See Also:

albatross (sh) and for (iou)


albatross (sh)




Any of more than a dozen species of large seabirds (family Diomedeidae).

Albatrosses are among the most spectacular gliders of all birds; in windy weather they can stay aloft for hours without flapping their wings. They drink seawater and usually eat squid. Albatrosses come ashore only to breed, in colonies typically established on remote oceanic islands. Adults of common species attain wingspans of 7-11 ft (200-350 cm). Albatrosses live long and may be among the few birds to die of old age. They were once held in awe by seamen, who held that killing one would bring bad luck.


for (iou)



for preposition, conjunction, & noun.
[Old English for = Old Frisian, Old Saxon for, Gothic faur, prob. reduced form of Germanic preposition meaning 'before (of place and time)', repr. by Old English FORE preposition = Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old High German fora, beside Old Saxon, Old High German forms with -i, viz. furi (German fur) and Old Norse fyrir.]
A. preposition.
I. Before. Cf. FORE preposition.
In front of, in or into the presence of; (in oaths) before. OE-LME.
Before in time. OE-ME.
In preference to. OE-E16.
II. Of representation, substitution, or exchange.
Representing, as a representative of. OE.
I. Murdoch A fear not exactly of James but of something that James stood for.
In place of, instead of; on behalf of. OE.
H. James You can see for yourselfshe has got half the place down. G. Greene He kept in the dusky background..and let the ladies fight for him. V. S. Pritchett She had no one left to pray for. B. Bainbridge She wasn't afraid of him; she was afraid for him.
Introducing that with which something is (to be) exchanged: in exchange for; as the price or penalty of; in requital of. OE.
T. Hardy There was to be one executiononly onefor arson. I. Murdoch I bought up the entire stock for less than a pound. W. Golding I offer them the idea for free.
b. At the cost of, to the amount of. L18.
Thomas Hughes The Lord's men were out, by half-past twelve o'clock for ninety-eight runs. A. Alpers He sent them a cheque for 5.
III.
In defence or support of; on the side of; in favour of. Also ellipt., in favour. Opp. against. OE.
T. Hardy Tupcome was for sleeping in Bristol that night, but Dornell..insisted upon mounting and getting back. E. Templeton In the Bible, one can find quotations for and against any human activity. J. Grenfell She's always been one for sailors ever since she can remember. H. Wilson A tally of those for and against.
b. In honour of; after. Chiefly in name for (now chiefly N. Amer., Austral., & Scot.). E18.
C. McCullough There are streets named for him all over New Zealand.
IV. Of purpose, result, or destination.
With the object or purpose of; with a view to; as preparatory to, in anticipation of; conducive to; leading to, giving rise to, with the result or effect of. OE.
T. Hardy Seeing..that somebody was there cleaning for Sunday he entered. M. Keane I supposed you had been out for a healthy brisk walk. I. Murdoch Now I must find Miranda and tell her to change for church. J. Wainwright The sexual assault in each case is motive enough for the murder. W. Golding Thackeray keeps us in suspense and ignorance for our own good. M. Roberts What are you doing that for? asks Beth, puzzled.
b. With the purpose or result of benefiting; as a service to. Also, (chiefly following adjectives, nouns, or adverbs of quality) as affecting beneficially or the reverse. OE.
T. Hardy A bad job for thee, Christian, that you should have showed your nose then. V. Woolf Nobody lives for himself alone. I. Murdoch After all, it is for Clement that I am here. J. Simms Kiyoko was there; I would play for her.
c. With the purpose of being, becoming, or serving as. L15.
Dickens [He] went for a soldier, and never came back. G. Ewart Had an egg for breakfast every morning. P. Ackroyd He..slices two pieces of bread for toast.
Used pleonastically before to and an infinitive with the sense 'in order to do' or simply 'to do' (now arch. & dial.). Also (US) introducing a noun or pronoun followed by an infinitive after verbs of wanting, liking, etc. ME.
G. Washington You must ride round ye back of ye Mountain for to get below them. A. Tyler His mother hated for Cody to mix with outsiders. A. F. Loewenstein You used to like for me to touch you, Billy.
In order to obtain, win (money etc.), save (one's life), etc. ME.
Ld Macaulay Charles fled for his life. V. Woolf Then she went to him for assurance. J. Cheever He was rude to his friends when they stopped in for a drink. A. White I have worked for my living since I was 16. M. Procter They had phoned for their wheel man like calling for a taxi.
b. Indicating the object of a feeling or a faculty. L16.
E. Bowen He did not care for her looks or her clothes. M. Keane He had a long briar in his hand and examined its point carefully for hairs. I. Murdoch Why wantonly destroy one's palate for cheap Wine? V. S. Pritchett One discovers a gift for saying things with two meanings. F. Tuohy I had developed a grudging admiration for him.
In order to arrive at or reach; with the purpose of going to or towards, in the direction of. LME.
T. Hardy He made straight for the point whence proceeded the low roar. I. Murdoch He wondered where Miranda was going, and concluded that she was bound for the village shop. J. Wainwright I was starting for Home the next day.
To be received by, to belong to; to be used by, with, or in connection with. LME.
T. Hardy He is..a perfect match for her. E. Waugh Details of the costumes for a charity ballet. G. Greene I've some bad news for all of you. I. Murdoch I wear small oval rimless spectacles for reading.
Following a verb, adjective, or noun of quality denoting suitability, appropriateness, appointment, purpose, or design; following a noun or as a predicate indicating the possession of such a quality. LME.
