Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Librarius
Middle-english Glossary All rights reserved.
abid, abyd, abyde verb, prsnt. remain, await, wait; abood verb, pst. awaited, remained
al conj. although
annueleer noun chantry priest, a priest who sings anniversary masses for the dead
aslaked calmed
assente verb, prsnt. consent, agree; assented verb, pst. consented, agreed
ay adv. always
ba verb kiss
baillif, bailly noun bailiff, an agent for a lord's estate who administered justice and
collected revenues
bede noun bead, a small usually rounded and perforated piece of glass or stone for
threading with others to make jewellery
bekke nod
bour noun, sg. inner room, bedroom, private room for lord and lady
burghes noun, pl. boroughs, a town (as distinct from a city) with a corporation and
priviliges granted by a royal charter
by aventure by chance
by rote by heart
by taille on credit
Cantebrigge Cambridge
clepe verb call; clepeth 3rd prs. prsnt. sg. calls; cleped (ycleped) pst. called
colt noun a young uncastrated male horse usually less than four years old
contricioun noun the state of being contrite, affected by guilt, feeling remorse or
penitence
cracchynge scratching
crosselet noun crucible, a vessel made of a refractory substance used for melting
materials at high temperatures
dayesye noun daisy, a small plant bearing flowers each with a yellow disc and white
rays, usually found in meadows
day of doom noun Judgement Day, the day on which the Last Judgement is believed to
take place
Depardieux by God
dettour noun
eftsoone, eft soone, eft-soone, eftsoones, eft-soones adv. 1. again, once more; 2.
immediately, very soon, right now
everideel, everydeel, every deel adv. completely, in all respects, in every detail; noun
everything
ey noun egg
fornicacioun noun fornication, sexual intercourse between persons not married to each
other
greveth grieve
heeth noun heath, an area of open uncultivated land with coarse grasses
herkne verb, prsnt. hear, listen to; herde verb. pst. heard
heronsewes noun young herons (heron, a wading bird with a long neck, long legs, and a
long, pointed bill)
hopur noun hopper, through which the grain passes into the mill
ik pro. I
incubus noun evil spirit that copulates with women in their sleep
Inde India
kyte noun kite, a predatory bird with a long, often forked tail
leek noun a vegetable with flat overlapping leaves forming an elongated cylindrical bulb
Lettow Lithuania
lymytour noun friar licensed (by his order) to beg in a specific district
Mahoun Mohammed
Makomete Mohammed
mare noun 1. the female of any equine animal, especially the horse; 2. (figuratively)
homosexual
maunciple noun business agent, purchaser of provisions for an inn of court (temple)
mesuage noun messuage, a dwelling house with outbuildings and land assigned to its
use
Moyses Moses
multiplie verb transmute (technical term for changing base metals into gold and silver)
myre noun 1. mire, a stretch of swampy or boggy ground; 2. mud, durt; in the mire in
difficulties
nat worth an oystre worth nothing; in Chaucer's time, oysters were poor-people's food
nave noun hub, the central part of a wheel, rotating on or with the axle, and from which
the spokes radiate
Noe Noah
ny prep. close
niste, nyste verb (ne wiste) knew not, did not know
open-ers noun fruit of the medlar, a tree of the rose family bearing small brown apple-
like fruits which are eaten when decayed
outridere noun a monk who rode out to supervise the estates of a monastry
Oxenford Oxford
paas adv. & noun footpace (the slowest gait of a horse), slowly
pace verb proceed, go
palmeres noun professional pilgrims who had been to the Holy Land
parissh clerk noun someone who assists the parish priest to perform services in church
Radix malorum est Cupiditas (Latin) Greed is the root of all evil
sergeant of the lawe noun a lawyer who belonged to the highest order in his profession
(from this group of legal officers the judges of the King's courts were chosen)
serpent noun snake
Significavit noun order for imprisonment (the first word of a writ in which the
imprisonment of an excommunicated person is ordered)
soor, soore adv. sorely, bitterly; adj. painful, sore; noun misery, pain
synnes sevene seven deadly sins (Avarice, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Wrath)
table dormant noun table fixed in its place, as distinct from one taken down between
meals
tithe noun a 10th part of one's income paid for the support of a church
toon toes
vernycle noun miniature reproduction of St. Veronica's sacred cloth, bearing the imprint
of Jesus' features
vigilies noun, pl. vigils, feasts/services held on the eve of a religious festival
werte noun wart, a small benign growth on the skin, usually hard and rounded, caused
by a virus-induced abnormal growth of skin cells and thickening of the epidermis
wolde verb, pst.sg. intended to, desired; wolden verb, pst.pl. intended to, desired
wont accustomed
woot verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
wympul noun wimple, a head dress that covers all but the face
ye noun eye