Middle English Dictionary Entry
daue n.
Entry Info
| Forms | daue n. Also daw. |
| Etymology | Akin to OHG taha, MHG tahe, NHG dohle. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. ca-doue.
1.
(a) A jackdaw; (b) ?a stupid fellow.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)4.307 : A poore sowter..informede a dawe [Trev.: chouȝhe] to speke.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)33a : A Dawe: monedula.
b
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)30/247 : I may full ill gang the soth for to knaw; Bot if god help amang, I may sit downe daw To ken.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1475(c1450) ?Scrope Mirror World (Bod 283) 3959 : Doo as oother doo. Wilt thowe nowe be cryed oon and holde for a dawe and for a papelard?
Note: Ed.: "'dawe' renders French 'beguin' meaning 'hypocrite' or 'fool,' here probably the former."
Note: Mod. gloss sense (b).