Middle English Dictionary Entry

of prep.
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Entry Info

Forms of prep. Also ofe, offe, hof, ove & (followed by b, m, þ) ob, om, oþ & (errors) af, oft, os, oþ, uf. Contraction: nof (ne of).
Etymology OE

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
(a) With verbs expressing motion or implied motion: out of (a place, path, etc.); from (a point of departure); out of; ~ cours, of a river: out of its normal channel; ~ lond, abroad, out of the country; ~ rode, from the roadstead; ~ the wei, away; ~ toun, out of town; (b) out of (a person, part of the body, a solid object, etc.), from; forth ~; ~..honde, from the hands (of sb.), out of (one's) hand; (c) from (a drinking vessel, dish, etc.); out of (a tomb, saddle, sheath); (d) out of (clothing, one's skin); ~ (mid) bosom, out of (one's) upper garment; (e) from (a flint, etc.); away from (a bowstring); (f) ~ fer (ferrene), from afar.
Show 84 Quotations
2.
(a) With verbs of expressed or implied motion: from the surface of (a person, part of the body, a door's hinges, a tree, a ship, etc.), off, away from; also fig.; (b) down from (heaven, clouds, a horse, tower, tree, hill, etc.), from; off (a tree or chair); from (a vantage point); doun (adoun, nether) ~; (c) up from (a seat, stone, bottom of a river, land, sea, etc.); out of (bed); up out of (the breast, a woman's breasts); up (upward) ~; (d) ?outside (a town).
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3.
(a) Out of (a condition or state, kind of life, one's sight, etc.), from; ~ aungel, transformed from (an angel); ~ wit, mad, out of (one's) wits; (b) from (death, sleep, rest, dreaming, swooning), out of; (c) bringen ~ lif (dai), don ~ lif (lifdai, lifdaies), to kill (sb.); faren (shulen) ~ this lif, faren (charen, gon, wenden) ~ world, die; ~ lif, dead; passen ~ lif, die; etc.
Show 49 Quotations
4a.
Denoting separation from something: -- used with a verb or adj. expressing: (a) release, deliverance, or saving: from, out of; ben delivered ~, to be delivered of (a child); (b) absolution, healing, purification, purity: in respect of, of; (c) deprivation or loss: of, from; light ~, relieved of (sth.); wane ~, lacking in (sth.); short of (a specified number); (d) cessation: from; ben stille ~, to cease (weeping); stille ~ noise, quiet; (e) failure, prevention: with regard to, in respect of; missen ~, to fail in (sth.), fail to get (sth.); letten ~, prevent (sb.) from (doing or getting sth.); ben sured ~, be guarded against (putrefaction); etc.
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4b.
Denoting separation from something: -- used with a noun or gerund expressing: (a) lack or absence: of; (b) mitigation or relief: for, from, of; (c) release, rescue, rest: from.
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5.
(a) From (a time, an event, a period of one's life), after, since, since the time of; (b) for the space of (a certain time), during, for; ~ long time, for a long time; (c) ~ late (agon, ~ late time, recently, lately; ~ neue, recently; ~ old, since long ago, from old days; in the past, formerly; ~ old time, since long ago; (d) in the course of (a specified time or reign); (e) on tide & ~ tide, in season and out of season; (f) at (an earlier time, the present); (g) after (a consultation).
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6.
Expressing a relationship comparable to that of the possessive genitive: (a) belonging to (sb., an animal); possessed by, owned by; ben ~, to belong to (sb., an animal); (b) belonging to (sth.); found in (sth.), forming part of; ben ~, to belong to (sth.); be found in (a text).
Show 42 Quotations
7.
(a) Possessed by or inherent in (God, a person, an animal) as a quality, attribute, state of mind; ben ~, to be (one's) nature (to do sth.); (b) belonging to or inherent in (a thing, place, state) as a quality or attribute; (c) related to or inherent in (sth., sb.) as a potential or necessary inference; biginninge ~, birthe ~, cause ~, contrarie ~, effect ~, ende ~, etc.; (d) of a sign or token: indicating (sth.); (e) comen ~ wit, to regain (one's) senses, recover (one's) faculties.
Show 65 Quotations
8a.
Expressing origin or source: (a) from (sb. or sth.), proceeding from; having origin in (sb. or sth.); (b) ben ~, to proceed from (sb. or sth.); be taken from (a writer); comen ~, come from (sb. or sth.), be derived from, emanate from, be the result of; gon ~, emanate from (sb.), be derived from.
Show 37 Quotations
8b.
With selected verbs: (a) asken ~, bidden ~, bien ~, biwinnen ~, biyeten ~, borwen ~, enqueren ~, freinen ~, geten ~, haven ~, holden (lond) ~, hopen ~; (b) iwinnen ~, knouen ~, leren ~, lernen ~, nimen ~, purchasen ~, receiven ~, saven ~, sechen ~, taken ~, winnen ~.
