Middle English Dictionary Entry

flē̆sh n.
Quotations: Show all Hide all

Entry Info

Forms flē̆sh n. Also flæsh, flæs, flash, fleesh, flees, flessh, fless(e, vlesh, vles, fleis(h, vleis, flish, flech, vlech, flexs.
Etymology OE flǣsc.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1a.
(a) The flesh of the human body; esp., the muscular, gristly, and glandular portions (as opposed to blood vessels, bones, fat, hair, ligaments, nerves, skin, etc.); (b) corresponding portions of an animal's body; esp., the flesh of a mammal; also, flesh of a bird; rarely, flesh of a fish or reptile; ~ half (side), the side of a skin that was next to the flesh; (c) a piece of flesh.
Show 32 Quotations
1b.
(a) ~ mought, a louse; (b) ful of ~, fleshy, plump; (c) Godes ~, by God's flesh!; (d) manli ~, mannes ~, mennish ~, human flesh.
Show 9 Quotations
1c.
(a) ~ and blod, the body [quot.: c1250]; ~ and bon (fel), of ~, of ~ and blod (fel), mad of ~ and blod (bon), composed of flesh and blood (bone, skin), having a human body; also, mortal, human; in (on) ~ and blod, i fel and ~, in body, in the flesh, bodily, physically; (b) ~ and blod, hid and ~ and fel, all of the body; mi ~ and mi blod, my whole body; ~ ne bon, neither flesh nor bone, no body; of ~ nor bon, of no part of the body; ~ and blod (bon, fel), in fel (and) ~ and bon, of ~ and bones (fel, lire), with ~ and with bon (fel), in the whole body, with respect to the entire body, in every respect, entirely, completely, altogether; (c) of ~, mad of ~ and bon, having human feelings.
Show 47 Quotations
1d.
Theol. (a) The communion bread: Cristes ~, bread as transubstantiated into the flesh of Christ; ~ and blod, the sacramental bread and wine; nimen our Lordes ~, to take the sacrament; (b) nimen (taken) ~ and blod, underfon bon and ~, to become incarnate.
Show 21 Quotations
1e.
Med. and surg. (a) A muscle; (b) the flesh of an animal used medicinally; (c) brauni (lacertous, musculous) ~, the flesh of muscles; corni (arenous, fatti, glandelous, granelous, kerneled, knotti) ~, flesh with a granulated structure, glandular flesh, flesh interspersed with fatty tissues; ded ~, dead flesh, flesh without sensation, gangrenous flesh; ?also, proud flesh; fals (gret, proud) ~, proud flesh; hard (callous) ~, scar tissue; quik ~, living flesh, healthy flesh; rau ~, raw flesh, bleeding flesh; simple (pur) ~, flesh unmixed with other types of bodily tissue; (d) maken (gendren, grouen) ~, to produce new tissue in a wound; newe ~, new fleshy tissue; of medicines: making (gendering, regeneratif of) ~, causing new tissue to form.
Show 31 Quotations
2a.
(a) The flesh of an animal (or fowl) used for human food, meat; (b) pl. kinds of meat; also, pieces of meat [quot.WBible(2)]; (c) meat as food for beasts or birds; also, carrion; (d) the edible part (of a fruit); the pulp (of an olive).
Show 25 Quotations
2b.
(a) bef ~, calf (calves) ~, camel ~, capoun ~, colver ~, cou(es) ~, deres ~, gos ~, gotes ~, hen ~, hors ~, rotheres ~, shepes ~, swin(es) ~, etc.; (b) fat ~, fat meat; fresh ~, fresh meat, unsalted or uncured meat; gret ~, coarse meat, plain meat; ibred ~, broiled or roasted meat; rau ~, raw meat; rest(i) ~, rancid meat; rosted ~, roast meat; salt ~, meat cured with salt; soden ~, boiled meat; etc.
Show 27 Quotations
2c.
(a) ~ broth, meat broth; ~ dai, a day on which meat may be eaten (as opposed to a fast day); ~ eting, the eating of meat; ~ side, ?the lean side of a piece of meat; ~ time, a season when meat may be eaten (as opposed to Lent); fleshes fod, meat, ?bodily food; (b) ~ ax, an ax for cutting meat, a butcher's ax; ~ bord, a table on which meat is displayed for sale, a butcher's stall; ~ crok, an implement with hooks or prongs for lifting meat from a pot; ~ fold, an enclosure in which animals are slaughtered; ~ gavel, a tax or toll on the selling of meats; ~ hok = ~ crok; ~ hous, a building where meat is butchered and sold; ~ larder, a place for storing meat; ~ market, meat market; ~ rop, ?a rope for tying up or hanging meat; ~ stal, butcher's stall.
Show 34 Quotations
2d.
(a) fish and ~, fish and meat; ~ ne (no, nother) fish; etc.; (b) bred and ~, bread and meat; ~ and cheses; ~ and mele; ~ and win; (c) proverbial: old fish and young flesh, meat of full-grown fish and of young beasts.
Show 25 Quotations
3a.
(a) The human body; bare ~, naked ~, the naked body; dedlich ~, mortal body; ~ and gost, body and spirit; French ~, body of a Frenchman; (b) the body of an animal.
Show 20 Quotations
3b.
(a) Pertaining to or affecting the body; after the fleshes kind, according to bodily nature, physically; ~ fouled (souled), defiled or soiled in body; ~ leche, a physician who heals the body; ~ timber, bodily substance, physical matter; fleshes eie sight, bodily sight or power of vision; godes of the ~, things pertaining to physical well-being; of ~ akenned, born of the body, physically born; tribulacioun of ~, bodily suffering; etc.; (b) in (into, with) ~, in the flesh, in body, bodily, physically; in the daies of his ~, during his earthly life; (c) ~ fader, earthly father; also, ancestor; ~ kinnesman, blood relative; ~ moder earthly mother; also, ancestor; haven ~ and blod, to be the child (of someone); neigh (one's) ~ and blod, closely related (to one) by blood; of ~, by blood; thi ~, thi owen ~, your owen ~ and blod, your own flesh and blood, your blood kinsman; (d) on ~, two persons united in marriage, husband and wife; ben on ~ and blod with, to be married to (someone); maken on ~, to unite (persons) in marriage; two (twein) in on ~, two fleshes..joined in on, two persons joined in marriage, husband and wife.