T. Hardy Tell him flatly that you are not for him? R. Macaulay It wasn't for me to question her. R. Hardy They were hunters and they were built for nothing else. G. Greene I had the impression that the party was for tonight? G. Household There was nothing for it but to go. A. Carter You'll find a full account of the operation in The Lancet for June 1898.
b. Following an adjective or adverb qualified by too, enough, etc. with the sense 'to require', 'to allow', 'to constitute', etc. E19.
A. Carter His teeth were chattering too much for him to speak coherently. H. Carpenter She has grown too big for the White Rabbit's house.
Introducing a noun or pronoun followed by an infinitive with the sense 'that he, she, etc. may, might, should, etc.' E16.
E. Bowen And it would be a shame for you all to go, added Doreen. D. Abse It took a long time for the dust to settle. V. S. Pritchett It was exciting for her to drive the old man dangerously fast.
V. Of attributed or assumed character.
As being, as equivalent to, as; in the character of; (now dial.) as a type of. OE.
R. Macaulay Anyhow, Hobart I knew for an ignorant person. S. O'Faolain Norah cursed him and all of us for a pack of cowards. T. E. Lawrence They'd have taken for granted I was too soft for man's work. W. Stafford We stood with wet towels over our heads for shade.
VI. Of cause or reason.
By reason of, under the influence of (a feeling). OE.
Because of, on account of (a person or thing); on account of one's regard for. Also (arch.) in adjurations or exclamations: for the sake of. OE.
R. Macaulay The artist's spirit, which loved Beauty for what it was. V. Woolf He had been arrested three times for attending seditious meetings. L. Bruce I sort of felt sorry for the damned flies. I. Murdoch Emily told him that he had married Harriet for snobbish reasons.
b. In consequence of, due to the effect of. Now chiefly after comparatives (otherwise usu. replaced by from, of, through). ME.
T. Cooper He lacketh teeth for age. G. Greene Two young officers, who were obviously the worse for drink.
Indicating the presence or operation of something usu. as an obstacle or hindrance. OE.
T. Hardy If it had not been for our Betty I should have gone long ago! M. Sinclair You can't see the text for the footnotes. D. Welch I could not sleep for the squeaking of the crickets. A. Carter There was hardly room to move for large chairs and cupboards. I. Murdoch A clever face if it were not for a kind of childish timidity.
b. In spite of, notwithstanding (rare exc. in for all, for any, with noun or that). Also in conjunction phr. for all (that), notwithstanding that, although (now rare in literary use). OE.
Leigh Hunt I am not a very bad play-fellow..for all I am so much bigger. W. Golding Somehow for all his apparent amiability a note that can only be called patronizing creeps in. W. H. Auden The flirtatious male..never doubting That for all his faults he is loved.
c. As a precaution against, so as to prevent; against, from, of. ME-E18.
J. Moxon That may hinder the Corner of the edge of the Chissel for coming at the Work.
VII. Of correspondence or correlation.
Preceded and followed by the same noun indicating equality in number or quantity between objects compared or contrasted. ME.
W. Owen Faces that used to curse me, scowl for scowl. Listener The difference, programme for programme, is fully three million.
Preceding a designation of number or quantity to which another is stated to correspond proportionally. LME.
J. Beresford It contains..for one inch of lean four or five of stringy fat. Times In Britain and West Germany there are 1.3 murders a year for every 100,000 people.
VIII. Of Reference.
So far as concerns, with regard or respect to, concerning. ME.
G. Greene For all he knew he was surrounded by friends. D. Abse For my part I felt a righteous pride. G. Household For the rest of the route there were enough old footprints. E. Feinstein I could be a pile of clothes or papers for all the attention she gives me.
Considering, or making the allowance required by, the usual Nature of. L17.
W. S. Maugham He was talkative, forward for his age, a great reader, and clever.
IX. Of duration and extension.
Marking actual or intended duration: during, throughout. LME.
M. Keane It was really in her power to endure Nurse for a few days. F. Tuohy He shouted continuously for about four minutes.
Marking distance: over, to the extent of. M16.
M. G. Lewis After travelling for five and twenty miles. R. Hardy At night you can see a fire on the plain for twenty miles.
Phrases & comb.: (A selection of cross-refs. only is included: see esp. Other nouns) all for: see ALL adverb 1. as for: see AS adverb etc. be for it slang (orig. Military) be in or due for trouble or punishment. for all (that): see ALL pronoun & noun 3. for BECAUSE. for ever: see EVER adverb. for free: see FREE adjective. for one thing: see THING noun1. for-profit adjective profit-making. for sale: see SALE noun. for the first time, for the second time, etc., as a first, second, etc., instance. I for one, she for one I etc. as one, I etc. as a unit in an aggregate. now for : indicating desire for or anticipation or expectation of.
b. conjunction.
Introducing a clause containing the cause of a fact, the statement of which precedes or follows; because. arch. ME.
Dryden Why comes not he?..for he's a puling sprite.
Introducing a new clause or series of clauses containing the proof(s) of or reason(s) for believing what has previously been stated: seeing that, since. ME.
M. Keane He did not knowhow could he, for nobody told him? J. Steinbeck Do not touch it, for if you do.., it will blind you.
In order that. ME-L16.
Shakespeare 3 Henry VI And, for the time shall not seem tedious, I'll tell thee what befell me.
for and, and moreover. E16-E17.
Shakespeare Hamlet A pick-axe and a spade, a spade, for and a shrouding sheet.
C. noun. An argument or reason in favour of something. Chiefly in the fors and againsts. Cf. PRO noun2. E19.