Dispurvey
//dɪspə(ɹ)ˈveɪ// noun, verb
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 dispurveyance obsolete, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To strip of provisions; to disfurnish. obsolete, transitive
"They diſpuruey their veſtry of ſuch Treaſure / As they may ſpare, the vvork now being ended / Demand their ſums againe: but out of meaſure / At their requeſt the Monarch ſeemes offended, / And ſaies he meanes to pay them at his pleaſure: […]"
Example
More examples"They diſpuruey their veſtry of ſuch Treaſure / As they may ſpare, the vvork now being ended / Demand their ſums againe: but out of meaſure / At their requeſt the Monarch ſeemes offended, / And ſaies he meanes to pay them at his pleaſure: […]"
Etymology
From dis- + purvey: compare Old French desporveoir, French dépourvoir.
More for "dispurvey"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.