(a) Merriment, disport; joy, pleasure; also, a pleasure [senses (a) and (b) are sometimes difficult to distinguish from senses (d) and (e)]; (b) blisful pleies, heavenly joys; eche ~, eternal joy; game and ~, ~ and game(s, disport and merriment; iuel pleies, sinful pleasures; joie and ~, joy and pleasure; pine or ~, torment or joy; piping and ~; ~ and song, joy and song; in ~, in disport; in (on) his ~, for his diversion; to ~, at leisure, on vacation; to oure ~, for our pleasure; upon his ~, ?at his leisure; wenden on ~, to amuse oneself; leten ~, spoil (one's) fun; liven in ~, live in pleasure; (c) revelry, carousal; also, a reveling; in the pointe of here ~, at the height of their revelry; (d) entertainment; an amusement, a diversion; also, a trifling matter [quot.: c1250]; (e) diverse pleies, different amusements, other amusements; also, various amusements; fair pleie(s, pleasant amusement(s; festes and pleies, feasts and amusements; fol pleies, sinful amusements; godli ~, worthwhile amusement; light pleies, trivial amusements; nice ~, foolish amusement; noble ~, noble entertainment; pleies and delices, amusements and luxuries; pleies and disportes, amusements and diversions; pleies of softnesse, trivial diversions; vein pleies, idle amusements; (f) a source of joy.

The play of children; a child's game; the inclination of children to play [quot.: Barth.1st]; also, the playing of a cat with a mouse; bal ~, play with a ball [see also bal n. 3. (b)]; childes (children) ~, the ~ of children; a muchel ~, a great game; no childes ~, no light matter; maken a ~, to play a game.

(a) Games, a game; a game of chance; also, the rules of a game; insolent (iuel) pleies, disreputable games; nice pleies, foolish games; ~ of compaignie, accepted rules; (b) in fig. or quasi-fig. uses; with ironic reference to religious practices, suffering, etc.; also, with reference to the game or wheel of Fortune; but a ~, a mere game.

(a) Martial play, martial games; a martial game or field game; hawking, hunting, a ball game; also, a joust, tournament; -- also with ironic reference to real combat; (b) knightes ~, knightly game; pleies marcial, marcial pleies; pleies of maistries (might), contests of strength; pleies olimpias, Olympic games; pleies palestral, palestral games; wake pleies, funeral games; pris of the ~, prize for winning the match; pleien his ~, to do his part in the tournament; (c) warfare, fighting, conflict; a battle, conflict; pleien ~, to carry on a fight, fight (one's) fight; sori (wrecched) ~, miserable fight; pleien a sori ~, put up a weak fight; (d) fighting ability or strength; a technique in fighting; ferli ~, astonishing performance in battle.

(a) Sexual play, sexual intercourse; an act of sexual intercourse; deres ~, the copulating of animals; hore ~, adultery; the ~ of love, pleie(s of paramoures, act(s of sexual love; ~ speche, amorous speech; unwrest ~, wicked dalliance; pleien the commune ~, to engage in sexual intercourse; (b) a lover.

(a) A theatrical play or performance; also a spectacle; gret ~, ?a mystery cycle; in ~, in form of a play; ~ moneie, ?money contributed toward the expenses of a play or some other religious spectacle (e.g., a pageant or procession); (b) music, music-making; maken ~; (c) a story; story-telling; pleies in lai, ?stories in song; (d) dancing.

(a) Jesting; a jest, joke; also, playful or gentle words [quot.: Perceval]; in (on) ~, in jest; also, amiably; (b) a trick, deception; magic trick; also, skill, craft [quot.: c1450]; also, a conjurer's or juggler's act [quots.: c1460]; panters and pleies, snares and tricks; prive ~, ?underhanded trick; joli ~, jolly prank; don here ~, to maintain their deception.

(a) An action, a motion or deed; course of action, behavior, proceeding; elven ~, frisking of elves; fairest of the ~, best course of action; ful ~, complete freedom of movement; iuel ~, disastrous proceeding; lithere ~, evil deeds; no part of thi ~, none of your business; pleien a sorweful ~, to do a lamentable deed; (b) scene, sight; occurrence; also, arrangement; iuel (poure, sori) ~, bad show, bad situation; neue ~, new arrangement; maken a foul (sori) ~, to play havoc.

Boiling, boiling up; a period of boiling.

Cpds. (a) ~ fere (ifere), companion, playmate, friend; also, paramour; (b) ~ lome, weapon; ~ stede [OE plæg-stede], playground.

In surnames and place names [see Smith PNElem. 2.67].