Middle English Dictionary Entry
crevā̆ce n.
Entry Info
| Forms | crevā̆ce n. Also creves(se, creveis, crevice, crefeis, crewise, cravas, craives, kravers. Pl. crevase, creveis, creves(se & cravases, crevesses, crevices. |
| Etymology | OF crevace, crevaice, cravace. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A crack, chink, fissure; (b) an opening in a cliff or the like, a cave, cleft, hollow.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))2 Esd.4.7 : The gap of the wal of Jerusalem was maad al hol, and..the chinys or crauasis [L interrupta; WB(2): crasyngis] begunnen to be closid.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.363 : Smale dropes of water..entren thurgh a litel creuace [vrr. crauas, creues, creuesse, crevise].
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)134/4-8 : If þat þe creueis [Add: crefeys; L rimula] peerse þoruȝ þe brayn panne, þou schalt se þe plastre more drie aȝens þe creueis þan in ony oþer place..[Add: & ȝif þe breyn panne] be nouȝt I-slend þoruȝ, þe plastre schal be nomore drie aboue þ creueis [Add: creffeys] þan on anoþer place, & if þe creueis [Add: crefeysd]perse not þe brayn scolle, þe cure is..in þe bigynnynge of þis chapitle.
- a1425(?c1350) Ywain (Glb E.9)2106 : In þe chapel ay was ane And herd his murnyng haly all Thorgh a crevice of þe wall.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)100 : Crayne, or crayues: Rima, rimula, riscus.
- c1450 Scrope Othea (Lngl 253)52 : She toke the pendavnde of hir gyrdill and put it throw the crevesse.
- c1450(c1380) Chaucer HF (Benson-Robinson)2086 : Every tydyng..wente anoon Up to a wyndowe out to goon; Or, but hit myghte out there pace, Hyt gan out crepe at som crevace.
- (a1460) Bokenham Sts. (Adv Abbotsford B3)79.23 (v.2:p.80) : A decon of his ran to the dore and at a cravas he lokid in and saw the bysshop.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)30a : A Crevesse: fissura, rima, rimula, rimosus.
b
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))Is.2.21 : He shal go in to the chynes or creuessis [vrr. creuase, creueis; L scissuras] of stones.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)2183 : Hit hade a hole on þe ende and on ayþer syde..And al watz holȝ inwith, nobot an olde caue, Or a creuisse of an olde cragge.
- a1400 Pep.Gosp.(Pep 2498)21/31 : Alway stooden þilk tweie fendes in þe kreuesses of þe roche.
- a1425 St.Anthony (Roy 17.C.7)121/22 : He all-one ȝede in-to a crewyse of a hylle for to duelle.
- ?a1425(?a1350) Castleford Chron.(Göt Hist 740)20422 : Þai fledde..Sum qwile in creuesses of montaines.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)142/14 : On nyghtes it es in waters, and on days in þe erthe in creuicez or in craggez [Tit: in roches & in Caues].
- c1440 PLAlex.(Thrn)39/21 : He..come till a cuntre wonder drye & full of creuescez of cauernez & alde cisternes.
- c1450 Scrope Othea (Lngl 253)65 : He perceyued theyme bothe in the creues of a roche.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4025 : Þir Exidraces..crepis in-to creuesse & craggis on hillis.
- a1500 Treat.GBattle (Hrl 1706)430 : They shulle seche for to entre in to creues of stonys and in to swolowes of the see.
- c1500(?a1475) Ass.Gods (Trin-C R.3.19)534 : He thought he wold see what was in the grownd, And in a krauers forthe he gan hym dresse.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)133/17 : If..þe breche of þe brayn panne were as a creueis [Add: cerfes] or ellis I-slend & neiþer part of þe boon were lowere þan oþer, þanne..þou schalt knowe bi þis signe.
Note: New forms: crefeis, cerfes, (error) crefeysd. (Note that in sense (a), additional text including these new forms has been added to quot. a1400 in the online MED. These forms have not yet been added to the online MED form section, but are found in the revised form section below (which should be reviewed).
Note: Quot. belongs to sense (a).
Note: The list of variant spellings in the form section may be incomplete and / or may need revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED. Revised form section: Also creves(se, crevesce, creveis, crevice, crevis(s)e, cref(f)eis, crewise, cravas, craives, cravers, cerfes, (error)crefeysd; pl. crevesses, etc. & crevase, creveis, creves(se, cravases.--notes per MLL
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. crevice.