Forms: 4–5 areste, areest, 4–7 arest, 5 arreste, 5– arrest. Aphet. 6–7 rest(e. [a. OF. areste stoppage, delay, and arest act of arresting.]
I. Senses pertaining to the intransitive vb.
† 1. The act of standing still, halting or stopping; stoppage, stop, halt, delay. Obs. Without arrest: cf. without abode (Chaucer, Lydgate, and Sc. poets).
1375. Barbour, Bruce, VIII. 356. The folk fled … For-outen arest. Ibid., XVII. 844. For southren men vald that he maid Arest thar.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 1929. Withoute areste [v.r. arest, arreste, areest] … He wolde him ete.
1430. Lydg., Chron. Troy, I. ix. To whom Castor withouten more areste Hath … gyue a mortall wounde.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 3307. Non abaid he makith, nor arest.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, IV. v. 119. Mercuir, but arest, Drest to obey his gret faderis behest.
1598. Florio, Posate, arests which a horse doth make in advancing his forepart.
† 2. Remaining, abiding, continuance. Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sompn. T. (Wright) [342]. An irous man is lik a frentik best In which ther is of wisdom noon arrest.
† 3. Abiding-place, abode, mansion. Obs.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 906. Til ȝe reche to areset, rest ȝe neuer.
a. 1400. Cov. Myst., 91. Welcome, Joachym, onto myn areste.
c. 1400. Epiph. (Turnb., 1843), 158. A mey hym harburd yn hur hall … And held that hend yn hur arest.
† 4. In arrest: in rest, as a lance. At arrest: at attention. Obs.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 7563. Thou here watchest at the gate, With spere in thine arest alweye.
c. 1440. Morte Arth., 548. That they be redye in araye, and at areste foundyne.
1481. Caxton, Tulle of Old Age, ix. 8 (R.). He mowntyng upon his courser, and his spere in his arrest, spurrid on his horse.
II. From the transitive vb.
5. The act of stopping anything in its course; a stop put to anything, stoppage, stay, check.
c. 1400. Test. Love, II. (1560), 285 b/2. Mallice … slily to bridle, and with a good bitte of areste to withdraw.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. cccxcviii. 689. Certayne arest of this warre.
1625. Bacon, Empire, Ess. (Arb.), 297. That they must have some Checke or Arrest in their Fortunes.
1649. Jer. Taylor, Gt. Exemp., II. ii. 155. Words are the arrest of the desires, and keep the spirit fixt.
1665. Glanvill, Sceps. Sci., 49. An arrest of all ingenious and practical indeavour.
1835. Kirby, Hab. & Inst. Anim., II. xvii. 150. These [bristles] as well as the scales … are … points of arrest, in each wing.
1879. Timbs, in Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 119/2. A partial arrest of the vital processes.
6. In Law, Arrest of judgment: a stay of proceedings, after a verdict for the plaintiff or the Crown, on the ground of manifest error therein.
1660. Trial Regicides, 94. I may do it in Arrest of Judgment.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., III. 393. Whatever is alleged in arrest of judgment must be such matter, as would upon demurrer have been sufficient to overturn the action or plea.
1772. Junius Lett., Pref. 14. If the paper be not criminal … he may move the court in arrest of judgment.
1841. Brewster, Martyrs Sc., v. (1856), 79. Galileo might have pleaded them with success in arrest of judgement.
7. The act of seizing or laying hold of; seizure. lit. and fig.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Nonne Pr. T., 80. I saugh a beest, Was lik an hound, and wold have maad arrest Upon my body, and wold han had me deed.
1622. Heylin, Cosmogr., I. (1682), 183. Aquitain and the rest of the English Provinces were seized on by the French … But notwithstanding this arrest, the English still continued their pretentions to it.
1823. Lamb, Elia, Ser. I. xviii. (1865), 135. The first arrests of sleep.
8. spec. ‘The apprehending or restraining of one’s person, in order to be forthcoming to answer an alleged or suspected crime.’ Blackstone.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., A-reste, or a-restynge, Arestacio.
1576. Lambarde, Peramb. Kent (1862), 179. To make arrest of all such as … provoked to the Pope.
1590. Greene, Neuer too late (1600), 56. His creditours threatned him with an arrest.
1619. Dalton, Countr. Just., cxviii. (1630), 335. An arrest … may be called the beginning of imprisonment.
1876. Green, Short Hist., vii. (1877), 348. The Duke of Norfolk had been charged with the minister’s arrest.
1880. Muirhead, Gaius, IV. § 21. The latter was not allowed to resist the arrest or defend himself in person.
9. The condition resulting from being arrested; custody, imprisonment, durance.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 452. [Man] dwelleth eek in prisoun and arreste.
1647. Cowley, Mistress, Wks. 1710, I. 152. Now I suffer an Arrest.
1820. Byron, Mar. Fal., I. ii. 212. The Forty hath decreed a month’s arrest.
b. Under (an) arrest: under legal restraint, in the hands of the law, arrested.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Merch. T., 38. In libertee and vnder noon arreest.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 912. [He] stood under hir arest.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., I. ii. 135. If I could speake so wisely vnder an arrest, I would send for certaine of my Creditors.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 105, ¶ 2. Poor Will was under an Arrest, and desired the Assistance of all … or he must go to Gaol.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xii. 39. Sir, consider yourself under an arrest.
1860. Froude, Hist. Eng., VI. 60. Lord Russell was soon after placed under arrest.
10. fig.
c. 1430. Hymns to Virg. (1867), 71. Godis seruauntis in areest haþ þee take.
1633. Earl Manch., Al Mondo (1636), 95. The arest of death shall not alwayes keepe him that lyes downe in peace.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 18. Paul being under the arrest of God’s might and power, lay for dead.
1677. Gilpin, Dæmonol. Sacra (1867), 268. Satan claps an arrest upon him of a far greater debt than God chargeth upon him.
1874. Watson & Evans, trans. Van Oosterzee’s Chr. Dogm., II. lxxviii. 430. Guilt is the conscious arrest of our life under the Divine law, which demands satisfaction.
11. transf. Of a ship.
1848. Arnould, Law Mar. Insur., III. ii. (1866), II. 706. Arrest is a temporary detention of ship, &c., with a view to ultimately releasing it, or repaying its value.
12. The act of arresting (the attention).
1876. Geo. Eliot, Dan. Der., I. xvii. 341. This strong arrest of his attention made him cease singing.
† 13. A judgment, decree, order or sentence; prop. of a French supreme court of law; also transf. and fig. Obs., and replaced by arrêt from mod.Fr.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., 203. I obeyed his rest; there was no remedy.
[1553–87. Foxe, A. & M. (1596), 7/2. By the Arestum of the Councell of Paris anno 1463.]
1599. Sandys, Europæ Spec. (1632), 130. To dispense with God’s Law in this world, and to alter his arrests and judgements in the other.
1600. Holland, Livy, XLII. ix. 1120. That the arest [senatus consultum] devised against him might be reversed.
1602. Shaks., Ham., II. ii. 67. He sends out Arrests On Fortinbras, which he (in breife) obeyes.
1699. Lond. Gaz., mmmdxxxii/3. An Arrest will shortly be published for raising to 13 Livers the old Lewis d’Or and the Spanish Pistols.
1721. C. King, Brit. Merch., I. 231. By an Arrest of Council in France … the strict execution of that edict is enjoin’d.