Show 34 Quotations
3c.
Theol. (a) ~ foing, incarnation, becoming man; mad (maked) ~, incarnate; nimen (fon, taken) ~, to become incarnate; (b) arisnesse of ~, fleshes arist, the resurrection of the body.
Show 12 Quotations
4.
A human being, a person; a living creature; al ~, all beings; ech ~, every creature; etc.
Show 11 Quotations
5a.
(a) The physical or sensual nature of man (as opposed to the spiritual); bodily appetites and desires; ~ and blod, the bodily appetites; (b) ben in (of) ~, liven after (bi) the ~, to live in a carnal or worldly manner, live a life of indulgence; coveitise of ~, physical or worldly (non-spiritual) desire; dedes (vices) of ~, sins of bodily indulgence; ~ delit (est), delit of the ~, physical pleasure; ~ liking, liking of ~, physical desire, physical pleasure; ~ lust, fleshes lust, ~ priking, fleshes wil, bodily desire, physical appetite; fleshes filth, bodily indulgence, carnal pleasure; fleshes thral, a slave to physical needs or desires.
Show 40 Quotations
5b.
The sex urge, sexual desire or passion; sexual intercourse; the capacity for sexual intercourse; ~ dette, the sexual obligations of a husband or wife; ~ imone, sharing of flesh, sexual intercourse; ~ liking, liking of ~, sexual desire; fleshes ded, sexual intercourse; fleshes filth, defilement of the flesh, sexual intercourse; fleshes fonding (temptacioun), temptation to sexual sins; fleshes lust, ~ wil, sexual desire or pleasure; frelte of ~, frailty of the flesh; going awei after other ~, sodomy; knouen (underfon) mannes ~, to have sexual intercourse; sellen (one's) ~, to be a prostitute; sin of ~, fornication or adultery.
Show 29 Quotations
5c.
The body, or bodily nature, as one of the three foes of mankind; the ~, the fend, and the world, etc.
Show 12 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • ?a1500 MS Add.33956 in Wenzel ME Lexicon (Add 33956)471 : Cum paruo pitancia portatur in paruo uase, sed [read: sicud] duo oua in vno salsariou, tunc acceptum est seruicium; si [read: sed] si in vna magna scutella, puta in vno flesdyss, statim diceret, 'quid est hoc?'.
Note: New combination in sense 2c., ~ dish, a large serving dish, meat platter.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • a1400 Mirror(Htrn 250) 1:81/31 : O flesche & o blode makeþ flesche fondinges & o gost þurth loue of God.
    • Note: Editor's note: "flesche fondinges: Under MED flesh n. 5b., fleshes fonding is given as meaning 'temptation to sexual sins'. However, there is no connotation of 'temptation' or 'sin' in...'charnel leissur'; under AND leisur these lines from the Miroir are quoted and the sense of leissur given as 'pleasure'. Thus flesche fondinges here seems rather to be 'sexual pleasures' -- cf. MED fonden v. 5.(a) 'to enjoy or indulge in (pleasures, love-making, etc.)'."
Note: Perhaps appropriate to change flesh n. 5b. 'fleshes fonding' to a more general sense which does not imply temptation or sin, but may also have the positive connotation as used here.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • a1500 Trin-C.R.14.45 Recipes (Trin-C R.14.45) 135/17 : Waisshe þin skynne þerinne als þou dedist byforne, and euermore þe fleisshe syde donward, and þanne wryng þe water eftsonys out of þin skynne.
    • Note: New spelling (ei with double s).
    Note: Additional quote, prob. sense 1a.(b).

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.7vb (1.3) : Duodenum, to whom ieiune is tyede, is pleyn and smoþe..þat þe fode may þe more liȝtlier descende, i. go doun, into ieiune..also be enchesoun of smale skynnes and buddy fleissche þat arne þer nere.
Note: New spelling: fleissche.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. brawny flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. callous flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. corny flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. dead flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. false flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. fatty flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. glandulous flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. granulous flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. great flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. kernelled flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. knotty flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. lacertous flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. musculous flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. proud flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. pure flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. quick flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(c)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. simple flesh.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc. (sense 1e.(d)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. new flesh.

©2025 Regents of the University of Michigan. For details about this collection's copyright see the MEC copyright statement and the U-M Library Copyright Policy. Data last refreshed Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 12:18:00.