Middle English Dictionary Entry
argūment n.
Entry Info
| Forms | argūment n. |
| Etymology | L & OF |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The process or method of reasoning or presenting arguments; reasoning, argumentation, disputation; maken ~; (b) topic of discussion or disputation, subject.
Associated quotations
a
- c1330 7 Sages(1) (Auch)6/62 : Þe ferȝe ȝer..Wiȝ his maister he gan to despout; Þe fifte ȝe[r] he gan argument Of þe sterre and of þe firmament.
- c1330 7 Sages(1) (Auch)14/267 : I sschal þoli mochel wo..But ȝe be queinte of argument.
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)137/200 : Ofte hy beþ y-blent, Þyse clerkes, wyþ here argument, Ande gynneþ lye.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.ML.(Manly-Rickert)B.1040 : Afterward he made his argument: What woot I if that Crist haue hider sent My wyf..as he hir sente To my contree.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.1628,1637 : And thus betwen the tweie, To trete upon this juggement, Made ech of hem his Argument..Rethoriqes eloquences, Which is the secounde of sciences Touchende to Philosophie; Wherof a man schal justifie Hise wordes in disputeisoun, And knette upon conclusioun His Argument in such a forme, Which mai the pleine trouthe enforme.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)5414 : And if thee thynke it is doutable, It is thurgh argument provable; For the debonaire and softe Falsith and bigilith ofte.
- a1425 Templ.Dom.(Add 32578)471 : Þen prefe I be þis argument Þat leefe to charyte most be-falle.
- (1447) Shillingford10 : Y seide nay, and proved hit by Domesday, and so were on grete argamentes by longe tyme.
- c1450(1410) Walton Boeth.(Lin-C 103)p.187 : To þis..I moste nede assente; Youre wordes han me knet so fermely By resoun of youre subtile argumente.
- (c1454) Pecock Fol.(Roy 17.D.9)9/29-33 : He may not do so..wiþout labour and argument of resoun. What wenen þerfore men þat..argument is, and namelich waht þe strong argument of silogisme is, Siþen wel nyȝ alle þingis which a man knowiþ oþir wise þan a beest knowiþ, muste be knowen bi argumentis?
b
- a1500 Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)127/2 : This argument is sideling to the askyng; so shall I make the in this poynt a traversing discrecion withowt fourme of answer.
2.
(a) A statement or assertion made to convince or persuade someone; a reason (whether well founded or alleged) advanced in support of an assertion, a point of view, or an interpretation; an argument or assertion; (b) a proposition or inference; (c) evidence, proof; a piece of evidence; an indication, sign, or token.
Associated quotations
a
- c1390 Talking LGod (Vrn)16/27 : Þe fendes Argumens..him þinkeþ resouns.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Rv.(Manly-Rickert)A.4123 : Myn hous is streit but ye han lerned art; Ye kan by argumentz make a place A myle brood of twenty foot of space.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.ML.(Manly-Rickert)B.228 : I pray yow, hold youre argumentz in pees.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Mch.(Manly-Rickert)E.1619 : He bad hem alle a boone, That noon of hem none argumentz make Agayn the purpos which that he hath take.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Fkl.(Manly-Rickert)F.886 : I woot wel clerkes wol seyn, as hem leste, By argumentz that al is for the beste.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)15.375 : Doctoures of decres and of diuinite Maistres..shulde..answere to argumentz.
- (a1402) Trev.DCur.(Hrl 1900)87/21 : He had sclaundred his owne gospel, as hit is y-preued þere also; þanne he had y-tauȝt to breke his owne riȝtful lawe, as hit is preued þere in þe þridde argument.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)4.477 : Thow hast here made an argument, for fyn, How that it sholde a lasse peyne be Criseyde to forgon.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)4.956 : For right thus was his argument alway: He seyde, he nas but lorn, so weylaway!
- c1430(c1380) Chaucer PF (Benson-Robinson)538 : I can not se that argumentes avayle: Thanne semeth it there moste be batayle.
- c1450 Capgr.St.Kath.(Arun 396)1.417 : She may oure argumentis dryve ffor her conclusyon.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)24/10 : They harde masse and to dyner and so to theire counceyle, and made many argumentes what were beste to do.
