Middle English Dictionary Entry
angle n.(2)
Entry Info
| Forms | angle n.(2) Also angul(e, a(u)ngel, angil(le. |
| Etymology | OF angle & L angulus. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A recess, nook, corner (of a building); ~ hole an opening or niche in a wall; fig. ~ of wrecchednesse [?cp. sense 4]; (b) a section (of a city, a country, etc.), esp. an outlying region or district; also, a point of land.
Associated quotations
a
- 1447 Bokenham Sts.(Arun 327)40 : Fewe shuld haue delyht It to redyn and..Throwyn it in the angle of oblyuyoun.
- c1450(c1380) Chaucer HF (Benson-Robinson)1959 : The houses angles [vr. aungelys] Ys ful of rounynges and of jangles of werres, of pes.
- c1450 Capgr.Rome (Bod 423:Lucas)p.234 : In þis cherch is a chapel with an auter and a aungell-hole as mech as a man may sitte in, whech was mad be myracle in þis wise.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)4444 : That felthe abyde neueradel..I cerche eche Angle & ech corner.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)15300 : Lych a wolff..Shep in a folde for to strangle And to devoure hem in som Angle.
- a1500(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Stw 952(1))16544 : I leffte vp myn hede out of the dyrke angles off wrechchydnesse.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)426 : The squyer that was in an angle be-hynde the chapel dore.
b
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.187 : Arcadia..is an angul [Higd.(2): bosom; L sinus] (þat is a corner) of Achaia.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)2.5 : As Isidre saiþ..Anglia haþ þat name, as hit were an angul and a corner of þe world.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)8.2677 : Breefli to descryue The siht of Breteyne..Set ferr westward..a smal angle callid Inglond.
- (1445) ?Bokenham Claudian CS (Add 11814)275/197 : What angyl, than, or region was founde in al þe worlde, Which thin ymages sholde not haue worshipped?
- a1475(a1447) Bokenham MAngl.(Hrl 4011)7 : Frome þe brynke of Totenese vn-to the angille of Calidonye.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)171/29 : On dyche..that..strecchyt hyt-selfe..vn-to an angle or a corner of Tudenhull.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)6.99 : Oon angle of the worlde, whiche hade noo knowledge of hooly decretys made by cownesayles.
2.
(a) angel of the eie, corner of the eye; (b) apex, tip; (c) curve.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)12a/b : About þe templez & anglez [*Ch.(2): corneres; L angulos] of þe eien.
b
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)12a/a : Þe ossous i. bony partie [of the nose] haþ 2 bones..of which þe angle [*Ch.(2): corner] is aboue þe nose And þe bases [etc.].
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)37a/b : When þe aposteme is grete..þe opnyng oweþ to be made after a triangle to þe fourme of a figure of 7, of which þe Angle or corner be toward þe vpper partie.
c
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)266b/b : Serpentes and addres..hatte anguis, and haþ þat name for he haþ many corneres and angels..and goth neuer streight.
3.
(a) Geom. A figure formed by two converging lines, or the space between them; right ~, right angle; embilif ~, oblique angle; (b) the corner (of a figure); ~ corner; (c) apex.
Associated quotations
a
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sq.(Manly-Rickert)F.230 : Somme of hem wondred on the mirour..How men myghte in it swiche thynges se. Another..seyde it myghte wel be..by composiciouns Of anglis [vrr. Englysshe, Engles] and of sly reflexiouns.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)120a/b : For schinynge comeþ to þe vttir partye of a glistenynge body and reboundiþ aȝen in angulis & corneris þat ben I liche moche.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)329b/b, 330a/a : A corner hatte angulus and is þe touchinge of tweye lynes þat toucheþ eiþer oþer..Of dyuers touchyng of lynes comeþ diuers anglis, for som angle hatte rectus angulus, and somme obliquus and reflexus, and somme acutus, and somme obtusus. And most vertu is in þe angle þat hatte rectus..þe yȝe..conceyueþ al þing vnder an angle, for þe highnesse þat comeþ from þe þing þat is y seen streiȝt to yhe makeþ pirame, of þe whiche þe poynt is in þe blak of þe yhe..by þe angle of þat pirame þe sight is y schape.
- a1450(1391) Chaucer Astr.(Benson-Robinson)2.26.36-9 : This forseide right orisonte..dividith the equinoxial into right angles; and the embelif orisonte..overkervith the equinoxiall in embilif angles.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)330a/a : Þe quadrangle conteyneþ tweye triangles, if a lyne is y drawe from þe oon angle þerof to þe contrarie angle.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)4915 : The Angle corner..Wych Ioyneth the Endys lyne ryht.
c
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)330a/a : Þe lynes þat comeþ fro þe basis to þe angle.
