Middle English Dictionary Entry
abai n.
Entry Info
| Forms | abai n. |
| Etymology | OF |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The act or occasion of keeping a hunted animal at bay by barking dogs; (b) the confrontation of hounds and the carcass of slain prey (the former encouraged to lunge and bark at the latter); (c) of dogs: holden at ~, keep (an animal) at bay; stonden at ~, surround an animal; hunten to ~, chase (an animal) until it is at bay; (d) of a hunted animal: ben, biden, stonden at ~, be at bay, unable to escape the barking dogs; turnen to the ~, to face, or turn on, the dogs.
Associated quotations
a
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)18 : Than is it faire to hunt to þe hert..to serche..to herborowe..to mwe..to hunt..to retreue hym, And a faire þing to be at þe abbaies, whedir it be on watir or on londe.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)101 : Whan þe lord þenkeþ þat þe abay haþ lasted longe ynowe.
b
- a1425 *York MGame [OD col.] (Dgb 182)ch.33 : Euery man stonde a broode and blowe þe deth, and make a shorte abay forto rewarde þe houndes.
c
- a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)46 : Euere þe dogge at þe hole held it [child] at a-baye.
- c1450 How mankinde dooþ (Lamb 853)401 : Þus y am huntid as an herte to a-bay; I not whidir y may me turne.
- a1605(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Stw 952(2))23143 : The houndes stoden at abaye and gan barke by gret affray.
d
- c1330(?c1300) Guy(1) (Auch)6751 : Into a forest þat swine hem ȝede..Þer he stod at a bay.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)7 : The herte shal be ouyrcome and shal be at abay.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)15 : And turneþ home to þe abay, as a boor.
- c1440 Degrev.(Thrn)254 : He vncuppilde hys hundis..þe forest þay fraye; Þe hertis bade at a-baye..Sexty hertis were slayne.
2.
Of a human being: at abai, in extreme difficulties, at the mercy of an enemy.
Associated quotations
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.2750 : Þus sche was at a-bay I-set Amyd of hope and of drede also.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.4648 : Proudly..stondynge at a-bay, Þis Anthenor wiþ-oute reuerence Spak to þe kyng in open audience.
- a1450(a1400) Medit.Pass.(2) (Add 11307)450 : Now is þe kyng, ful of mercy, Brouȝt at abay..þei spatton in his faire face.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Sense (b) supplied by J. McNelis; some of the other quotations taken from Master of Game under sense 1.(a) or (d) may belong here as well.