Purpose

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Purpose \Pur"pose\, v. i.
     To have a purpose or intention; to discourse. [Obs.]
     --Spenser.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  Purpose \Pur"pose\, n. [OF. purpos, pourpos, propos, L.
     propositum. See {Propound}.]
     1. That which a person sets before himself as an object to be
        reached or accomplished; the end or aim to which the view
        is directed in any plan, measure, or exertion; view; aim;
        design; intention; plan.
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              He will his firste purpos modify.     --Chaucer.
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              As my eternal purpose hath decreed.   -- Milton.
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              The flighty purpose never is o'ertook
              Unless the deed go with it.           --Shak.
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     2. Proposal to another; discourse. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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     3. Instance; example. [Obs.] --L'Estrange.
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     {In purpose}, {Of purpose}, {On purpose}, with previous
        design; with the mind directed to that object;
        intentionally. On purpose is the form now generally used.
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     Syn: design; end; intention; aim. See {Design}.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Purpose \Pur"pose\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Purposed}; p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Purposing}.] [OF. purposer, proposer. See {Propose}.]
     1. To set forth; to bring forward. [Obs.]
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     2. To propose, as an aim, to one's self; to determine upon,
        as some end or object to be accomplished; to intend; to
        design; to resolve; -- often followed by an infinitive or
        dependent clause. --Chaucer.
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              Did nothing purpose against the state. -- Shak.
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              I purpose to write the history of England from the
              accession of King James the Second down to a time
              which is within the memory of men still living.
                                                    --Macaulay.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  purpose
       n 1: an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your
            planned actions; "his intent was to provide a new
            translation"; "good intentions are not enough"; "it was
            created with the conscious aim of answering immediate
            needs"; "he made no secret of his designs" [syn: {intent},
             {intention}, {aim}, {design}]
       2: what something is used for; "the function of an auger is to
          bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?"
          [syn: {function}, {role}, {use}]
       3: the quality of being determined to do or achieve something;
          "his determination showed in his every movement"; "he is a
          man of purpose" [syn: {determination}]
       v 1: propose or intend; "I aim to arrive at noon" [syn: {aim}, {purport},
             {propose}]
       2: reach a decision; "he resolved never to drink again" [syn: {resolve}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  145 Moby Thesaurus words for "purpose":
     advantage, aim, aim at, ambition, animus, aspiration, aspire,
     aspire after, aspire to, avail, be after, benefit, by design,
     commitment, conclude, consciously, consider, contemplate, counsel,
     decide, decidedness, decision, decisiveness, dedication,
     definiteness, deliberately, deliberateness, deliberation,
     desideration, desideratum, design, designedly, desire, destination,
     destine, determinateness, determination, determine, determinedness,
     devotion, direction, doggedness, drive, drive at, duty,
     earnestness, effect, end, end use, especially, exactly, expressly,
     firmness, fix, fixed purpose, function, gain, go for, goal, good,
     harbor a design, have every intention, have in mind, have in view,
     idea, immediate purpose, in particular, intend, intendment, intent,
     intention, intentionally, knowingly, long, mark, mean, meaning,
     meditate, mind, mission, motivation, motive, nisus, object,
     objective, obstinacy, office, on purpose, operation,
     operational purpose, outcome, perseverance, persistence, plan,
     point, ponder, practicality, precisely, principle, profit, project,
     proposal, propose, proposition, prospectus, purport,
     purposefulness, purposely, rationale, reason, relentlessness,
     resoluteness, resolution, resolve, resolvedness, result, role,
     sake, scheme, seal, self-will, seriousness, settle, sincerity,
     single-mindedness, specially, specifically, steadfastness,
     striving, stubbornness, study, take a resolution, target, tenacity,
     think, total commitment, ultimate purpose, use, usefulness,
     utility, view, will, wittingly, work, yearn