[f. TOWER v. + -ING2.] That towers, in various senses.
1. Rising to a height; standing high; lofty.
1638. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (ed. 2), 193. A spatious Garden, succinct with a great Towring wall of mud.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Past., VII. 91. The towring Ash is fairest in the Woods.
c. 1743. Francis, trans. Hor., Sec. Poem, 46. The cypress, when by storms impell’d,… Low bends the towering head.
1793. Statist. Acc. Scotl., VII. 501. The hills are steep and towering.
1833. L. Ritchie, Wand. by Loire, 21. The girls … with their towering caps of the snowiest muslin.
1859. J. R. Green, Lett., I. (1901), 32–3. My eye wanders along a wilderness of pinnacles which mark the site of the schools to the towering dome of the Radcliffe.
b. Of lofty stature; very tall.
1756. Johnson, K. of Prussia, Wks. IV. 532. To review this towering regiment was his daily pleasure.
1835. Lytton, Rienzi, I. iii. The towering form of the smith.
1894. Hall Caine, Manxman, III. xii. Kate saw him come, a towering dark figure between her and the door.
2. Rising high in flight, as a bird, etc. Also fig.
1598. Meres, Pallad. Tamia, II. 285 b. Yong Charles FitzIeffrey, that high touring Falcon, bath … penned the honourable life and death of worthy sir Francis Drake.
1598. Drayton, Heroic. Ep., xix. 179. Vnder thy towring blade haue coucht in fight.
c. 1673. Roxb. Ball. (1887), VI. 271. Where towering Larks do soar on high, In consort, making Melody.
1709. Prior, To C. Montague, vi. Our Hopes, like tow’ring Falcons, aim At Objects in an airy height.
1765. R. Jones, Fireworks, iv. 128. One rocket on the top of another When … thus managed, they are called towering rockets.
1892. Greener, Breech-Loader, 228. If beaters or keepers are not occupied in picking up, and can look after wounded and towering birds.
3. Rising to a height (fig.); exalted; aiming high; ambitious.
1663. Bp. Patrick, Parab. Pilgr., v. (1687), 18. Others … teach me to fly aloft in towring speculations.
1702. Eng. Theophrast., 4. Nothing less than the writing of a Play can satisfie his towring Ambition.
1781. Cowper, Charity, 536. A bold remark, but which, if well applied, Would humble many a towering poet’s pride.
1840. Thirlwall, Greece, VII. lvi. 179. A man … of towering ambition.
1894. J. Knight, Garrick, iv. 59. No man of towering ability was on the stage.
4. Rising to a high pitch of violence or intensity.
1602. Shaks., Ham., V. ii. 80. The brauery of his griefe did put me Into a Towring passion.
1818. Scott, Rob Roy, xviii. I was in a towering passion.
1848. Dickens, Dombey, liv. The towering fury and intense abhorrence.
1877. Black, Green Past., xxxiii. He came down in a towering rage.
Hence Toweringly adv., in a towering manner.
1822. E. Irving, Lett., in Oliphant, Life (1862), I. vi. 135. I should rise toweringly aloft into the regions of a very noble and sublime character.
1830. Fraser’s Mag., I. 38. Tall palm-trees, that on the plain stood toweringly.
1885. G. Meredith, Diana of Crossways, xiii. The Hercules of dogs … toweringly.
