All 4 Uses of
profess
in
The Winter's Tale
- —This jealousy Is for a precious creature: as she's rare, Must it be great; and, as his person's mighty, Must it be violent; and as he does conceive He is dishonour'd by a man which ever Profess'd to him, why, his revenges must In that be made more bitter.†
Scene 1.2
- Good my liege, I come,— And, I beseech you, hear me, who professes Myself your loyal servant, your physician, Your most obedient counsellor: yet that dares Less appear so, in comforting your evils, Than such as most seem yours:—I say I come From your good queen.†
Scene 2.3professes = claims
- —I have put you out: But to your protestation; let me hear What you profess.†
Scene 4.4 *profess = claim
- Not any yet; But as the unthought-on accident is guilty To what we wildly do; so we profess Ourselves to be the slaves of chance, and flies Of every wind that blows.†
Scene 4.4
Definitions:
-
(1)
(profess) to claim (openly state) -- sometimes insincerely
-
(2)
(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"