Forms: 4–6 trespas, -pace, -passe, (4–5 trispas, 6 treaspas), 6– trespass. β. 4–6 trepasse, 6 -pase. [f. TRESPASS sb.; or a. OF. trespasser to pass beyond or across, mod.F. trépasser to pass away, die, Pr. tras-, tres-, trapassar, Sp. traspasar, It. trapassare, med.L. transpassare to pass beyond, f. L. trans beyond (F. très) + passare, etc. to PASS. (The chief sense in Eng. attaches itself rather to the Eng. sb. than to the Fr. verb.)]
1. intr. To commit a transgression or offence; to transgress, offend; to sin. Also fig.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 4250. He … Þat may, and wyl nat, here hys messe,… he trespasyþ more yn þe lay.
13[?]. Seuyn Sag. (W.), 3921. I trispast namare than did he.
1382. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 514. Summe prelatis þat trespaceden.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), V. 153. He had i-trespassed.
c. 1430. Syr Tryam., 1062. Yf he had trespaste oght.
1591. Spenser, Virg. Gnat, 365. Not vnto him that neuer hath trespast, But punishment is due to the offender.
1797. Mrs. Radcliffe, Italian, ix. Father Schedoni would be the last among us so to trespass.
1805. Wordsw., Waggoner, I. 112. I trespassed lately worse than ever.
β. c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 98 (Add. MS.). Ȝif þat þe blode trepasse [Ashm. MS. trespace] onlye in qualyte, amende hym.
b. Const. against († to, unto, for).
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 1217. Þou hast trespast apertly Aȝens þys comaundment so hy.
a. 1366[?]. Chaucer, Rom. Rose, 1036. Who so durste to hir trespace, Or til hir folk, in werk or dede.
c. 1380. Antecrist, in Todd, 3 Treat. Wyclif (1851), 135. He preied forȝyveness of his Fadre for hem þat trespassedd for hym.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Melib., ¶ 911. Ye haue mysborn yow and trespassed vn-to me.
1426. Paston Lett., I. 26. I have nought trespassed ageyn noon of these iij.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 168. To forgyue them that haue trespaced to the.
1770. Burke, Pres. Discont., Wks. II. 341. He trespasses against his duty who sleeps upon his watch.
1845. M. Pattison, Ess. (1889), I. 22. He would not … trespass against the law and the canons.
† 2. trans. with the matter of the trespass as object: To do (something wrong); to commit. Obs.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XI. 553. For he thoucht that he suld amend that he trespassit had.
14[?]. Eng. Fragm. Med. Service-Bks., 8. To forȝeue alle maner of men and women þat þey haue trespased to the. Ibid., 9. Alle þe sennes that i haue trespased aȝens the wilful passioun of oure lord.
1542. Udall, Erasm. Apoph., 229 b. The offense euen of it self was hainous & besides that, trespaced in the emperours owne doughter.
1591. Spenser, Virg. Gnat, 448. The faults which life hath trespassed.
1631. May, trans. Barclay’s Mirr. Mindes, I. 25. It begins to censure with much rigour, the trespassed errours of the same.
† 3. a. To transgress, violate (a law, etc.) Obs. [So in OFr.]
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, d vij b. She had trespaced his commaundement.
a. 1536. Tindale, Pathway, Wks. (1573), 385/2. To punish vs if we trespasse the law and good order.
1613. Daniel, Hist. Eng., I. (1650), 223. I must not so much trespasse Vertue, as to overpasse one memorable particular.
β. 1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. ccxxxiii. 323. These lordes and knightes … durst nat trepase the popes commaundement.
† b. To offend against, wrong, violale (a person). Obs.
1427. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 294. If ony man shal trespasse or ly by ony nurishe or apprentise.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. cclxxx. 420. They had greatly trespassed the prince, wherof than they repented them, but than they coulde not remedy it.
1526. Tindale, Matt. vi. 12. And forgeve vs oure treaspases, even as we forgeve them which treaspas vs.
1556. J. Heywood, Spider & F., xix. 7. At the least thou hast trespassed me.
4. Law. intr. To commit a trespass (see TRESPASS sb. 2); spec. to enter unlawfully on the land of another, or on that which is the property or right of another. Const. on, upon.
c. 1455. Forest Lawis, c. 21, in Acts Parl. Scot. (1844), I. 692. Item gif a fre man hapyn to trespas [orig. delinquat] in þe forest of ony baroun to quham þe king be fre charter has granted a forest … All þat is fundin with him trespassand in þe forest.
1590, 1651. [implied in TRESPASSER 2; cf. also sense 5].
a. 1718. Prior, Epitaph, 20. Each Virtue kept it’s proper Bound, Nor Trespass’d on the other’s Ground.
1755. Johnson, Trespass, 2. to enter unlawfully on another’s ground.
1843. Prescott, Mexico (1850), I. vi. 160. The lad answered, ‘It was the king’s wood, and he would punish him with death if he trespassed there.’
1844. in Ashbee, Last Rec. Cotswold Commun. (1904), 37. Pd. Wm. Hands for … preventing Cattle from Trespassing on the Corn 4 weeks. 4 s.
1858. Lytton, What will He do? III. viii. I trust we are not trespassing.
1880. Chambers’ Encycl., IX. 535/1. If he is … trespassing with intent to catch or kill game, he may in some cases be apprehended and given into custody…. If … A.’s cattle trespass on B’s land, B can impound them.
fig. 1818. Keats, Endymion, IV. 870. No pearl Will trespass down these cheeks.
5. intr. fig. with on or upon: To make an improper or uninvited inroad on (a person’s time, attention, patience, etc.); to intrude on or upon the rights or domain of; to encroach on, infringe.
1652. Urquhart, Jewel, 274. I am afraid that I have trespassed a little upon the patience of the Reader.
1663. Flagellum or O. Cromwell (ed. 2), 5. Herein he trespassed upon that respect and lenity due and usual to Children of his Birth and quality.
1724. De Foe, Mem. Cavalier (1840), 231. We made bold … to trespass upon the country for a few horses.
1803. Med. Jrnl., IX. 53. Fearing that I have already trespassed on the limits of your Journal.
a. 1881. A. Barratt, Phys. Metempiric (1883), 206. Science is on those occasions trespassing on Metempiric, and is talking about things of which it cannot possibly know anything.
† 6. intr. (in form trepass.) To pass beyond this life; to die. Also trans. in to trepass this life. Trepassed, deceased. (The only sense in which this vb. is preserved in mod.F.) Obs. rare.
14[?]. [implied in TRESPASSEMENT].
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. xx. 29. As soone as I am trepassed out of this worlde. Ibid. Soone after thys, noble Robert de Bruse, Kyng of Scotland, trepassed out of this vncertayne worlde. Ibid., ccxxix. 305. To gyue ayde and helpe, and to recomforte his cosyn, the wyfe of therle Charles trepassed. Ibid. (a. 1533), Huon, vii. 17. It is .vii. yere syns he trepasyd thys lyfe.
Hence Trespassed, Trespassing ppl. adjs.
1631. Trespassed [see sense 2].
1731–3. Tull, Horse-Hoeing Husb., xix. 277. A very good Crop (except part of it, which being eaten by the trespassing Sheep … was somewhat blighted).
1788. D. Gilson, Serm. Pract. Subj., xiv. (1807), 265. One trespassing Egyptian might thrust him away.
1824. G. C. Renouard, Ceylon, in Encycl. Metrop. (1845), XVI. 445/2. As all trespassing beasts are forfeited, the poor natives who live in the neighbourhood of plantations, are often deterred from rearing cattle.
