Middle English Dictionary Entry
girdel n.
Entry Info
| Forms | girdel n. Also girdle, gurdel, gordel, gerdel, gardil & gridel & ȝirdels. |
| Etymology | OE gyrdel & gyrdels. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A belt worn around the waist, used for fastening clothes or for carrying a sword, purse, etc.; (b) eken out ~, to stretch the belt, stuff one's belly; from ~ to hose, the excretory portion of the body; knitten ~, tie a knot in (one's) girdle; rechen up the ~, submit to fate, die; stif under ~, stout, valiant; underpicchen ~, pad out (one's) girdle, fill one's belly; yeven up the ~, submit (to sb.); (c) fig. chastity; also, the Virgin Mary; ~ of lecherie, lechery, Venus' girdle; (d) ~ maker, a maker of belts; ~ thred, thread for weaving or sewing belts.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.MQuad.(Hrl 6258B)2/19 : Swa wæs Abdias ȝyrdels þæs witigan.
- c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)547/9 : Cinctorum uel zona: gurdel.
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)3210 : Hiss girrdell wass off shepess skinn Abutenn hise lendess.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)1913 : Corineus..igrap hine bi þon gurdle.
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)114a : Ring ne broche ne habbe ȝe, ne gurdel imembret.
- c1300 SLeg.Chris.(LdMisc 108)184 : Þis maydenes nomen heore gurdles boþe ant to heom teiden faste.
- a1350 Most i ryden (Hrl 2253)61 : Hire gurdel of bete gold is al vmben hire middel smal.
- c1330 Assump.Virg.(2) (Auch)598 : Þe gerdel of hire middel smal, Nowt a gobet þerof, but al, Ȝhe let falle to grounde.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)236/26,29 : Ac þes kertel ssel habbe þane huyte gerdel aboue..þet is þe bocle of þe gerdle.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)2390 : Stalke in-to hur bour..& stele þe gurdel of honour þat she ys woned to were.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)5.293 : Þe emperour Anastacius..sente hym a crowne of gold richeliche arayed wiþ precious stones, wiþ a kirtel and a girdle [vr. gurdel; Higd.(2): gyrdelle].
- (c1387-95) Chaucer CT.Prol.(Manly-Rickert)A.358 : An anlaas and a gipser al of silk Heeng at his girdel [vrr. gerdel, belt], whit as morne mylk.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mil.(Manly-Rickert)A.3250 : And by hir girdel heng a purs of lether Tasseled with silk and perled with latoun.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.6866 : Sche tok his grete Mace also And knet it at hir gerdil tho.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)13b/a : Þey [angels] buþ I-cloþed in fury red cloþis..þey buþ I-gurd wiþ goldone gurdeles.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)684 : Þo men fallyn more yn plyȝt Þat sweryn oþer fals or ryȝt, By any menbre of hys manhede Byneþyn þe gyrdyl [F seinture].
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)2035 : Þe gordel of þe grene silke..Vpon þat ryol red cloþe.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)2429 : 'Bot your gordel,' quoþ G[awayn], 'God yow for-ȝelde!'
- (1422) Will in Clinch E.Costume57 : A girdell of peerles..to Iankyn Myles, my servaunt.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)162b/a : Stande þe pacient whilez he shal receyue it [clisterie], curued or bowing on his kneez, his girdel lefte of, And hold he his mouþe opne.
- (c1426) Audelay Poems (Dc 302)15/150 : He is a gentyl mon and iolyle arayd, His gurdlis harneschit with siluer.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)3458 : Thane rysez the riche kynge and rawghte on his wedys..A pesane and a paunson and a pris girdill.
- (1443) Paston2.56 : I thanke yow that ȝe wolde wochesaffe to remember my gyrdyl.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)290/20 : His [Charlemagne's] gyrdyll was viij fute lang withoute þat at hange.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)200/642 : Anoþer for the same, and best of all: take a brode lyste the lenght of a gyrdyll, and enoynt the one side with fresshe grese.
- (a1460) Bokenham Sts. (Adv Abbotsford B3)116.4 (v.2:p.235) : Eufemianus .. hadde waytyng vpon hym .. thre thousent, whiche weryd goldene gardyls and sylkene garnementys.
- (c1465) Invent.Cirencester in BGAS 18 (Bod 6530)328 : A gyrdyl y-harnyst with selver p[ar]ty corse with xi barris a p[ar]te ygylt with bocle & pennants.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.B.1905 : Of gurdellis, of brochis, of ouches..for the feste of Nowell.
- c1475 Rwl.Prov.(Rwl D.328)p.121 : All keyes hangeth not by on-ys gyrdyl [L zona].
- a1486 Knts.Bath in Archaeol.57 (Mrg M 775)68 : Firste they schall putte up on them dubletis with blak hosis chasemles, a reed cote of reed tartaryn, and a white ledir girdill aboute him, and the gyrdill may have noo bokill.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)167/33 : He was cloþed with the skynne of a camele and with a girdel of heere abowte his lendes.
