Middle English Dictionary Entry
at adv. with infinitive
Entry Info
| Forms | at adv. with infinitive |
| Etymology | From ON; cp. OI at göra, at eta, to do, eat, etc. Mostly N & nEM, never used to the exclusion of to, often as a relic, esp. in the phrases at do, at ete, at kep, at sai. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
To (do, eat, etc.).
Associated quotations
- c1280 Chart.in Birch Cart.Sax.2.326 : Yat ye land of seint Wilfrai..fre sal be ay; At na nan..In yair Herpsac sal have at do.
- c1300 Horn (LdMisc 108)906 : Þe hondes gonnen at erne [Hrl: to fleon] In to þe schypes sterne.
- c1330(?a1300) Tristrem (Auch)543 : Ynouȝ þai hadde at ete.
- c1330(?c1300) Guy(1) (Auch)2495 : Þat he cum wiþ þe at ete.
- (1399) RParl.3.451a : The Answers of certeins Lordes, that is atte saye, of the forsayd Ducs of Aumarle [etc.].
- a1400(c1300) NHom.(1) Gosp.(Phys-E)p.105 : Opon this fir au we to lai Gastli recles, þat es at sai, God praier, that ful suet smelles.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)1016 : Treis o frut..þat serekin vertu has at [so Frf; Göt, Trin-C: to] ette.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)12543 : Iosep was wont at [other MSS: to] weind.
- a1400 Cursor (Frf 14)4836 : If we finde any corne atte [other MSS: to] selle.
- a1400 NVPsalter (Vsp D.7)76.14 : Þou boght in þin arme þi folke at kep.
- a1400 Recipe MS Hal.in Rel.Ant.1 (Hal 335)54 : Gif the sekeman at ete of this ele.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.34 : Was he not so hardy at stand to bataile.
- c1400 St.Anne(1) (Min-U Z.822.N.81)432 : I haue gyfne myn vyrgynyte To god at kep unfylde.
- a1425(c1333-52) Minot Poems (Glb E.9)2/21 : With hert and hand, es noght at hide, For to help Scotland gan þai hye.
- a1425(?a1350) 7 Sages(2) (Glb E.9)124 : Tak þi son to me at lere; I sal him teche.
- a1425(?a1350) 7 Sages(2) (Glb E.9)174 : Þai toke kownsail..At haue þe childe vnto a hall.
- a1425(?a1350) 7 Sages(2) (Glb E.9)2122 : Sho es obout..At ger, þi son to ded be dight.
- a1425(?c1350) Ywain (Glb E.9)812 : Þare was nane, þat anes mynt Unto þe bed at smyte a-dynt.
- a1425(a1400) PConsc.(Glb E.9 & Hrl 4196)5233 : Þus sal he com doun at sitte þare To deme al þe world.
- a1425(a1400) PConsc.(Glb E.9 & Hrl 4196)6152 : I thrested, and at drynk yhe me bedde.
- a1425(?a1400) Penny (Glb E.9)81 : He es..serued with þe best and made at sit ful softe.
- a1425 Ben.Rule(1) (Lnsd 378)33/25 : Lauerd..giue vs sua to wirk, and sua vre lescuns at vnderstande, þat [etc.].
- a1425 LFMass Bk.(Cmb Gg.5.31)241 : Þan es tyme at pray for dede.
- a1425 Rolle EDormio (Arun 507)415 : Seraphyn is at sai brennand.
- a1425 *York MGame [OD col.] (Dgb 182)Prol.144 : For he hath ynogh at done to ride or fote wele with his houndes.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)18/21 : He es called Caliphes..and it es als mykill at say as kyng.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)1.955 : A rammys paunche at hide Al lightly so [etc.].
- c1440(a1350) Isumb.(Thrn)365 : He gafe his childe at ete y-noghe.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)1165 : To carye forthe siche a carle at close hym in siluere.
- c1440 PLAlex.(Thrn)9/38 : I hafe noghte at do wit þe.
- a1450(?1348) Rolle FLiving (Cmb Dd.5.64)110/57 : We sall afforce at cleth us in lufe, als þe yren or þe cole dose in þe fyre.
- a1450 LFMass Bk.(Corp-O 155)278 : Be redy at answere hym allewaye.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)872 : Þen rewis þe riche kyng..& braste out at grete [Dub: to wepe].
- c1450(a1425) MOTest M.7 Boys (SeldSup 52)st.34 : To þe woman ȝyt he went, with whyls hyr to his wyll at draw.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)179/29 : He lay by hur & had at do with hur.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)201/16 : Þai went at feche hym a drynk.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)283/7 : He commawndid at oppyn þies kystis.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)519/23 : Am I not your moder þat gaff you at suke of my breste?
- ?1457 Hardyng Chron.A (Lnsd 204:Ellis)p.i : Lordes sonnes bene sette..To scole at lerne the doctryne of lettrure.
- a1500(c1340) Rolle Psalter (UC 64)4.1 : That is at say, fra anguys and sarynes thou has broght me in til brede of gastly ioy.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)216/383 : We haue othere thyngys at do.