present 
present' 2 (pre-zenf), r. [< ME. prtsenten, < OF. 
in't-senter, F. presenter = Sp. presentar = Pg. 
presentear = It. presentare, < L. pnenentare, 
place before, show (lit. make present), exhibit, 
present, ML. also give, < prsesen(t-)s, ppr. of 
revenue , be at hand: see present 1 .} I. trans. 
To bring or introduce into the presence of 
some one, especially of a superior ; recommend 
fur acquaintance; make known: as, to present 
an envoy to the king; with a reflexive pro- 
noun, to come into the presence of any one. 
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to pre- 
> //' themselves before the Lord. Job 1. tt. 
Let ' present him to the duke, Uke a Roman conqueror. 
Shale., As you Like it, iv. >. S. 
Ma'am, I'm an enthusiastic admirer of Darrell. You say 
he Is a connection of yours '.' Present me to him. 
Bulteer, What will he Do with it? 
2. To show; exhibit; demonstrate; reveal. 
She went in perill, of each noyse afleard, 
And of each shade that did it selfe present. 
Spenser, F. y., III. vil. 19. 
Justly to your grave ears I'll present 
How I did thrive in this fair lady's love. 
Shale., Othello, I. 3. 124. 
An exceedingly rich needle worke, interlaced very curi- 
ously with abundance of gold and silver, that presents a 
very goodly picture of Moyses. Coryat, Crudities, I. lit). 
It is a degree towards the life of angels when we enjoy 
conversation wherein there is nothing presented but in Its 
excellence. Steele, Spectator, No. 100. 
3. To bring or lay before one for acceptance; 
offer as a gift, generally with formality ; make 
an offer or expression of; hence, to bestow; 
give : as, to present a ring or a book to a friend ; 
to present one's compliments. 
Now goo, Sygrem, as fast as ye may ipede, 
To Auferius \a present hym this stede. 
Gtnerydes (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 238-1. 
I pray present my most humble Service to my good Lady. 
HoteeU, Letters, I. v. 18. 
Eight jousts had been, and still 
Had Lancelot won the diamond of the year, 
With purpose to pretent them to the Queen 
When all were won. Tennyson, Lancelot and Elaine. 
4. To approach witli a gift or offering; give a 
present to ; bestow a gift upon. 
The Kyngdom of Cathay marchethe toward the West 
unto the Kyngdom of Tharse; the whiche was on of the 
Kinges that cam to presente our Lord in Betheleem. 
Mattdecille, Travels, p. 255. 
As matching to his youth and vanity, 
I did preset him with the Paris balls. 
Shot., Hen. V., II. 4. 131. 
The skill Is to be generous and seem not to know It of 
yourself, 'tis done with so much ease ; but a liberal block- 
head presents his mistress as he'd give an alms. 
Stefle, Lying Lover, i. 1. 
5. To hand over ceremoniously; give in charge 
or possession, as for use or service. 
So ladies in romance assist their knight, 
I'resent the spear, and arm him for the right. 
Pope, R. of the I., ill. 130. 
6. Kecles., to offer or recommend to the bishop 
or ordinary as a candidate for institution. See 
presentation*, 5. 
Any clerk may be presented to a parsonage or vicarage : 
that Is, the patron to whom the advowson of the church 
belongs may offer his clerk to the bishop of the diocese 
to be instituted. Black ttone, Com., I. xi. 
7. To nominate for support at a public school 
or other institution. 
L's governor (BO we called the patron who presented us 
to the foundation) lived in a manner under his paternal 
roof. Lamb, Christ's Hospital Five-nd-Thirty Years Ago. 
8f. To proffer; offer openly. 
He ... presented battle to the French navy, which they 
refused. Sir J. Hay ward. 
9. To lay before a judge, magistrate, or gov- 
erning body for action or consideration; sub- 
mit, as a petition, remonstrance, etc., for de- 
cision or settlement to the proper authorities. 
That one talent which is death to hide 
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent 
To serve therewith my Maker, and present 
My true account Milton, Sonnets, xiv. 
10. To accuse to the authorities; bring a charge 
against before those having authority to act 
upon it ; lay before a court of judicature, as an 
object of inquiry; give notice of officially, as 
for a crime or offense. 
You would present her at the leet, 
Because she brought stone jugs and no seal'd quarts. 
Shot., T. of the s., Ind., II. 89. 
Komanus keeps his monthly residence 
At church, although against his conscience ; 
He would refraine (because he doth abhor It) 
But that he feares to Represented for it 
Times' Whistle (E. E. T. S.X p. 102. 
Being presented for this, and enjoined to suffer the child 
to be baptised, he still refusing, and disturbing the church, 
he was again brought to the court. 
Winthrop, Hist. New England, II. 213. 
4703 
Persons who dredge or fish for oysters, not being free of 
the fishery, are called cable-hangers |at Rochester), and 
are presented and punished by the court 
Difoe, Tour through Great Britain, I. 150. 
11. To direct; point; level; aim. as a weapon 
or firearm : as, to present a loaded pistol. 
According to Virgil, the Roman youth presented their 
lanuea towards their opponents in a menacing position. 