- a1500 Rule Minoresses (Bod 585)84/22 : Þes sustris..schul use bifore gerdellis cordes whiche shal be made wiþ coriouste.
b
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)107a : Me cnut his gurdel to habben þoht of a þing [Recl.: A man knitteþ his girdel forto haue mynde opon a þing].
- ?a1300 Jacob & J.(Bod 652)7 : Nou hem is wel leuere gon to þe nale, Vcchen out þe gurdel & rume þe wombe.
- ?c1335 Þe grace of godde (Hrl 913)19 : Fram þi girdil to þi hosse, Hit is wel vile þat commiþ vte.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.ML.(Manly-Rickert)B.789 : He drank and wel his girdel vnderpighte, He slepeth and he fnorteth in his gyse.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)7.43 : Wilnede þat men wende my werkes were þe beste..clerkes oþer oþere, And strengest vp-on stede, and styuest vnder gurdell.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)181 : Sen it is sett to be soo, & slipe it ne may..ne we to schount nouthire, Bot gefe þaim vp þe girdill; vs gaynes noȝt ellis.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)758 : Þou seis me, lede, or oȝt lange in þi lande armed, And oþire recouyre me þi rewme, or reche vp [Dub: reche me vppe] þe girdill.
c
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)236/11 : Þe gerdel huermide þe ministres of holy cherche ssolle ham gerde ope þe lenden is chastete.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)13b/b : Cestus. a gurdul of lecherie.
- ?a1440 Hortus (Brist-U)260 : Cestus:..i. cing[u]lum a gerdil of lecherye quo utuntur in legitimis nuptijs et Ceston quasi Caston et ponitur quandoque pro legitima copula et maritali concordia uel castitate.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)7000 : She..The skryppe aboute me gan dresse..Ouer my shuldere she yt caste..In travers wyse yt tenbrasse, She gan the gerdel to compasse.
- c1475(a1449) Lydg.IVMass (Trin-C R.3.21)150 : The large Awbe..Ys ryghtwysnesse..The long gyrdyll, clennesse and chastyte.
- c1475 St.Anne(2) (Trin-C R.3.21)482,484 : And for the gyrdyll what that hit doth mene, Certys hyt ys the virgyne pure and clene. She was gyrdyll to the most louly lombe.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)126 : Þe devil..castithe afore him a gurdil of lecheri.
d
- (a1413) Doc.Trade in BRS 751 : Item, ix gurdell Thred, pris iij s. vj d.
- a1500 Mayer Nominale (Mayer)686/20 : Hic corrigiarius, Anglice, gyrdilmaker.
2a.
(a) A necklace; a baldric; a belt about the neck or shoulders from which a shield is suspended; (b) a band wrapped about a plant; (c) anything which divides one part from another; the equinoctial; a body of land.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)115/22 : He hath aboute his necke large gyrdles wrought of gold & precious stones & perles.
- c1460 Chaucer CT.Prol.(Bodmer cod.48)A.116 : Girdil [Heng: An horn he bar; the bawdryk was of greene].
- a1500 Parton.(1) (Add 35288)4280 : He vndothe þe gyrdell of hys shylde, And frome hym keste hyt in þe fylde.
- c1500 Buy.Silver MSS Hast.in HMC1.420 : Brokon silver as old grydelles, lokettes..the unce, iij s.
b
- c1450(?c1400) 3 KCol.(1) (Cmb Ee.4.32)44/27,29 : Whan hit [mirre] is ripe..men take smal coordis and gerdelys and drawe hem all aboute þe eerys, and þan þe myrre cleueþ vppon þes coordys and gerdelys.
c
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)181a/b : Spayne is as it were a gurdelle to þe roundenes of þe londes, for he is biclippide nyȝe alle aboute with þe see and is nyȝe alle an ilonde.
- a1450(1391) Chaucer Astr.(Benson-Robinson)1.17.40,45 : This equinoxiall is clepid the gurdel of the first moeving, or ellis of the first moevable..Also it is clepid girdel of the first moeving for it departith the first moevable, that is to seyn the spere, in two like partyes evene distantz fro the poles of this world.
2b.
Med. & surg. (a) A belt or cincture used to cure hernia, hold medicines against the body, etc.; (b) a kind of ulcerated cancer.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)115b/b : And to þis is speciale þe vnguent folwyng, of which if þer be anoynted a girdel of wolle & be borne on þe naked flesh, it sleeþ þe pediculez.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)144b/b : And be he bounden with þe girdil yseid, And with byddyng of god he shal be cured.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)52b/b : Make byndynges to susteyne in manere of a bagge and wiþ a girdel aboute in soche a wise þat it holde.
- a1450 MS Sln.2463 in EETS 102 (Sln 2463)269 : The cure of inscicion..is don with a gyrdell made for þe rupture, þe whiche a man may fynde to sylle.
b
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)89a/b : In þe myddes of þe body, it [cancre vlcerate] is cleped singulus, a girdel.
3.
As surname.
Associated quotations
- (1177) in Pipe R.Soc.26138 : Euerardus Gurdel.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. girdle.