(a) Not enclosed or fully contained in (a part of the body, a container); also, not immersed in (water); above (ground); (b) outside (an enclosed or a defined space), in the area beyond (an enclosing wall, a gate, door, hedge, etc.); ~ hous (walles), out of doors, out in the open; (c) outside the limits or boundaries of (a town or city), in the area surrounding; not found, situated, or resident in (a town); withinne the se or ~ the se, ?taken as a whole, taking both the dry land and the seabed; (d) in the area not behind (a veil), in front of; (e) on the outer surface of (a bodily member); on the upper or outer portion of (a wound); also, around the outer perimeter of (an encamped army) [quot. c1450]; (f) fig. outside the bounds or limits of (an abstract entity), not confined or circumscribed by; (g) in surname and names of churches, parishes, etc.

Indicating direction outward: (a) out through (a gate, door); out over (walls); out of (a place), away from; also, out to an area outside (a city) [quot. ?c1450 Brut-1419]; ~ shipes bord, off a boat, ashore; (b) out from the surface of (a part of the body), so as to protrude from.

(a) Apart from (sth., a group of people), separate from; (b) considered apart from or not included among (a group, the days contained in a liturgical season, etc.); not within the compass, company, membership, etc. of (the church, Christendom, etc.), outside; also, outside of (the law, a legal proceeding); (c) excepting (sb. or sth.), other than; also, but for (an inch), less [quot. a1475]; (d) to the exclusion of (sb.), rather than; (e) besides (sb. or sth.), not counting, in addition to [occas. difficult to distinguish from (c) and vice versa].

(a) Not in company with (sb., another country), not together with, unaccompanied by; without the companionship of (sb.); also, out of fellowship with (sb.) [quot. ?a1425]; ~ mo, alone [see also mo n. 2.(f)]; also, in conjunction with a number: and no more; (b) not paired with (the natural or customary complement of sth., one’s regular companion), not linked to (sth.), not conjoined with (sb. or sth.); also, unmixed with (sth.); of a bodily member in motion: not in conjunction with (another member), separately from.

(a) Not in possession of (sth.), not carrying, bearing, containing, etc.; (b) not having (a wife or ruler); maken ~, to deprive (sb.) of (sb.); (c) not enjoying (sth.), suffering the absence of or failure to possess; (d) not being subjected to (sth.), not suffering the imposition of.

In adj. phrases of description: (a) characterized by the lack or absence of (a physical feature or property, an element, a constituent, etc.), not having; also, without (a characteristic or an identifying garment); also in fig. context [quot. a1225]; (b) characterized by the lack or absence of (an abstract quality, property, feature, etc.); ~ ende (endinge), eternal, unending [see also ende n.(1) 23.(6)(a) & ending(e ger. 1.(d)]; also, as noun in phrases: from ~ beginninge and ~ endinge, from ~ ende unto ~ ende, in-to ~ ende, forever, perpetually; (c) devoid of (a desirable trait, a virtue, positive feature, necessary element, etc.), deficient in, wanting; also, lacking (an heir, a male issue, parent, etc.), without; the ~ wei, the land without paths, wilderness, desolate country; (d) free from (an undesirable trait, a physical flaw, moral imperfection, guilt, etc.), unmarred by, not tainted by; (e) not characterized by (a condition or state); ~ hurt, unhurt or uninjured; (f) not displaying (a symptom, morbid condition, or physiological property), not manifesting, unaccompanied by; (g) ben ~ drede, to be a certainty (that sth. is so), be beyond question.

In adv. phrases expressing manner: (a) without having (sth., a controller); (b) without feeling or displaying (an emotion, a reaction, etc.); (c) without sustaining or being subjected to (adversity, harm, constraint, difficulty, imperfection, etc.), in freedom from; law without (hindrance), exempt from (a legal claim); (d) without having deserved or incurred (guilt, culpability, reproach, etc.), in innocence of; ~ desert, undeservedly; also, without (someone’s having deserved sth.) [see also desert n.(1) 1.]; (e) without performing (a concomitant or an attendant action), without the doing of;—freq. with gerund as obj.; also, with abstract nouns implying action(s) or the result of action as obj.: without (something caused by an attendant action), without the production of; (f) without engaging or indulging in (a behavior or way of acting);—occas. with gerund as obj.; (g) without achieving or having arrived at (a state or condition); ~ cesinge (endinge), without cessation, continually [see also cesing(e ger. (c)].