StrvU, Sports and Pastimes, p. 199. 
12f. To represent; personate; act. 
You, constable, are to present the prince's own person. 
Shot., Much Ado, ill. 3. 79. 
By sitting on the stage, you may, with small cost, . . . 
at any time know what particular part any of the infants 
present. Delcker, Hull's Hornbook, p. 141. 
To present annsOniM.). to bring the piece to a perpen- 
dicular position in front of the body, as in saluting a supe- 
rior officer. = 8yn. 3. Bestow, Grant, etc. Sec '. 
II. mi i-<i us. To make a presentation, particu- 
larly to an ecclesiastical office. 
If . . . the true patron once waives this privilege of do- 
nation, and presents to the bishop, and his clerk Is admit- 
ted and instituted, the advowson is now become forever 
preseutative. Blackstonc, Com., II. ill. 
present 2 (prez'ent), n. [< ME. present, < OF. 
present, F. present = Sp. Pg. It.presente, a gift, 
present ; from the verb.] 1 . A thing presented 
or given ; a gift. 
So thanne ben thepreseida of grettere plesance to him, 
and more benygnely he wll resceyven hem, than though 
he were presented with an lot) or 200. 
ManderiUc, Travels, p. 228. 
And for the! were so high astates and men of grete puys- 
saunce, he made hem riche presenter, and yaf hem grete 
yeftes and riche. Merlin (E. E. T. S.\ L 108. 
His dog, . . . to-morrow, by his master's command, he 
must carry for a present to his lady. 
Shak., T. G. of V., Iv. 2. to. 
He told me I could not go to the pasha without making 
considerable presents of cloth, both to him and his Kiafa. 
Pococke, Description of the East, II. I. 127. 
I can make no marriage present: 
Little can I give my wife. 
Tennyson, Lord of Burleigh. 
2 (pre-zenf). [An elliptical use of the verb.] 
Milit., the position from which a rifle or musket 
is fired. 
" Who are you ? " said she, with the musket ready for the 
present. Marryat, 1'rivatcersman, xvll. 
= Syn. 1. Present, Gift, Donation, Gratuity, Largess, Grant. 
The difference between present and yi/f is felt in the fact 
that one may be willing to accept as A present that which 
he would not be willing to accept as a gift: a gift, is to 
help the one receiving It ; a present docs him honor, or ex- 
presses friendly feeling toward him. A present is there- 
fore ordinarily to an individual : but in law yift is used, 
to the exclusion of present, :is including all transfers of 
property without consideration and for the benefit of the 
donee. A donation is of considerable value, and generally 
made to some public institution : as, a donation of lKM>ks 
to a public library. Gratuity emphasizes the fact that the 
receiver has no legal claim to the gift; ft is a gift to an in- 
ferior, as a fee to a servant, and generally a small sum : 
as, a self-respecting man will not expect a gratuity for 
every little service. Largess is an old word, representing 
a gift from a superior, especially one high in authority, 
generally shared by a considerable number. A grant is 
rarely the act of a private individual, but rather of a sov- 
ereign, legislature, or corporation : as, a grunt of land to 
a company. 
presentability (pre-zen-ta-bil'i-ti), n. [< pre- 
sentable + -ity (see -bility).] The state or qual- 
ity of being presentable. 
People perversely wore their old boots, which had long 
passed the season of presentability. 
Pop. Sd. Mo., XXXin. 447. 
presentable (pre-zen'ta-bl), a. [< present'* + 
-able.'} 1. Capable of "being presented; quali- 
fied or suitable for presentation, (a) Ready or 
suitable for introduction toothers or into society; hence, 
in proper trim ; fit to be seen. 
Mrs. Lovell was Informed that the baronet had been ad- 
dressing his son, who was fresh from Paris, and not, In his 
own modest opinion, presentable before a lady. 
'.. Meredith, Rhoda Fleming, xxxii. 
(6) Capable of being offered for perception or understand- 
ing ; capable of being made known : as, an idea present- 
able only in language. 
If a key fits a lock, or a glove a hand, the relation of the 
things to one another is presentable to the perceptions. 
//. Spencer, Nineteenth Century, XIX. 750. 
(c) Suitable for being offered as a gift 
2. Eceles. : (a) Capable of being presented to a 
church living: as, a presentable clerk. (6) Ca- 
pable of receiving the presentation of a clerk : 
as, " churches jinxt utiible," Ayliffe, Parergon. 
By the dissolution of religious houses, all appropriations 
had been prenentable like other churches, if the statute of 
dissolution had not given them to the king. 
Spelman, On Tythes, xxix. 2. 
presental (pre-zen'tal), n. [< present- + -al] 
Same ;is pMMHtMM. [Rare.] 
As Illustrations of the author's presental of different sides 
of a subject, we give two extracts. 
Chicago Advance, Jan. 14, 1809. 
presentaneOU8t(prez-tMi-ta'ne-ii8),. [<L./vr- 
, momentary, that operates quickly, 
that 
see 
presentation 
< prtese*(t-)s, present: see present*.] Quick; 
prompt to act or take effect: as, "&prenenta- 
nroHs poison," Harrey. 
presentaryt, a. [ME., < L. pnettentarius, 
is at hand, ready, < prsen(t-)s, present: 
present^,] Present. 
