edgeless, edgelesse

[Eng. edge; -le .] 1. Lit.: Not having a sharp edge; blunt. not sharp, not fit to cut. "To-morrow in the battle think on me, And fall thy edgele sword; despair and die." Shakesp.: Richard III., v. 3. 2. Fig .: Ineffective, usele , powerle . "They are edgele weapons it hath to encounter."More: Decay of Piety. Hist .: An edict by which, on April 13, 1598, Henry IV., of France, granted toleration to his Protestant subjects. It was revoked on October 22, 1685, by Louis XIV., the unwise act causing the expatriation of about 50,000 Protestant families, who carried their industry to England and other lands. The lo to France was great, as was the gain to those coun- tries which were wise and hospitable enough to afford an asylum to the refugees. For the difference between edict and decree , see