Middle English Dictionary Entry
nocent adj. as n.
Entry Info
| Forms | nocent adj. as n. |
| Etymology | From L nocens, ppl. of nocere. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
A guilty person.
Associated quotations
- 1447 Bokenham Sts.(Arun 327)8154 : Lo, syrs, seeth to what necessyte Thys iuge ys brouht, þat he wold me Do forsakyn to ben an innocent That he me myht makyn a nocent.
- (a1460) Bokenham Sts. (Adv Abbotsford B3)11.492 (v.1:p.119) : On the Innocentis Day, thise cruel nocentys come to Caunterbury, nothyng bryngyng with hem openly but her propre malice.