Such (?), a. [OE. such, sich,
sech, sik, swich, swilch, swulch, swilc,
swulc, AS. swelc, swilc,
swylc; akin to OFries.
selik, D. zulk, OS.
sulic, OHG. sulih, solih, G.
solch, Icel. slīkr, OSw. salik, Sw. slik, Dan. slig, Goth. swaleiks; originally meaning, so shaped. √192. See So, Like, a., and cf. Which.]
1. Of that kind;
of the like
kind; like; resembling; similar; as, we never saw
such a day; -- followed by that or as introducing the word or proposition which defines
the similarity, or the standard of comparison; as, the books are not such that I can recommend them, or, not such as I can recommend; these apples are not such as those we saw yesterday; give your children such precepts
as tend to make them better.
And in his time such a conqueror
That greater was there none under the sun.
Chaucer. His misery was such that none of
the bystanders could refrain from weeping.
Macaulay. &fist; The indefinite article a or an
never precedes such, but is placed between it and the noun
to which it
refers; as, such a man; such an honor. The indefinite adjective
some, several,
one, few, many, all, etc., precede such; as, one such book is enough; all such people ought to be avoided; few such ideas were then held.
2. Having the particular quality or character
specified.
That thou art happy, owe to
God;
That thou continuest such, owe to thyself.
Milton.
3. The same that; -- with as; as, this was the state of
the kingdom at such time as the enemy landed. "[It] hath such senses as we have." Shak.
4. Certain; --
representing the object as already particularized in terms which are not mentioned.
In rushed one and tells him such a knight
Is
new arrived.
Daniel. To-day or to-morrow we
will go into such a city, and continue there a year.
James iv.
13. &fist; Such is used pronominally. "He was the father of such as dwell in tents." Gen. iv. 20. "Such as I are free in spirit when our limbs are chained." Sir W. Scott. Such is also used before adjectives
joined to substantives; as, the fleet encountered such a terrible storm that it put back. "Everything was managed with so much care,
and such excellent order was observed." De Foe.
Temple sprung from a family
which . . . long after his death produced so many eminent men, and formed such distinguished alliances, that, etc.
Macaulay. Such is used emphatically, without
the correlative.
Now will he be mocking:
I shall have such a life.
Shak. Such was formerly used with numerals in the sense
of times as much or as many; as,
such ten, or ten times as
many.
Such and such, or Such or such, certain; some; -- used to represent the object indefinitely, as already particularized in one way or another, or as being of one kind or another. "In such and
such a place shall be my camp."
2 Kings vi. 8. "Sovereign authority may enact a law commanding such and such an
action." South. --
Such like or character, of the like kind.
And
many other such like things ye do.
Mark vii. 8.
Hear it pronounced