(a) A rule or set of rules prescribing or restraining conduct; -- thought of as promulgated by a rational, authoritative, and powerful lawgiver; ~ positif, positif ~, ~ of setnesse, a specific law, as contrasted with natural law; firi ~, ?heavenly law, severe law; in proverbs: ned (siknesse) hath no ~, wrong laues maketh short governaunce; (b) ecclesiastical law, church law, canon law; ~ canoun [see also canoun n. (1), 4.], ~ of rome, ~ of prestes (of the clergie), popes ~; commune ~ (of the chirche [see also commune laue 2.], the law(s of the universal church, as distinct from regional or special ordinances; antecristes ~, ~ of antecrist, canon law [cp. Antecrist 2.]; chapitre (consistorie) ~, laws administered by a chapter or consistory [see also chapitre 2c.]; ~ o penaunce, rules for the administration of penance; (c) ~ civile (of the emperour), emperoures ~, Roman civil law as known in the Middle Ages and adopted by the Holy Roman Empire; also, the written law and statutes of a body politic, as distinct from English common law [see civile adj. 3.]; bothe laues, canon and civil law; kinges ~, civil law, as opposed to canon law; (d) a special code of duties or rules applicable to a particular group or activity; the rule followed in a monastery; knightes ~, a knight's duty; werreioures laues, military code, law of arms; ~ of feld, law for a joust; ~ of love, the rules of (?courtly) love; (e) command, direction, terms; also, prescribed duty; (f) in cpds.: ~ berere (makere, yevere), a legislator; ~ breche [cp. OE lah-bryce], a breach of law; ~ brekere [cp. OE lah-breca], one who breaks the law; ~ kepere; ~ keping, obedience to law.

(a) A consistent principle controlling the action of material things, law of nature, physical law; kindeli laue(s, ~ of kinde (nature); (b) the force or power of human instincts or faculties; the normal course of human feelings and passions; kindeli ~, laue(s of nature, ~ of kinde; ~ of sinne, ~ of (in) membres, man's unregenerate instincts; fleshes ~, concupiscence; ~ of soul, strength or rule of the soul; (c) a behavioral pattern in brutes; also, in children; bestial) ~ of kinde [see quot.: c1443]; (d) the natural orbit of the moon.

(a) Moral law, connatural to man as having a rational soul; -- considered as implanted by God in man's natural reason; natural laue(s, ikinde ~, moral) ~ of kinde, ~ of nature (natural resoun, resoun, conscience); -- often contrasted with ~ positif (writen); ~ of innocence, moral principles governing Adam and Eve before the fall; (b) moral law revealed by God; moral teaching, esp. Christian morality; godes laue(s, cristes (oure lordes, godes moral) ~, ~ of god (jesu crist); kinges ~, basic moral law; (c) a specially revealed direction of a god.

(a) A religious system, religion, faith; also, a tenet of belief; hethen (painimes) laues, paganes (paganisme) laues, painime ~, ~ of sarasin, a pagan religion; laues of alkaron, mahometes (mahoun, sarasin, hethen) ~, ~ of mahoun, the Moslem religion; (b) the Christian religion; cristes (godes) laue(s, laues of mi fader; jesu cristes (cristen, cristen mennes, oure lordes) ~, ~ of god (oure lord god, cristen men, holi chirche); (c) a religious rite, religious practice; cristen mennes ~, Christian burial; (d) the Scriptures; neue ~, the New Testament; old ~, the Old Testament.

(a) One of the three (or five) divine world orders into which salvation history was divided, a dispensation; esp. the two dispensations of the Mosaic law and the Christian dispensation; ~ of scrite, the Mosaic dispensation; ~ of grace, the Christian dispensation [see grace 1. (f)]; (b) God's revelation.

