Middle English Dictionary Entry

heigh adj.
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Entry Info

Forms heigh adj. Also heighe, heiȝ(e, heiȝh, heih, hei(e, heij & hẹ̄gh(e, heg(e, heȝ(e, heȝhe, heh(e, hehȝe, egh, eȝe, he & hīgh(e, hiȝ(e, hih(e, hiegh, hieȝ(e, iȝe, hi, hie, hij, (error) niȝe & (early) heah(e, heahȝæ, heaȝe, heaȝæ, hæh, hæhȝe, hæge, hæȝe, hea- & (early) hāh, hage, haȝe, haihe, aȝe, haie, huie & (error) ho- & (in place names) heich-, hech-, hek-, hex-, ex-, hic-, ha-, hai-, hau-, a- & early inflected forms (gen. sg.) heȝes, hæȝes, hæȝes, hæhes, hahȝes, (dat. sg.) heiȝen, heȝen, hehȝen, hæȝan, hæȝen, (?Chaucer) highen, (acc. sg. masc.) hehne, heahne, hæhne, hahne, hahcne, (dat. sg. fem.) heȝere, hehȝere, hehære, heahere, hæȝere, hæhere, hæhȝere, haȝere, hahȝere, haiȝere, eȝere, (pl.) heȝen, hæȝen, (gen. pl.) hæhre, (in place names, from OE oblique hēan-) hen-, hem-, hein-, heim-, han-, ham-, hain-, haun-, hean-, heaun-, hyaun-, yaun-. Forms: comp. heigher, heiȝer(e, heiher, heier(e, heiar(e, eiere, hegher, hegere, hehere, hehre, heer, hear, higher, hiȝer(e, hiȝore, hier(e, hiar, iure & her(e, herre & herere, herrer; sup. heighest, heiȝest, heiest, heiost, heist, heghest(e, hegest(e, heȝest(e, heȝhest, hehest(e, hehȝhest, egest, highest, hiȝest(e, hiest(e, hæhȝeste & heihste, heixt, heixst, hehste, hext(e, hexste, hexist, hecst, hekst, hest(e, hihste, hæhste, hæxte, hæxst, hæxete, hahste, haxte, haxst & heirest, heirst, herst, hierste & (early infl.) heisten, hexten, hecsten, hestæn, hihstæn, heahsten, hæhsten, hæxten, hæsten.
Etymology OE; A hēh, WS hēah; comp. A hēra, WS hīerra, hīra, hēarra, hēahra, hērra; sup. A hēhst, hēst, Nhb. hēist, WS hīehst, hēhst, hēst, hēxt, hīhst. The ME comp. has normal shortening of the vowel before a consonant cluster, but variants of the long vowel of the positive appear; where the sup. is formed from the comp. the length of the vowel is uncertain. All simple vowels of the comp. & sup. should be treated as though marked ̄̆.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
(a) High, lofty, big, tall; ~ der, stag; ~ got, he-goat; ~ halle (hous, bold), large house [often connoting pride and ostentation]; ~ hors (stede), fine tall horse [also, like ~ hall, a status symbol]; ~ wode (holt), lofty wood; (b) at a height, high up, raised up, elevated; of eye-brows: high-arched; heigher, upper, uppermost; ~ nombre, a digit written above another digit; ~ roder, the high heaven; (c) high above sea level, hilly, mountainous; ~ Almain, ~ Egipt, ~ Inde, ~ Libie; ~ lond, upland; over ~ and low, over all kinds of terrain; ~ Duchman [see Ducheman n.]; heigher Duch, High German [see Duch adj. & n.]; in heigher place of, on higher ground than; (d) as measurement of the dimension of height: high; ~ mesure, measurement of height; kne ~; (e) of angular measurement: elevated above the horizon; having a high celestial latitude; (f) of water: deep; also fig.; ~ se, the open sea; ~ water, high tide; (g) projecting, protuberant; ~ wombed.
Show 101 Quotations
2a.
(a) Of God: divine, exalted, great; ~ fader, God the Father; ~ helend, Christ; ~ drihten, ~ juge, ~ justice, ~ king, ~ lord, ~ makere, ~ thondrere, ~ trinite; (b) of the attributes, etc., of God: great, divine, heavenly; ~ blod, Christ's blood; ~ name; (c) of angels, saints, the elect, and of their qualities, possessions, etc.: blessed, exalted, heavenly; ~ aungel, ~ bode, archangel; ~ heven; (d) holy, saintly, virtuous; (d) outstandingly good, admirable, honorable, noble, royal; ~ fader, patriarch; (f) ranking high in the hierarchy of creation; spiritual, associated with or approaching the condition of spirit.
Show 117 Quotations
2b.
(a) Of a ruler, king, god, etc.: supreme, powerful, exalted, great; ~ and mighti; ~ lordshipe, overlordship; (b) of people: of the governing class, of noble rank, highborn, great; of things: honorable, reputable, suitable for a great man; ~ blod (kin, kinde, kinrede, linage, parage, stok); ~ degre (estat, stat); ~ in (of) degre (estat); ~ man; (c) of people: exercising leadership, principal, chief, important; -- also in titles, usually official, occasionally courtesy: ~ baillif; ~ canoun; ~ clerk; ~ deken, deacon (as distinct from subdeacon); ~ justice; ~ prest, the High Priest, a bishop; ~ seneschal; ~ shirreve; ~ steward; ~ reve; (d) of things: principal, most important, main; ~ auter (weved) [see also auter n. 1. (b) & (c)]; ~ bench, seats at high table; ~ bord (table), high table; ~ burgh (cite, toun) [see also burgh n. (1) 1. (c)], major town, principal town; ~ chirche, main church, cathedral; ~ court (of Parlement); ~ cros, large crucifix (above a rood screen); ~ deis [see also deis n. 1. (b)], the dais on which the high table is set; ~ light [see quot.]; ~ setel, throne, judgment seat; (e) of a road or route: most frequented, important; ~ wei (gate, strete) [see also gate n. (2) 1. (a)], high street, highway, main road, main path; also fig.
