Middle English Dictionary Entry
ē̆lecciǒun n.
Entry Info
| Forms | ē̆lecciǒun n. Also election, eliccioun, aleccioun. |
| Etymology | AF eleccioun, L ēlēctiōn-em. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
The action of choosing; choice, free choice; selection.
Associated quotations
- a1450(?1420) Lydg.TG (Tan 346)211 : Þei were maried in her tendir age, Wiþ-oute fredom of eleccioun.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)155a/a-a/b : Fleobotomye haþ 2 hourez .i. of necessite & of eleccioun..The our..of eleccioun is attended anence þe rote byneþe fourþe or lower and þe rote aboue.
- a1450 Who þat liste loke (Stw 951)42 : When a man hath taken vnto wyue A woman, at his owne eleccion.
- c1450(?a1402) *?Trev.Reg.Princ.(Dgb 233)5a : Nouȝt by aleckioun bote by hap.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)2143 : Loke ye kepe wel The part off your elleccyoun, Off herte & hool entencioun, That ye ha chose.
2.
The power or privilege of choosing; discretion, option; fre eleccioun, free choice, free will.
Associated quotations
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.46 : To fle the compaignie of schrewes, Which stant in disposicion Of mannes free eleccion.
- (1402) Hoccl.Cupid (Hnt HM 744)236 : It shal not been in hire elleccioun, The foulest slutte in al a town refuse, If þat vs [i.e. Cupid] list.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.6631 : He graunted..A saufconduit..Where þat hem list in þe toun abide, Or in þe contre adiacent beside--He put it hool in her eleccioun.
- (1448) Doc.in Morsbach Origurk.43 : Hit shall be at the eleccion of the seid Nicolas, whether he woll make the seid payment and fyndyng, or elles yerly to pay [etc.].
- c1450(1410) Walton Boeth.(Lin-C 103)p.190 : Bestes wiche þat hauen of nature Boþe will and nyll be free elleccioun.
- (1463) GRed Bk.Bristolpt.2 p.66 : To make thereof levy and accompt to the Maire, Sherref', and Bailliffs..monethly or quarterly, atte thayre elleccyon'.
- a1500 Treat.GBattle (Hrl 1706)436/10 : Haue mynde off thyne rewarde whyche ys putte in thyne eleccione.
- 1532(?a1405) Lydg.FCourt.(Thynne)58 : The sely wrenne, the tytemose also, The lytel redbrest, haue free election To flyen yfere and togyther go Where as hem lyst.
3.
(a) The action or act of choosing a person to occupy some office or position;--said both of choice by a body of electors and of choice by a single person; (b) the privilege of so choosing; (c) the moral right to make such a choice; (d) eleccioun dai.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 SLeg.Edm.Abp.(LdMisc 108)417 : Þo þe Eleccioun was i-maud in þe chapitle at Caunterburi, A-non huy senden heore messagers to him to salesburi.
- c1330 St.Greg.(Auch)169/995 : An angel cam fram heuen adoun..And seyd 'made is þis aleccioun [of a pope], Þe king of heuen haþ chosen ȝou on.'
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)11060 : Loke, lordes, how ȝe mysdo, Þat eleccyoun dystroubleþ so.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)208 : Þe Prioure of Canterbire sendes to kyng Jon, Bisouht him of leue to mak eleccion [of an archbishop].
- c1400(c1382) Wycl.PRSchism.(Dub 244)251 : Ne noon eleccioun of man is worþi bifore God but whanne it accordiþ to chesynge of Crist..men schulde putte in þe ordeynaunce of God suche eleccioun of prestis.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)1202 : He chosen was..Of alle Arge to be crowned kyng..Not be dissent nor successioun, But al only of fre eleccioun.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)191/18 : In þat yle men maken hire kyng eueremore be electioun.
- (c1426) Audelay Poems (Dc 302)22/340 : A foul defaute feythfuly in hole cherche we fynde, To let lordis or leud men make election.
- c1430(c1380) Chaucer PF (Benson-Robinson)528 : Foules of ravyne Han chosen fyrst, by pleyn eleccioun, The tercelet of the faucon to diffyne Al here sentence.
- (1433) RParl.4.478a : And that the seid vi Men have the kepyng of the comyn good..till the day of eleccion.
- c1450(1399) Chaucer Purse (Benson-Robinson)23 : O conquerour of Brutes Albyon, Which that by lyne and free eleccion Been verray kyng.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)8951 : Þes lordys to Election lyuely þai went To chese hom a cheftan.
- (1454) Deed Yks.in YASRS 65125 : To abyde in..the arbitrement of John Sayvill knyght and Robert Nevill exquiere with vi notable persons wyth thame tokyn by the elecion of the sayd partys.
- (a1464) Capgr.Chron.(Cmb Gg.4.12)121 : After here deth the empire went no lenger be succession, but be eleccion.
- (1467) Ordin.Wor.379 : It ys ordeyned, that at the daye of eleccyon of the Baillies, that ther be electe and chosen by the high eleccion, ij worshipfulle and discrete persones of the xxiiij, and ij sadde and discrete persones by the lowe election of the xlviij, to sitte with the auditour in tyme of audite as Juges.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.B.1745 : The good man that dede now is, To whom we be executours by his eleccioun.
