Middle English Dictionary Entry
mal(le n.
Entry Info
| Forms | mal(le n. Also male, mail & mel(le, (early) meal & maul. |
| Etymology | OF mail, mal; pl. mals, maus. Also cp. L malleus. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A hammer; usually, a heavy iron hammer used for driving posts, breaking rocks, etc.; a sledge hammer, a maul; (b) a kind of mace, a hammerlike club made of (or tipped with) iron or lead; (c) surg. a small hammer or mallet used in some operations; (d) fig. a powerful and violent enemy; (e) ~ mongere, a seller of hammers or mauls.
Associated quotations
a
- c1225(?c1200) SWard (Bod 34)16/136 : Þis schenðlac & te grure of ham were unimete pine &, hure, þolien & abeoren hare unirude duntes wið mealles [Roy: melles] istelet.
- (1333) Invent.Jarrow in Sur.Soc.2921 : In curia..j hak, j gaveloc, j mel ferreus.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)23240 : Þaa dintes ar ful fers and fell, Herder þan es here irinn mell [Frf: melle; Trin-C: malle].
- (1404) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.100397 : 2 mattokis, 1 mell de ferro, 6 wedgis.
- (1411) Doc.Finchale in Sur.Soc.6p.clviii : Item, ij gret mells ferri.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)4543 : The wommen first, with pikkeys and with mallys, with gret labour bete doun the wallys.
- a1425(?c1350) Ywain (Glb E.9)189 : Bot a burde hang us biforn..And by þat bord hang a mall; Þe knyght smate on þar-with-all.
- a1425(a1400) PConsc.(Glb E.9 & Hrl 4196)6572 : Þe neghend es dyngyng of devels hand With melles of yren hate glowand.
- (1435) Misyn FL (Corp-O 236)47/7 : Ar not my wordis als fyre byrnand, & als a mel stonys brekand?
- (1440) *Capgr.St.Norb.(Hnt HM 55)1363 : Thus witȝ his malle þe naylehed he hit.
- c1440 St.Chris.(Thrn)547 : His false goddis, he smate þame alle In-sondir with ane Iryne malle.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)47.185 : He..took On Of hem..& to that Cros bond him..and with gret Malles Of Irne tho Mochel sorwe he dyde hym do.
- a1450 PNoster R.Hermit (Westm-S 3)48/7 : Þen he smytiþ wiþ þe mal on euery syde þe stake to large þe hole, þat it depper synk.
- a1450 St.Editha (Fst B.3)4332 : His body was smalle..Bot his hedde was gret, leyge to a gret malle.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)353/23 : Þer come fro hym swilk a sownd like as þe bed had bene dongen on with mellis.
- (1458) Doc.in Rec.B.Nottingham 2366 : Item, peid..for a tre to make mals, viij d.
- (a1460) Vegetius(2) (Pmb-C 243)2270-2 : Caste in the moolde, sadde it with mal & lever; Out of the dich caste it bitwix the wallys, And ramme it doun with punchonys & mallis.
- (a1464) Capgr.Chron.(Cmb Gg.4.12)34 : Whan he slepe, with a malle and a nayle sche smet him in the hed.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)3.203 : Grekes reherse Pictagoras to haue beene the firste fynder of musike, thro þe sownde of malles [L malleorum] and extension of wyres other strynges.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)26a : A Clottyng melle [Monson: malle]: Occatorium.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)79a : A Melle: Malleus, Malliolus, Marchus, Marciolus.
- (1480) Munitions Tunstall in Mariner's Mirror 64 (PRO E 101/198/13 f.96)233 : [Items] spent by the comaundment of maister Tunstall, depute unto my lord leuetenante on the shippys that made warre uppon Dunkyrk:..j mall of lede, iiij lb. of brymstone, iiij lb. of salt petyr.
- a1500(a1400) Wycl.FHC (NC 95)351 : Þe stake is þe synne hardud in mannus hert; þe malle þat he driueþ it wiþ is newe rehersynge of synne.
- a1500 PParv.(Add 37789)323 : Malle or malyet: Malleolus, marculus.
- -?-(?a1500) Hunt.Hare (Adv 19.3.1)91 : Euery man had a mall, Syche as thei betyn clottys withall, Hynkyng apon their backe.
b
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)4229 : Þe dunt nas noȝt wikke, & is male [vr. mace] he dude ek bituene.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)4653 : A mayl of Ire he bar an honde; Ther-wyþ þoȝte he þanne to fonde The frensche to dynge adoun.
- c1440 PLAlex.(Thrn)75/3 : This ilke beste myȝte þay on na wyse perche wit þaire speres, Bot wit mellis of yren þay slew it.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)13a : He fauȝt wiþ heuy wepouns, as malles of leed, heuy battes, heuy leueres, and heuy axes.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4100 : Bot alto-maukid hire with maces & mellis of Iren.
- 1457 Libeaus (Naples 13.B.29)291/1966 : A stroke of male felon [Lamb: He smote strokys fellon].
- (a1460) Vegetius(2) (Pmb-C 243)2527 : With euery shot of dart, of shaft, of spere, And dynt of axe, of swoord, billys & mallys..thei ley on euerywhere, That fro the wal awey they fle for fere.
- (1465) Paston (Gairdner)4.202 : Gere taken owt of the Chyrch..ix sheffe arwys, ix bawys, ij hand-gonnes, iiij chambers for gonnys, ij mallys of lede, ij jakks.
- c1475 Gregory's Chron.(Eg 1995)214 : There fore hyt ys moche lefte, and men take hem to mallys of ledde, bowys, swyrdys, gleyvys, and axys.
- a1500(?a1400) Torrent (Chet 8009)322 : With an iryn mall, styff and strong, He brake vpe an yron dore.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)339 : Whan Arthur saugh the Geaunte lifte vp his malle [F mache], he douted the stroke.
c
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)127/7 : Þou schalt smyte wiþ a mal eiþer an hamer [L cum maleo] on þe greet eende.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)72a/b : And if it be nede forto smyte wiþ a malle [*Ch.(2): maylet; L malleo], be it done with esynez or facilite.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)72b/a : Afterward plane al þe squirlez & sharpnez with a lenticuler & a malle, & be þe wonde of þe bone cured as yt was said of fracturez.
d
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)6.43 : The famous norischer and childe of that secte, the Sawden and duke of Turkes, the grete malle of Cristen peple [L Christianorum malleus]..herynge that Cristen men usede diversites of meytes at oon refeccion, seide suche men were not worthy to have hevyn.
e
- (1205) CRR(2) 3346 : Gilbertus Maulmanger.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. maul.