Middle English Dictionary Entry
pencel n.(1)
Entry Info
| Forms | pencel n.(1) Also pencelle, -sel(le, -salle, -sil(le, penecol, pinsel & (pl., error) pesalls. |
| Etymology | OF penoncel |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A small pennon, usually attached to a lance, often used to identify a lord and his men-at-arms; a small company standard; also fig.; ~ of pes, a symbol or proclamation of the king's peace; (b) a pennoncel or streamer identifying an individual knight; also fig.; (c) a lady's token displayed by a knight.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 Lay.Brut (Otho C.13)27183 : Mony pensiles [Clg: þe king heom sette in ane hulle mid feole here-marken].
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)6109 : Kniȝtes of þe table rounde..seiȝe þe pensel of fourti and to, Þat day þat hadde hem holpen so.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)7847 : Þair gilt pensel wiþ þe winde Mirie ratled of cendel ynde.
- (1341) *Pipe Roll (PRO) 15 Edw.III m.5 [OD col.] : Pro stremar, baner, et penecoll.
- (1391) Acc.Exped.Der.in Camd.n.s.5234/29 : Super officio garderobe..pro pensels lancearum domini.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.159 : Richard..was perceyued, þei were renged redie, & how þer pencels weyued.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)169 : In Philip nauie of France a pencelle þei put oute, His armes on a lance ouer alle þe schip aboute.
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)2684 : Of Tebes comen ride..Þre þousande kniȝttes..Armed alle in gyse of Fraunce, Wiþ faire pensel [LinI: pencel] and styf launce.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)6280 : Withoute strok it mot be take Of trepeget or mangonel; Without displaiyng of pensel [F baniere].
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)6.2317 : Erthe-quaues sodeyn & terrible..Threw doun baners, standardis, & penselis.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)2411 : I gyffe my protteccionne to all þe pope landez, My ryche pensell of pes, my pople to schewe.
- (1448) Doc.in HMC Rep.9 App.155 : Sex lanceas cum le pencell de Staford Knottis.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)12511 : His pauilons, his penceles, þykke Nought fer fro þenne had þey don wyk.
- a1450(1408) Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)57b : Þe þridde manere of tokenes ben..baneres, penouns, pensellis, dragunnes in whiche ben depeynted dyuers armes of diuers schappe and diuers coloures.
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)2987 : Here gonfanouns and here penseles [vrr. pensels, pensell] Were weel wrouȝt off grene sendeles, And on euerylkon a dragoun As he ffauȝt wiþ a lyoun.
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)5001 : Syxty þousynd comen..Wiþ many a pensel [vr. pynsell] off sykelatoun, And off sendel, grene and broun.
- a1400 Siege Jerus.(1) (LdMisc 656)413 : On eche pomel wer pyȝt penseles [vr. pesalls] hyȝe Of selke & sendel, with seluere ybetyn.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)6294 : He glod on hys gate, and hys gomys all, With hys baners o brode..Penons & penselles, proud men of armys.
- c1450(?a1400) Roland & O.(Add 31042)1474 : Of þaire clothes pensalles þay made.
- c1450 Pilgr.LM (Cmb Ff.5.30)2 : J seyh the penselles hanginge steyned red with blood.
- c1450 Trin-C.LEDict.(Trin-C O.5.4)601/37 : Penucella, parvum vexillum: penselle.
- (1456) Invent.Armory in Archaeol.16124 : Item, iiij Banners beten of our Lady..Item, v Pennons beten of the feders; Item, cccix Pensetts [read: Pensells] of the feders..the pennons and ye pensett [read: pensell] were delivered..for to sett aboute ye herses of hem.
- (a1460) Vegetius(2) (Pmb-C 243)1270 : In euery oost antiquitee Hath ordeyned iii signys forto be..the thridde..is dragoun..or the penoun, Baner, pensel, pleasaunce or tufte or creste.
- c1470 Bible F.(Cleve-W q091.92-C468)80/32 : Þey..displaied þeire baners, standardis, gitons, and pensilles.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)436 : Ther pencellys vp they sette..Al steyned with ther ovne blood.
- a1500(?a1325) Otuel & R (Fil)1574 : Þere were in the fyrst warde Syxty thousand..with pencelys of sykelatoun, Off grene sendal and of broun.
- a1525(?1455) Cov.Leet Bk.283 : The costes & the purveaunse that wern made to the Capetayne & to the forseide c menne..for to make a newe pensell in Tarturne, xvj d.
b
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)5641 : His pensel hadde riche colour; Alle he was couched wiþ azur.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)6.1553 : This wyht upon a spere tho A pensel..Embrouded, scheweth him anon.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)6.1733 : He..axeth that he myhte se His spere, on which the fisshes thre He sih upon a pensel wroght.
- a1400 Bevis (Eg 2862)141/3042 : Þey sette þere a feire pensell [Auch: a stremere].
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)19.189 : 'What is hus conysaunce..in hus cote-armure?' 'Þre persones in o pensel [vr. penson]..departable from oþer.'
- a1425(c1333-52) Minot Poems (Glb E.9)22/46 : Mekill pride was þare in prese, Both on pencell and on plate.
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)14391 : Thei sente to hem..many a knyȝt..With many a louely fair pensel Off gold, Of Inde, of fair sandel.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)2076 : Thurghe pawnce & platez he percede the maylez, That the prowde pensell in his pawnche lengez.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)2460 : The schalkes scharpelye scheftys theire horsez To schewen them semly..With penouns and pensells of ylke prynce armes.
- a1450 Gener.(1) (Mrg M 876)4187 : Many a feir and riche pensel With horses wer trode in the grauel.
- a1486 Arms Chivalry (Mrg M 775)44 : To arme a man..putte..his pensill in his hande peyntid of seynt George or of oure lady to blesse him with as he gooth towarde the felde and in the felde.
- a1486 Arms Chivalry (Mrg M 775)44 : The Pelaunt and the defendaunt..shal have..a kerchif to hele the viser of his basinet, Also a pensell to bere in his hande of his avowrye.
- a1500(a1400) Ipom.(1) (Chet 8009)2392 : Abowte his neke a white scheld, A white spere in his hand he helde, The pensell white, I wene.
- a1500 Awntyrs Arth.(Dc 324)392 : In stele he was stuffed, þat stourne vppone stede, Al of sternes of golde his pencelle displaied.
c
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)5.1043 : And ek, the bet from sorwe hym to releve, She made hym were a pencel of hire sleve.
- c1450(?a1400) Roland & O.(Add 31042)1073 : For þe lufe of his leman..A glofe to his pensalle he hase.
- c1460 Ipom.(3) (Lngl 257)343/4 : Jason..broght the reid knight a spere with a reid pensil theron, that the ladie had wroght hire selff & send him..& he toke it..& thoght forto sett in on wark for hire sake.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)664/21 : She sente hym a pensell and prayde hym to fyght with sir Corsabroyne for her love.
- c1450(?a1400) Chestre Launfal (Clg A.2)328 : Of my armes oo pensel, With þre ermyns ypeynted well, Also þou schalt haue.
- a1500(a1450) Gener.(2) (Trin-C O.5.2)2686 : The rede pensell I see att his devise, The whiche in sothe ye dede for hym ordeyn.