|
||||||||
To use one's self Syn. Employ. Use, Employ. We use a thing, or make use of it, when we derive from it some enjoyment or service. We employ it when we turn that service into a particular channel. We use words to express our general meaning; we employ certain technical terms in reference to a given subject. To make use of, implies passivity in the thing; as, to make use of a pen; and hence there is often a material difference between the two words when applied to persons. To speak of "making use of another" generally implies a degrading idea, as if we had used him as a tool; while employ has no such sense. A confidential friend is employed to negotiate; an inferior agent is made use of on an intrigue. I would, my son, that thou wouldst use the powerCowper. To study nature will thy time employ:Dryden. They use to place him that shall be their captain on a stone.Spenser. Fears use to be represented in an imaginary.Bacon. Thus we use to say, it is the room that smokes, when indeed it is the fire in the room.South. Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp.Ex. xxxiii. 7 (Rev. Ver.) He useth every day to a merchant's house.B. Jonson. Ye valleys low, where the mild whispers useMilton. Useful To what can I useful!Milton. |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Copyright: All texts on Bibliomania are © Bibliomania.com Ltd,
and may not be reproduced in any form without our written permission.
See our FAQ for more details. |
||||||||