Middle English Dictionary Entry
māle n.(1)
Entry Info
| Forms | māle n.(1) Also mal, mail, maul(e, madle, masle, mascle, mascul, maskil & (?error) masche. |
| Etymology | OF masle, mascle, madle, male. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A male human being; man, boy; also, male fetus; (b) a male animal, bird, fish, or snake.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Lev.6.18 : The maalys [L Mares] oonleche of þe lynage of aaron sholen ete hit.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Rom.1.27 : The mawlis, or men [L masculi], the kyndeli vss of womman forsakyn, brennyden in her desyris to gidere, mawlis in to mawlis worchinge filthhede.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.4215 : The Madle is mad for the femele..whan a man mai redy finde His oghne wif, what scholde he seche In strange places?
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.WB.(Manly-Rickert)D.122 : Oure bothe thynges smale Was eek to knowe a femele from a male.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)69a/a : De infantulo..Alle þe lymes schulde ben anoynt with þis oyle, and namlich þe lymes of þe males.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)695 : Uch male matz his mach a man as hymselven, And fylter folyly in fere, on femmalez wyse.
- c1425 Liber de Hyda in RS 4570 : Myn yldyr fadyr hys lond..beqwethyd to the mawlys.
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)1 Cor.6.10 : Neyþer fornicatourys..nor delares with malys [L masculorum concubitores]..schal hafe þe kyngdam of god.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)4812 : Love..is a syknesse of the thought..Which male and female, with oo cheyne, So frely byndith that they nyll twynne.
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)363 : Forto fynde children, mawlis or femawlis, to schole.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)565 : The ende is deþ of male & of femele.
- c1450(?a1422) Lydg.LOL (Dur-U Cosin V.2.16)6.31 : If a woman..haue a childe..Þat be a male, þe lawe techith, [etc.].
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)106/29 : Ȝif þe mylk holde it a-bowyn, þanne it is a male.
- a1456 Þou þat werred (Ashm 59)5 : Fell dovne þe pryde of wommens hornes, And suffre hem longer with longe tayles, Ne none oþer vicyous entayles, Of noþer of males ne femayles.
- a1600(a1463) Fortescue Title York (Jul F.6)498 : The son of some vile and unnoble person..should be King of the land before the masle descended of the noble and roiall blood.
b
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.1301 : Sche sih the bestes in her kinde..The madle go with the femele.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)100b/b : Þe venym of serpentis and addres is diuers..Venyme of males is more scharpe & strong þan venyme of females.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)140b/b : Briddes and foules ben most honest of kynde, for by ordre of kynde, males seche femalis wiþ bisynesse and loueþ hem whanne þey beþ I-founden.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)160b/b : De piscibus..and males ben more harde to-fore and also aboue.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)285b/a : Þe femele [elephant] in some wise geteþ mandragora and eteþ furst þe fruyt þerof, and þanne þe male eteþ of þe same and gendreþ with hire.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)337 : And ay þou meng wyth þe malez þe mete ho-bestez, Uche payre by payre to plese ayþer oþer.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)14.147 : Reson..suwen alle bestes..After cours of concepcion..Maules drowen hem to maules on morwenynge by hem-self.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)11 : Þan she croteith hure fumes more ybrend and smaller, and namely þe masche [F masle].
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)24 : Þe bokeng of þe Roo buck ne haþ at doo but wiþ oo Emel of alle þe Seson; a masche [F masle] and an Emel abiden togydere as hyndes in to þe tyme þat þe Emel shul haue here kyddes, and þan þe Emel parteth from þe male [F masle].
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)37 : Men taken hem..with haies and with pursnettis, but he [the fox] kitteþ hem with his teeth as þe mascles of þe wolf dooþ, but nat so sone.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)323 : Male, best or fowle, no femel: Masculus.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)4.852 : Impacient yf that females be And wol no male, her naturalite With stamped swille embawme.
2.
(a) A male plant or tree; (b) the 'male' form of a stone.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)210b/a : De arbore Aromatica..Also þe leues of male and female beþ dyuers, for þe leues of þe male beþ scharpe and lasse in quantite..þe male and femele beþ y-knowe by borgynge and spryngynge, for þe male bourgoneþ and spryngeþ sonnere..þan þe femel.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)239a/b : Þe male boweþ ferst, and þer after þe femelle bourgeþ and bloweþ And þe femelle..ne bereþ fruyt wiþoute þe male.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)48a : Mandragora..þe male haþe leuys like to bete; þe female haþe levis y-like to letuse.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)11.412 : A vnce of mascul thure [L thuris masculi] Wel smellynge, and an vnce of pepur dure.
- ?a1450 Agnus Castus (Stockh 10.90)196/29 : Þe male hat a qwyt flour, þe femal a red flour.
- ?c1450 Iff a man (Stockh 10.90)324/715 : In a wessell with water clene Putte hem, and þou schalt sene Wyche is femel and wyche is male.
- ?c1450 Iff a man (Stockh 10.90)325/742 : Aristologij þe rownde þer is; It is teld þe male i-wis.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)199b/a : Echites is a stoon..þe male þerof is harde..and þe femal is neisshe.
3.
The male sexual principle, male sexuality, masculinity.
Associated quotations
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)286b/a : And þerfore I say þat mal and femel ben, as it were, principall of generacioun.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)303a/a : And in suche wormes is no sexe of male and femele.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)48a : Mandrake ys an erbe of male and femmale.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)4.pr.6.167 : Thilke same ordre neweth ayein alle thinges..by semblable progressions of sedes and of sexes (that is to seyn, male and femele).
- c1450 Battlefield Gram.(Trin-C O.5.4)104 : How knoweste the masculyn? For he is declynyd by hic..the epycen, that word that by tokenyth the male and the ffemale vnder on article, as hic passer for the he-sparwe and hic passer for the heo-sparowe.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- ?a1475 Macer (Htrn 497) 75/212 : The foure-footed beste þat wol not suffre hys male shal be froted wel with nettell & a noon she wol stonde stylle to hyr male: tus [read: thus] excytyth..þe nettel þe naturel heet.
Note: ?Tweak definition: male animal, specif. considered as mate.