All 6 Uses of
profess
in
Pride and Prejudice
- Society has claims on us all; and I profess myself one of those who consider intervals of recreation and amusement as desirable for everybody.†
p. 86.1 *profess = claim
- Hope was over, entirely over; and when Jane could attend to the rest of the letter, she found little, except the professed affection of the writer, that could give her any comfort.†
p. 131.2professed = claimed
- "I shall not say you are mistaken," he replied, "because you could not really believe me to entertain any design of alarming you; and I have had the pleasure of your acquaintance long enough to know that you find great enjoyment in occasionally professing opinions which in fact are not your own."†
p. 170.4professing = claiming
- The motive professed was his conviction of its being owing to himself that Wickham's worthlessness had not been so well known as to make it impossible for any young woman of character to love or confide in him.†
p. 304.9professed = claimed
- Bingley was every thing that was charming, except the professed lover of her daughter.†
p. 326.8
- Darcy professed a great curiosity to see the view from the Mount, and Elizabeth silently consented.†
p. 354.9
Definitions:
-
(1)
(profess) to claim (openly state) -- sometimes insincerely
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, profess can mean:- to teach or be knowledgeable of -- as in "profess chemistry"
- practice as a profession -- as in "profess medicine"
- proclaim belief in or allegiance to -- as in "profess Catholicism"