Middle English Dictionary Entry
doctǒur n.
Entry Info
| Forms | doctǒur n. Also doctor, -ur, -eur. |
| Etymology | L & OF |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) One of the early Christian authorities on theology; a New Testament authority, one of the Church Fathers; ~ of the chirche, the foure doctoures; (b) an expert in Jewish theology; ~ of laue, an authority on the Mosaic Law; (c) a theologian, a learned clergyman; esp., one who has been awarded the title 'doctor of divinity'; ~ of divinite, ~ divine; (d) used as a title; (e) ~ monger, a dabbler in theology.
Associated quotations
a
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.85 : Som doctour seith, Penitence is the waymentynge of man that sorweth for his synne.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Fri.(Manly-Rickert)D.1648 : After the text of Crist, Poul, and Iohn, And of oure othere doctours many oon.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)11.293 : Þe douȝtiest doctour or dyuynour of þe trinite, Þat Austyn þe olde & hiȝeste of þe foure.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)9.72 : Of þis matere I myȝte..fynde fele witnesses amonges þe foure doctours.
- (1402) Topias (Dgb 41)p.97 : If we shulen ȝeve credence to doctours wordes, heere what seith seint Jerom, and seint Bernard!
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)1 Cor.4.6 : An oþer doctour or techere.
- (1440) *Capgr.St.Norb.(Hnt HM 55)50 : Wherfor o kynrod men may us now calle, Vndir o fadir, doctour of our feith, fflour of doctoris, Austyn is his name.
- c1440 Degrev.(Thrn)1463 : Austyn and gregorius, Jerome and ambrosius, thir are þe foure doctours.
- a1450 3 KCol.(1) (Roy 18.A.10)27/30 : Seint Gregory, þe worþi doctour.
- (c1450) Capgr.St.Aug.(Add 36704)1/18 : Seynt Augustyn, grete doctour of þe cherch.
- c1475(c1445) Pecock Donet (Bod 916)141/25 : Holi doctouris in her expownyngis vpon þe seid x comaundementis..discorden.
- a1500(?c1378) Wycl.OPastor.(Ryl Eng 86)429 : Þe worþy reume of fraunse..haþ translatid þe bible & þe gospels, wiþ oþere trewe sentensis of doctours, out of lateyn in-to freynsch.
b
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Luke 2.46 : Thei founden him in the temple, sittinge in the myddil of doctours [L doctorum].
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Luke 5.17 : There were Pharisees sittinge and doctours of the lawe [L legis doctores], that camen of ech castel of Galilee and of Judee.
- c1400 Bible SNT(1) (Selw 108 L.1)1 Tim.1.7 : Summe men..wolleþ ben doctoures of þe lawe [L legis doctores], bote þei ne vnderstondeþ noȝt what þei spekeþ.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)8/246 : Whan cryst was xij ȝer of Age..in þe temple he dede appose..doctoris ryth wyse and sage.
c
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)2.43 : Þat ilond was i-halowed and i-blessed of Seynt Austyn, þe firste doctour of Englische men.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)prol.87 : Bothe maistres and doctours, That han cure vnder criste.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)16.69 : Ȝut is nat þre daies don, þat þis doctor prechede At seint paules by-for þe peuple.
- (a1402) Trev.Dial.MC (Hrl 1900)6/1 : Ich haue herde of wise doctors, þat we schal distingue twey diuerse tymes of Crist.
- (a1438) MKempe A (Add 61823)22/11 : A worschepful doctowr of dyuynite..a Whyte Frer.
- (a1438) MKempe A (Add 61823)165/32 : Þer was come a-mongys oþer to þe sayd Chapetyl a worschepful doctowr whech hite Maistyr Custawns.
- (1447-8) in Willis & C.Cambridge 1p.lxiii : Two docteurs notable and wel auised vpon the bible.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)232 : A clerke with a croune schauyn, And diȝt as a Doctour in drabland wedis.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)275/7 : Þer was ij docturs of dyvynyte.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)518 : Dyuers estatys Off doctours and off prelatys.
- a1475 Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011)1021 : Provyncialle & doctur diuyne.
- a1500(?1452) Lond.Chron.Arms (ArmsAr 19)296 : Gilbert Worthington, þe person of Holborne, þat was a doctour and a good prechour.
- c1425(?c1400) Wycl.Apol.(Dub 245)52 : Doctors of diuinite and doctors in law of þe kirk.
- a1500(1396) Indent.Francisc.in RS 4.1 (Vit F.12)526 : Doctor of Devinite and Wardyn of the gray freers in London.
- a1500 Imit.Chr.(Dub 678)5/3 : All maner doctours, holde þei her pes..in þy siȝt.
d
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.NP.(Manly-Rickert)B.4431 : The holy doctour Augustyn.
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)7004 : To Iarrow he him hyed, Whare doctour bede leuyd and dyed.
- (1455) Paston (Gairdner)3.48 : Oon Doktor Grene, a preest.
- (1469) Will Pembroke in Antiq.439 : To doctor Leisen x marcs a year, to singe for my soule.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)79/6 : Ion Belet..þat ys a doctor of holy chyrch.
