Earnest
(Ear"nest), v. t. To use in earnest. [R.]
To earnest them [our arms] with men.
Pastor Fido Earnest
(Ear"nest), n. [Prob. corrupted fr. F. arrhes, L. arra, arrha, arrhabo, Gr. 'arrabw`n, of Semitic
origin, cf. Heb. eravon; or perh. fr. W. ernes, akin to Gael. earlas, perh. fr. L. arra. Cf. Arles, Earles
penny.]
1. Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come.
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2 Cor. i. 22.
And from his coffers
Received the golden earnest of our death.
Shak. 2. (Law) Something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the
bargain and prove the sale. Kent. Ayliffe. Benjamin.
Earnest money (Law), money paid as earnest, to bind a bargain or to ratify and prove a sale.
Syn. — Earnest, Pledge. These words are here compared as used in their figurative sense. Earnest
is not so strong as pledge. An earnest, like first fruits, gives assurance, or at least a high probability,
that more is coming of the same kind; a pledge, like money deposited, affords security and ground of
reliance for the future. Washington gave earnest of his talent as commander by saving his troops after
Braddock's defeat; his fortitude and that of his soldiers during the winter at Valley Forge might rightly be
considered a pledge of their ultimate triumph.
Earnestful
(Ear"nest*ful) a. Serious. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Earnestly
(Ear"nest*ly), adv. In an earnest manner.
Earnestness
(Ear"nest*ness), n. The state or quality of being earnest; intentness; anxiety.
An honest earnestness in the young man's manner.
W. Irving. Earnful
(Earn"ful) a. [From Earn to yearn.] Full of anxiety or yearning. [Obs.] P. Fletcher.
Earning
(Earn"ing), n.; pl. Earnings That which is earned; wages gained by work or services; money
earned; — used commonly in the plural.
As to the common people, their stock is in their persons and in their earnings.
Burke. Earpick
(Ear"pick`) n. An instrument for removing wax from the ear.
Ear-piercer
(Ear"-pier`cer) n. (Zoöl.) The earwig.
Earreach
(Ear"reach`) n. Earshot. Marston.
Earring
(Ear"ring`) n. An ornament consisting of a ring passed through the lobe of the ear, with or without
a pendant.
Earsh
(Earsh) n. See Arrish.
Ear-shell
(Ear"-shell`) n. (Zoöl.) A flattened marine univalve shell of the genus Haliotis; — called also
sea-ear. See Abalone.
Earshot
(Ear"shot`) n. Reach of the ear; distance at which words may be heard. Dryden.
