Middle English Dictionary Entry

English n. (orig. adj.)
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Entry Info

Forms English n. (orig. adj.) Also Engles, ænglish, Anglish, Inglish, Inglis.
Etymology OE Englisc & AF Engleis.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
(a) The people of England, Englishmen;--pl.; (b) an Englishman; (c) the Anglian inhabitants (of Northern and Central England), the Angles (as distinguished from the Saxons).
Show 20 Quotations
2a.
(a) The English language; wenden into (intil) English, don upon ~, to translate into English; (b) on or in English, in English.
Show 33 Quotations
2b.
The English equivalent of a foreign expression, the English translation of a book originally composed in another language.
Show 3 Quotations
2c.
(a) Of the regional dialects in England, earlier periods of the language, etc.: old English, southerne English, English of Kent, diuers manere English; (b) of individual speech or writing: the usage of an individual speaker of English, the language at a writer's command; kind English, natural English, good ~, straunge ~.
Show 16 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • a1475 Peniarth Informacio(1) (Pen 356B)99/313 : How knous thow a uerbe impersonell of the passyue uoyce?..When my Englyche schall begynne wt 'me' as 'me loves'.
    • Note: Needed for date.
    Note: New form: Also..Engliche.
    Note: Quot. belongs to sense 2b.
  • a1475 Peniarth Informacio(1) (Pen 356B)97/200 : When the Englyshe of an infenetyue mode comys after a verbe betokenyng bodely meuying to any thynge to be done..I schall haue the first supyn.
    • Note: Additional quot.
    Note: Quot. belongs to sense 2b.
  • c1450 Peniarth Accedence(1) (Pen 356B)1/32 : For he passys hys posytiue degre wt þi(s) aduerbe magis, and hys Englysch endys in '-vr' as 'whyttur'..þat ys to say 'whyttr'.
    • Note: Needed for date.
    Note: Quot. belongs to sense 2b.
  • c1450 Peniarth Accedence(1) (Pen 356B)6/251 : Wen my Englysch endys wt '-yng' and my Latyn endys in -ens or in -ans I schall haue a partycipull of þe presentens, as amans.
  • a1500 Add.37075 Accedence (Add 37075)48/196 : For þis is his Englissh: 'louyd', 'tauȝth', 'herde'; and his Laten schall ende in -tus or in sus, as amatus, visus.
  • a1500 Add.37075 Accedence (Add 37075)48/198 : How know ye a participill of þe first future? For his Englissh begynnyth wt 'to' wtowt 'be', as 'to loue', and his Laten schall ende in -rus, as amaturus.
    • Note: Additional quots.
    Note: Quots. belong to sense 2b.
Note: The list of variant spellings in the form section is incomplete and needs revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED.--notes per MLL

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