- a1500(?c1400) EToulouse (Cmb Ff.2.38)1208 : Be alexion of the lordys free The Erl toke they thoo. They made hym ther emperour.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)98 : Who taketh this swerde out of this ston sholde be kynge by the eleccion of Ihesu criste.
b
- c1430(c1380) Chaucer PF (Benson-Robinson)621 : She hireself shal han hir eleccioun Of whom hire lest.
c
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)prol.110 : In loue and letterure þe eleccioun bilongeth.
d
- (1467) Ordin.Wor.377 : The vj men to be chosen vppon the eleccion day.
4.
The particular choice made (of a person to occupy the office or position in question).
Associated quotations
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)5.309 : He þat was first i-ordeyned schulde be pope, oþer he þat hadde þe more partye of þe chesers assentynge to his allectioun.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)prol.365 : Thei scholden noght..The Papacie so desguise Upon diverse eleccioun.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)10988 : Also, haþ he wykkedly doun Þat letteþ gode mannes eleccyoun.
- (1419) Let.in Ellis Orig.Let.ser.2.191 : I [the bishop of London] was at youre Hows of Syon, and there confermed the eleccions of dame Jhone North abbesse, and of sire Thomas Fyschburne..confessour of youre seyd Hows.
- c1430(c1380) Chaucer PF (Benson-Robinson)409 : In this condicioun Mot be the choys of everich that is heere, That she agre to his eleccioun [i.e., of her as mate].
- (1449) Doc.in Collect.Topogr.3394 : I, suster Johan Arundell..requirid, that to the ecleccion of ham of me ymade, I scholde geve my consente..To the forsaide Ecleccion..I consente by this present wrytyng.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)7577 : Goddis owne elecciown that to ȝow here is schewed.
- a1450 SLeg.Suppl.Bod.(Bod 779)395/41 : For ȝouþe me ne cholde spare þilke eliccioun.
- c1450 Capgr.St.Kath.(Arun 396)4.136 : Tho took þe romaynis the ȝonge maxens..Thei corouned hym rially..This seuerus..With þis eleccion had he grete enuye.
5.
The holding of a vote, in accordance with established procedures, by which a body of electors chooses a person for some office; also a meeting at a scheduled time and place to hold such a vote.
Associated quotations
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)11011 : Yche tyme was elleccyone To chese here pope.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)7.136 : Prioresse worth hue neuere; For hue hadde a childe in the chapon-cote hue worth chalenged at eleccion.
- (1415) *Choosing Mayor Norwich (Cleo C.10)57a : The Meire of þe Cite of Norwich ȝerlie schall be chosen apon þe day of þ[e] Apostilles Philipp & Jacob in þe Gildehall. To which eleccion þe meire & þe xxiiijti Concitizen..schall come.
- (1431) Ordin.Gild St.Clement (Trin-C O.7.15)276 : On oure generall and principall day, an Eleccioun on this maner schal ben made.
- (a1450) Oath Bk.Colchester2 : Masters, ye fower that be electe and shoson to be hedemen of this eleccon, shall elect and shose to every of you v persons of every warde.
- (1451) Capgr.St.Gilb.(Add 36704)110/8 : Þei cleped first þe Holy Goost, as men doo at elecciones.
- (1461) Paston (Gairdner)3.292 : This elexsyon of knygtts of the shyer for the Parlement.
- (1461) Paston (Gairdner)3.297 : The last eleccion was not peasibill, but the peple was jakkyd and saletted.
- (1461) Paston (Gairdner)4.17 : It was noyced in the shire that the Undresheriff had a writte to make a newe aleccion.
6.
Theol. (a) God's choice (of a person for some blessing, esp. for eternal salvation); (b) those chosen for salvation.
Associated quotations
a
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Rom.9.11 : That the purpos of God schulde dwelle vp the eleccioun not of workis, but of God clepinge.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)prol.435 : Tho [the virtuous] ben, as thapostel telleth, That god of his eleccioun Hath cleped to perfeccioun In the manere as Aaron was.
- c1400 Bible SNT(1) (Selw 108 L.1)1 Thes.1.4 : Knowe ȝe, my lefe breþeren, ȝoure eleccyoun of God.
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)Rom.11.5 : Aftyr þe eleccyon of grace þei ar maade saafe.
- c1475 St.Anne(2) (Trin-C R.3.21)533 : She was the vessell of eleccion, Chosyn by the deyte gloryous To bere hym that shuld make redempcion.
b
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Rom.11.7 : Israel hath not getyn that that he souȝte, forsothe eleccioun hath getyn.
7.
Astrol. The action or act of choosing on astrological grounds the proper time for some undertaking.
Associated quotations
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.ML.(Manly-Rickert)B.312 : Is no tyme bet than oother in swich cas; Of viage is ther noon eleccioun..Nat whan a roote is of a burthe yknowe?
- a1450(1391) Chaucer Astr.(Benson-Robinson)2.4.2 : The ascendent sothly, as wel in alle nativites as in questions and eleccions of tymes, is a thinge which that these astrologiens gretly observen.
- a1450(1391) Chaucer Astr.(Benson-Robinson)2.4.75 : That yit is the planete in horoscopo, be it in nativyte or in eleccion.
- a1500 Lydg.LOL (Adv 19.3.1)103 : Ych yere wer certeyn dayes three..Sowght and chosen owt by eleccion For to wayte the upryst by the morow Of this sterre.