Middle English Dictionary Entry
cǒuple n.
Entry Info
| Forms | cǒuple n. Also cuple, cople & coupel, -il, -ul. Pl. couples & couple. |
| Etymology | OF cople, couple. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1a.
(a) A man and woman joined in marriage, a couple; also, a pair of lovers [quot.: a1393]; (b) a pair of animals of opposite sex.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 Evang.(Dlw 22)385 : Zacarie þanne dide his dede..child to gette..[þ]at swete cuple ant þat metinge Of fleschly lust hauide he no likinge.
- c1330 Orfeo (Auch)39/458 : A sori couple of ȝou it were, For þou art lene, rowe & blac, & sche is louesum.
- a1350(?c1280) SLeg.Concep.Virg.(Ashm 43)70/92 : Þer nas couple In ierusalem of so clene lyue.
- c1390 PPl.A(1) (Vrn)10.180 : Hit is an vn-Comely Couple..To ȝeuen a ȝong wenche to an old feble Mon.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.4437 : Wher he fond..A couple which misferde so, Thurghout he smot hem bothe tuo.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)19.224 : A book of þe olde lawe, Þat a-corsed alle couples þat no kynde forth brouhte.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)3.1749 : Love, that..couples doth in vertu for to dwelle.
- (1436) EEWills107/9 : To euery couple of man & wyf dwellyng at Ochecote.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)1623 : Many wedded couples haue I knowe.
b
- (1375) Award Blount in ORS 7204 : With xxti Copull of Conyngs.
- c1390 PPl.A(1) (Vrn)10.169 : Alle schulen dye..Out-taken Eihte soules, And of vche beest A Couple.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)333 : Of uche best þat berez lyf busk þe a cupple.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)40 : A couple of oters without moor shal wel destroy of fissh a poond.
- (a1425) Stonor1.40 : vj cople of cones.
- c1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(2) (Hrl 4016)67 : cc copull Conyngges.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)72/15 : Of all oþer vnclene bestys [take] on cowpull yn.
- a1500 Methodius(3) (Stw 953)274 : Noy hadde þe schyp with-ynne..of all maner degre Byrd & best a copyll be-twyn.
1b.
Copulation; fleshli ~.
Associated quotations
- a1450(a1425) Mirk IPP (Cld A.2:Peacock)194 : I take the to my wedded wyf..I plyghte þe my trowþe Wyth-owten cowpulle or fleschly dede.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)57/34 : Þus for fleschly coupull of man and woman ys vnclene yn hymselfe, þerfor lawe ordeyneth a remedy forto clanse hom.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)58/1 : Scho conceyuet not of coupull of man, but only of þe Holy Gost.
2.
A pair (a) of people; (b) of horses; (c) of objects; (d) of verses, a couplet.
Associated quotations
a
- c1460(?c1400) Beryn (Nthld 55)2002 : Þurh-out al the town, Þer & þer a coupill gon to speke & to roune.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)661/17 : Sir Palomydes encountyrd wyth sir Bleoberys..In the same wyse ded sir Saphir and sir Ector, and tho two couplys ded batayle on foote.
b
- (1473) Paston (Gairdner)5.197 : It is as good that ye ryde with a cople off horse at hyr cost.
c
- (1365) Halmote R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.8242 : Ad emend' ij coppell' de silles..iij pares de silles de domibus.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)99 : Cowpylle of ij thynggys: Copula.
- (1466) LRed Bk.Bristol2.235 : A Cowple of Candelstykkes of laton.
- (a1468) Stonor Suppl.8 : A copull of ffreles.
- (1472) Acc.St.Edm.Sarum5 : Item ij copyl of cruettys of silver.
- a1500 LRed Bk.Bristol1.154 : Of hake..of every v c. j cowpelle, and of ij c. and dim. c. j hake.
d
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Petyt 511)102 : Þat may þou here in sir Tristrem; ouer gestes it has þe steem..I here it no man so say þat of som copple som is away.
