v. [ad. L. animadvert-ĕre to turn the mind to, take notice of, orig. two words anim(um mind, advertĕre to turn to, f. ad to + vert-ĕre to turn. Through the sense of ‘take cognizance of’ it passed in judicial language to that of ‘chastise, or punish after examination.’]
† 1. trans. To turn the mind or attention to, pay attention or attend to, observe. Obs.
1637. Gillespie, Eng.-Pop. Cerem., III. ii. 24. Which Theodosius … animadverting, commanded to pull them downe.
1673. Newton, in Rigaud, Corr. Sci. Men (1841), II. 353. The weak light … shall in comparison not be strong enough to be animadverted.
1679. Prance, Add. Narr., 25. I shall onely Animadvert Two things.
2. intr. To take note, observe, remark, consider, bethink oneself. Const. simply, and with that, arch.
1642. H. More, Song of Soul (1647), 159/2. I cannot conceive the body doth animadvert.
1672. Marvell, Reh. Transp., I. 163. I cannot but animadvert that this too lies open to his Dilemma.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, XV. v. (1840), 219. Animadvert that you are in the house of a great lady.
1837. Blackw. Mag., XLII. 235/1. I animadverted that all the oldest looking, shrivelled oak-apples which I had lately opened, had contained pupæ.
3. intr. To turn the attention officially or judicially, take legal cognizance of anything deserving of chastisement or censure; hence, to proceed by way of punishment or censure. arch.
1671. True Non-Conf., 12. If Israel was to animadvert with the sword against any city turning aside to Idolatrie.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., II. 395. The law will animadvert hereon as an injury.
1771. J. Macpherson, Introd. Hist. Gt. Brit., 290. They animadverted upon petty offenders with slighter punishments.
1817. Jas. Mill, Brit. India, III. ii. 69. It is for the tribunal before which he offends to animadvert upon his conduct.
4. To comment critically (on), to utter criticism (usually of an adverse kind); to express censure or blame.
1665. Glanvill, Sceps. Sci., 13. I see no reason why her modesty should … be so severely animadverted on.
1699. Bentley, Phal., 29. The Examiner animadverts on it for ten Lines together.
1718. Pope, Lett., Wks. 1737, VI. 36. Your grace very justly animadverts against the too great disposition of finding faults.
1791. Sir J. Macintosh, Vind. Gall., Wks. 1846, III. 92. To animadvert on this modest and courteous picture belongs not to the present subject.
1839. Hallam, Hist. Lit., II. II. vii. § 22. 302. The academies began to animadvert on defects beyond the province of grammar.
1873. Goulburn, Pers. Relig., i. 8. The state of things on which we have been animadverting.
