Definition of "august"
august1
adjective
comparative auguster or more august, superlative augustest or most august
Awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable.
Quotations
In the book of Pſalms there are many things ſaid of David, which ſeem capable of a much auguſter ſenſe than can be pretended to be anſwered by any thing that befel himſelf.
1796, Gilbert Bishop of Sarum [i.e., Gilbert Burnet], “Article VII. Of the Old Testament.”, in An Exposition of the XXXIX Articles of the Church of England, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, page 123
[W]e shall not, I think, be able to find language which can convey in few words more fully the idea we should always have impressed on our minds of the august character of our Lord, than the expression, "the word of life."
1837 August 31, William Sollis, A Sermon, Preached in Holsworthy Church on Thursday, August 31, 1837, at the Anniversaries of the Societies for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts. […], Launceston, Cornwall: Penheale-Press, Rev. H. A. Simcoe, page 7
—Inconsciously to the augustest end / Thou hast arisen: second not in rank / So much as time, to him who first ordained / That Florence, thou art to destroy, should be— […]
1846, Robert Browning, “Luria”, in Bells and Pomegranates, volumes VIII (Luria; and A Soul’s Tragedy), London: Edward Moxon; republished in Poems [...] In Two Volumes, new edition, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], 1849, act IV, page 192
The foolish dog […] flew at the cat, who in her fright and consternation took refuge behind the screen of the breakfast-room where his Majesty then was. The Mikado was greatly shocked and agitated. He took the cat into his august bosom, and summoning the chamberlain Tadataka, gave orders that Okinamaro should have a good thrashing and be banished to Dog Island at once.
1899, Sei Shōnagon, “Makura Zōshi [The Attack of the Dog Okinamaro upon the Cat Miyōbu no Otodo]”, in W[illiam] G[eorge] Aston, A History of Japanese Literature, London: William Heinemann, page 111
For once the story was not about Jamie Vardy, unable to equal Jimmy Dunne's top-flight record of scoring in a dozen consecutive games, but about his august deputy Riyad Mahrez.
2015 December 5, Alan Smith, “Leicester City back on top as Riyad Mahrez hat-trick downs Swansea City”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 29 March 2017
Quotations
A branch of the house of Lorraine, in comparison with which even the royal race of Capet was mean, the Guises traced back their august lineage through a long line of warrior princes to the Imperial figure of Charlemagne.
1873, Walter Fitz Patrick, chapter I, in The Great Condé and the Period of the Fronde: A Historical Sketch, volume I, London: T[homas] Cautley Newby, publisher, […], page 7
august2
verb
third-person singular simple present augusts, present participle augusting, simple past and past participle augusted
(obsolete, rare) To bring to realization.
Quotations