(a) The Mosaic law, Jewish law; godes laue(s, old (moises) ~, ~ of lord (jeues, moises, sinai); ~ of deth, the Jewish law, conceived as condemning all to death since none can keep it; (b) the Ten Commandments; also, one of them; ten laues, old ~; (c) a particular law of God; (d) the Pentateuch; bok of the ~; ~ bok [cp. OI lög-bōk], the Jewish law; specif. the Pentateuch; (e) a volume containing the Old Testament or the Pentateuch.

(a) The body of laws in force in a kingdom or other community, legal system, system of government; ~ a (of) londe, londes ~; ayenes ~; bi (in, with) ~, according to law; out of ~, outlawed; also, against the law; ~ slit [OE lahslite], a fine for a breach of law in the Danelaw; laues-yeving, jurisdiction; (b) in verb constructions: maken (setten) laue(s, onleien laues, leien (heven) ~, to establish laws, set up a system of government; holden (kepen) laue(s, maintain law; aleien (anitherien) laues, do away with laws; breken laues (~ of lond), break the law; (c) in phrases: commune ~ [see commune laue]; ~ marchaunt, the system of laws governing commerce; ~ marin, the system of laws governing navigation and commercial transactions on the high seas and other navigable waterways; ~ of heritage, natural inheritance; (d) a particular law or ordinance; a)reren laues, reden laue(s, don (maken) ~, to make law(s; loken ~, enforce a law.

(a) What is right, right, justice; the legal way; also, legal grounds, a lawful claim, bi ~, duly; of a ~, rightfully, with reason; don ~, to do what is right; (b) restraint due to regard for law, peacefulness; also fig.; (c) the bond of wedlock; ~ of wedlok (matrimoine); fader (moder, doughter, sone) in ~ [see fader in laue, etc.]; sibbe ~, bond of relationship.

(a) A territory or community ruled by one system of government, a kingdom, county, city, etc.; ~ hal-imot, the court of a guild; ~ hundred, a meeting of a hundred court presided over by the sheriff of the county; ~ mot, a district court; (b) in cpds. signifying services as part of feudal rents, or other feudal dues: ~ erthe, a plowing service; ~ fother, a carting service; ~ grist, a manorial due levied on wheat, etc., brought to a mill; ~ path [cp. OE herepæð, a military road], ?a road kept in repair by legally prescribed local labor; ~ wudringe, a service of carting firewood.

(a) The system of administering and enforcing the law; the practical operation of the law; time of laues, ?a legal time limit; bringen to ~, to bring (sb.) to court; putten in ~, make (sth.) the subject of a lawsuit; don ~, treat (sb.) according to law, recompense or punish (sb.) by law, try (sb.); also, execute the law; (b) award or punishment imposed by law, sentence, decision; theves ~, punishment for thieves; ~ of lidford, summary punishment without due process; haven ~, to be judged, be punished; (c) the legal process of compurgation or oath-help; don laue(s, to exculpate oneself by oath-help; wagen laue(s, offer formally in court to purge oneself by oath-help; (d) corrupt legal proceedings; (e) the law personified; frequently equivalent to 'lawyers'; (f) ~ bonet, a close-fitting head covering, coif, worn almost exclusively by lawyers from the late 14th century.

(a) The law as a body of knowledge; the learned profession of law; casten ~, to expound the law; (b) a legal maxim; also, a wise saw [quot.: c1250]; (c) in titles: bacheler of ~ [see bacheler 5.]; man of ~, a lawyer; serjeant of (the) ~, sergeant-at-law.

(a) Individual behavior, practice, way of life; at theves ~, as a thief; (b) national custom, habit of a group, usual mode of behavior; londes ~, custom of the country; ~ of bed, custom for retiring; (c) good manners, polite custom, correct mode of behavior; (d) mode, fashion, manner, way; in (of) the best ~, in the best way, manner, etc.; tis ~, according to its species; ~ of armes, way to handle arms; (e) condition, situation, lot, fate; (f) ~ of gramere, the rules of grammar.

(a) Authority, power; (b) a principle, force; (c) authoritative instruction, magistral teaching; also, knowledge.

In place names [see Smith PNElem. 26.26].