Middle English Dictionary Entry
arācen v.
Entry Info
| Forms | arācen v. Also arracen, arasen, arachen. Forms: p. & ppl. arāced, arā̆ched, arracié. |
| Etymology | OF ar(r)acer, ar(r)achier; for meaning, cp. also OF esrachier (from L exrādīcāre). |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
To remove (sth.) by force; pluck, pull, or tear out or away; to snatch (sb.); -- often with fro(m or out of.
Associated quotations
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)91/166 : So heþ þys wordle bounde þe Wyþ here lykynges lace. Þer-fore þe by-houeþ godes helpe, þat he hyt wolde arace.
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)149/584 : For þo hye [the devils] weren out ycached, And ouȝt of hare loȝ arached [etc.].
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Cl.(Manly-Rickert)E.1103 : With greet sleighte..The children from hir arm they gonne arace.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Fkl.(Manly-Rickert)F.1393 : And hente the ymage in hir handes two..No wight ne myghte hir handes of it arace.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)1752 : The hokede heed..Gan so depe in myn herte passe, That I it myghte nought arace.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)1.pr.3.46 : Tho cloutes that thei hadden arased out of my clothes.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)1.pr.6.61 : They mai moeve a man from his place..but certes, thei mai nat al arrace hym ne aliene hym in al.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)9.781 : He did his eyen out of his hed arace.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)4098 : Ȝife any renke them arase, reschowe them sone.
- c1460(a1449) Lydg.Mutability MN (Hrl 2255)124 : The soyl in somyr with floures glad of cheere, Wyntris rasour doth al away arrace.
- a1450 Parton.(1) (UC C.188)7117 : That flesch and skyn of hys hokebon Wyth his pawe dyd arace.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)1119/14 : Lyke as wynter rasure dothe allway arace and deface grene summer.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)134 : He arached helmes fro hedes and sheldes fro nekkes.
2.
To lacerate (sb.); to flay or skin (an animal), esp. by drawing the pelt off over the head.
Associated quotations
- c1425 Twiti Venery(1) (Vsp B.12)151 : How many bestis be escorches and how many arracies? Alle the bestis that beryth suet and fime ben escorches and alle that bere grece and freyn be arracies.
- c1425 Twiti Venery(1) (Vsp B.12)152 : Alle that be arracies, that is to say the skyn pullyd ovyr the hed, beryth skyn.
- ?c1450 Twici Venery (Mellon)106 : All those [bestes] that ben arasid beryn skynnes.
- 1483 Pilgr.Soul (Caxton)3.4.52 : The compas of this whele was fitched ful of hokes..these hokes to renten and a racid [Eg: to race] two caitifs.
3.
(a) To erase or obliterate (sth.); (b) ~ out of herte, ~ from remembrance, dispel (jealousy, grief, etc.), eradicate (pride, etc.), blot out.
Associated quotations
a
- a1450(1410) Walton Boeth.(Roy 18.A.13)p.56 : Suche maner of greuaunce Ne may hym noght all vtterly arace, Þat is to seien, all put him out of grace.
- c1450 Pilgr.LM (Cmb Ff.5.30)39 : Misdedes whiche shulden be defaced and arased bi penaunce.
b
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)3.1015 : That jalousie..Allas, that he..Shuld han his refut in so digne a place, Ther Jove hym soone out of youre herte arace!
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)2.4234 : Whan thei list pride out off ther herte arace.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)8.2541 : The golden lettres dirkid & diffacid, And from remembrance almost out araced.
- a1450(?1420) Lydg.TG (Tan 346)894 : Loke þat þou arace Out of þin hert wanhop & dispaire.
- a1456 Warwick Vir.(Add 16165)50 : Owt of myn hert to arrace þe descomfort þat me manasse Depe in my thought.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)1.3632 : The kyng for ire cast a-wey his crowne And gan tarace, for constreynt off his peyne, Out off his hed his woful eyen tweyne.
Note: New spelling
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1425 Leg.Cross BC(2) (Pep 2125)38 : Moyses..fond þes þre yerdis so faire stondynge, and enraced and pulled hem vp.
Note: New spelling (or ?new entry). Variant of aracen v. Cp. OED, which gives a similar form a separate entry enrach v., alongside arache v., arace v.
Note: AND on the other hand includes both a- and en- forms under a single entry, aracer, vr. enracer, enracher, enraser etc., in keeping with TL ararachier, enrachier and DMF arracher, enracher. Ult. Lat. eradicare.
Note: To uproot (a tree), tear out, pluck up.