Middle English Dictionary Entry
hāsel n.
Entry Info
Forms | hāsel n. Also haselle, hasle, hassille, asel, (early) hæsel, hasla, (late) haisel & hesel, heselle. |
Etymology | OE (WS hæsel, Merc., K *hesel) & ON (cp. OI hesli). |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The European hazel bush or tree (Corylus avellana); flour (chattes) of ~, catkins of the hazel; rednesse of ~, ?the red stigmas of the female catkins of the hazel; (b) the wood of a hazel; a branch or shoot of hazel.
Associated quotations
a
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)8696 : Wes þe mut [read: munt] swiðe hæh; hasles [Otho: aseles] þer greowen.
- ?a1300 Thrush & N.(Dgb 86)3 : Þe note of hasel springeþ.
- a1325 Gloss.Bibbesw.(Cmb Gg.1.1)250 : Coudre: hasil [vr. hasel].
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)613 : De coudre depessez la noys: Breke that note of the hasulle.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)651 : Coudre, fov, et tilier: Hesul, beche, and lynde.
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.2923 : Mapul, thorn, beech, hasyl, ew, whippultree.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)253b/a : Also þe vyne hatteþ..haseles, ffor whan suche ben nyȝe..þe vynes [ben] elynge and sike.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Petyt 511)9194 : Busked with hesils [Lamb: Aboute y-busched wyþ þornes þykke].
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)744 : Þe hasel & þe haȝ-þorne were harled al samen.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)125/17 : The note of the hasell hath an husk withouten.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)83/21 : Þe lang peper, when þe lefez begynnez to spring..es lyke vnto þe floure [Tit: the chattes] of þe hesill, þat springes oute before þe lefes.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)11/22 : Tak þe jeuse of rede wortes & of hesill.
- c1450(c1353) Winner & W.(Add 31042)38 : The throstills..Hipped vp heghwalles fro heselis tyll othire.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)242/775 : Tak popy, iiij pound of þe buddis..& a pynt of water of a grene hasell that droppith oute at the hasell when it in the fyre.
- a1475 Hrl.Bk.Hawking in Studia Neoph.16 (Hrl 2340)13 : Take a quantite of rednesse of hasill with powdere of rasne, and peper.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)63b : A hesyll [Monson: an Heselle]: Corulus.
- a1500 Hrl.2378 Recipes (Hrl 2378)109/12 : Take grene bowes of an hesil, and ley it on þe fire.
- ?a1500 Inf.Chr.(Hrl 2399)717 : Y myȝt yowre chyldryn see Vndur a hasul euery-chon Gedere notes vndur a tre.
b
- 1381 Pegge Cook.Recipes (Dc 257)p.112 : After do it on a broche of Hasel, and do them to the fere to roste.
- a1400 Recipe MS Hal.in Rel.Ant.1 (Hal 335)53 : Than fill hit full of dry sponyng of hesill, and bryn hit swa.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)74/35 : Þat he haue a pipe of tree, namely of box, or of hesel..or of salowe.
- a1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(1) (Hrl 279)39 : Whan þey ben cold, ȝif hem a fayre spete of haselle..& lay hem to þe fyre.
- c1450 Treat.Fish.(Yale 171)147/21 : Ȝe schall make your Rodde..of hasill, wilowe, or aspe.
- a1475 *Hrl.Diseases Hawk A (Hrl 2340)29b : Make A knyfe of grene hesyll eggyd, & on-do hyre beke & loke be þe sydys of hir jawys.
- a1500(?a1400) KEdw.& S.(Cmb Ff.5.48)77 : A stikke i haue to my witnesse -- Off hasill i mene þat hit is.
- c1550(?a1475) Otterburn (Cleo C.4)266 : Then on the morne they mayde them beerys Of byrch and haysell graye.
2.
(a) In cpds. & combs.: ~ bough, a hazel branch [see (b)]; ~ bush, a hazel thicket; ~ crop, the topmost branch of a hazel; ~ leves, leaves of the hazel; ~ note, hazelnut; ~ ris, a hazel twig [see (b)]; ~ stikke, a rod or branch of hazel; ~ tre, a large hazel; ~ wort, some plant; ?violet, ?blueberry; (b) in proverbs and proverbial expressions: ~ wode, foolishness, nonsense; ?no place, nowhere; shaken ~ wodes, to do something foolish or futile; of ~ wode singen, sitten on ~ bough, speak nonsense; whan note brouneth on ~ (ris), ?when one reaches a certain age or condition; (c) in place names [see Smith PNElem. 1.218-9].
Associated quotations
a
- a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)1811 : We schul..gete vs..hawes, hepus & hakernes & þe hasel-notes.