- (1473) RParl.6.69b : Your seid Suppliant..hath so clerely disproved all the arguments that have be made ayen the same right and title.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)9353 : I make an Argument, That thow art double in thyn entent.
- 1532-1897(c1385) Usk TL (Thynne:Skeat)77/1 : Every argument..that ye han maked in these fore-nempned maters, me thinketh hem in my ful witte conceyved.
b
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)5.337 : Ranulphus his resouns..schulde non clerke moove þat can knowe an argument, for it followeþ it nouȝt..He were of false byleve þat trowede þat þat argument were worþ a bene.
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)477 : Wherfore needis folewiþ þat þis seid contemplatijf lijf is not so good as is þe actijf lijf..Þis argument may be confermed bi ij ensaumplis þus.
- 1447 Bokenham Sts.(Arun 327)6493 : She began in crafty wyse..By dyuers conclusyons hyr to dylat, And by many sylogysmys & by many an argument She þer dyserthly shewyd hyr entent.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)1675 : Elenchus ys a syllogysme Or, by fallaas, a Sophisme..Or an argument in shewynge Wych in effect hath no beynge.
c
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Deeds 1.3 : He ȝaf hym silf a lyue, or quyke aftir his passioun, in [WB(2): by] manye argumentis [L argumentis] or prouyngis.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.127 : The feith of holi cherche..in som cas upon believe Stant more than thei conne prieve Be weie of Argument sensible.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Gen.39.16 : In argument of bileue [L in argumentum..fidei; WB(2): in to the preuyng of trouthe], the holdun mantil she shewide to the housbonde.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)4.1179 : Breth ne felte he non; And this was hym a pregnant argument That she was forth out of this world agon.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)4.pr.6.325 : The prosperite that is yeven to schrewes scheweth a gret argument..what thing thei scholde demen of thilke welefulnesse.
- 1447 Bokenham Sts.(Arun 327)1833 : The seed is lost which I haue sowe; I wante þe argumentes of a man,..For no maner isseu may I han.
- a1450(?c1405) Mannys soule (Dgb 102)73 : What argument may beter preue Why men ben bent to don o mys? Not but defaute of byleue.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)109 : Þerefore by goode argument, sithe that Criste is boþe stronge & wyse and pacient, vs must worshipe him.
- a1500 Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)67/33 : Feythe is callid substaunce, the is, the foundement, of thinges esperable, and the argument of thinges which may not appere by mannes reason [ult., Heb.11.1: rerum argumentum non parentum].
3.
An angle or arc used in calculating the position or motion of a planet.
Associated quotations
- ?c1450(a1388) *Wallingford Exafrenon (Dgb 67)6a : When þu hast made equatione of the planetis be þe Argumentes & þe centris & oþer thynges.
- ?c1450(a1388) *Wallingford Exafrenon (Dgb 67)9a : That tyme þe planete is clepid stationarye when he [read: the] argument of his epicicle is 3 or elles nyghande.
- ?c1450(a1388) *Wallingford Exafrenon (Dgb 67)10a : Afterwarde luke yf þe Argument be 135 greis, & yf it be so, venus is shewynge at evyne or ell hidd..And yf here argument be froo 134 in to 180, it is in occasu vespertino..the Argument of mercurie..yf it be fro 153 greis in to 180, it salbe in occasu vespertino.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Fkl.(Manly-Rickert)F.1277 : Ther lakked noght, Neither his collect ne his expans yeris, Ne hise rootes ne hise othere geris, As been his centris and hise argumentz.
- a1500(?1397) ?Chaucer Astr.Suppl.(Dgb 72:Benson-Robinson)44 head. : To knowe the mene mote and the argumentis of every planete fro yere to yere, from day to day, from houre to houre.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1475 VPhilibert (Brog 2.1)p.21 : My soule..Yf myne answere be ryȝt wel apprewyte, Alle thi argamenttus schalle be set at noȝte.
- a1475 VPhilibert (Brog 2.1)p.24 : Wylle, abyd a whylle and tarie, And at thi ergamenttes anone reypleye.
Note: New forms: Pl. argamenttus, ergamenttes.
Note: Both quots. belong to sense 2.(a).
Note: The list of variant spellings in the form section is incomplete and needs revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED. Provisional revised form section: Also argumente; pl. argumentes, etc. & argamentes, argamenttus, ergamenttes & argumens.--notes per MLL