- c1500(?a1437) ?Jas.I KQ (SeldArch B.24)st.33 : All the gardyng and the wallis rong Ryght of thair song, and on [read: of] the copill next Off thair suete armony and lo the text: 'Worschippe [etc.].'
3.
One of a pair of matched rafters; also, a pair of such rafters.
Associated quotations
- (1343-4) in Hope Windsor C.1.120 : xxxiij couples meremij.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)1328 : Al þe coples cipres were & þe raftres wer al-so.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))SSol.1.16 : The trees of oure houses cedre; oure couplis cipresse.
- a1400 Pep.Gosp.(Pep 2498)22/32 : Hij cloumben on þat hous and vnþakkeden it and maden a gret gappe, and þorouȝ þe couples of þe hous hij leten þe paralityk adoune tofore Jesu.
- (1420) Acc.St.Michael Bath in SANHS 2327 : Pro reparacione de uno copylle in domo Johannis Pochyn.
- (1439) Agree.Build.St.John in BAAJ 25118 : The whiche roof shal be wrought of vj pryncepal couplys archebounden.
- (?c1450) R.St.Edmund in Archaeol.42404 : v grete new gystes; v grete new cupils.
- a1475 Lovely lordynges (Brog 2.1)p.4 : The cowpuls alle of galyngalle, The bemus alle of ryche coralle.
4.
(a) A leash for joining a brace of hounds; casten on (of) ~, to leash (unleash); (b) a brace (of hounds).
Associated quotations
a
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)1147 : To trystors vewters ȝod, Couples huntes of kest; Þer ros for blastez gode Gret rurd in þat forest.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)70 : Couples for þe houndes..shuld be made of þe heere of an hors taille..þe houndes couples shuld be of length bitwen the houndes a foot, and þe Rope of þe limer iii fadom.
- c1440(a1400) Awntyrs Arth.(Thrn)42 : Thay keste of þaire coppilles [Dc: couples; IrBl: cowpullus]..With fresche hundis and felle, felonosly þay fare.
- a1500(a1400) Ipom.(1) (Chet 8009)3554 : Off all that I on cowpell keste, To day the white [hound] hath borne hym best.
b
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)17b/b : Copula: a couple of hondes.
- a1450 Terms Assoc.(1) (Rwl D.328)603 : A copylle of spaynelles.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)42/18 : The questyng of thirty coupyl houndes.
- a1500 *MS Rwl.D.328173a : The hunt hath caste A copyll of Alounds to A hert of hertys.
5.
(a) A dry measure, esp. of dried fruit [see Löfvenberg Contrib.Lex. 57]; (b) a measure of cloth: a bolt.
Associated quotations
a
- (1309-10) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.996 : 2 couple et di. de ficubus.
- (c1310) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.100510 : In 1 Couple de Racemis.
- (1366) Let.Bk.Lond.G (Gldh LetBk G)209 : [For a] couple [of] fruyt.
- c1436 Ipswich Domesday(2) (Add 25011)189 : Ȝif ther be lasse thanne half a last, thanne be takyn of eche coupele [AF couple], ob.
- (c1450) Rec.Norwich 2235 : j cuple fructus.
b
- (1420-1) in Gras Eng.Cust.Syst.512 : i couple damask' cremesyn' continent' xxii vergas; xv couples damask' diversorum colorum continent' xlix pecias.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- (a1399) Oath Bk.Colchester8 : Item, for j Sowple Fyges and Reysons, ob.
Note: New spelling: (error) sowple.
Note: Belongs to couple n. sense 5.(a).--per REL
Note: Also needed for date in sense 5.(a).--per MLL
Note: List of variant spellings in form section may not be complete. Revised form section: Also coupel(le, coupele, coupil(le, coupul(le, cop(p)le, coppel, copil(le, copul, cup(p)le, cupil & (error) sowple; pl. couples, etc., & couple, coppilles.--per MLL