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8c.
(a) Derived from (sb., sth., a name); from, after, named after; (b) drunk or drawn from (a well, stream, spring, etc.); taken from (a bushel); (c) from (a language), out of.
Show 21 Quotations
9.
(a) Born of (sb., one's body), from; ben i)boren (acenned, risen, strened) ~; beren ~, to bear (a child) by (sb.); beren ~ bodi, produce (a child) from (one's body); biyeten ~, have (a child) by (sb.); comen (springen) ~, be born of (sb.); haven ~, have (a child) by (sb.) or of (one's body); unboren ~, not yet born to (a woman); understonden ~, conceive (a child) by (sb.); worthen ~ with child, become pregnant by (sb.); (b) sprung from (an ancestor, a race, kindred, royal blood, etc.), belonging to, descended from; i)boren ~; i)comen (springen) ~, to be descended from (sb., a specified kin or lineage).
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10.
(a) Made of (sth.), composed of, consisting of; comprehenden ~, to consist of (sth.); (b) forged ~, forged out of (sth.); i)werken ~, to make (sb. or sth.) out of (sth.); maken ~, make (sb. or sth.) out of (sb. or sth.); weven ~, fig. weave (sth.) from (sth.); (c) in phrases used with collective nouns: composed of (sth., people, beasts, etc.), made up of; -- also with numerals and plural nouns; kinde ~ [see kinde 9.]; manere ~ [see manere 1a. (a)]; (d) of (a color); ~ the bende, of the same color as the bend.
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11.
Designed for (hearing, keeping corn, the eyes); intended for (another purpose).
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12.
Expressing a relationship comparable to that of the objective genitive: (a) with nouns denoting an action, mental act, feeling, etc.; (b) with nouns denoting an agent or the maker of something; (c) with gerunds; (d) sighte ~.
Show 70 Quotations
13.
Expressing a relationship comparable to that of the partitive genitive, denoting the whole with a word designating a part or designating totality: (a) with a numeral; (b) with a word denoting an indeterminate number or amount; ani ~, feue ~, litel ~, mani ~, more ~, muche(l ~, som ~, etc.; (c) with a word denoting an absolute number or amount; al ~, ech ~, either ~, everi ~, non ~, etc.; (d) with a noun denoting one of a number or a part or share of a whole; del (dol, part, partie, quarter) ~, etc.; ~ the best; (e) with a superlative or a noun denoting uniqueness or preeminence; chef (flour, hed) ~; ~ al, of all; ~ (al) other, of all, than any other; (f) indicating one distinguished or singled out from the rest of its class; (g) from among (a group of people).
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14.
In a partitive phrase without a preceding partitive word: (a) ben ~, to be one of (a group or company); be a member of (sth.); (b) one of (a number of people, two things); (c) ~ al wommen, most among women; ~ al (thing), most of all, particularly; (d) as equivalent to the object of a verb: some of, some; any; drinken (eten, finden, haven, nimen, senden, taken, yeven) ~, etc.; (e) ?in apposition with the subject.
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15.
Followed by an independent possessive: belonging to (sb.), possessed by [orig. a use of the partitive genitive, but later used to express the relationship of the possessive genitive; cp. 6. (a)]; after the wille ~ youres, according to your will; the purs ~ his, his purse; etc.
Show 25 Quotations
16.
Having a relationship with (sth.): (a) belonging to (a country, region, town, heaven, the world, etc.), originally from; living in (a castle, household, etc.); ben ~, to be from (a country, etc.), be a native of; ben ~ toun, be a citizen of a town; (b) holding membership in (a religious foundation or community, college, sect, religion, etc.); ben ~, to be a member of (a craft, diocese, parish); maister ~ menoures, a learned man of the Franciscans; (c) of a church, college, manor, etc.: situated at (a place), in; of a bishopric, official position, etc.: associated with or based on (a place); (d) forming a part of (a place); in (hell); (e) ~ biyonde, foreign [see also biyonde adv. 2. (b)]; ~ withinnen, within a town, belonging to a town; (f) the cite ~ him, the city he came from; (g) in surnames.
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17.
(a) In titles: ruling over or associated with (a country, region, bishopric, etc.); (b) in titles of Christ and the Virgin; (c) ruling over (sth., a body of people, a place), in control of, over, of; (d) legate ~ (the court ~) rome, a papal legate.
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18.
(a) Having a contractual or familial relationship with (sb.); ben ~, to belong to the party of (sb., the world); (b) pertaining to (sth., sb., a place), relating to, associated with; ~ and in, in and ~, pertaining to (lands, properties, rents, etc.); ben ~, to pertain to (sth.); (c) of a church, temple, college: dedicated to (a saint, heathen god); (d) of a religious festival: associated with (a religious event or time, a religious object), dedicated to (a saint); (e) of a custom or practice: practiced by (sb.), practiced at (a place), of (a country).
