Middle English Dictionary Entry
glaive n.
Entry Info
| Forms | glaive n. Also gleive, glaife, glaibe, gleiwe, cleive & glave, glafe & gleve, glive, (?error) glove. |
| Etymology | OF |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A weapon with a long shaft ending in a point or an attached blade; lance, spear; also, a bill, gisarme; ?also, some kind of sword, falchion; fig. dethes ~, death; (b) a lance set up as a winning-post in a race (sometimes given as a prize to the winner); also, the prize so won; ~ winner; (c) as surname.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 Body & S.(5) (LdMisc 108)p.57 : Gleyves [vrr. glaiues, sweordes] glowende some setten To bac and brest and boþe sides, Þat in his herte þe poyntes mettin.
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)1864 : Þe laddes..with flintes And gleyues schoten him fro ferne.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)4165 : Anon riȝt he hom ssende Mid gleyue oþer mid roches.
- c1330(?a1300) Guy(2) (Auch)p.534 : Þe pilgrim was armed ful wel Wiþ a gode glaiue in honde.
- c1330 7 Sages(1) (Auch)35/808 : Wiȝ clawing þai sculle þe desceiue, Til þai þe sle wiȝ deþes glaiue.
- (1356) Doc.in Riley Mem.Lond.284 : [2] gleywes [and one] pikstef.
- ?a1425(?c1350) NHom.(3) Pass.(RwlPoet 175)673 : Þai..vmsett Ihesus all o-bout With swerdes and maces and glyues gude.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)3275 : Now bygynneþ þay..glyues to casten wykke.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)4690 : Þay..hure ȝeate gunne defende Wyþ launces & gleues kene.
- c1390(?c1350) Jos.Arim.(Vrn)497 : Þei han geten on hem þe lengþe of a gleyue.
- c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)654 : Blod & water of brode wounde..folȝed þe glayue so grymly grounde.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)3761 : He gyrdes hym in at þe gorge with his..launce, Þat þe grownden glayfe graythes in sondyre.
- c1450 Scrope Othea (Lngl 253)15 : He bare in his honde a fauchon or a glayve.
- (1449) Metham AC (Gar 141)546 : Nest home stod kyng Hercules..With a gleyue off gold.
- c1450(?a1400) Siege Milan (Add 31042)1099 : Other with glafes were girde thurgh evyn.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)13.786 : To-gederis they weren Met The lengthe of A Gleyve with-owten let.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)20.224 : They Aboven defensed hem thore With speris & cleyves [F as glaives et as espees] wondirly Sore.
- a1450 Parton.(1) (UC C.188)3892 : A Swerde he had..A-boute hym gyrde..And in hys hand a Spere..And hys sadyll vpon the arsoun Heng a gleyve.
- (1450) Complaint in War.AM 4180 : The other abouesaid persons came..as it had be in land of werr, with force and armes, that is to say, with jakkes, salettes, bowes, arrowes, glaybes, gissarnes, longdebibes, and other armour defensif.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)4740 : The grekes..shottyn vp sharply at the shene wallis With glayues.
- (1452) Paston2.268 : xlti of the same felechep come rydyng..jakked, and salettyd, with bowys and arwys, byllys, gleves.
- (1453) Proc.Privy C.6.129 : Ayther of the seid parties shuld do that bataill with certen weppens..with gleyve, short sword, dagger & with axe, instede of longe sword.
- a1475(a1456) Shirley Death Jas.(Add 5467)16 : Thay brak up all, and entred..with swerdes, axis, glavis, billes, and other terribill and ferefull wepons.
- (1472-3) RParl.6.54a : Servauntes unto Thomas Trethewe..arraied in maner of werre, with Bowes and Arrowes, Swerdes and Bokelers, Gleyves and Billes, and other ablementes of werre.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)254/665 : Ordeyn eche man..to be þer redy With exys, gleyvis, and swerdys bryth.
- a1500(?a1400) Morte Arth.(2) (Hrl 2252)3096 : With gleyves grete and gonfanowne Grymly they gan to-gedyr Ryde.
- a1500 Parton.(1) (Add 35288)4142 : He happed to take hys bylle, The whyche some men do a gleyue calle.
b
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)10b/a : Brauium: Þe maystrie or þe pris of a game, or a glayue.
- a1425 WBible(2) Gloss.1 Cor.(Frf 2)9.24 : Ether gleyue [Roy: Witen ȝe not that thei that rennen in a furlong, alle rennen, but oon takith the prijs?].
- a1425 Wycl.Serm.(Bod 788)2.258 : Certis þei rennen all, but oon of hem takiþ þe gleyve..Men usen ofte þis gamen, þat two men..rennen a space for a priis, and he þat comeþ first to this ende shal haue þe gamen þat is sett, wheþer it be spere or gloves [vr. gleyves] or oþir þing þat is putt.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)55a : A Glayffe: Brauium..braueta qui dat uel qui accipit brauium.
- 1483 Cath.Angl.(Monson 168)157 : A Glayfe wynner: braueta.
- a1500 The mone in (Adv 19.3.1)p.84 : How Reynall and Robyn-Hod runnon at the gleyve.
c
- (1199) in Pipe R.Soc.n.s.10101 : Rogerus Glaiue.
- (1246) Assize R.Lan.in LCRS 4798 : Simon Glayue.
- (1332) Sub.R.Bdf.in Suf.GB 18125 : Johannes Gleyue.