from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Shut \Shut\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Shut}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Shutting}.] [OE. shutten, schutten, shetten, schitten, AS.
scyttan to shut or lock up (akin to D. schutten, G.
sch["u]tzen to protect), properly, to fasten with a bolt or
bar shot across, fr. AS. sce['o]tan to shoot. [root]159. See
{Shoot}.]
1. To close so as to hinder ingress or egress; as, to shut a
door or a gate; to shut one's eyes or mouth.
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2. To forbid entrance into; to prohibit; to bar; as, to shut
the ports of a country by a blockade.
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Shall that be shut to man which to the beast
Is open? --Milton.
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3. To preclude; to exclude; to bar out. "Shut from every
shore." --Dryden.
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4. To fold together; to close over, as the fingers; to close
by bringing the parts together; as, to shut the hand; to
shut a book.
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{To shut in}.
(a) To inclose; to confine. "The Lord shut him in." --Cen.
vii. 16.
(b) To cover or intercept the view of; as, one point shuts
in another.
{To shut off}.
(a) To exclude.
(b) To prevent the passage of, as steam through a pipe, or
water through a flume, by closing a cock, valve, or
gate.
{To shut out}, to preclude from entering; to deny admission
to; to exclude; as, to shut out rain by a tight roof.
{To shut together}, to unite; to close, especially to close
by welding.
{To shut up}.
(a) To close; to make fast the entrances into; as, to shut
up a house.
(b) To obstruct. "Dangerous rocks shut up the passage."
--Sir W. Raleigh.
(c) To inclose; to confine; to imprison; to fasten in; as,
to shut up a prisoner.
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Before faith came, we were kept under the law,
shut up unto the faith which should afterwards
be revealed. --Gal. iii.
23.
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(d) To end; to terminate; to conclude.
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When the scene of life is shut up, the slave
will be above his master if he has acted better.
--Collier.
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(e) To unite, as two pieces of metal by welding.
(f) To cause to become silent by authority, argument, or
force.
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