Show 50 Quotations
19a.
Expressing the relationship between a general class and a specific example of it; burgh ~ lincoln, cite ~ rome, lond ~ galile, month ~ mai, rivere ~ temes, sinne ~ glotonie, etc.
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19b.
Expressing an appositional or quasi-appositional relationship: (a) in the person of (sb.); (b) in the form of (sth. or sb.).
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20.
(a) Because of (sth. or sb.), on account of, as a result of; caused by (sth.); ~ birthe, ~ custume, ~ duete, ~ grace, ~ kinde, ~ nature, ~ necessite, ~ purpos, ~ resoun, ~ right, ~ sentence, etc.; (b) with selected verbs: agasten ~, arreinen ~, bedden ~, demen ~, dien ~, dreden ~, enjoien ~, fallen ~, lothen ~, loven ~, preisen ~, repreven ~, ringen ~, sorwen ~, sterven ~, thanken ~, travailen ~, wondren ~, yelden ~; (c) with past participles; -- often in passive constructions; (d) with selected adjectives: blithe ~, ded ~, dul ~, fain ~, glad ~, hevi ~, pore ~, sori ~, squaimous ~, wel-queme ~, weri ~; (e) with nouns: drede (sorwe, disdeine) ~, etc.; for wrakedome ~, in revenge for (sb.); don amendes (ded-bote) ~, maken amendes ~, to make amends for (sb. or sth.); nimen shrift ~, do penance for (a sin); (f) with refl. prons.: ~ hemself, in themselves; as a result of one's own nature; ~ himself, by himself, independently, by his own efforts; also, in itself, inherently; ~ hitself, of itself, by its own nature; ~ miself, by my own efforts, unaided; ~ the self, naturally, inherently; ~ thiself, as a result of your own nature; (g) ~ that, because, since; (h) for the sake of (sb.), in the name of.
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21.
Expressing instrumentality or means: (a) with (sb. or sth.), by means of; by (sb. or sth.), through; (b) ~ honde, by the hand (of sb.); of a letter: with (one's own) hand; ~ hondes, at or by the hands (of sb.) [see also honde 3. (b)]; fillen (ifillen, fulfillen) ~, to fill (sb. or sth.) with (sth.) [see also fillen v. 1. (a), 3. (b)]; (c) ful ~, full of (sth.), filled with; ifildnesse ~; potful ~; (d) on (alms), by means of.
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22a.
Expressing agency: by: (a) with passive verb constructions; (b) with past participles; (c) with adjective.
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22b.
Expressing agency with nouns or gerunds [often expressing a relationship comparable to that of the subjective genitive]: (a) by (sb. or sth.), on the part of; (b) of words: spoken by (sb.); of a boast, command, request, provision, praise, etc.: made by (sb.); of noise: made by (an animal); of books or an epistle: written by (sb.); laue ~ god (jesu crist), moral law revealed by God or taught by Jesus Christ; (c) werk ~, the operation of (one's eyes, heart); the product made by (someone's hands); the effect produced by (a piece of writing); (d) in sight ~, seen by (sb.).
Show 37 Quotations
23a.
Concerning (sb. or sth.), about, with regard to: (a) with verbs denoting speech, singing, etc.: answeren ~, mingen ~, seien ~, singen ~, speken ~, tellen ~, warnen ~, etc.; (b) with verbs denoting cognition, understanding, remembering, teaching, learning, etc.: connen ~, knouen ~, leren ~, monen ~, remembren ~, techen ~, thinken ~, understonden ~, witen ~, etc.; (c) with verbs denoting an action of some sort: accounten ~, to render account for (sth.); don ~, do (sth.) about or with (sb. or sth.); act with regard to (sth.); helpen ~, help (sb.) with regard to (sth.); laughen ~ [see laughen 3. (c)]; leven ~, cease speaking about (sb.), leave off (a subject); i)reden ~, read about (sb. or sth.); i)writen ~, write about (sb. or sth.); etc.; (d) with verbs or phrase denoting a mental attitude: dreden ~; kepen ~ [see also kepen 1. (a), (b)]; leten ~ [see also leten 15. (c)]; litel me (him) is ~ [see also litel n. 1a. (d)]; merveillen ~ [see also merveillen 1. (b)]; mistrusten ~; ne yeven worth a haue ~ [see also haue n.(2) (c)]; nimen gome (hed) ~; nis nomore ~, (they) care nothing more about (sth.); recchen ~; setten (don) no force ~ [see also force 10b. (b)]; setten stor ~; taken hed (kep) ~; trusten ~; etc.; (e) with verbs denoting hearing or listening: heren ~, herkenen ~, listen ~, listenen ~ [see also heren 5. (a), herkenen 1b. (a), iheren 2a. (b), listenen (c)]; (f) with verbs denoting inquiry: asken ~, enqueren ~, examinen ~, frainen ~, spiren ~ [see also asken 2. (b), enqueren 1. (b), frainen 1. (c)]; (g) with verbs denoting existence or occurrence: ben ~, bifallen ~, bitiden ~, fallen ~, faren ~, stonden ~, tiden ~, worthen ~.
