Middle English Dictionary Entry
masse n.
Entry Info
| Forms | masse n. Also mace, mas & massa. |
| Etymology | OF & L |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) An irregularly shaped mass or lump; a chunk (of sth.); mass of inchoate matter [quot.: c1500(1471)]; (b) a mass of minerals, stones, or other objects, bound, compressed, or fused together; also, a cake (of dried figs); (c) silver (gold)..in ~, silver (gold) in the mass, bullion.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)104a/a : Primordial mater, in þe whiche..þe foure elementis were..nouȝt distingued..þat massa & lompe [L massa] plato clepiþ yle.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)63a/a : Harde þingez & greuous or heuy, as stonez & massez [Ch.(2): þikke gobates].
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)328 : Masse, or gobet of mete, or other lyke: Massa.
- a1550 *Ripley CAlch.(BodeMus 63)43a : So thourough thy will and power, out of one masse [vr. mas] Confused, was made all that beinge is..ffor of one masse was made all thinge, And right so muste it in our practis be.
b
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)4 Kings 20.7 : Isaie seide, 'bryngeþ to me a masse [WB(2): gobet; L massam] of fijges,' þe whiche whan þei haddyn broȝt to & put vp on his botche, he is helid.
- a1425 KAlex.(LinI 150)4981 : He by sette þe see and þe lond Wiþ botemay and mace strong.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)105/7 : Men fynden many tyme harde dyamaundes in a masse þat cometh ut of gold whan men puren it & fynen it out of the myne, whan men breken þat mass in smale peces.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)273/16 : He prayed þat all his tresurs þat war of grete valow mott be molten in-to a grete mace.
- c1483(?a1450) OT in Caxton Gold.Leg.(Caxton)f.67ra : Abygail .. toke ij C loues of breed, ij botelles of wyn, v weders sothen .., & C bondes of grapes dreyde, & ij C masses of cariacares [L (Vulg.1 Sam.25.18): massas caricarum], and leyde all this vpon asses.
c
- (1423) RParl.4.256b : No man..bie or selle no Silver in Plate, nor in Masse, beyng as gode of alay as the sterlyng, above xxx s. over the fasson a pound of troie.
- (1423) RParl.4.256b : Be it ordeined that no Man by ne sell no Silver in Plate broken, ne in Masse.
- (1449) RParl.5.155b : If eny Gold or Silver, in Coigne, Plate, or Masse, by Marchauntes aliens..be caried out of this Lond.
2.
Anat. (a) ~ of blod, blodi ~, the aggregate of humors constituting the blood; nutrimental blood as an aggregate of the four natural humors; (b) blodi ~, ?the liver; ?aggregate of humors in the blood of the liver.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)21b/b : Verray & pure blode, coleric or fleumatic or melancolie, which þof alle þai be named þus bi þair propre namez, neþerlez þai ar called bi a comen name Massa sanguinis, or a mas of blode..Haly..calleþ it massam sanguariam [Ch.(2): þe blody masse], þat sych blode alone is materie of nutricioun, noȝt þat þat fourmaly is distyngued fro oþer humours.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(3) (Htrn 95)63a/a : And it is cleped massa sanguinaria, þat is to seien, a masse of blode contenyng in hym naturel substaunce.
b
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)82/22 : Siþen þat þe comune generacioun..is made more þan þe particle nedeþ of flowynge of blood, i. fro þe blody masse, þat is, þe lyuer [*Ch.(1): inflowyng of blode, i. masse sanguinarie; L ex sanguine, i. ex masse sanguinarie], þe particle forsoþe swelleþ.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)122/33 : The verray aposteme..made of natural melancolye, þe whiche is no þing but greet blood, the whiche is founden in þe blody masse, i. þe lyuer [*Ch.(1): massa sanguinaria], to norisshe þe melancolik membres.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Per REL, in second quot. (KAlex) under 1.(b) mace may refer to "gum mastic," but gum mastic seems mostly limited to smaller scale (mostly quasi-medical) uses.--JL