demur
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: dĭmûrʹ
ipa: /dɪˈmɜː/
enpr: dĭmûrʹ
ipa: /dɪˈmɜɹ/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)
Forms: form: demurs
form: demurring
form: demurred
form: demurred
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: demur
form: demur
form: demurred
form: demur
form: demurrest
form: demurred
form: demurredst
form: demurs
form: demurreth
form: demurred
form: demur
form: demurred
form: demur
form: demurred
form: demur
form: -
form: demurring
form: demurred
Etymology: PIE word
 *de
From Middle English demuren (“to delay; to linger; to remain (in office); to keep, retain (?)”), from Anglo-Norman demorer and Old French demorer, demourer (“to remain, stay”) (modern French demeurer), from Vulgar Latin dēmorāre, from Latin dēmorārī, the present active infinitive of Latin dēmoror (“to delay, detain; to linger, tarry”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + moror (“to delay, detain; to hinder, impede; to linger, loiter”) (from mora (“a delay; hindrance, obstacle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to fall into thinking; to remember”), probably referring to a time for thinking) + -or (variant of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).
Senses: examples: text: I demur to that statement.
text: The personnel demurred at the management’s new scheme.
text: The Sultan […] deſiring him novv to ratifie them, and in demonſtration thereof to give his hand to the Kings Embaſſadours. The Caliph demurred hereat, as counting ſuch a geſture a diminution to his State; […]
ref: 1639, Thomas Fuller, “Sanar Imploreth the Aid of King Almerick; a Solemn Agreement Made betwixt Them, and Ratified by the Magnificent Caliph”, in The Historie of the Holy Warre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck, one of the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge [and sold by John Williams, London], →OCLC, book II, page 92:
text: My proceſs vvas alvvays very ſimple—in their younger days, 'tvvas 'Jack, do this;'—if he demur'd—I knock'd him dovvn—and if he grumbled at that—I alvvays ſent him out of the room.
ref: 1775 January 17 (first performance), [Richard Brinsley Sheridan], The Rivals, a Comedy. […], London: […] John Wilkie, […], published 1775, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 14:
text: What! thou demurrest? I tell thee I'll be his surety, and thou hast my warrant.
ref: 1876, Emelobie de Celtis [pseudonym; M. L. O’Byrne], “A Bold Enterprize—Hallinacor Retaken by Feich O’Byrne”, in The Pale and the Septs: Or, The Baron of Belgard and the Chiefs of Glenmalure. A Romance of the Sixteenth Century, volume II, Dublin: M[ichael] H[enry] Gill & Son, […], →OCLC, page 119:
text: Thou still demurrest? Read once more / The lines obnoxious to thy score, / And sure I am thou'lt find / There's not a passage in the book / Where, lesson'd thus, thou mayst not look, / Nor leave thy scrawls behind.
ref: 1878, “Postscript. In Reply to Certain Lucubrations of a Blacklead Pencil.”, in Peak Poesies, […], Manchester: […] by [Bradbury, Agnew, & Co. for] J. E. Cornish, […], →OCLC, page 147:
text: Work with my hands out of doors was the only thing I felt I could bear to-day. It wasn't the first time, I reflected, that peace has been found among cabbages. Antoine demurred, of course, but did at last consent to let me pick red currants.
ref: 1920, [Elizabeth von Arnim], “September 6th”, in In the Mountains, 1st American edition, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, page 180:
text: "I'm a fine human being — caring, supportive...." I had always thought you were supposed to wait for others to point those things out. And then you were supposed to demur.
ref: 1986 February 8, Larry Hictt, “Up-Front and Personal”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 29, page 10:
synonyms: oppose
scruple
glosses: Chiefly followed by to, and sometimes by at or on: to object or be reluctant; to balk, to take exception.
examples: text: He that demurreth in Law confeſſeth all ſuch matters of fact as are well and ſufficiently pleaded.
ref: 1628, Edw[ard] Coke, “Escuage”, in The First Part of the Institutes of the Lawes of England. […], London: […] [Adam Islip] for the Societe of Stationers, →OCLC, book 2, chapter 3, section 97, folio 72, recto:
text: The plaintiff demurred, that is to say, admitted Sir Edward [Hales]'s plea to be true in fact, but denied that it was a sufficient answer.
ref: 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter VI, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume II, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 84:
topics: law
glosses: To submit a demurrer (“motion by a party to a legal action for the immediate or summary judgment of the court on the question of whether, assuming the truth of the matter alleged by the opposite party, it is sufficient in law to sustain the action or defence, and hence whether the party bringing the motion is required to answer or proceed further”).
glosses: To endure, to last.
examples: text: The Eele is here, and in this hollow cave / You'll finde, if that our looks on it demurre, / A great wast in the bottome of his furre.
ref: 1653, Francis Rabelais [i.e., François Rabelais], translated by [Thomas Urquhart, Peter Anthony Motteux], “The Antidoted Fanfreluches: Or, A Galimatia of Extravagant Conceits Found in an Ancient Monument”, in The Works of Francis Rabelais, Doctor in Physick: Containing Five Books of the Lives, Heroick Deeds, and Sayings of Gargantua, and His Sonne Pantagruel. […], London: […] [Thomas Ratcliffe and Edward Mottershead] for Richard Baddeley, […], →OCLC; republished in volume I, London: […] Navarre Society […], [1948], →OCLC, 1st book, page 13:
glosses: To linger, to tarry.
