Middle English Dictionary Entry
fēmē̆l(e, -āl(e adj. & n.
Entry Info
| Forms | fēmē̆l(e, -āl(e adj. & n. Also fem(m)al, femelle, -ail(le, femaul. |
| Etymology | OF femele, -elle & ML fēmella; ME fēmāle (whence MnE) shows influence of māle. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Of man and animals: female; a female; (b) femel complexioun, the physiological 'constitution' of a female (in accordance with the 'humor' theory).
Associated quotations
a
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)42/1197 : And for þe lecherye syȝt In lenden of þe manne, And..hy sit Inne nauele of þe wymman: To hele, Me schel þe mannes lenden anelye Þe nauele of þe femele.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.961 : Wheither thow be male or female, yong or old.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.1301 : Sche sih the bestes in her kinde..The madle go with the femele [rime: querele].
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.4215 : The Madle is mad for the femele; Bot where as on desireth fele, That nedeth noght be weie of kinde.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.WB.(Manly-Rickert)D.122 : To knowe a femele from a male.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)68b/b : A female is more slowly fourmed and Ischape atte fulle þanne a knaue childe.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)70a/a : In all kyndes of bestis þe femel is more febil þan þe male, aut take þe femals of beres & of lepardis.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)100b/b : Þe female serpentis haueþ mo tieþ þan males and ben I holde þe worse þerfore.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)136a/a : In conceyuynge..ȝif þe wynde is norþ, þis childe schal be male..ȝif þe wynde be southe, þe childe schal be female.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)162b/a : In tokne of so grete plentee, a grete femal ymage was ymade and yclepid alma mater, þe hiȝe modir.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)259b/a : Þe hert loueþ þe hynde & þe leoun þe leonesse and þe male bere þe femelle.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)262a/b : Fleissh of geldede bestes..beþ defyed slowloker þan male fleissh and sonnere þan doþ femelle fleissh.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)265a/a : Hornes were superfluyte to þe femelles lombes for defaute of boldnesse.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)286a/b : The femel hatte ffemina and haþ þat name of femur, þat is þe þies, ffor in þese partyes bitwen þe þyes is distinctioun and dyuersite bitwene male & femele.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)286b/a : Femeles beþ more light to lerne and to be taught þan þe males, and beþ more busy aboute here brood and children and more mylde..In gendrynge of brood þe femel is, as it were, matiere & the male is forme and schappe; and of boþe comeþ semen, and of medlyng þerof comeþ þe creature. And þerfore I say þat mal and femel ben, as it were, principall of generacioun; & þe male is a forme and a schape and þe femele as matiere..þe femal is of more unstedefast kynde and more chaungyng þan þe male; and þat comeþ of feble hete & of strong cold humoure, þat is in more plente in þe femel þan in þe male.. In no kynde of bestes þe femel haþ þat yuel so moche and so ofte as þe womman.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)322b/a : Of þe longe eyren wiþ scharpe endes comeþ males, and of eyren wiþ roundnesse in stede of scharpnesse comeþ femeles.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)11.331 : In euenynges also ȝe[de] males fro femeles.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)696 : Uch male matz his mach a man as hymselven, And fylter folyly in fere on femmalez wyse.
- c1400 Femina (Trin-C B.14.40)6 : Euery of hem, he & sche .i. maul & femaul.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)13 : The hares..both mascle and femel.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Gen.1.27 : God made of nouȝt man to the ymage and his lickenes..maal and femaal, he made hem of nouȝt.
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)Col.3.11 : Where þer nys male and femel.
- a1425 Wycl.MCh.(Bod 788)408 : Two femalis shulen be grynding at a queerne.
- c1440(a1400) Awntyrs Arth.(Thrn)7 : Þay þam dighte to þe depe dellis, To felle of the Femmales [vr. femailes].
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)363 : Forto fynde children, mawlis or femawlis, to schole.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)565 : Ther may no wight þe chartre of lyf ensele; The ende is deþ of male & of femele.
- a1450 7 Sages(3) (Cmb Dd.1.17)3269 : Ȝonder standys ravens thre, Twa males and o femel.
- c1450 Battlefield Gram.(Trin-C O.5.4)104 : That word that by tokenyth the male and the ffemale vnder on article, as hic passer for the he sparwe and hic passer for the heo sparowe.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)125 : A femawle whit goot.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)106/30 : Take þe mylke of a woman þat is with chylde, and do it in a cuppefull of watir; and ȝif þe mylk holde it a-bowyn, þanne it is a male; and ȝif it synke down to þe bottum, þanne it is a female.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)27/152 : Mayll and femayll, bot no mo.
- a1500 Henley Husb.(Sln 686)52 : Let þe femalis calvis haue þe modris mylke iij wekis.
- a1500 Henley Husb.(Sln 686)56 : Þe male hoges..þe female hogges.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)60a/b : Mannes strengþe passiþ and manly complexioun chongiþ in to femel complexioun.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)265a/a : A ffemel lomb..is lasse in body and more moyste þan is þe male lomb by cause of femel complexioun.
2.
Of plants and trees: female (a distinction based on a variety of characteristics; see Barth. quots.).
Associated quotations
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)210a/b : Boþe wilde trees and trees of gardyns beþ dyuers, ffor some beþ male and some beþ female.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)210b/a : Þe male palme echeþ hete in þe femel, and þat by þe ayer.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)223a/b : Of yvy is double kynde, white and blak, male and female..Þe white yvy haþ white fruyt and þe blak haþ blak.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)239a/b : Þe femelle bourgeþ and bloweþ. And þe femelle bereth nought fruyt, but if he be so nyhȝ þe male þat þe smylle of þe male may come wiþ þe wynde to þe femel.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)250b/a : In Siria is Therebintus..þe male..is withoute fruyte and þe femelle..is double.
- c1400 Daniel *Herbal (Arun 42)f.34v : Þanne dewe, i. sprengle, a lytel þe face with frigida. & tak a smale clene lynen clout & dip it wel in eurose, or ellys in water of nenufar femel, i. lilij albi aquatici, of whit water lilye, & wap þe face þerwith.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)48a : Mandrake ys an erbe of male and femmale; þe male haþe leuys like to bete, þe female haþe levis y-like to letuse.
- (?a1390) Daniel *Herbal (Add 27329)f.13va : Þat other manere junipere is blac in his stikkes, leues round lyk leues of qwit plumtre saue les; & somme sey this is þe femele.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)84/1 : Take..of femaille hempe v croppes [etc.]. [Cp. eMnE fimble hemp.]
3.
Applied (a) to planets and signs of the zodiac, and (b) to precious stones, because of a supposed resemblance to certain physical, physiological, or mental characteristics of living organisms.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)110a/b : Þe signe þat hatte cancer is wattry, female.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)111b/b : Venus is female, a nyȝt planete, mene bitwene hoot & coold & moisture..þe female is a female planete & a day planete coold passinge & moist. Þerfore astronomers menen þat som planetis in her doynge & effectis ben goode as jupiter & venus, for he greueþ no þing but helpiþ & saueþ boþe her owne & þe þingis þat ben nouȝt her owne as ferforþ as þey mowe.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)113b/a : Mercurius is..a nyȝt planete, now male now female.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)199b/a : Achites is..double..male and female.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)105/19 : Dyamandes..growen togedre male & femele..þei engendren comounly & bryngen forth smale children.
- a1500 Peterb.Lapid.(Peterb 33)118 : Proinces is a stone of femal kend..for somtyme he conceyueþ & bereþ such anoþer stone.