4.
Astron. One of the four sectors or 'houses' of the zodiac located at the four cardinal points of the compass, numbered 1 (east), 4 (north), 7 (west), and 10 (south), resp., also known as the 'principal houses'. [In astrology, these four 'houses' were regarded as the seats of the greatest influence of particular planets.]
Associated quotations
- ?c1450(a1388) *Wallingford Exafrenon (Dgb 67)7a/a : Þus may I haue þe 4 principale anglis & þe othere howses be table of equation of howses.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.ML.(Manly-Rickert)B.304 : Infortunat ascendent tortuous, Of which the lord is helplees, falle, allas, Out of his angle [vr. aungell] into the derkest hous.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sq.(Manly-Rickert)F.263 : Phebus hath laft the angle [vr. angel] meridional.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)109a/b : Misael seiþ astronomeries in here domes & in here gementis takeþ hede of houses ascendentis..þat þey mowe deme & gesse what schal bifalle by pri[n]cipate & maistrie in housis, in angules, oþer assendentes angulis, oþir fallinge fro angulis. And also somme signes beþ I clepid domus angulares as þe cardinal signes..þat beþ cancer, libra, capricornus, & aries. And som signes beþ I clepid domus succedentes for louynge angulis, as taurus þat folewiþ..aries & leo þat folewiþ cancer, & Scorpio..libra, & aquarius..capricornus. And some signe beþ I clepid domus cadentes ab angulis, fallinge fro angulis, as gemini, virgo, sagittarius, piscis..Also housis þat beþ clepid domus anguli, þe firste hous is estrene þat is..aries, and þe norþerne house is cancer, & the west angule is libra, & þe angule of erþe is capricornus. Þese foure anguler signes beþ of moost vertue. And þe estrene more þan þe westrene, and þe norþerne more þan þe souþerne, & þe angle of þe erþe is lasse strong þan þe oþer anglis.
- a1450(1391) Chaucer Astr.(Benson-Robinson)2.4.20 : The hous of the ascendent, that is to seyn, the first hous or the est angle, is a thing more brod and large.
- a1450(1391) Chaucer Astr.(Benson-Robinson)2.4.52 : The lord of the ascendent..is fortunat whan he is in god place fro the ascendent, as in an angle, or in a succident, where as he is in hys dignite and comfortid with frendly aspectes of planetes and wel resceyved.
- a1450(1391) Chaucer Astr.(Benson-Robinson)2.37.2 : Tak thin ascendent, and than hast thou thy 4 angles..the begynnyng of the 7 hous sitt upon the west orisonte, and the begynnyng of the 10 hous sitt upon the lyne meridional, and his opposyt upon the lyne of mydnight.
- 1483 Pilgr.Soul (Caxton:Cust)81 : The sonne was comen to the Angle of the erthe [here 'north', but in Barth. 'south'] and hastyd hym vpward toward the eest oryson, to brynge ageyne the day.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- (1476) in Ekwall PNLan.176 : Ovangle.
Note: Additional quote(s)
Note: Ekwall: 'angle might be OE angel or ON ongull "a fishing-hook" here used as a name of the bend or the arm [of the river Lune] as a whole'
Note: See fuller treatment of 'angle' as a placename element in D. Parsons and T. Styles, The Vocabulary of English Place-Names, vol. 1 (́-Box; Nottingham, 1997), p. 16-17: "ME, 'angle, corner, point of land'; also 'outlying spot' without reference to shape.... ME and later usage probably derives from OFr. angle, and perhaps Lat angulus, though OE angel, ON ǫngull '(fish-)hook' may also be influences...; there is no particular reason to suspect that OE or ON enters directly into the examples.... *anger cannot presuambly be exluded.... Confusion with hangra is similarly possible."
- (?a1500) in Willis Archit.Nomencl.51 : In the south side of the chappell be..iiij angells..every of them half a foote and a quarter.
Note: New sense.
Note: Slip paraphrasing Parker (A Glossary of Terms Used in Grecian, Roman, Italian, and Gothic Architecture, p.290): In [the Beauchamp] document the word light is not confined to the great lower openings, but is applied to every opening with vertical sides and an arch head: upper ones with a piece cut off the corner are called batements; angular openings are called angells.
- a1475 Gawain & CC (Brog 2.1)19 : The yle of Brettayn icleppyde ys Betwyn Skotland and Ynglonde iwys..Wallys ys an angull of þat yle; At Cardyfe soiornde þe kynge a whylle.
Note: New spelling
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. angle.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc. (sense 2.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. angle of the eye.