Middle English Dictionary Entry
dropesī(e n.
Entry Info
| Forms | dropesī(e n. Also dropeci, dropisi, droposi, (error) tropesie & dropsi(e, dropci, dropse, dropsei, (error) þropsi. |
| Etymology | Shortened form of idropesīe. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The disease, dropsy; cold ~, hot ~; in the ~; (b) fig. an insatiable vice: pride, lechery; (c) alch. feeding back too much liquid to the dried 'dead' metal during the alchemical process.
Associated quotations
a
- a1275 Serm.St.Nich.(Trin-C B.14.39)65/66 : Yet he is liche to a mon þat dropesie is fallen on.
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)364/10 : Some fullen in-to þe dropesie.
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)111/346 : Coueytyse hys..llych dropesy.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)5.21 : Adrianus þe emperour deyde in Campanya in þe dropesye.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)56b/b : Þe dropesie is not elles, as þe philosophir seiþ, but errour of þe vertue of digestioun in þe holouȝnes of þe lyuour..ȝif þe blood is vndefied, þe body þat is I-fed þerwiþ swelleþ & strecchiþ, & þerof comeþ þe dropesye.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)94b/b : Þe firste dropesye hatte leucofleuma and comeþ of distemperaunce of coldenesse and drinesse..þe secounde hatte yposarca oþir anasarca and comeþ of distemperaunce of coold and of drynes; & þe þridde hatte aschites and comeþ of distemperaunce of hete & moisture; & þe ferþe hatte tympanytes & comeþ of distemperaunce of hete & drinesse.
- a1400 Cursor (Frf 14)11829 : Þe dropecy [Vsp: Ydropsi; Göt: þropsi; Trin-C: dropesy] helde him squa in þrest.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)282/4 : Men of salerne seiden þat þere weren..iiij maner dropesies. But auctours of arabie..seien sooþ þat þer ben but iij..& þat oon comeþ of rawe blood, of raw fleume medlid wiþ blood..& swelliþ al þe bodi, & is clepid yposarca; þat oþer is of mater of ȝelowȝ water, & falliþ into þe holownes of þe wombe, & is clepid aschites; þe iij is engendrid of greet wynd resolued of coold mater, & falliþ into þe holownes of þe wombe, & is clepid tympanites.
- a1400 Pep.Gosp.(Pep 2498)61/27 : A man þat hadde þe dropesye stode tofore Jesu.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Luke 14.2 : A man sijk in the dropesie [WB(1): ydropesie].
- a1425(a1400) PConsc.(Glb E.9 & Hrl 4196)700 : Many yvels..comes til man þat here lyves, Als fevyr, dropsy.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)3b/a : We knowe by þe general intencioun of cirurgiens þat þe dropesie [*Ch.(1): Idropesy] may be cured, or nameliche þat he be esed.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)9.572 : He was trauailed with suich a dropesie.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)32 marg. : For þe dropsy.
- ?a1450 Lanfranc (Add 12056)5/14 : Cap. x of water of men þat beþ in þe dropsye.
- ?c1450 Iff a man (Stockh 10.90)304/379 : A man þat is in þe dropesye..Þe more he drynkyth, þe more he may..Ȝif he bolne fryst in hys feet..Þe bokys tellyn..Þe hoote dropesye þat it is..Ȝif he bolne fryst in hys visage..Þanne it is þe cold dropesye.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)52/13 : It is good for þe feuere in þe body and bredynge of postyme or dropysy.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)72/15 : Þan ist þe hot tropesye.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)133/27 : For þe dropsy, be it cold or hoot.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)64 : A man þat hath the dropcy, þe more he drynketh, þe more he thristeth.
- a1500 Hrl.2378 Recipes (Hrl 2378)96/18 : For the dropsey in the wombe and in the fete.
- ?a1500 Henslow Recipes (Henslow)43/3 : Hit schal destriȝe alle maner poison and venym and droposy.
b
- c1390 NHom.Narrat.(Vrn)305/476 : Þat was wel sene on Pelagi, þat lay in gostly dropesi, þat is to seie Lecheri.
- a1425 Templ.Dom.(Add 32578)590 : Pride þat is heȝ ouere alle, I calle it bolneynge & dropsy.
c
- a1550 *Ripley CAlch.(BodeMus 63)57b : But give it never so miche that thow ytt glutt; Beware of the dropsey & also of noes flode.
- a1550 *Ripley CAlch.(BodeMus 63)58a : Fro the dropse therfore the wombe thow save.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)52/30 : Uryn is medcynabyll soveranly to hym þat has seknes of þe splene, id est of þe mylt, & for þe dropcy, & þe schab, & þe pusshys, & for all meladys þat nedys desiccasion.
Note: New spelling: Also..dropci.
Note: Belongs to sense (a).--notes per MLL
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. dropsy.