Middle English Dictionary Entry
halt adj.
Entry Info
| Forms | halt adj. Also alte, (early dat.pl.) halten, (?error) holt. |
| Etymology | OE; cp. A halt, WS healt. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Crippled as to walking, limping or uneven in gait, lame; ~ and (or) lame; ~ foted, having crippled feet; (b) as noun: one who limps or is lame; the ~, the lame; (c) fig. deficient, defective; (d) in surnames.
Associated quotations
a
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)48/3 : Ne i þe hus ne beo iboren na mis-limet bearn, nowðer halt ne houeret.
- ?c1225 Ancr.(Cleo C.6:Mac.)156/96 : Þe halte bucke climbeð þer uppe.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Lev.21.18 : Offre he not bred to his god..ȝif he were blyynde, ȝif halt.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.37 : Þe halt man [L claudus] feng his goynge ariȝt.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)8136 : An heremite þar þai fand..was halt and lam.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)102 : Be þay hol, be þay halt, be þay on-yȝed.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)58a/b : Scamson: lame or alte.
- ?a1425 Const.Masonry(1) (Roy 17.A.1)p.262 : To the craft hyt were gret schame To make an halt mon and a lame.
- c1425 Bible SNT(1) (Cmb Dd.12.39)Deeds 14.7 : Þer was a man in Lystris þat was seke in his fete, ande was halte ande lame fro his moder wombe.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)224 : Halte, or crokyd: Claudus.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)231/8 : Þis halte crepyll was sett vpp in hys nek, & he bare hym vnto þe kurk.
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)1076 : He was halt and myght noȝt go.
- c1475 O man thow (Hrl 2251)44 : Som man wise and som man frantike, Som blynd born, som halt, som even?
- c1485 Assump.Virg.(1) (Hrl 2382)516 : He them made bothe holt and lame.
- a1500(1422) Yonge SSecr.(Rwl B.490)176/8 : I ne ham not maymet in handis ne in armes, thegh y be halte-footed.
- a1500 GRom.(Add 9066)15 : Oon was halte, and the tothere blynde.
b
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)15499 : Þe blinde ȝaff he wel to sen & hallte wel to ganngenn.
- a1225(OE) Vsp.A.Hom.Init.Creat.(Vsp A.22)229 : He forȝiaf blinde manne ȝesechðe, and halten and lamen richte gang.
- a1225(c1200) Vices & V.(1) (Stw 34)75/34 : Clepe..þe blinde, ðe dumbe, ðe deaue, ðe halte.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Kath.(1) (Einenkel)1063 : He..arerde þe deade, botnede blinde..healde halte & houerede.
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)543 : Ihesu crist..makede to go Þe halte [vr. alte], and þe doumbe speken.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)19080 : Þe propheci was þan fild sua þat said þat halt suld scep as ra.
- c1425 Evang.(BodAdd C.38)979 : He heled hem alle; Halt, croked, wode, & blynde.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)23481 : She shewed me..an olde lady ther haltyng..She hadde ther gret gouernaunce..sith the halt held this place, al good rule gan difface.
- a1500 Methodius(3) (Stw 953)883 : Gret wondyrs he xall schew þere..halt & crepyls þat ben ony-where, make here lymmys heyll & rythe.
- a1500 ?Rolle De Passione (Tit C.19)43 : He helid alle that wolde be hole, bothe blynde, halt & lame.
c
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.165 : Preying þe reder, wher any word myssit, Causyng þe metre to be halte or lame, For to correcte.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)2079 : Wrong is croked, bothen halt and lame.
- (a1422) Hoccl.Hen.V.& KG (Hnt HM 111)43 : Now kythe of your feith the perseuerance, In which an heep of vs arn halt & lame.
- c1450(?a1422) Lydg.LOL (Dur-U Cosin V.2.16)2.264 : Either halte or lame In soverayne vertu, is all the kynde of man.
d
- (1269) Pat.R.Hen.III371 : Philip le Halteclerk.
- (1303) Pat.R.Edw.I186 : Richard le Halt.
- 1662(c1334) Bk.Vale Royal in LCRS 68 (Hrl 2064)94 : Maud le Halte.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)1158 : I þoȝt þat noþyng myȝt me dere To fech me bur and take me halte.
Note: Crux possibilities: (a) = halt adj.—see Gordon's ed.; (b) = hold n.(2), but other poems in Gawain MS spell this hold(e—Andrew & Waldron list as halte n.; (c) = halten v. 2.(b)—see Vantuono note. Used as phrase in taken v. 31c.--per REL