Middle English Dictionary Entry
gein n.
Entry Info
| Forms | gein n. |
| Etymology | ON (cp. OI gegn adj.) & OF gäin (from Gmc.). |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Advantage, benefit; help, remedy; don ~, to benefit (sb.), do (sb.) good; ther is no ~, there is no help, nothing can be done; (b) worth, value or usefulness in battle; (c) reward, profit, gain.
Associated quotations
a
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)42/1 : Hit were þi gein & ti god baðe þet tu..efter blesceunge ga & heie godd al-mihti.
- c1390(c1350) NHom.(2) PSanct.(Vrn)302/351 : Vr lord bad him for his geyn Take hit bi þe tayl aȝeyn.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)11.97 : I miȝte gete no gayn [vr. grayn] of hise grete wyttes.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.2206 : He..Ne knewe no geyn to his woundis grene.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.2685 : Whan Fortune haþ a þing ordeyned..þer is no geyn nor no remedie þouȝ men on it galen ay & crye.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.3541 : At myn hert þe venym bit so sore þat oþer geyn is þer noon but deth.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)2832 : Ther was non oþer geyn To saue his lif..Than vttrely withdrawen his presence.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)4.3356 : Arsynoe To saue hir lyff koude non othir gayn But with hir sonis feerfulli to flee.
- a1450 Ben.Rule(2) (Vsp A.25)787 : Ne in gret thinges haf I not gayn To mak maruayls many ayn.
- c1450(c1375) Chaucer Anel.(Benson-Robinson)206 : When she saw that her ne gat no geyn..She caste her for to make a compleynynge.
- a1475 Siege Troy(1) (Hrl 525)1054 : The messangers sene þer is no gayn; They have þer answer and turne ayen.
- a1500(?a1400) SLChrist (Hrl 3909)4828 : The gret of hit wol do ȝou gayn.
b
- c1330 Degare (Auch)930 : Wiȝ a spere gret of gayn, To þe kniȝt he rit aȝein.
c
- c1330(?a1300) Tristrem (Auch)614 : He..redily ȝaf him sa Of wel gode mone Ten schilinges and ma Of gayn.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)2349 : Al þe gayne þow me gef, as god mon schulde.
- ?c1400 Chaucer Bo.(Add 10340)4.pr.2.[3273] : Sherewes ne requere nat lyȝt medes ne veyne gaines, whiche þei ne may nat folwen ne holden.
- (1443-4) Grocer Lond.(Kingdon)276/10 : Also we charge vs with gayn of the seyd money for owre tyme beyng wardeynz an hole yer.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1400 Cursor (Frf 14)23888 : A besaunt if me taȝt to sette, þet I him agh to ȝilde wiþ dette; þer-fore agh I me to paine to ȝilde him wiþ wil that of gaine [Vsp: wit biyeit again; Göt: wid biȝate again; Phys-E: wit biate ogain] als be-houis vs ȝilde ilkan a-count efter þat we haue tane sum for more & sum for lesse efter þat our giftis es.
Note: Supplementary material for sense (c).
Note: Given that the other variants have 'ayen' (ending in '-gain') and biyēte (meaing 'gain, profit') it is conceivable that the author or scribe conflated the two, particularly since this passage concerns the crux of the parable of the 'talent': humans rendering a return on the 'talent' (here a 'besaunt') which the Lord has given them.
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.--all notes per MLL