This like Infynyt moveynge of temporel thlnges folweth 
this pretentary estat of lyf unmoevable. 
Chaucer, Boethlus, v. prose 6. 
presentation 1 (prez-en-ta'shon), n. [< OF. 
presentation, F. presentation = Sp. presentation 
= Pg. presentacflo = It. presen hizione, < LL. pree- 
sentatio(n-), a placing before, an exhibition, < 
L. prsesen tare, pp. prsesen ta tun, place before, ex- 
hibit: see present*, V.] 1. The act, especially 
the ceremonious act, of presenting a gift, prize, 
trophy, donation, or the like: as, the presenta- 
tion of a medal to a fireman; the presentation 
of a stand of colors to a regiment; the presen- 
tation of an organ to a church. 2. The act of 
presenting or offering as for recognition, ac- 
ceptance, etc. 
Prayers are sometimes a presentation of mere desires. 
Hooker, Eceles. Polity. 
After tlte presentation ot his letters of credence, it is then 
the duty of a minister, if accredited to a sovereign, to ask 
for presentation to the Queen or Empress. 
K. Schuyler, Amer. Diplomacy, p. 138. 
3. That which is presented; a gift; an offer- 
ing. [Rare.] 
Aloft on the waters, the height or top of an olive tree 
did shew itself, whereof the dove brought a presentation 
to the good old man. 
Time 's Storehouse, p. 154. (iMthatn.) 
4. A representation ; exhibition; appearance; 
show; semblance. 
I call'd thee then poor shadow, painted queen; 
'1 In presentation of but what I was. 
Shale., Rich. III., iv. 4. 84. 
These presentations of fighting on the stage are neces- 
sary to produce the effects of an heruick play. Dryden. 
5. (a) In eccU-n. law, a patron's act of offering 
to a bishop, presbytery, or other properly con- 
stituted authority a candidate for induction 
into a benefice. See patronage, 3. 
It differs fi HIM nomination in this, that, while presenta- 
tion ilgnlfles offering a clerk to the bishop for Institution, 
nomination signifies offering a clerk to the patron In or- 
der that he may be presented. Hook. 
Hence (6) The nomination by one ecclesias- 
tical authority of a candidate to be appointed 
by another. In the Protestant Episcopal Church 
the right of presentation to the bishop is lodged 
in the vestry or other parish authorities, (c) 
The right of presenting a clergyman. 
If the bishop . . . admlU the patron's presentation, the 
clerk so admitted is next to be instituted l>y him. 
Blaclfstone, Com., I. xl. 
6. In obstet., the appearance of a particular 
part of the fetus at the superior pelvic strait 
during labor. The most frequent form is vertex pres- 
entation, or presentation of the upper and back part of 
the fetal head. For each presentation there are several 
positions. See position, 10. 
7. A cognitive modification of consciousness ; 
an idea; a representation. This use of the word has 
recently been Introduced to translate the German vorstel- 
lung, the term used by Wolff to translate the Latin reprtr- 
sentalio. None of these words has ever been scientifically 
defined, and they are used, like their synonym idea, with 
vague variations of meaning. Of these, the following ap- 
pear to be type*: (a) An idea In general; any mental ob- 
ject subject to attention and association. Kant divides 
presentations (vorstellwiyen) in this sense Into unconscious 
presentations and perceptions, the latter Into sensations 
and cognitions, the latter again into intuitions and con- 
cepts, and the latter into empirical and pure concepts. 
All that variety of mental facts which we speak of as 
sensations, perceptions, Images, Intuitions, concepts, no- 
tions, have two characteristics In common : (1) they admit 
of being more or less attended to, and (2) can be repro- 
duced and associated together. It Is here proposed to 
use the term presentation to connote such a mental fact, 
and as the best English equivalent for what Locke meant 
by idea and what Kant and Herbart called a Vorstellung. 
J. Ward, Encyc. Brit, XX. 41. 
(6) A flgurate conception ; a product of the Imagination. 
The term presentation [German rmrstellung], which Hegel 
employs to name these ''picture-thoughts" or "flgurate 
conceptions," corresponds to the facts of their nature. A 
presentation is one of two things: either a particular thing 
taken under general aspect*, or aunlversal narrowed down 
to a particular thing. Thus, as It baa been seen, a general 
name expresses a universal relation or attribute, bat con- 
fines it to a particular object or class. 
Wallace, Prolegomena to Hegel's Logic, xii. 
(c) A direct percept; a presentative cognition. 
The percept Involves the Immediate assurance of the 
presence of the whole object. Hence, psychologists speak 
of percepts in their totality as prese ntatvnu. 
Sully, Psychology, vl. 
8. The process of formation of a presentation 
in sense 7. Bond of presentation, in Scots laic. See 
bond'. Feast of the Presentation, (a} Of the virgin 
Mary, a festival in the Roman Catholic and I ireek churches 
