ofseek 
ofseekt, < t. [ME. ofscken, ofsechen, seek out, 
approach, attack, < of- + seken, seek: see seek.] 
To seek out; approach; attack. 
Nother clerk nor kuijt nor of cuntre cherle 
Schal passe vnperceyued and pertiliche of-sougt. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1676. 
of-send+, <. /. [ME. ofsenden, < AS. ofsendan, 
send for, < of- + sendan, send: see send.] To 
send for. 
(He] swithe lett of-sende alle his segges [men] nobul, 
After alle the lordes of that lond the lasse & the more. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 6293. 
ofservet, * [ME. ofserven, var., with prefix of- 
fer de-, of deserven, deserve : see deserve.] To 
deserve. Ancren Biwle, p. 238. 
of-sett, v. t. [ME. ofsetten, < AS. ofsettan, press 
hard, beset, < of- + settan, set: see set 1 .] To 
beset; besiege. 
Thus was the citie of-sett & siththen so wonne. 
Alisaunder of Macedoine (E. E. T. S.), 1. 308. 
oft (6ft), adv. [< ME. oft, ofte, < AS. oft = OS. 
oft, of to = OFries. ofta, ofte = OHG. of to, MHG. 
ofte, Gr. oft = Icel. oft, opt, ott = Sw. ofta = 
Dan. ofte = Goth, vfta, oft, frequently; prob. 
orig. a case-form of an adj. akin to Gr. turarof, 
highest, a superl. form connected with compar. 
formin-fp, prep., = E. over: see over. Hence the 
later form often.] Many times; many a time; 
frequently; often. [Now chiefly poetical.] 
A hathel in thy holde, as I haf herde ofte, 
That hatz the gostes of God that gyes alle sothes. 
Alliterative Poems (ed. Morris), ii. 1598. 
I schrewe myself, both blood and bones, 
If thou blgile me any after than ones. 
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale, 1. 608. 
Three times he smiles, 
And sighs again, and her as oft beguiles. 
J. Beaumont, Psyche, ii. 38. 
Their pastime or recreation is prayers, their exercise 
drinking, yet herein so religiously addicted that they 
serue God oftest when they are drunke. 
Bp. Earle, Miero-cosmographie, Singing Men. 
Full oft thy lips would say 'twixt kiss and kiss 
That all of bliss was not enough of bliss 
My loveliness and kindness to reward. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, II. 15. 
oft (6ft), a. [< oft, adv.] Frequent; repeated. 
[Now poetical.] 
The swain that told thee of their oft converse. 
Greene, Orlando Furioso. 
Till oft converse with heavenly habitants 
Begin to cast a beam on the outward shape. 
Milton, Comus, 1. 459. 
of-taket, v. t. [ME. oftaken; < of- + take.] 1. 
To overtake. 
Themperours men manly made the chace, 
& slowen [slew] doun bi eche side wham thei oftaJte mist. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), L 1275. 
2. Same as offtake. See the quotation there. 
often (o'fn), adv. [< ME. often, usually and orig. 
oft, ofte, the irreg. addition -en being due in part 
to the natural expansion of ofte in the com- 
pounds ofte-time, ofte-sithe, ofte-sithes, in which 
the first element took on an adj. semblance, 
with the quasi-adj. term, -en, as in often-times, 
often-sithes, etc. The addition may also have 
been due in part to association with the op- 
posite seldom, formerly also seldon, in which, 
4094 
The jolly wassal walks the often round. 
B. Jonson, The Forest, ni. 
Mithridates by often use, which Pliny wonders at, was 
able to drink poison. Burton, Auat. of Mel., p. 146. 
Wrench'd or broken limb an often chance 
In those brain-Btuimiug shocks, and tourney-falls. 
Tennyson, Gareth and Lynette. 
often-bearing (6'fn-bar"ing), a. In bot., pro- 
ducing fruit more than twice in one season. 
Henslow. 
oftenness (6'fn-nes), n. Frequency. 
Degrees of well doing there could be none, except per- 
haps in the seldomnesse and oftenesse of doing well. 
Hooker, Eccles. Polity, i. 8. 
oftensithest, adv. [Also oftensithe ; < ME. * often- 
sithes, oftesithes, < ofte, oft, often, + sithe?, 
time.] Oftentimes; often. 
Upon Grisild, this poure creature, 
Ful ofte sithe the markys sette his ye. 
Chaucer, Clerk's Tale, 1. 177. 
