[ad. F. fatiguer (= Pr., Sp. fatigar, It. faticare), ad. L. fatīgāre, f. stem *fati- (in ad-fatim enough), prob. meaning ‘yawning’; cf. FATISCENT.]
1. trans. ‘To tire, weary; to harass with toil; to exhaust with labour’ (J.).
1693. Lond. Gaz., No. 2911/3. Many false Allarms to harrass and fatigue their Men.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 345. Five of them swimming over the river to shoot at some black cattle, extremely fatigued themselves in pursuing them, but did, however, shoot five cows and bulls.
1784. Cowper, Task, IV. 706.
| Heroes and their feats | |
| Fatigued me. |
1848. Lytton, Harold, VI. vii. Thou fatiguest thyself in vain.
1863. Fr. A. Kemble, Resid. in Georgia, 34–5. My morning’s work had fatigued me not a little, and I was glad to return to the house, where I gave vent to my indignation and regret at the scene I had just witnessed to Mr. —— and his overseer, who, here, is a member of our family.
2. To weaken by straining; to strain (a mast).
1794. Rigging & Seamanship, II. 273. Augmenting the number of sails … at the risque of fatiguing the masts.
1869. Sir E. J. Reed, Shipbuild., v. 83–4. To render the angle-iron frames less fatigued by reducing the bevilling of their flanges, and thus preserving their strength unimpaired.
† 3. intr. To undertake fatigue.
1697. Collier, Ess. Mor. Subj., II. (1709), 168. Age is not vigorous enough for Business and Fatiguing.
