Earnest
Earnest (ẽr"nest) , noun
[Anglo-Saxon eornost, eornest; akin to Old High German ernust, German ernst; compare Icelandic orrosta battle, perh. akin to Greek 'orny`nai to excite, Latin oriri to rise.]
Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness.
Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest.
And given in earnest what I begged in jest.
Collocations (1)
In earnest , serious; seriously; not in jest; earnestly.
Earnest , adjective
1.
Ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain or do; zealous with sincerity; with hearty endeavor; heartfelt; fervent; hearty; -- used in a good sense; as, earnest prayers.
An earnest advocate to plead for him.
2.
Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention.
3.
Serious; important. [Obsolete]
They whom earnest lets do often hinder.
Earnest , transitive verb
To use in earnest. [Rare]
To earnest them [our arms] with men.
Earnest , noun
[Probably corrupted from French arrhes, Latin arra, arrha, arrhabo, Greek 'arrabw`n, of Semitic origin, compare Hebrew ērāvōn; or perh. from Welsh ernes, akin to Gael. earlas, perh. from Latin arra. Compare 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.
And from his coffers
Received the golden earnest of our death.
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
Collocations (1)
Earnest money (Law) , money paid as earnest, to bind a bargain or to ratify and prove a sale.