, Adv. & Escapes (1769), 2. You know … that my Fortune is but small, and I living to the Extent of it.
1754–64. Smellie, Midwif., I. 174. The patient ought … to be blooded to the extent of eight or twelve ounces.
1844. Mem. Babylonian P’cess, II. 90. Having reached the extent of our intended pilgrimage.
1852. Mrs. Stowe, Uncle Tom’s C., I. xviii. 296. Hidden things of darkness were brought to light to an extent that alarmed all the principalities and powers of kitchen and chamber.
1866. Crump, Banking, viii. 165. It [silver] is a legal tender only to the extent of 40s.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 236. He immediately becomes unjust to the full extent of his power.
d. Logic. = EXTENSION 8 b.
1656. trans. Hobbes’ Elem. Philos. (1839), 20. For the understanding of the extent of an universal name, we need no other faculty but [etc.].
a. 1718. Penn, Tracts, Wks. 1726, I. 620. It [λογος] is a Word of the same Extent with Conversation, which takes in all that can happen between Man and Man in this World.
1864. Bowen, Logic, vii. 192. Not only is the Predicate of the Minor the Subject of the Conclusion and of less Extent than its own Subject.
5. concr. An extended space; the ‘length and breadth.’
1627. Drayton, Battle Agincourt, xxviii. Those Territories, of whose large extent The English Kings were owners of before.
1690. Locke, Hum. Und., II. i. § 24. 45. In all that great Extent wherein the mind wanders.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., III. 112/531. Such an extent of Plains … Allures their Eyes.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 282. Let them see … what a vast extent of land we possess.
1737. Glover, Leonidas, V. 44. Th’ imperial race That rul’d th’ extent of Asia.
1825. Waterton, Wand. S. Amer., I. i. 88. Here you may see a sloping extent of noble trees.
1862. Marsh, Eng. Lang., i. 11. They occupied only a small extent of England.
b. Something possessed of extension: see EXTENSION 7 b.
1871. Fraser, Life Berkeley, x. 371. I am … independent of the changing tastes … and coloured or resistant extents, which form my transitory sense-given phenomena.
† 6. The action of extending. a. The showing or exercising (justice, kindness, etc.) Obs.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., IV. iv. 3. Was euer seene An Emperour in Rome thus ouerborne … and for the extent Of egall iustice, vs’d in such contempt? Ibid. (1602), Ham., II. ii. 390. Gentlemen, you are welcom … The appurtenance of Welcome, is Fashion and Ceremony. Let me comply with you in the Garbe, lest my extent to the Players … should more appeare like entertainment then yours.
1635. Shirley, Royal Master, I. i. My extent in all things Is but to bid you welcome.
† b. Enlargement in scope or operation. Obs.
1657. S. W., Schism Dispach’t, 502. To disacknowledge such extents of his Authority.
1668. Howe, Bless. Righteous (1825), 58. How pleasant to think, not only of the extents, but of the restraints of this power.
1719. W. Wood, Surv. Trade, 77. Our Wealth [will] encrease in proportion … to the new Extents or Encouragements it [our trade] shall receive.
