resort
verbEtymology From Middle English resorten, from Old French resortir (“to fall back, return, resort, have recourse, appeal”), back-formation from sortir (“to go out”).
1
To have recourse (to), now especially from necessity or frustration.
- The king thought it time to resort to other counsels.1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theater:
- He resorted to his pint of wine for consolation, drank it all in a few minutes, and fell asleep on his arms, with his hair straggling over the table […]1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:
3 more examples
- Just beyond that station the first step is encountered and the rack resorted to, taking the line on a gradient of 1 in 9 over a steeply inclined bridge and through a spiral tunnel.1950 November, H. P. White, “The Furka-Oberalp Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 767:
- The North British Railway was always anxious to connect its line to Helensburgh Pier but the local residents would not permit their foreshore or promenade to be disfigured, so the company had to resort further east and on May 18, 1882, opened the railway pier and station at Craigendoran.1959 November, G. H. Robin, “Railways to Helensburgh—a pre-electrification retrospect”, in Trains Illustrated, page 544:
- Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.2012 January 23, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2013, page 60:
2
To fall back; to revert.
- But the Inheritance of the Son never reſorted to the Mother, or to any of her Anceſtors, but both ſhe and they were totally excluded from the Succeſſion.1713, [Matthew Hale], “Touching the Course of Descents in England”, in The History of the Common Law of England: […], [London]: […] J[ohn] Nutt, assignee of Edw[ard] Sayer Esq; for J. Walthoe, […], →OCLC, page 211:
- I eschew the idea of plugging in my laptop to take notes and resort to old-fashioned pen and paper instead, so that I can enjoy more of the view and not be distracted by bashing a keyboard.2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 65:
3
To make one's way, go (to).
- The same daye went Jesus out off the housse, and sat by the seesyde, and moch people resorted unto him, so gretly that he went and sat in a shyppe, and all the people stode on the shoore.1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew:
- Derived terms
- last resort