- 1381 Pegge Cook.Recipes (Dc 257)p.121 : Tak the mylk of the Hasel Notis.
- a1400 Recipe MS Hal.in Rel.Ant.1 (Hal 335)53 : For brynnyng with wilde fyre: tak rest bacon, and do hit on a grene hesill styk.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)18a/a : Corulus: an haseltre.
- a1425 Roy.17.C.17 Nominale (Roy 17.C.17)646/14 : Hec corolus, Anglice hesylletre.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)105/17 : Þer ben summe..als grete as an hasell note [Eg: hesill nuttes; F vne noiz de coudre].
- ?a1425 Alphita (Sln 284)190 : Vitriola, uaccinium, uiola idem. g. uiolette, an. heselwr[t].
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)5549 : So mery was neuere Nightyngale Syngand In no hasel-crop.
- a1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(1) (Hrl 279)31 : Take a gret porcyoun of Haselle leuys, & grynd in a morter.
- c1450 Trin-C.LEDict.(Trin-C O.5.4)575/45 : Corulus, anglice, an haseltre.
- a1475 Lovely lordynges (Brog 2.1)2 : Sche sange a songe with syȝkyng sare Opone ane haselle tre.
- ?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674)93 : Mele them to gedure and, when the potte boilethe, put in the peletes like an hassille nott.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)63b : A hesyll busche [Monson: an heselle buske]: Coroletum.
- a1500(?a1450) Treat.Garden.(Trin-C O.9.38)43 : Wyth a wyth of haseltre rynde, The stoke fast thu bynde.
- a1500 Mayer Nominale (Mayer)715/23 : Hec corulus: a hesyltre.
b
- ?a1300 Thrush & N.(Dgb 86)106 : Fowel, þou sitest on hasel bou: Þou lastest hem, þou hauest wou.
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)3289 : Whan nutte brouneþ on heselrys [LinI: in haseles], Þe lefdy is of her lemman chys.
- (1402) Topias (Dgb 41)79 : Of the kynges rewme have we no more astate than thou hast of paradis..for the which y trowe thou maist of hasilwode singe.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)3.890 : 'A ryng?' quod he, 'ye, haselwodes shaken! Ye, nece myn, that ryng moste han a stoon That myhte dede men alyve maken.'
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)5.505 : 'Ye, haselwode!' thoughte this Pandare, And to hymself ful softeliche he seyde, [etc.].
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)5.1174 : From haselwode, there joly Robyn pleyde, Shal come al that that thow abidest heere; Ye fare wel al the snow of ferne yere.
c
- (c1125) in Mawer PNNhb.& Dur.112 : Haseldene, Hæseldene.
- (1129-38) EPNSoc.28 (Der.)260 : Haselont.
- (1137-46) EPNSoc.5 (North Riding Yks.)247 : Heselton'.
- (1180) EPNSoc.14 (East Riding Yks.& York)215 : Hasla. Hasel.
- (1213) Fine R.King John479 : Oliverus de Hasel.
- (1235) in Ekwall PNLan.61 : De Haselum.
- (1236) EPNSoc.17 (Not.)80 : Hesley.
- (1263) EPNSoc.28 (Der.)260 : Heselunt.
- (1270) EPNSoc.4 (Wor.)294 : Haselburi.
- (1294) EPNSoc.11 (Sur.)359 : Le Haselette.
- (1296) EPNSoc.27 (Der.)95 : Hasulford.
- (1296) Sub.R.Sus.in Sus.RS 1069 : Ad. de Haselholte.
- (1300) EPNSoc.23 (Oxf.)128 : Little Haselee.
- (1302) Doc.Kingswood in BGAS 22238 : Thomas de Haselcot.
- (1327) in Wallenberg PNKent215 : Atte Heselette.
- (1332) in Löfvenberg ME Local Surnames93 : Lucia atte Hasle.
- (1339) EPNSoc.14 (East Riding Yks.& York)228 : Hesilschogh.
- (1344) in Mawer PNNhb.& Dur.112 : Monkheselden.
- (1391) EPNSoc.23 (Oxf.)129 : Little Heselee.
- (1398) EPNSoc.12 (Ess.)578 : Le Haselett.
- (1415) EPNSoc.29 (Der.)564 : Littilhesilwode. Nethirhasulwod.
- (1416) EPNSoc.14 (East Riding Yks.& York)215 : Hesylle.
- (1481) EPNSoc.29 (Der.)732 : Hassylles.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500 Ashm.750 Artist.Recipes (Ashm 750) 251/8 : Boylle al these togedre in a erthen potte to it wax thykke, and bewar for brennyng to the potte, and loke with a hassell styk when þat it ropyth.
Note: Additional quot., sense 2.(a). New spelling.