Show 151 Quotations
3.
(a) Strong, vigorous, powerful, vital; of colors: intense; of wine, medicine: strong, efficacious; ~ wit, ~ in (of) wit; (b) fig. ~ arm (hond), power, might; heighere hond, upper hand, victory; heighere side, winning side; (c) fat, prominent, well-developed, long; ~ hed, well-developed antlers; ~ of grese, fat; (d) healthy, fit, spirited.
Show 52 Quotations
4.
(a) Elevated in thought, lofty, deep, abstruse; ~ clerk (maister), learned scholar; ~ scole, school for advanced study; ~ stile, elevated style; heigher in lore, more learned; (b) solemn, serious, grave, weighty; ~ burghdom [see burgh n. (1) 5. (b)]; ~ dai, solemn day, feast day, day for an assembly or court to meet; ~ dom (jugement), last judgment; ~ domesdai; ~ feste (festedai, ferie, tide, time), solemn feast; ~ messe, high mass; ~ messedai.
Show 52 Quotations
5.
(a) Arrogant, proud, haughty, disdainful, stern; ~ herte, proud heart; ~ wordes, angry words, stern words; (b) of an evil: heinous, grave, serious, dire; of punishment: severe; ~ heresie; ~ tresoun.
Show 37 Quotations
6.
(a) A great deal of, much, great; also, valuable; (b) full, complete, total; ~ dai, full daylight, well on in the day; ~ elde, mature age; ~ est, the Far East; ~ sel (sesoun), the height of the season; ~ time, high time, fully time, the fullness of time; ~ contricioun, full contrition; (c) with the times of the day: ~ middai, late in the morning, close to midday [see quot.: ?a1440]; ~ midnight, deep midnight, the middle of the night; ~ non, the middle of the day, midday, noon; ~ (hour of) prime [cp. hol prime], the end of the hour of prime, ?7 A.M., ?between 7 and 8 A.M.; ~ undern (terce) [cp. hol undern], the first hour of tierce, i.e. between 9 and 10 A.M. [see quots.: a1300, ?a1440]; ?also somewhat later in the forenoon [see quots.: c1440, a1486].
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7.
Of sounds: (a) loud; (b) high in pitch.
Show 17 Quotations
8a.
As noun; -- often sup.: (a) a high point; uppermost point, top; also fig. an exalted situation, extreme position, utmost extent; to (the) heighest, as far as possible; on ~ the whel, at the top of the wheel; (b) high ground, hilly country; also the Biblical 'high place'; (c) height, altitude; a measure of height; in (of) ~; (d) phrases: ~ and (or) loue, in (at) ~ and (in, at) loue, on ~ (and) on loue, on loue and ~, in all respects, absolutely; of ~ and loue, of everything; (e) the heigh, heighest, aller-heighest, God; (f) heighest, leading man or men, the greatest, noblest; heigher, a superior; ~ and loue, heigher and loue, people of all conditions, everyone; ~ nor (ne) loue, nobody; (g) the heigher, the upper hand.
Show 68 Quotations
8b.
In adv. phrases: (a) on (an, in, of, upon, up an) ~, on here, up, up high, aloft, above; also fig. to a great extent, great; (b) on (an, into, upon) ~, upwards; biholden on ~, to look upwards; comen on ~, boil up; waxen on ~, grow up; also fig.; (c) on (an) ~, in heaven, up to heaven, into heaven; (d) on (an, of) ~, out loud, in a loud voice, clearly; an highen, ?louder; (e) on ~, at a high pitch; (f) an ~, progressively; (g) nimen at ~, to take pride in (sth.).
Show 63 Quotations
9.
(a) In surnames; (b) in place names [see Smith PNElem. 1.237-9].
Show 38 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • a1500(a1451) Commodities Eng.(LdMisc 593)553 : Whiche Lond spekyn all maner Duche tonge, hyer Dowche and lower Duche, and no other langage amonge them.
    • Note: We have no sense for application of this adj. to a language--per MJW.
  • (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.171 : The science of Musique..Nou hihe notes and nou lowe, As be the gamme a man mai knowe.
    • Note: Gloss: high-pitched

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Quot. from c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388) 3924 ("Troilus..was..of mayn strenght, And yet hoger of hert & of her wille.") removed from sense 3.(a). It probably belongs, and was also quoted, under huge adj., q.v., under sense 2.(b).

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • a1500 ?Scrope Ribot First Monks (Lamb 192)27/18 : The seyd ravenys (the prophetys, hys prediscessowrys) be an heyere reson [L racione superiori], born to hym bred of sorwyn and of penawnce.
    • Note: Ed.: "heyere reson: That is, 'a reason cited earlier'"
    Note: ?New sense.

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