treachetourt

[An erroneous form, a mixture of treachour and traitor, perhaps confused with tregetour.] A traitor. The king was by a Treachetour Disguised slaine, ere any thereof thought. Spenser, F. Q., II. x. 51. treachourt, n. Same as treacher . treacle (tre'kl), n . [Early mod. E. also triacle ; triacle , triacle , treacle, F. thériaque = Pr. tiriaca , triacla = Sp. teriaca , triac a = Pg . theriaga , triaga = It. teriaca , theriaca , θηριακή (sc. ἀντίδοτος ), an antidote against the (poisonous) bites of wild beasts: see theriac .] 1. A medicinal compound of various ingre- dients, formerly believed to be capable of cur- ing or preventing the effects of poison, particu- larly the effects of the bite of a serpent. See theriac. And therefore I wel alowe your request in this behalf, that you would haue store of cumfort afore hand ready by you to resorte to, and to lay up in your hart as a tri a cle against the poyson of al desperate dread that might rise of occasion of sore tribulation. Sir T. More , Cumfort against Tribulation (1573), p. 5. Having packed up my purchases of books, pictures, casts, treacle, . (the making and extraordinary ceremony whereof I had been curious to observe, for it is extremely pompous and worth seeing), I departed from Venice. Evelyn, Diary, March 23, 1646, 6448 Treacle, a Physical Composition, made of Vipers and other Ingredients. E. Phillips , 1706. 2. More generally, a remedy; a panacea; a sovereign antidote or restorative: often used figuratively. Crist, which that is to every harm triacle . Chaucer, Man of Law's Tale, 1. 381. Love is triacle of hevene. Piers Plowman (B), ii. 146. The sovran treacle of sound doctrine. Milton , Church Government, ii., Conclusion. There is, even for the most debauched drunkard that ever was, a sovereign medicine, a rich triacle , of force enough to cure and recover his disease. Rev. S. Ward , Sermons, p. 157. 3. The spume of sugar in sugar-refineries: so called as resembling in appearance or supposed medicinal properties the ancient theriacal com-pounds. Treacle is obtained in refining sugar; mola es is the drain ings of crude sugar. The name treacle, however, is very often given to mola es. Mrs. Squeers stood at one of the desks, presiding over an immense basin of brimstone and treacle , of which de. licious compound she administered a large instalment to each boy. Dickens, Nicholas Nickle by, viii. 4. A saccharine fluid consisting of the inspi ated juices or decoctions of certain vegetables, as the sap of the birch or of the sugar-maple.5. One of several plants sometimes regarded as antidotes to poison, or named from plants so regarded. See the phrases below. - Countryman's treacle the common rue, Ruta graveolens; also, the com mon valerian and garlic. [Prov. Eng.] - English treaclet, the water-germander, Teucrium Scordium. - Poor man's treacle. Same as churl's-treacle; also, the garlic mustard, Sisymbrium All i aria, and in England the onion, Allium Cepa. - Venice treacle. See theriac. treacle-mustard (trē ́kl-mus"tärd), n. See mustard.