Worthiest of blood

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Worthy \Wor"thy\, a. [Compar. {Worthier}; superl. {Worthiest.}]
   [OE. worthi, wur[thorn]i, from worth, wur[thorn], n.; cf.
   Icel. ver[eth]ugr, D. waardig, G. w["u]rdig, OHG.
   wird[imac]g. See {Worth}, n.]
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   1. Having worth or excellence; possessing merit; valuable;
      deserving; estimable; excellent; virtuous.
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            Full worthy was he in his lordes war. --Chaucer.
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            These banished men that I have kept withal
            Are men endued with worthy qualities. --Shak.
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            Happier thou mayst be, worthier canst not be.
                                                  --Milton.
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            This worthy mind should worthy things embrace. --Sir
                                                  J. Davies.
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   2. Having suitable, adapted, or equivalent qualities or
      value; -- usually with of before the thing compared or the
      object; more rarely, with a following infinitive instead
      of of, or with that; as, worthy of, equal in excellence,
      value, or dignity to; entitled to; meriting; -- usually in
      a good sense, but sometimes in a bad one.
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            No, Warwick, thou art worthy of the sway. --Shak.
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            The merciless Macdonwald,
            Worthy to be a rebel.                 --Shak.
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            Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear.  --Matt. iii.
                                                  11.
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            And thou art worthy that thou shouldst not know
            More happiness.                       --Milton.
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            The lodging is well worthy of the guest. --Dryden.
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   3. Of high station; of high social position. [Obs.]
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            Worthy women of the town.             --Chaucer.
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   {Worthiest of blood} (Eng. Law of Descent), most worthy of
      those of the same blood to succeed or inherit; -- applied
      to males, and expressive of the preference given them over
      females. --Burrill.
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from Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
WORTHIEST OF BLOOD. All expression to designate that, in descent, the sons 
are to be preferred to daughters, which is the law of England. See some 
singular reasons given for this, in Plowd. 305. 
    

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