Had \Had\ (h[a^]d), imp. & p. p. of Have. [OE. had, hafde,
   hefde, AS. h[ae]fde.]
   See Have.
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   Had as lief, Had rather, Had better, Had as soon,
      etc., with a nominative and followed by the infinitive
      without to, are well established idiomatic forms. The
      original construction was that of the dative with forms of
      be, followed by the infinitive. See Had better, under
      Better.
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            And lever me is be pore and trewe.
            [And more agreeable to me it is to be poor and
            true.]                                --C. Mundi
                                                  (Trans.).
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            Him had been lever to be syke.
            [To him it had been preferable to be sick.]
                                                  --Fabian.
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            For him was lever have at his bed's head
            Twenty bookes, clad in black or red, . . .
            Than robes rich, or fithel, or gay sawtrie.
                                                  --Chaucer.
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   Note: Gradually the nominative was substituted for the
         dative, and had for the forms of be. During the process
         of transition, the nominative with was or were, and the
         dative with had, are found.
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               Poor lady, she were better love a dream. --Shak.
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               You were best hang yourself.       --Beau. & Fl.
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               Me rather had my heart might feel your love
               Than my unpleased eye see your courtesy. --Shak.
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               I hadde levere than my scherte,
               That ye hadde rad his legende, as have I.
                                                  --Chaucer.
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               I had as lief not be as live to be
               In awe of such a thing as I myself. --Shak.
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               I had rather be a dog and bay the moon,
               Than such a Roman.                 --Shak.
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               I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my
               God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
                                                  --Ps. lxxxiv.
                                                  10.
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Have \Have\ (h[a^]v), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Had (h[a^]d); p. pr.
   & vb. n. Having. Indic. present, I have, thou hast, he
   has; we, ye, they have.] [OE. haven, habben, AS. habben
   (imperf. h[ae]fde, p. p. geh[ae]fd); akin to OS. hebbian, D.
   hebben, OFries. hebba, OHG. hab[=e]n, G. haben, Icel. hafa,
   Sw. hafva, Dan. have, Goth. haban, and prob. to L. habere,
   whence F. avoir. Cf. Able, Avoirdupois, Binnacle,
   Habit.]
   1. To hold in possession or control; to own; as, he has a
      farm.
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   2. To possess, as something which appertains to, is connected
      with, or affects, one.
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            The earth hath bubbles, as the water has. --Shak.
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            He had a fever late.                  --Keats.
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   3. To accept possession of; to take or accept.
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            Break thy mind to me in broken English; wilt thou
            have me?                              --Shak.
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   4. To get possession of; to obtain; to get. --Shak.
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   5. To cause or procure to be; to effect; to exact; to desire;
      to require.
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            I had the church accurately described to me. --Sir
                                                  W. Scott.
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            Wouldst thou have me turn traitor also? --Ld.
                                                  Lytton.
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   6. To bear, as young; as, she has just had a child.
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   7. To hold, regard, or esteem.
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            Of them shall I be had in honor.      --2 Sam. vi.
                                                  22.
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   8. To cause or force to go; to take. "The stars have us to
      bed." --Herbert. "Have out all men from me." --2 Sam.
      xiii. 9.
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   9. To take or hold (one's self); to proceed promptly; -- used
      reflexively, often with ellipsis of the pronoun; as, to
      have after one; to have at one or at a thing, i. e., to
      aim at one or at a thing; to attack; to have with a
      companion. --Shak.
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   10. To be under necessity or obligation; to be compelled;
       followed by an infinitive.
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             Science has, and will long have, to be a divider
             and a separatist.                    --M. Arnold.
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             The laws of philology have to be established by
             external comparison and induction.   --Earle.
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   11. To understand.
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             You have me, have you not?           --Shak.
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   12. To put in an awkward position; to have the advantage of;
       as, that is where he had him. [Slang]
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   Note: Have, as an auxiliary verb, is used with the past
         participle to form preterit tenses; as, I have loved; I
         shall have eaten. Originally it was used only with the
         participle of transitive verbs, and denoted the
         possession of the object in the state indicated by the
         participle; as, I have conquered him, I have or hold
         him in a conquered state; but it has long since lost
         this independent significance, and is used with the
         participles both of transitive and intransitive verbs
         as a device for expressing past time. Had is used,
         especially in poetry, for would have or should have.
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               Myself for such a face had boldly died.
                                                  --Tennyson.
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   To have a care, to take care; to be on one's guard.

   To have (a man) out, to engage (one) in a duel.

   To have done (with). See under Do, v. i.

   To have it out, to speak freely; to bring an affair to a
      conclusion.

   To have on, to wear.

   To have to do with. See under Do, v. t.

   Syn: To possess; to own. See Possess.
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