Middle English Dictionary Entry
man indef. pron.
Entry Info
Forms | man indef. pron. Also mane, manne, mon, monne & ma. |
Etymology | OE man pron. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) One, a man, a person; -- usually with singular verb; -- also, esp. late, with a; ~ shal don, one shall do, shall be done; ther ~ adam and eve dide, where one (they) placed Adam and Eve, where Adam and Eve were placed; etc.; (b) ~ calleth (callen, clepeth, hoteth, nemneth), one calls or names, they call, is (am, are, etc.) called; ~ clepede, one (they) called or named, was called; ~ seith, one says, they say, it is said; ~ mai seien, one (they) may say, it may be said; ~ mai sen, one can see, can be seen; ~ mai theim sen, one can see them, they can be seen; ther ~ hit shal isen, where one shall see it, where it shall be seen; (c) ani ~, ei ~, anyone, anybody; no ~, no one, nobody [see also animan phr. & n., ei indef. pron., & no-man phr. & n.].
Associated quotations
a
- 1123 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1123 : Se biscop..wearð þa sone dead, & man ferode hine to Lincolne mid micel wurðscipe.
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.HApul.(Hrl 6258B:Berberich)110.83/7 : Gif man forbæned [read: forbærned] sy, nime fifleafan wyrt.
- ?a1200(?OE) PDidax.(Hrl 6258b)43/20 : Þisne lacecræft mann sceal don manne þæt swyþe spywaþ.
- ?a1160 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1137 : Wel þu myhtes faren al a dæis fare sculdest thu neure finden man in tune sittende, ne land tiled.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)16/25 : Wæs ðeo mere awend to brade feldæ, swa þæt mon erode alne ðone fixnoð.
- c1175(?OE) HRood (Bod 343)34/25 : Swa wide swa he hine mid him lædde, swa wide mon cristendom underfon wolde.
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)2697 : Forrþi mann birrþ beon ȝeorrnfull aȝȝ..To cwemenn Crist.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)14948 : Forð mon brohte þat water.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)28018 : Me imette þat mon me hof uppen are halle.
- a1200 Trin.Hom.Creed (Trin-C B.14.52)17 : Ðis word credo man mai understonden on þre wise.
- a1225 Wint.Ben.Rule (Cld D.3)53/17 : Ær man þe sealmes beȝynne [L antequam psalmi incipiantur], sy ymne ȝesunsungen [read: ȝesungen].
- a1275(?c1150) Prov.Alf.(Trin-C B.14.39)100/272 : Ofte mon on faire fokel chesed.
- a1300 Bestiary (Arun 292)194 : Get is wunder of ðis wirm more ðanne man weneð.
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)1896 : Ysaac..was doluen on ðat stede, Ðor man adam and eue dede.
- a1325 Prov.Hend.(Cmb Gg 1.1)st.34 : 'At eve man scal þe dai heri,' Quod Hending.
- c1330(?c1300) Amis (Auch)1127 : Þus man schal þe schrewe bigile Þat wald þe forfare.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)90/1 : Zaynte paul..ous heþ hyer ynemned þe meste gentile guodes þet man may do [F que on puet faire].
- c1350 Apoc.(1) in LuSE (Hrl 874)p.45 : I seiȝ a rede hors comen out, & to hym þat satt þere vpon man ȝaf [vr. was ȝouen; F dona l'en] power to take pes for þe erþe.
- a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)88 : He..made þe most dool þat man miȝt diuise.
- c1390 PPl.A(1) (Vrn)5.72 : I ne mihte mony day don as a mon ouhte.
- c1390 Treat.Mass (Vrn)head. : Her techeþ þys tretys þenne Hou mon scholde here hys masse.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sum.(Manly-Rickert)D.2002 : Ther nys ywis no serpent so cruel, Whan man tret on his tayl..As womman is whan she hath caught an ire.
- a1400(c1250) Floris (Eg 2862)579 : Þat man [vrr. me, men] ne þar in þe tour berne Nouther torchee ne lanterne.
- c1400(?c1380) Patience (Nero A.10)81 : Þis is a meruayl message a man for-to preche.
- c1415 Chaucer CT.ML.(Lnsd 851)B.246 : Nowe wolde sum man [vr. mon; men] waiten, as I gesse, Þat I schol telle al þe purueance.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.34 : Sche can..giltles put a man in blame.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)79/17 : A man [Man.(1): men] sall bere þe dyamaund at his left syde.
