Middle English Dictionary Entry
pissen v.
Entry Info
| Forms | pissen v. Also pis(e, pisse, pishin; p. ppl. ipissed. |
| Etymology | OF pissier, pissir. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) To urinate, make water; -- also refl.; (b) to void (blood), pass (a stone); ~ oute dropesie, discharge the excess fluid characteristic of dropsy; ~ taloue, shed fat in rutting season; ~ moneie on the wals, throw money around recklessly; ~ a potel, urinate half a gallon; ~ tarse, discharge semen from (one's) penis; ~ pesen, discharge (one's) pea soup; (c) ppl. pissinge, as adj.: of urine; (d) ppl. i-pissed, passed, excreted.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 SLeg.Jas.(LdMisc 108)381 : His menbres þat he carf of, euer-eft he dude misse Bote a luytel wise ȝware-þourȝ he miȝhte, ȝwane he wolde, pisse.
- ?c1335 Elde makiþ me (Hrl 913)p.171 : Y ne mai no more of loue done; Mi pilkoc pisseþ on mi schone.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)420 : Pur-qoy ne mynge ane et verder; Wy pissith nout doke and ruddoc.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.359 : Among hem many men pissez sittynge and wommen stondynge.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.858 : An hound, whan he comth by the roser or by othere beautees, thogh he may nat pisse, yet wole he heue vp his leg and make a contenaunce to pisse.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.WB.(Manly-Rickert)D.534 : For hadde myn housbonde pissed [vr. pissede] on a wal Or doon a thyng that sholde haue cost his lyf..To hire..I wolde han toold his conseil.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)201a/a : If a mayde drynkeþ of þe water þerof, sche pisseþ [L vrinabit] nought, And if sche is no mayde and drynkeþ þerof sche pisseþ [L vrinam emittet] anon.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.328 : Þei salle him ilkone bete him þat he pis.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)7.142 : Þanne gan þe wastour arise..To peris þe plouȝman he profride his gloue..And bad hym go pisse [vr. pysse hym; B: pissen] wiþ his plouȝ.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)70 : In þe kenel shuld be picched smal stonys iwrapped about with strawe..þat þe houndes myght pisse þeraȝenst.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)4b : Annete is an erbe..þe juis of him with stale ale, he will make him well to pisse.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)164/21 : The moste synne þat ony man may do is to pissen [F pisser] in hire houses þat þei dwellen in.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)100a/b : And if..he may not pisse [Ch.(2): make water; L mingere] when he desireþ..it is mortale.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)122/9 : He þat pissez þare and þai may wit it, þai will slae him.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)577/11 : Some ben..cleped speciales or formales, as laxatyf medecynes and medecyne þat maken to pisse [*Ch.(1): vrinatiuez].
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)402 : Pyssyn or pyschyn: Mingo.
- a1450-a1500(1436) Libel EP (Warner)288 : Twoo Flemmynges togedere Wol undertake..to drinke a barell fulle Of gode berkyne; so sore they hale and pulle, Undre the borde they pissen as they sitte.
- c1450 *Bk.Marchalsi (Hrl 6398)37b : He shal pissyn in þe hose of þe pyntill.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)252/3 : Let hyr pysse iij dayes in a malow, þat growith wylde, and yef yt wax drye, sche ys baren.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.B.963 : To see the churche they thynke it woll suffise..Scantelie to pisse they woll arise.
- c1475 Abbrev.Trip.SSecr.(UC 85)354/30 : Smallache..will enswe seekenesse in the bladder and in the lyuer, and thou nat pisse easely.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)96a : To Pisse: Mingere, demingere, emingere, mictare, mictitare, minsare, minsitare..stillare, vrinare, meere.
- a1500 Dream Bk.(2) (Trin-C O.9.37)82 : To pisse in þe bed be-tokeneþ infirmyte.
- a1525(?1421) Cov.Leet Bk.23 : Hitt is ordenyd..that no man pyse in the churchyard, ne defile hit in noo maner wise.
b
- c1390(?c1350) SVrn.Leg.(Vrn)1402 : Anon riht þenne þe chyld, iwis, A gret stond [read: stone] al out dude pis And was al hol of þat seknes.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)62/6 : Ȝeue o bal at þre tymes..til þat he pisse blood; þanne he schal be saaf.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)5.189 : Glotoun hadde ygulpid a galoun & a gille; He pisside [vrr. pised, pyssyd] a potel in a paternoster while.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)5b : Drynke þat juse with gotis mylke oþer cowe mylke to saue him þat pissiþ blode.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)226/3 : He schall pyse out þe dropsy.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)237/9 : For hym þat pyssyt blode.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)232 : Tak talow of an hert, such as he pysseþ by twene two seynt mary dayes, & marow of an hors, melt hem to geder, & put hem vp.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)72/18 : Tak a swynes-mawe al hot..and ley it..on a mannys membrys..and pyschyn he schal ouȝt al þe dropesye.
- a1475 Leve lystynes (Brog 2.1)p.31 : Owre syre bradys lyke a dere; He pysses his tarse euery ȝere, Ryȝte as dothe a boke.
- c1475 Mankind (Folg V.a.354)248 : I haue fede my wyff so well tyll sche ys my master. I haue a grett wonde on my hede, lo! and þeron leyth a playster, Ande anoþer þer I pysse my peson.
- a1500 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 19674)75 : For a man that pissith [vr. pisses] blood.
- a1550 *Ripley CAlch.(BodeMus 63)53b : But as for mony, it is pissid one the walles; Then be they ledd as well for them falles To newgate or Ludgate.
c
- c1475(1392) *MS Wel.564 (Wel 564)42b/a : Þanne þis aquosite þus discerned is y-seid vrinalis, or pissinge, þe whiche ys y-sent forþ þoruȝ þe passynge poris to þe bladdre.
d
- a1500(?a1400) MS Sln.282 in Alphita (Sln 282)p.90fn. : Lapis lincis comeþ of þe uryne of a wolf ypissed, and on þe hylles and munteynes crudded.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500 MSerm.Mol.(Adv 19.3.1)83 : Ther he se how the fox prechyd, and charged, and commanded that noo mon schuld be so harde nowdur be day ne be nyȝt for to pysse wakone.
Note: The transitive sense (b) should probably be generalized (the existing glosses are contextual and specific) to something like 'to pass (sth. other than urine) through the urinary tract; to piss (blood, gruel, etc.).' For this example, see wakin n.