For thou and other that leve your thyng, 
ogham 
Ogee (6-je'), . [Also written G, as if de- 
scriptive of the double curve (so S is used to 
denote another double curve, and L, T, Y, etc., 
are used to denote architectural or mechani- 
cal forms resembling those letters), but held 
by some to be a corruption of ogive, a pointed 
ar ch a sense, however, totally opposed to that 
of ogee.] 1. A double or reverse curve formed 
by the union of a convex and a concave line. 
2. In arch., etc., a molding the section of which 
presents such a double-curved line; a cyma. 
Ff. v. 48, f. 48. (Hattiwell.) 
For whom I sighed have so often sithe. 
Gascoigne, Works (1587). (Nares.) 
oftentidet, adv. [ME. oftentide, oftetide, < ofte, 
oft, often, + tide.] Oftentimes ; often. 
Boste & deignouse pride & ille avisement 
Mishapnes oftentide, dos many be schent. 
Rob. of Brwme, p. 289. 
oftentimes (6'fn-timz), adv. [Also oftentime; 
< ME. oftentyme, oftyntymes, earlier oftetime: 
see ofttimes.] Ofttimes; frequently; many 
times; often. 
In that Valey is a Chirche of 40 Martyres ; and there 
singen the Monkes of the 
Ogee Moldings. 
i. Early English period, z. Decorated period. 3. Perpendicular 
period. 
In medieval architecture moldings of this kind assumed 
characteristically different forms at different periods. 
Ogee is frequently used attributively. See cuts under 
cyma and roof. 
3. In artillery, such a molding formerly used 
for ornament on guns, 
mortars, and howitzers. 
Ogee arch, a form of arch 
common in late medieval 
architecture, with doubly 
curved sides, the lower part 
of each side being concave 
and the part toward the apex 
convex. Ogee roof, a roof 
of which the outline ia i an ogee Arch. 
Reversed ogee, in arch., the cyma reversa molding. 
Ogeechee lime. See limes. 
-- - ),. i 
Whannewelayin thysyle, o 
It is oftentimes the Method of God Almighty himself to 
be long both in his Rewards and Punishments. 
HoweU, Letters, I. v. lo. 
Fickle fortune oftentimes 
Befriends the am^l 
of-thinkt, r. t. [ME. ofthinken, ofthynken, < AS. 
oftliyncan, ofthincan (pret. ofthuhte), cause re- 
gret or sorrow, cause displeasure, < of- + thyn- 
can, seem: see think"*.] To cause regret or sor- 
row: used impersonally with object dative of 
person ; be sorry for ; repent. 
Rymenhild hit migte of-thinke. 
King Horn (E. E. T. S.), 1. 972. 
Yet me of-thynketh [var. mathynketh] that this avaunt me 
asterte. Chaucer, Troilus, 1. 1050. 
ofttimes (oft'timz), adv. [< ME. oft tyme, ofte 
time; < oft + time 1 . Cf. oftentimes.] Fre- 
quently; often. 
He did incline to sadnesse, and oft-times 
Not knowing why. Shak., Cymbeline, i. 6. 62. 
The Spectator oft-times sees more than the Gamester. 
Howell, Letters, ii. 15. 
The Death of a King causeth oft-times many dangerous 
Alterations. Milton, Free Commonwealth. 
The pathway was here so dark that oft-times, when he 
lifted up his foot to set forward, he knew not where or 
upon what he should set it next. 
Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress, p. 132. 
Q-. See ogee. 
ing or growling of a dog ; a grumbling or snarl- 
ing. Bp. Montagu. 
ogham. Ogam (og'am), n. [< Olr. ogam, ogum, 
mod. Ir. ogham = Gael, oidheam, a line or 
character of an ancient Celtic alphabet, the 
alphabet itself, a writing, literature, a dialect 
so called ; traditionally ascribed to a mythical 
inventor named Ogma, whose name is reflected 
in the W. ofydd (> E. ovate?), a man of letters or 
science, philosopher, and in the Gr. "Oyuiof, the 
name, according to Lucian, of a deity of the 
Gauls, represented as an old man who drew after 
him a crowd of followers by means of chains 
connecting their ears with the tip of his tongue, 
i. e. by power of speech: prob. (Rhys) orig. = 
Gr. 6-yftof, a straight line, a row, path, furrow, 
swath, wrinkle, etc., = Skt. ajma, course, road, 
also ajman (= L. agmen, a train, army, multi- 
tude: see agmen), <-\fag = Gr. ayuv = L. agere, 
drive, lead, draw: see act, agent, etc.] 1. A 
character belonging to an alphabet of 20 letters 
used by the ancient Irish and some other Celts in 
the British islands. An ogham consists of a straight 
line or a group of straight lines drawn at right angles to 
a single long stem or main line of writing, and either con- 
not rarely : sam 
(, and now the usual form. 
