extasy

See also: ecstasy

English

Noun

extasy (countable and uncountable, plural extasies)

1. Obsolete form of ecstasy.
   • 1749, [John Cleland], “[Letter the First]”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], volume I, London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC, page 196:

     […] the ſweet youth, overpower'd with the extaſy, died away in my arms […]

   • 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter VI, in Emma: […], volume I, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, page 89:

     There was merit in every drawing—in the least finished, perhaps the most; her style was spirited; but had there been much less, or had there been ten times more, the delight and admiration of her two companions would have been the same. They were both in extasies. A likeness pleases every body; and Miss Woodhouse’s performances must be capital.

   • 1826, [Mary Shelley], chapter I, in The Last Man. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 25:

     Afraid almost to breathe, we English travellers surveyed with extasy this splendid landscape, so different from the sober hues and melancholy graces of our native scenery.

Verb

extasy (third-person singular simple present extasies, present participle extasying, simple past and past participle extasied)

1. Obsolete form of ecstasy.
   • 1832, Robert Wilson Evans, The Rectory of Valehead, page 266:

     He starts in extasied surprise—There, soaring in the cloudless skies, Faith's rock in dazzling glory glows, And gathers every beam that flows From the immortal fount above, The sun of righteousness and love .

   • 1833, James Shirley, The Dramatic Works and Poems, page 479:

     The boy seems pleas'd, and here begins to break Into a language, extasied the maid;

   • 1843, Francis Beaumont, Sammlung:

     The other, extasied with so great a courtesie from a stranger whom hee had not seene before , enforced him backe, to know what reason he had to be so charitable, entreating him to consider what hope he had of future satisfaction, or at least to resolue him what securitie he demanded.

   • 1843, Bernard M— (of S—), A Dream of a Queen's Reign, page 4:

     but scarce had I drawn back mine arms, strained the outward flexure of my knee-joints, and was fixed in an apt disposure to take the corvetto primo and leap-valiant of the cour, when methought suddenly there came in and did appear before me mine ancient, most reverend and singular good friend, the rector of Saynt Andrew of S—, nearest in neighbourhood, but not of mine own cure, myself being of D— manor house in the same vicinage,—who astonished beyond measure at my so extasied gladness, demanded wherefore I did carry myself on this wise?

   • 1980, John Kasaipwalova, Sail the Midnight Sun:

     My naked Libra in her virgin love Extasying the tender patience of the stars.