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Webster 1913 Edition


Suspect

Sus-pect′

,
Adj.
[L.
suspectus
, p. p. of
suspicere
to look up, admire, esteem, to look at secretly or askance, to mistrust;
sub
under +
specere
to look: cf. F.
suspect
suspected, suspicious. See
Spy
, and cf.
Suspicion
.]
1.
Suspicious; inspiring distrust.
[Obs.]
Suspect
[was] his face,
suspect
his word also.
Chaucer.
2.
Suspected; distrusted.
[Obs.]
What I can do or offer is
suspect
.
Milton.

Sus-pect′

,
Noun.
[LL.
suspectus
. See
Suspect
,
Adj.
]
1.
Suspicion.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
So with
suspect
, with fear and grief, dismayed.
Fairfax.
2.
One who, or that which, is suspected; an object of suspicion; – formerly applied to persons and things; now, only to persons suspected of crime.
Bacon.

Sus-pect′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Suspected
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Suspecting
.]
1.
To imagine to exist; to have a slight or vague opinion of the existence of, without proof, and often upon weak evidence or no evidence; to mistrust; to surmise; – commonly used regarding something unfavorable, hurtful, or wrong;
as, to
suspect
the presence of disease
.
Nothing makes a man
suspect
much, more than to know little; and therefore men should remedy suspicion by procuring to know more.
Bacon.
From her hand I could
suspect
no ill.
Milton.
2.
To imagine to be guilty, upon slight evidence, or without proof;
as, to
suspect
one of equivocation
.
3.
To hold to be uncertain; to doubt; to mistrust; to distruct;
as, to
suspect
the truth of a story
.
Addison.
4.
To look up to; to respect.
[Obs.]
Syn. – To mistrust; distrust; surmise; doubt.

Sus-pect′

,
Verb.
I.
To imagine guilt; to have a suspicion or suspicions; to be suspicious.
If I
suspect
without cause, why then make sport at me.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition


Suspect

SUSPECT'

,
Verb.
T.
[L. suspectus, suspicio; sub and specio, to see or view.]
1.
To mistrust; to imagine or have a slight opinion that something exists, but without proof and often upon weak evidence or no evidence at all. We suspect not only from fear, jealousy or apprehension of evil, but in modern usage, we suspect things which give us no apprehension.
Nothing makes a man suspect much, more than to know little.
From her hand I could suspect no ill.
2.
To imagine to be guilty, but upon slight evidence or without proof. When a theft is committed, we are apt to suspect a person who is known to have been guilty of stealing; but we often suspect a person who is innocent of the crime.
3.
To hold to be uncertain; to doubt; to mistrust; as, to suspect the truth of a story.
4.
To hold to be doubtful. The veracity of a historian, and the impartiality of a judge, should not be suspected.
5.
To conjecture.

SUSPECT'

,
Verb.
T.
To imagine guilt.
If I suspect without cause, why then let me be your jest.

SUSPECT'

,
Adj.
Doubtful. [Not much used.]

SUSPECT'

,
Noun.
Suspicion.