REV. WALTER W. SKEAT

“These our Ancient Words here set down, I trust will for this time satisfie the Reader.” R. Verstegan, Restitution of Decayed Intelligence , ch. vii (at the end) “Authentic words be given, or none!” Words worth, Lines on Macpherson’s O ian IMG:3346495070266184235_fig01.jpg:DOMINUS ILLUMINATIO MEA | Wi-Wy | | X | | Y | | Ȝ | | Additions and Corrections | | Transcriber’s Notes | For general information on using the Dictionary, and an explanation of the different types of underlining, see the Transcriber’s Notes at the end of this file. In the body of the Dictionary, italics and boldface are as in the original. A Concise Dictionary of Middle English, by A. L. Mayhew and Walter W. Skeat inexpensive volumes illustrative of the Middle-English period have been i ued by the Clarendon Pre ; all of which are furnished with glo aries, explaining all the important words, with exact references to the pa ages wherein the words occur. In particular, the three useful hand-books containing Specimens of English (from 1150 down to 1580) together supply no le than sixty-seven characteristic extracts from the most important literary monuments of this period; and the three glo aries to these books together fill more than 370 pages of closely-printed type in double columns. The idea suggested itself that it would be highly desirable to bring the very useful information thus already collected under one alphabet , and this has now been effected. At the same time, a reference has in every case been carefully given to the particular Glo arial Index which registers each form here cited, so that it is perfectly easy for any one who consults our book to refer, not merely to the particular Index thus noted, but to the references given in that Index; and so, by means of such references, to find every pa age referred to, with its proper context. Moreover the student only requires, for this purpose, a small array of the text-books in the Clarendon Pre Series, instead of a more or le complete set of editions of Middle-English texts, the po e ion of which nece itates a considerable outlay of money. By this plan, so great a compre ion of information has been achieved, that a large number of the articles give a summary such as can be readily expanded to a considerable length, by the exercise of a very little trouble; and thus the work is practically as full of material as if it had been three or four times its present size. A couple of examples will shew what this really means. At p. 26 is the following entry:— ‘ Bi-heste , sb. promise, S, S2, C2, P; byheste , S2; beheste , S2; byhest , S2; bihese , S; biheest , W; bihese , pl. , S.—AS. be-hǽs .’ By referring to the respective indexes here cited, such as S (= Glo ary to Specimens of English, Part I), and the like, we easily expand this article into the following:— ‘ Bi-heste , sb. promise, S (9. 19); S2 (1 a . 184); C2 (B 37, 41, 42, F 698); P (3. 126); byheste , S2 (18 b . 25); beheste , S2 (14 a . 3); byhest , S2 (12. 57, 18 b . 9, [where it may also be explained by grant ]); bihese , S (where it is used as a plural); biheest , W (promise, command, Lk. xxiv. 49, Rom. iv. 13; pl. biheestis , Heb. xi. 13); bihese , S ( pl. behests, promises, 4 d . 55).—AS. behǽs .’ In order to exhibit the full meaning of this—which requires no further explanation to those who have in hand the books denoted by S, S2, .—it would be nece ary to print the article at considerable length, as follows:— ‘ Biheste , sb. promise; “dusi biheste ” a foolish promise, (extract from) Ancren Riwle, l. 19; “and wel lute wule hulde þe biheste þat he nom,” (extract from) Robert of Gloucester, l. 184; “holdeth your biheste ,” Chaucer, Introd. to Man of Law’s Prologue, l. 37; “ biheste is dette,” same, l. 41; “al my biheste ” same, l. 42; “or breken his biheste ” Chaucer, sequel to Squieres Tale, l. 698; “þorw fals biheste ,” Piers Plowman, Text B, Pa . iii, l. 126; “to vol-vulle (fulfil) þat byheste ” Trevis a (extract from), lib. vi. cap. 29, l. 25; “the lond of promy ioun, or of beheste ,” Prol. to Mandeville’s Travels, l. 3; “wiþ fair by-hest ,” William and the Werwolf, l. 57; “þe byhest (promise, or grant) of oþere menne kyngdom,” Trevis a, lib. vi. cap. 29, l. 9; “y schal sende the biheest of my fadir in-to ȝou,” Wyclif, Luke xxiv. 49; “not bi the lawe is biheest to Abraham,” Wycl. Rom. iv. 13; “whanne the biheestis weren not takun,” Wycl. Heb. xi. 13; “longenge to godes bihese ” Old Eng. Homilies, Dominica iv. post Pascha, l. 55.’ We thus obtain fifteen excellent examples of the use of this word, with the full context and an exact reference (easily verified) in every case. And, in the above instance, all the quotations lie within the compa of the eleven texts in the Clarendon Pre Series denoted, respectively, by S, S2, S3, C, C2, C3, W, W2, P, H, and G. The original design was to make use of these text-books only; but it was so easy to extend it by including examples to be obtained from other Glo aries and Dictionaries, that a considerable selection of interesting words was added from these, mainly for the sake of illustrating the words in the Clarendon text-books. These illustrative words can be fully or partially verified by those who happen to po e all or some of the works cited, or they can safely be taken on trust, as really occurring there, any mistake being due to such authority. A second example will make this clearer. ‘ Brant , adj. steep, high, MD, HD; brent , JD; brentest , superl. S2.