[ad. med.L. summārius (recorded in class. L. only in neut. sb., see prec.), e.g., in cognitio summaria (Grosseteste), inquisitio summaria (Bracton); f. summa SUM sb.1: see -ARY1. Cf. OF. sommier, F. sommaire (see SUMMAR), Pr. sommari, It. sommario, Sp. sumario, Pg. summario.]
1. Of a statement or account († occas. a term): Containing or comprising the chief points or the sum and substance of a matter; compendious (now usually with implication of brevity).
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), I. 29. xv. chapitres bene contexte, not as summary, but as conteynenge necessarily the knowlege of the yle of Bryteyne.
1534. More, Comf. agst. Trib., I. Wks. 1168/1. A summarye commendacion of tribulacion.
1570. Foxe, A. & M. (ed. 2), I. 1/2. To declare as in a summary table, the misguiding of that church.
1590. Greenwood, Answ. Gifford, 19. Yt [sc. the Lord’s Prayer] being the most summary forme of prayer.
1651. Baxter, Inf. Bapt., 321. Most of his summary Aphorisms, I have answered before.
1693. Dryden, Juvenal (1697), Argt. 2. A summary and general view of the Vices and Follies reigning in his time.
1788. Reid, Aristotle’s Logic, iv. § 1. 67. We have given a summary view of the theory of pure syllogisms.
1836. Penny Cycl., V. 165/1. (Book-keeping) The summary journal, in registering these same purposes, throws away all consideration of particular persons … by raising a single account comprehending them all under the general name of ‘bought ledger.’
1879. Farrar, St. Paul, I. 9. A summary sketch of what he had done and suffered.
† b. General, not detailed. Obs.
1529. More, Suppl. Soulys, Wks. 309/2. The summary effecte of hys boke. Ibid. (1532), Confut. Tindale, ibid. 395/1. The summarye purpose and effect of Tyndales doctrine.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, II. (Globe), 445. A Man … having nothing but a summary Notion of Religion himself.
c. transf. Characterized by or involving conciseness and brevity.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, I. (Arb.), 28. Chief poyncts I purpose too touche with summarye shortnesse.
1610. North’s Plutarch, 1206. Pouertie is a kind of temperance, and need may be called a summarie obseruation of the lawes.
1783. Burke, Rep. Indian Committee, Wks. 1808, II. 133. The matter which appears before them, is, in a summary manner, this: The Decca merchants [etc.].
2. Law. Applied to proceedings in a court of law carried out rapidly by the omission of certain formalities required by the common law. Similarly of a court-martial. (The corresp. use of SUMMARILY is recorded much earlier.)
Summary jurisdiction: the determination of cases expeditiously without reference to the ordinary requirements of the common law.
In Scottish law, Summary application: an application to a court or a judge without the formality of a summons or full procedure. So summary action, cause, diligence.
1765–8. Erskine, Inst. Law Scot., IV. i. § 9. Bills of complaint … may be all tried by a summary action.
1798. Bay’s Rep. (1809), I. 49. Trials in a summary way deprive the subject of the inestimable trial by jury.
1826. Bell, Comm. Laws Scot. (ed. 5), II. 480. All those acts of statutory jurisdiction are declared to be competent on summary application. Ibid., 481. That one acting as agent for the trustee … though not by the Act expressly subject to summary jurisdiction, is … held to be liable to the same summary proceedings for recovery of … documents.
1835. Tomlins, Law Dict., s.v. Conviction, The process of these summary convictions is extremely speedy.
1845. McCulloch, Taxation, II. vi. (1852), 240. In cases of summary jurisdiction, or those adjudged by the commissioners and justices, there is little or no delay and little or no expense.
1861. Ld. Brougham, Brit. Const., xv. 220. A member arrested for dept was liberated by a summary application to the Crown.
1867. Chamb. Encycl., IX. 206/1. Summary Diligence, in the practice of the law of Scotland, means issuing execution without the formality of an action.
1877–81. Voyle & Stevenson, Milit. Dict., Suppl. s.v., When a person subject to military law and being on active service with any body of force is charged with an offence, a summary court-martial may be convened, and shall have jurisdiction to try such offence.
3. Performed or effected by a short method; done without delay. (Cf. SUMMARILY 3, which is earlier.)
1713. Swift, Cadenus & Vanessa, Wks. 1841, I. 681/2. The judge … Directed them to mind their brief; Nor spend their time to show their reading: She’d have a summary proceeding.
1771. Junius Lett., lxiv. (1788), 336. The mode of trial … and kind of evidence necessary to convict … are … too summary.
1775. Sheridan, Rivals, III. i. He has too summary a method of proceeding in these matters.
1833. Ht. Martineau, Loom & Lugger, I. iii. 34. It put into their heads the idea of summary vengeance.
1844. Dickens, Mart. Chuz., xiii. He cleared the table by the summary process of tilting everything upon it into the fire-place.
1874. Green, Short Hist., viii. § 2 (1882), 476. The new weapon was put to a summary use.
† 4. Consisting of or relating to a mathematical sum or summation. (Cf. SUMMATORY.) Obs. rare.
1588. Kyd, Househ. Philos., Wks. (1901), 280. Materiall number is a summarie collection of things numbred.
1805. James, Milit. Dict. (ed. 2), Summary arithmetic, the art of finding the flowing from the fluxion.
† b. transf. Cumulative. Obs. rare.
1816. Accum, Chem. Tests (1818), 55. The united effects produced by the summary action of several tests.
† 5. Highest; supreme. Obs. rare.
1587. Greene, Euphues his Censure, Wks. (Grosart), VI. 203. Sith Nestor … had … attayned to the summary perfection of wisedome.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., I. i. § 3. Hee doth insinuate that the supreame or summarie law of Nature … is not possible to be found out by Man. Ibid., I. vi. § 6. The two summarye parts of knowledge.
1733. P. Shaw, trans. Bacon’s De Sap. Vet., I. ix. Expl., Philos. Wks. I. 569. There is one summary or capital Law in which Nature meets, subordinate to God.