synonyms: abide
glosses: To remain, to stay.
examples: text: [The Governor of Picardie and Chastilion of Newhaven said] there muſt be much vvaſt of time if the Engliſh ſhould lye at Guiſnes and the French at Ardes, and that the equality vvould be more, and the diſhonour to one of the ſides leſſe, if the entervievv ſhould be vpon the Frontires, then if one part ſhould be dravven into the territory of the other. Vpon this rubbe the Engliſh Embaſſadors thought fit to demurre, and ſo ſent into England to receiue directions from the Lords of the counſaile.
ref: a. 1628 (date written), John Hayward, The Life, and Raigne of King Edward the Sixt, London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press, and J. Lichfield at Oxford?] for Iohn Partridge, […], published 1630, →OCLC, page 106:
text: The doore of grace turnes upon ſmooth hinges vvide opening to ſend out, but ſoon ſhutting to recall the precious offers of mercy to a nation:[…]. This is all vve get by demurring in Gods ſervice.
ref: 1642 (indicated as 1641), John Milton, “That Those Many Sects and Schismes by Some Suppos’d to be among Us, and that Rebellion in Ireland, ought Not to be a Hindrance, but as Hastning of Reformation”, in The Reason of Church-governement Urg’d against Prelaty […], London: […] E[dward] G[riffin] for Iohn Rothwell, […], →OCLC, 1st book, page 30:
text: VVell, the VVeſt-Saxon King vvas quickly overcome, and all his Complices either killed, or conquered, and yet King Edvvine demurred to embrace Chriſtianity.
ref: 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, book II, subsection 40 (His Condition Performed, and yet He Demurres), page 72:
text: [T]he Tyrant ſent the Bull for a Preſent to Delphi; and the Delphians demurring, vvhether they ſhould accept it or no, he makes tvvo Orations in Phalaris’s Name to perſuade them to receive it: […]
ref: 1699, Richard Bentley, “A Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris”, in A Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris. With an Answer to the Objections of the Honourable Charles Boyle, Esquire, London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for Henry Mortlock […], and John Hartley […], →OCLC, page 516:
text: I aſſure you, Ma'am, you are the firſt lady vvho ever made me even demur upon this ſubject; […]
ref: 1778, [Frances Burney], “Letter XIX. Evelina to the Rev. Mr. Villars.”, in Evelina, or, A Young Lady’s Entrance into the World, volume II, London: […] T[homas] Lowndes, […], →OCLC, page 177:
glosses: To suspend judgment or proceedings because of a difficulty or doubt; to put off the conclusion or determination of a matter; to delay, to hesitate, to pause.
glosses: To have doubts; to be doubtful.
glosses: Followed by upon: to be captivated or fixated; to dwell on, to linger.
examples: text: I demur the inference from these facts that Homer must have lived at some far later period, when he could have seen such works. Even if he had never seen any representations of life, his imagination might have conceived them.
ref: 1876, W[illiam] E[wart] Gladstone, “Homer and Hissarlik”, in Homeric Synchronism: An Enquiry into the Time and Place of Homer, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, part I, page 59:
glosses: To object or take exception to (something).
examples: text: [The Jews believe that God] ſitteth in iudgement, and out of the books taketh reckoning of eurie mans life, and pronounceth ſentence accordingly. […] [T]he third, of the meane ſort, vvhoſe iudgement is demurred vntill the day of Reconciliation, (the tenth of Tiſri,) that if in the meane time they ſeriouſly repent them ſo, that their good may exceed their euill, then are they entred into the Booke of life; if othervviſe, they are recorded in the Blacke Bill of Death.
ref: 1613, Samuel Purchas, “[Asia.] The Iewish Passeouer, as They are Now Obserue It, and Other Their Feasts and Fasts.”, in Purchas His Pilgrimage. Or Relations of the World and the Religions Observed in All Ages and Places Discouered, from the Creation vnto this Present. […], London: […] William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, […], →OCLC, book II [Of the Hebrew Nation and Religion from the Beginning thereof to Our Time], page 174:
text: I ask'd the Lavvyer; He demands a Fee, / And then demurres me vvith a vaine delay: […]
ref: 1635, Fra[ncis] Quarles, “Canto XI. Cant[icles] III. II.”, in Emblemes, London: […] G[eorge] M[iller] and sold at at Iohn Marriots shope […], →OCLC, book IV, stanza 4, page 226:
text: […] I ſvvear by yonder pole, / Nay by my fathers Rurall ſoul, / Henceforth to take a rougher courſe, / And, vvhat you vvould demur, to force.
ref: 1682, T[homas] d[’Urfey], “Canto I”, in Butler’s Ghost: Or, Hudibras. The Fourth Part. […], London: […] Joseph Hindmarsh, […], →OCLC, page 69:
glosses: To cause delay to (someone or something); to put off.
examples: text: VVhat may this mean? Language of Man pronounc't / By Tongue of Brute, and human ſenſe expreſt? / The firſt at leſt of theſe I thought deni'd / To Beaſts, vvhom God on thir Creation-Day / Created mute to all articulat ſound; / The latter I demurre, for in thir looks / Much reaſon, and in thir actions oft appeers.
ref: 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC, signatures Gg2, recto – Gg2, verso, lines 553–559:
glosses: To have doubts or hesitate about (something).
Derived terms: word: demurrable
word: demurral
word: demurrer
word: demurring
Related terms: demurrage