obtestation, n.
Forms:
15 obtestacion, 15– obtestation. (Show Less)
Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French obtestation; Latin obtestātiōn-, obtestātiō.
Etymology: < Middle French, French †obtestation (14th cent.) or its etymon classical Latin obtestātiōn-, obtestātiō the action of calling upon, solemn invocation, the action of beseeching or imploring, earnest entreaty < obtestāt- , past participial stem of obtestārī obtest v. + -iō -ion suffix1.
Now rare.
†1. The action of calling upon or appealing to a person; solemn adjuration, entreaty, or supplication; an instance of this. Obs.
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour ii. xii. sig. Tiv
With whiche wordes, obtestations, and teares,..Titus constrayned..brought furthe with great difficultie his wordes in this wyse.
1585 Abp. E. Sandys Serm. v. 78
The Apostle..with a most vehement spirit, and most earnest obtestation, doeth here exhort the Philippians.
1652 Ld. Wariston Diary
(1919)
II. 181
The Lord was graciously pleased..to move my heart to teares that I was scarce able to reade out our obtestation of them.
a1677 T. Manton Serm. 2 Thess. i, in Wks.
(1871)
III. 5
By way of adjuration or obtestation.
1705 G. Stanhope Paraphr. Epist. & Gospels II. 107
Observe..their doleful Accents and Obtestations and..learn..at once to beg, and how to beg a Pardon.
1714 in Jrnl. Higher Educ. 47
(1976)
655
The President..after..solemn obtestation of Expulsion against the said Moody and Gray, Order'd their Names to be rent of the Tables, and them to depart the Hall.
1856 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire V. xlvii. 366
The gaolers..consigned [them], in spite of their cries and obtestations, to the hands of the executioner.
1892 R. L. Stevenson & L. Osbourne Wrecker xxiv. 394
His horrid fluency of obtestation, made the murder tenfold more revolting.
1531—1892(Hide quotations)
2. The action of calling God (heaven, etc.) to witness; protestation; an instance of this; an oath.
a1555 N. Ridley Wks.
(1843)
84
Note what a solemn obtestation God useth.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xix. 177
By way of..obtestation or taking God and the world to witnes.
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. iv. 261
That Form of Obtestation..by Jupiter and the Gods.
1819 Scott Drama in Encycl. Brit.: Suppl. 4th–6th Eds. III. ii. 633/1
Frequent prayers and obtestations of the deity.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. i. viii. 58
They made oath and obtestation to stand faithfully by one another.
1967 Stud. in Renaissance 14 104
There is little obtestation in the Utopia. Two notable examples both appear in Hythlodaeus' peroration.
a1555—1967(Hide quotations)