—AS. brant ( bront ); cp. Swed. brant , Icel. brattr .’ Omitting the etymology, the above information is given in two short lines. Those who po e the ‘Specimens of English’ will easily find the example of the superl. brentest . By consulting Mätzner’s, Hall i well’s, and Jamie son’s Dictionaries, further information can be obtained, and the full article will appear as follows:— ‘ Brant , adj. steep, high, MD [ brant , brent , adj. ags. brand , arduus, alt us, altn. brattr , altschw. branter , schw. brant , bratt , dän, brat , sch. brent , nordengl. Diall. brant : cf. “ brant , steepe,” Man i pulus Vocabulorum, p. 25: steil, hoch.—“Apon the bald Bucifelon brant up he sittes,” King Alexander, ed. Stevens on, p. 124; “Thir mountaynes ware als brant upritȝe as thay had bene walles,” MS. quoted in Hall i well’s Dict., p. 206; “Hyȝe bonkkes & brent ,” Gawain and the Grene Knight, l. 2165; “Bowed to þe hyȝ bonk þer brentest hit wern,” Alliterative Poems, ed. Morris, Poem B, l. 379]; HD [ brant , steep. North : “Brant against Flodden Hill,” explained by Nares from Ascham, “up the steep side;” cf. Brit. Bibl. i. 132, same as brandly ?—“And thane thay com tille wonder heghe mountaynes, and it semed as the toppes had towched the firmament; and thir mountaynes were als brant upriȝte as thay had bene walles, so that ther was na clymbyng upon thame,” Life of Alexander, MS. Lincoln, fol. 38]; JD [ brent , adj. high, straight, upright; “My bak, that sumtyme brent hes bene, Now cruikis lyk are cam ok tre,” Maitland Poems, p. 193; followed by a discu ion extending to more than 160 lines of small print, which we forbear to quote ]; brentest , superl. S2. 13. 379 [“And bowed to þe hyȝ bonk þer brentest hit were (MS. wern),” Allit. Poems, l. 379; already cited in Mätzner, above ].’ The work, in fact, contains a very large collection of words, in many variant forms, appearing in English literature and in Glo aries between A.D. 1150 and A.D. 1580. The glo aries in S2, S3 (Specimens of English, 1298-1393, and 1394-1579) have furnished a considerable number of words belonging to the Scottish dialect, which most dictionaries (excepting of course that of Jamie son) omit. The words are so arranged that even the beginner will, in general, easily find what he wants. We have included in one article, together with the Main Word, all the variant spellings of the glo aries, as well as the etymological information. We have also given in alphabetical order numerous cro -references to facilitate the finding of most of the variant forms, and to connect them with the Main Word. In this way, the arrangement is at once etymological and alphabetical—adapted to the needs of the student of the language and of the student of the literature. The meanings of the words are given in modern English, directly after the Main Word. The variant forms, as given in their alphabetical position, are frequently also explained, thus saving (in such cases) the trouble of a cro -reference, if the meaning of the word is alone required. An attempt is made in most cases to give the etymology, so far at least as to shew the immediate source of the Middle-English word. Especial pains have been taken with the words of French origin, which form so large a portion of the vocabulary of the Middle-English period. In many cases the AF (Anglo-French) forms are cited, from my list of English Words found in Anglo-French, as published for the Philological Society in 1882. The student of English who wishes to trace back the history of a word still in use can, in general, find the Middle-English form in Skeat’s Etymological Dictionary, and will then be able to consult the present work in order to obtain further instances of its early use. The relative share of the authors in the preparation of this work is easily explained. The whole of it in its present form (with the exception of the letter N) was compiled, prepared, and written out for pre by Mr. Mayhew. The original plan was, however, my own; and I began by writing out the letter N (since augmented) by way of experiment and model. It will thus be seen that Mr. Mayhew’s share of the work has been incomparably the larger, involving all that is most laborious. On the other hand, I may claim that much of the labour was mine also, at a much earlier stage, as having originally compiled or revised the glo aries marked S2, S3, C2, C3, W, W2, P, and G, as well as the very full glo arial indexes cited as B, PP, and WA, and the dictionary cited as SkD. The important glo ary marked S was, however, originally the work of Dr. Morris (since re-written by Mr. Mayhew), and may, in a sense, be said to be the back-bone of the whole, from its supplying a very large number of the most curious and important early forms. The material used has been carefully revised by both authors, so that they must be held to be jointly responsible for the final form in which the whole is now offered to the public. 1. A new and thoroughly revised edition of Stratmann’s Dictionary is being prepared by Mr. Henry Bradley, for the Delegates of the Clarendon Pre .