- a1500(1434-44) Let.Marg.Anjou in Camd.86 (Add 46846)53 : M. T. Gascoigne, Doctor in Theologie, and Chauncellor of our Universite of Oxon.
e
- (c1449) Pecock Repr.(Cmb Kk.4.26)87 : Ȝe Bible men..summe of ȝou ben clepid Doctour mongers, and summe ben clepid Opinioun holders.
2.
(a) An authority on Canon Law; ~ of laue, ~ of decre(s; (b) an authority on Civil Law, or of Civil and Canon law; ~ of bothe laues, ~ of canon & civile.
Associated quotations
a
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)15.238 : Þat conscience and cryst hath yknitte faste, Þei vndon it vnworthily, þo doctours of lawe.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)15.373 : Doctoures of decres and of diuinite.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)1583 : Practisirs..of þe lawe, Of dialiticus & decre, doctours of aythir.
- (c1453) Let.Oxf.in OHS 35319 : Thomas Sawnders, doctour of decres, Commissarie generall in the Universite of Oxonforde.
- (a1464) Capgr.Chron.(Cmb Gg.4.12)151 : The Pope wrot to alle Doctoures of Lawe, that thei schuld in Scole use this compilyng.
b
- (1452) Doc.in Kingsford EHist.Lit.(CotR 2.23)367 : Sir William Manypeny, knyght and Doctor of lawe.
- a1475 Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011)1024 : Doctur of bothe lawes.
- a1500(c1435) ?Lydg.DM(2) (Lnsd 699)35/225 : Com forth doctour of Canon & Cyvile!
3.
An authority on medicine or surgery, doctor of medicine, ~ of medicine, ~ of phisik; also fig.
Associated quotations
- (c1387-95) Chaucer CT.Prol.(Manly-Rickert)A.411 : With vs ther was a doctour of phisik; In al this world ne was ther noon hym lyk.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)73/12 : Þe doctryne of rasis, auicen, & galion, & of oþere doctouris.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)21.405 : The biternesse þat þow hast browe..That art doctour of deþ drynk.
- (1421) RParl.4.158a : That no man..practyse in Fisyk..but he be Bacheler or Doctour of Fisyk, havynge Lettres testimonyalx sufficeantz of on of those degrees of the Universite.
- (1423) Let.Bk.in Bk.Lond.E.(Gldh LetBk I & K)108/3 : Maister Gilbert Kymer..Doctour of Medicyns, And Rectour of Medicyns in þe Cite of London.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)0a/a : Gy de Caulhiaco, Cyrurgien, maister in medicene i. doctor of phisic in þe ful clere studie of..mountpelers.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)115a/a : In the curacioun..of þe lepre, the doctoures proposen communely [etc.].
- a1500(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Stw 952(1))16929 : To Rightfull men And to Synnerys thow [the Virgin Mary] hast made thy syluen doctour.
4.
An authority or expert in any field of knowledge, a learned man; ~ of liberal artes; ~ of werkes of werre; etc.
Associated quotations
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)172a/b : Plato of Athenes was doctour of alle þe prouynce of Attica þat was grecia.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)145 : I sall tak concell..Off dukes..and doctours noble.
- a1450(1391) Chaucer Astr.(Benson-Robinson)introd.117 : An introductorie after the statutes of oure doctours, in which thou maist lerne a gret part of the generall rewles of theorik in astrologie.
- a1450 St.Kath.(3) (Richardson 44)30 : Sufficiently taught in wordly science, For doctours and techers of liberalle artes I had ryght noble and worthy.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)15a : Doctoures and techeres of werkes of werre.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)432 : Riȝt in þe dawyng of day a diuinour he callis, And as him dremyd ilke a dele þat doctour he tellis.
- (a1460) Vegetius(2) (Pmb-C 243)398 : Ouer this al, exercise in armys The doctour [L campidoctor] is to teche and discipline.
- a1500 When nettuls (BodPoet e.1)p.269 : Whan..asses be docturs of every scyens.
5.
An authority's writings or commentary.
Associated quotations
- (a1438) MKempe A (Add 61823)143/24,27 : To lokyn meche good scriptur & many a good doctowr whech he wolde not a lokyd at þat tyme, had sche ne be. He red to hir..Þe Bybyl, wyth doctowrys þer-up-on, Seynt Brydys boke, Hyltons boke, [etc.].
- a1450(c1405) Purvey Determ.(Trin-C B.14.50)178/298 : Not-wiþstanding þat sche [Queen Anne] was an alien borne, sche hadde on Engliche al þe foure Gospeleris wiþ þe doctoris vpon hem.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500 Lystyn lordyngys qwatte (StJ-C S.54)p.215 : She was qweryd…Of all dottys [read:dottorys] that were so wys.
Note: New spelling: Also..(error) dottys.--per MLL
Note: Note that in sense 1.(e), our definition for the collocation ~ monger, a dabbler in theology" differs from that of the text glossary: "a nickname for a certain class of Lollards." Change our gloss?--per MLL