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23b.
Concerning (sb. or sth.), with respect to, in respect of, with regard to: (a) in prepositional phrases modifying nouns; (b) in chapter headings, introductory phrases, etc.; ~ part (partie) of, in respect to (sth.); (c) in prep. phrases defining the reference of a measurement; ~ age, ~ brede, ~ heigh, ~ heighte, ~ lenge, ~ lengthe, ~ longnesse, ~ space; (d) ~ the belle, ~ (the) clokke, by the clock, o'clock; (e) ~ age, considering (one's) age [see age 1c. (c)].
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23c.
In respect of (sth. or sb.), with respect to, in: (a) in prepositional phrases qualifying adjectives; (b) ~ age, in respect of age; ~ sighte, in appearance, to look at; bisi ~, solicitous for (sb.); anxious about (sth.), concerned; blind ~, blind to (sth.), unaware of; accountable ~, certain (seur, siker) ~, empti ~; iliche (like) ~, equal to (sb.) in respect of (sth.); war ~, aware of; rad ~ wei, eager to set off; (c) in prep. phrases qualifying a participle, numeral, pronoun, or adverb; adred ~, afraid for (sb.); (d) in prep. phrases qualifying verbs in certain constructions; ~ al and som, in full; ~ custume, as toll; ~ brede and lengthe, far and wide; (e) in prep. phrases qualifying certain verbal phrases; haven merci (compassioun, milce, pite, reuthe) ~, to have mercy or compassion on (sb. or sth.).
Show 88 Quotations
24a.
Expressing a relationship comparable to that of the descriptive genitive, in prepositional phrases: (a) modifying nouns, including predicate nouns; (b) ~ lif, alive, living; ~ honde, in (a certain kind of) script; ~ neue, new, original; ~ sute, of the same color or fashion, to match; ~ sute of, of the same color or fashion as (sth.); ~ travers, diagonal; ~ wheles four, four-wheeled; dede ~ armes, a martial deed; man ~ armes, a soldier, an armed man; her. ~ armes, bearing the arms (of sb., England); (c) with the verb ben; ben ~ anon, ?to be constantly; ben ~ pouer (might, strengthe) to, be able to (do sth.); ben ~ resoun, be rational; ben ~ sheld, ?bear a shield, ?be of importance; ben ~ lif; ben ~ ward, be in control of oneself, be orderly; ben not ~ ward, ?be due to uncontrolled mating, be disorderly [cp. Lydg.TB 3.1666: out ~ ward]; ?not to be kept, be not worth preserving [cp.PParv. 516: ward: conservacio]; (d) qualifying verbs; ~ brede, crosswise; ~ even, on equal terms, as an equal; ~ hard, with difficulty; ~ mis, amiss, wrongly [see also mis 1b. (a)]; ~ (the) neue, anew, again; ~ on accord, in harmony; ~ on assent, unanimously; ~ ouen assent, voluntarily; ~ record, on official record; ~ resoun, rationally; ~ right, correctly; ~ same, similarly, likewise; ~ travers, crosswise, transversely; etc.; (e) qualifying adj., adv., ppl., or inf.; ~ awei, away; ~ bast, illegitimately; ~ inough, enough; ~ record, on official record; ~ wel, well; (f) transl. a Latin adj. or adv.; ~ even voice, equivocal; ~ on voice, unequivocal; (g) bi cause ~ [see bi cause, because phr. & adv.]; in (at, to) regard ~, in respect ~, in the stede ~ [see regard, respect, stede].
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24b.
In special semantic contexts [expressing the relationship of 24a.]: (a) denoting age; ~ age, of age, adult; ~ on age (elde), of the same age; (b) denoting size, value, price, weight, capacity, distance, duration; ~ lengthe ~; (c) denoting a characteristic or specifying feature of a time or place; dai ~ dom [see dai 7., dom 1b. (c)]; the yere ~ oure lord [see lord 7a. (f)].
Show 56 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • c1330 Body & S.(5) (Auch)p.52 : Þan hadde ich neuer ylerned…O we wher no seynt no may bere our ernd.
    • Note: New spelling
  • c1400(a1349) Rolle MPass.(1) (Cmb Ll.1.8:Horst.)91 : Ioseph ob Aramathye.
    • Note: New spelling

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