In adv. phrases expressing the circumstances attendant on an action: (a) without having secured (leave, permission, consent, etc.), without having obtained (an answer, etc.), without (sth.) having been sought or granted; also, without having brought about (someone’s knowing of sth.), without (someone’s knowledge); (b) without having been motivated or constrained to act by (necessity, a reason or cause, justification), not because of; ~ cause (nede, etc.); not (nought) ~ cause, for good reasons, justifiably.

In adv. phrases expressing conditionality: (a) chiefly modifying negative predications or rhetorical questions implying a negative answer: in the absence of (sth.); if (sth.) be lacking, unless there is, if not for; (b) with gerund as obj.: if not by (doing sth., the doing of sth.), unless (sb. does sth.); (c) with rel. pron. as obj.: in the absence of (which), in (whose) absence.

In misc. adv. phrases, chiefly qualifying predications of states, conditions, or circumstances: (a) such that (help, mitigation, alleviation, etc.) is lacking, withheld, or impossible to obtain, so as to be beyond, beyond; (b) without (the prior performance of an action), with the omission of; with (a prior action) undone; (c) ~ ende (endinge), such that (termination, cessation, or completion) does not or will not occur, i.e., forever, eternally, always; also, in perpetuity [see also ende n.(1) 23.(6)].

In selected adv. phrases indicating the haste or immediacy with which something is done;—freq. as mere rime tag or filler [for additional exx., see the cited nouns]: (a) ~ delaie (distaunce, dwellinge, excusacioun, feintise, hone, lette, lettinge, respite, stint, tariinge), at once, forthwith, immediately, without delay; (b) ~ makinge ani more, ~ more speche, ~ tales (wordes) mo, with no further ado, without saying more.

In fixed phrases, chiefly parenthetical, freq. as rime tag or filler, with diminished force of the noun: (a) ~ care (diswere, doutaunce, doute, were, ani drede), ~ crie (nai, no, oth, questioun); ~ deceite (dwere, fable, fals, gabbe, glose, leine, lese, lesinge, lie, ani falshede), ~ delaie (faile, faute, mis, wantruke), ~ hope (wene, ani wene), ~ variacioun (variaunce), etc., unquestionably, beyond a doubt; indeed, truly; most assuredly [for additional exx. see the cited nouns]; (b) ~ debat (strife), surely, inarguably, incontestably [see also debat n. 4.(a) & strif(e n. 4.(b); sometimes difficult to distinguish from (a)]; (c) ~ langage, to speak briefly, in short.

In selected idiomatic adj. phrases indicating greatness of number or scope, incomparability, absence of limits, etc. [for additional exx. see the cited nouns]: (a) ~ mesure (nombre, tale), beyond counting, innumerable, incalculable; immeasurable, boundless; (b) ~ comparisoun (make), incomparable, matchless; (c) ~ resoun, beyond what is reasonable, unreasonable; (d) ~ minde to menen, beyond the power of the intellect, unthinkable.

In selected idiomatic adv. phrases corresponding to the adj. ones in sense 9a. [for additional exx. see the cited nouns]: (a) ~ mesure (nombre), incalculably, immeasurably; ?also, in whatever quantity one wishes [quot. ?c1425]; (b) ~ comparisoun, to an incomparable degree, incomparably; (c) ~ mesure (minde, resoun), immoderately, excessively; to an inordinate degree; (d) ~ time of minde, from time immemorial, from beyond living memory.

In adv. phrases expressing agency, involvement, etc.: (a) without the use of (sth.), without employing; also, without the necessity of having or having recourse to (sth.); (b) without the aid, contribution, assistance, etc. of (sb.); also, without (the help of sb. or sth., someone’s participation, action, etc.); (c) through no (fault of sb.).

In adj. phrases corresponding to the adv. ones in sense 10a.: made without (a constituent substance), produced without the use of.

Not in exchange for (sth.), without (sth.) as recompense; also, without receiving (recompense for sth.); ~ travail, without exacting or demanding effort from someone in return.

In conjunctive phrases introducing subordinate clauses: (a) ~ than that, ~ that (that, except that, save that; ?also, in spite of the fact that, notwithstanding [last quot.]; (b) ~ that, except on the condition that, unless; (c) ~ that (that, in addition to the fact that, besides the fact that; (d) law ~ that (that, even were it substantiated that; ?in contradiction to the allegation or claim that [1st quot.]; ?also, apart from the truth or falsity of the assertion that [last quot.]; (e) ~ lesse, glossing L si quominus: ?if that…not, lest.

(a) Gram. The preposition ‘withouten’ as a sign of the ablative case; (b) in an interpretation of L avē as from ā (var. of ab prep.) + vae, vē n.