Middle English Dictionary Entry

dīen v.
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Entry Info

Forms dīen v. Also dieghen, dighen, diȝen, deien, dæȝen, deaȝen, deghen, deigen, deighen, deiȝen, deȝen, dẹ̄n. P.ppl. i)dīed, i)diȝed, deied, deghit, dehit, deȝed, idæid.
Etymology ON; cp. OI deyja.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1a.
(a) Of a person, animal, soul, body, part of body: to cease living, die; liven or ~, liven and ~; (b) refl.; (c) in proverb.
Show 30 Quotations
1b.
(a) ~..deth, to die (a particular kind of) death; (b) ~ bi (in, o, of, on, with) deth, to die (a particular kind of) death; also, to die a natural death.
Show 19 Quotations
1c.
With prep. phr.: (a) ~ bi, to die of (pestilence, etc.); (b) ~ for, to die of (fear, hunger, indignation, love, etc.); die for (sb., sth.); ~ for the sake of; (c) ~ in, to die in (battle, childbirth); die on (the battlefield); die for (a cause); die in a state of (honor, peace, sin, etc.); ~ in God (the Lord), die in a state of Christian grace; (d) ~ of, to die from (a wound, hunger, etc.); ~ of hond(es, die by (someone's) hand(s; (e) ~ on, ~ upon, to die in (bed); die on (the cross, the rood); die of (hunger, a knife wound); die (a certain kind of death); (f) ~ thurgh, to die because of (sb., sth.); die at the hands of (sb.); die of (hunger, etc.); ~ thurgh deth, die (a certain kind of) death; (g) ~ with, to die by (poison, blows, a sword, torture, etc.).
Show 62 Quotations
1d.
With adverbs: ~ doun, ~ up, to die off, perish.
Show 3 Quotations
1e.
With pred. noun or adj.
Show 6 Quotations
2.
(a) To suffer the pains of dying; face the danger of death; also fig.; (b) to suffer spiritual death.
Show 13 Quotations
3.
(a) To suffer suspension, change, or loss of vegetative life; (b) of fire: to die out; of smoke: to fade away; of a river: to run no farther; (c) to come to an end, terminate; also, be forgotten.
Show 16 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • c1350 NPass.(Rwl C.655)143/1550b : Þe most dele of riche borwe sal daie for hunger þourþe & þowr.
    • Note: New spelling: Also..daie.
    Note: Belongs to sense 1c.(b), where it is needed for date.
  • c1400 *Bk.Mother (LdMisc 210)6/26 : Ȝe with ȝoure contrarius lyuynge in þe seuen vertues made hem dien to þe seuen dedely synnes.
  • a1500(c1410) Dives & P.(Htrn 270)2.201 : Ȝif a man betake hys beste to a pore man to hyre or to kepyn in comenaunt uttyrlyche þat ȝif it dye, it schal dye to þe pore man and lyuyn to hym, for he wil han as good þerfor, it is wyckyd usure.
    • Note: 2nd occurrence of Dives quot. belongs to sense 1c. with its own lettered subsense: ~ to, to die as far as (sb.) is concerned.--per MLL
    Note: Bk.Mother quot. employs 'dien to' to mean something like 'escape the influence of.'
Note: In sense 1c.(b), form in quot. c1380 needs to be added to the form section. Style it: P.died & daide.--per MLL
Note: Note that the list of variant spellings in the form section may not be complete--see sense 1a.(a), p.ppl. deide in second quot.--per MLL

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