A Sergeant of Lawe, war and wys. 
That often hadde ben at the parvys, 
Ther was also, ful riche of excellence. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 310. 
You have sworn often 
That you dare credit me, and allow'd me wise, 
Although a woman. Fletcher, Double Marriage, i. 1. 
All your Friends here in Court and City are well, and 
often mindful of you, with a world of good Wishes. 
Howell, Letters, I. vi. 33. 
The Moors, in their blind fury, often assailed the most 
difficult and dangerous places. Irving, Granada, p. 43. 
=Syn. Often, Frequently. Where these words differ, often 
is the simpler and stronger, and expresses the more regular 
recurrence : as, I often take that path and frequently meet 
him on the way. 
Mountains on whose barren breast 
The labouring clouds do often rest, 
Milton, L'AUegro, 1. 74. 
Sarcasm as a motive in Horace is not so common as we 
would have it ; frequently, where it does become the mo- 
tive, there is no intention to hurt or to be personal. 
Amer. Jour. PhUol., VII. 282.' 
often (o'fn), a. [< often, adv.] Frequent ; re- 
peated. 
^ Commonly the first attempt in any arte or engine ar- 
tinciall is amendable, <fe in time by often experiences re- 
formed. Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 47. 
Ogam, Ogamic. See ogham, oghamic. 
ogdoad (og'do-ad), n. [< LL. ogdoas (ogdoad-), 
< Gr. bySoaf (by6oa8-), the number eight, < bnrl> 
= E. eight : see octave.] 1 . A thing made up of 
eight parts, as a poem of eight lines, a body of 
eight persons, or the like. 2. In Gnosticism: 
(a) In the system of Basilides (see Basilidian- 
ism), a group of eight divine beings, namely the 
supreme god and the seven most direct emana- 
tions from him ; according to another authority, 
the ethereal region where the great archon sits 
at the right hand of his father. 
It [the first sonship] embraces the seven highest genii, 
which in union with the great Father form the first og- 
doad, the type of all the lower circles of creation. 
Schaff, Hist. Christ Church, II. 124. 
(6) In the system of Valentinus, a group of 
eight divine beings called eons. The ogdoad, with 
the addition of the decad and the dodecad, makes up the 
sum of thirty eons called the pleroma. 
ogdoastich (og'do-a-stik), n. [Formerly also 
ogdoastiqne; < Gr. "oydodf, the number eight, + 
arlxof, a line, verse.] A poem of eight lines; 
an octastich. [Rare.] 
It will not be much out of the byas to insert (in this 
Ogdoastique) a few verses of the Latine which was spoken 
in that age. Howell, Forraine Travel!, p. 54. 
Ogham Inscription, from a stone found near Ennis, Ireland. 
fined to the one or to the other side of this stem or inter- 
secting it. Some of the lines make an acute angle with 
the stem. Curves rarely occur. The oghams were cut or 
carved on wood or stone, and some have come down to 
us in manuscripts. In lapidary oghamic inscriptions the 
edge of the stone often served as the main stem. Oghams 
continued to be used till the ninth or tenth century in 
Ireland as secret characters. 
2. An inscription consisting of such characters. 
Here he cut four wands of yew, and wrote or cut an 
Ogam in them ; and it was revealed to him, "through his 
keys of science and his ogam," that the queen Edain was 
concealed in the palace of the fairy chief, Midlr. 
O'Curry, Ancient Irish, I. Ix. 
3. The system of writing which consisted of 
such characters. 
There is, however, a notion that the Ogam was essential- 
ly pagan, but in reality it was no more so than the Roman 
alphabet. J. Rhys, Lect. on Welsh Philology, p. 353. 
The Ogham writing, as I have elsewhere shown, was 
simply an adaptation of the runes to xylographic conve- 
nience, notches cut with a knife on the edge of a squared 
staff being substituted for the ordinary runes. 
Isaac Taylor, The Alphabet, II. 225. 
4. See the quotation. 
The ancient Irish also used an obscure mode of speak- 
ing, which was likewise called ogham. 
ff Donovan, Gram, of Irish Lang., Int., p. xlviii. 
