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Webster 1913 Edition

Had

Had

(hăd)
,
imp.
&
p.
p.
of
Have
.
[OE.
had
,
hafde
,
hefde
, AS.
hæfde
.]
See
Have
.
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
.
And
lever me is
be pore and trewe.
[And more agreeable to me it is to be poor and true.]
C. Mundi (Trans.).
Him had been lever
to be syke.
[To him it had been preferable to be sick.]
Fabian.
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.
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.
Poor lady,
she were better
love a dream.
Shakespeare
You were best
hang yourself.
Beau. & Fl.
Me rather had
my heart might feel your love
Than my unpleased eye see your courtesy.
Shakespeare
I hadde levere
than my scherte,
That ye hadde rad his legende, as have I.
Chaucer.
I had as lief
not be as live to be
In awe of such a thing as I myself.
Shakespeare
I had rather
be a dog and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.
Shakespeare
I had rather
be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Ps. lxxxiv. 10.

Webster 1828 Edition

Had

HAD

, pret. and pp. of have; contracted from Sax.haefd, that is, haved; as, I had; I have had. In the phrase, 'I had better go,' it is supposed that had is used for would; 'I'd better go.' The sense of the phrase is, 'it would be better for me to go.'

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