- (1435) Misyn FL (Corp-O 236)20/1 : To be lost in þe syght of men makes mane to ascend to Ioy of aungels.
- a1450(a1396) Hilton CPerf.(Paris angl.41)2 : It makiþ man to leue al maner affeccioun or frendschip þat is contrarie to þis loue.
- c1450 Dc.Prov.(Dc 52)p.56 : Wyst euery man how bretell were his shen-bon, Wolde he neuer lepe there he myhȝt gon.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)202/28 : He was the foulyst wyghte that ever man sye.
- a1475 *Sidrak & B.(Lnsd 793)277 : Þerynne shal neuere man spede, Vpon þat lond to do good dede.
b
- a1121 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1114 : Þis wæs don on þære tuna þa man cleopað Burne.
- a1131 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1130 : Oc man seið to biworde, 'hæge sitteð þa aceres dæleth.'
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.HApul.(Hrl 6258B:Berberich)79.21/1 : Þeos wyrt, þa ma Baration..hæteð, heo byrd feawe leafum.
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.MQuad.(Hrl 6258B)2/10 : Sum nyten ys þat man nemned taxonem.
- ?a1200(?OE) PDidax.(Hrl 6258b)11/33 : Ad parotidas, þæt ys to ðan sare..þæt man nemneð on ure ȝeðeode healsgund.
- c1225 Body & S.(2) (Wor F.174)4/9 : Nu mon mæi [seg]en bi þe, 'Þes mon is iwiten nu her, Weila! ond his weolæn beoþ her belæfed.'
- a1250 HMaid.(Tit D.18)17/237 : Man seið þat eise makeð þeof.
- a1300(OE) Deed Crediton (CotR 2.11)117 : Hich habbe out-igadere[d] of bokes fale and ido in on oþere masse-boc at sainte marie weuede togadre hi-broȝt, þar ma hit schel i-su.
- a1300 Bestiary (Arun 292)221 : Ðus it is on boke set, ðat man clepeð fisiologet.
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)1130 : Fier-isles man mai ðor-inne sen.
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)1488 : Iacob an time him seð a mete, Ðat man callen lentil gete.
- c1330(c1250) Floris (Auch)288 : Þer man [vr. me] mai sen on þe ston Mochel of þis werldes wisdom.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)2828 : Ma calþ me Gyoun of Borgoygne.
- a1400 Cursor (Phys-E)19512 : He come until a bie þat man [Vsp: men] clepid samarie.
- a1400 Cursor (Phys-E)21862 : Manne [Vsp: Men] mai þaim se nu ilka dai.
- a1425 KAlex.(LinI 150)159 : For mon [vr. men] seiþ by norþ and souþ Wimmen buþ euer selcouþ.
- c1450(a1400) Libeaus (Clg A.2)1022 : He was of all colours Þat man may se of flours Be-twene Mydsomer and May.
c
- a1121 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1070 : Hi namen þære swa mycele gold..swa nan man ne mæi oðer tællen.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)66/34 : Ne hælde þe Hælend nenne mon þurh his scæde.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)25430 : Hit weoren men þa kenlukeste þa æi mon [Otho: eni man] ikende.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)25456 : Ne cuðe heom na mon telle.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)37/19 : Vt þurh þe chirche þurl ne halde ȝe tale wið namon [Nero: none monne].
- c1275(?c1250) Owl & N.(Clg A.9)248 : Him ne mai noman atprenche.
- c1300(?c1225) Horn (Cmb Gg.4.27)23/388 : Ne dorte him noman [vrr. no ma, non] teche.
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)3514 : False witnesse dat ðu ne bere, Ne wið ðe lese non ma ne dere.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Ph.(Manly-Rickert)C.129 : This mayde shal be myn for any man.
- c1400(?c1380) Patience (Nero A.10)112 : He wende wel þat þat wyȝ..Hade no maȝt in þat mere no man for-to greue.
- a1425 Ben.Rule(1) (Lnsd 378)2/34 : Ne reproues na man of þaire mis-dede.
- c1440(a1400) Awntyrs Arth.(Thrn)266 : Maye no mane stere hym of strenghe.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)50.596 : Thou schalt me fynde..vndir this Figge tre, for Ony Manne.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)52.536 : And I schal don it, for Ony Manne.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)658/24 : And not suffre that ony man did to them wronge.
- a1500 Rich.(Dc 228)101/45 : There wyst no mane qwere he became.