Middle English Dictionary Entry

ivel adj.
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Entry Info

Forms ivel adj. Also ivele, ivelle, jvel, hivel, iwel, ifel(e, ifelæ, ivil(le, iwil, ivle, ifle, (early weak & infl. forms) ifela, ifelan, ifelen, ifeles, ifelra, ifelræ, ifelum & uvel(e, uvelle, huvel(e, uwel, ufel(e, ufelæ, hufele, uvle, (early infl. forms) uvelen, uvelne, ufelen & eovel(e & ẹ̄̆vel, evel(l)e, hevel(e, hevelle, yevel, ȝevel, ewel(le, efel, eveil, evil(e, eville, hevil, yevil, ewil(le, eivil, evle, evl, ewle & (errors) avel, nevil, well.
Etymology OE yfel, OK *efel. In ME i- (y-) is chiefly EM & N, u- & eo- are generally SW and SWM, and e- is usual in K & parts of the SEM area. There are e- forms from all dialect areas, however, as early as the 14th century in N (for which there are no earlier ME texts) and from the 13th century on in the other dialects.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
Wicked, depraved, sinful: (a) of persons, the soul; ~ man, etc.; (b) of a spirit; ~ gost, an evil spirit, a devil; the Devil; (c) of an action; ~ dede, ~ werk; (d) of speech; ~ speche, ~ word(es; (e) of a life, custom, practice, habits, behavior, etc.; (f) of mind, thoughts, feelings, desires, intentions, etc.; ~ entente, ~ longinge, ~ mod, ~ thank, ~ thought, etc.; (g) of things and abstractions; of a vice, a quality, etc.; ~ eie, evil eye, envy; ~ mouth, slander; ~ blod, ?wicked lineage, ?base lineage; iveles kinnes sed, seed of an evil kind; of iveles kinnes kinde, of an evil kind of nature.
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2.
(a) Harmful, hurtful, painful; fierce, destructive, deadly; of food, drink, air: unwholesome; (b) ~ red (counseil), harmful advice, false counsel; also, a harmful policy or course of action; (c) unpleasant, offensive, ugly; (d) troublesome, unruly, undisciplined; haven ~ hed, to be unruly, have ungovernable temper or desires; (e) discreditable; ~ fame (name), a bad reputation; ~ langage (saue, spekinge), evil report.
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3.
(a) Miserable, wretched, unfortunate; ~ deth, a miserable death; ~ ende (endinge, fin), a wretched end, a bad end; ~ chef (fortune, grace, hap, happes, heil, hele, sort, spede), bad luck, ill fortune; to ~ hele, to misfortune, unluckily; (b) in exclamations and imprecations: ~ deth, ~ fin, ~ grace, ~ hap, ~ heil, ~ hele; ~ chaunce (pref, thedom), bad luck; to iveler hele, and worse luck to you; with ~ grace (pref), curse him (you, etc.); (c) of periods of time: unfortunate, unlucky; also, dangerous, harmful; in ~ time, in an evil time, unluckily; (d) ill-omened; of a symptom: unfavorable; ~ fot, evil foot, bringing bad luck; unluckily; ~ stern, unlucky star; ~ tidinge, bad news; (e) of a person: badly off, in distress, miserable.
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4.
Med. & surg. (a) Of a person, bodily organ, flesh, humor: diseased; (b) of a limb: diseased or deformed; (c) of bodily heat or moisture, a swelling or hardening, a blend of humors: morbid, pathological; (d) of a wound or an ulcer: infected, rotten, ?gangrenous.
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5.
Difficult, hard; of ~ ward, difficult to take care of.
Show 8 Quotations
6.
(a) Poor in quality, inferior; defective, in disrepair; inadequate; worthless, useless; of coins: debased; ~ seinge, faulty vision; (b) ~ strengthe, ?mere strength, brute force.
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7.
In surnames.
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