Middle English Dictionary Entry

prǒud adj.
Quotations: Show all Hide all

Entry Info

Forms prǒud adj. Also prout, prouȝd, prouȝt, proued, (error) pront & prud, prudde, prut & prod & (in surnames only) purd(e, prodo, protte; comp. proud(d)er, prudder, prutter, prodder, prottor, prottour; sup. proudest, prud(d)est, pruttest, proddest, protest.
Etymology OE prūt, prūd, (infl.) prȳdan, prȳtan (from OF) & OF pro, prot, prod, pru, prut, prud, prou, prout, proud, preu, preut, etc., adj. & n. (from L prōdesse v.). ON prūðr, prȳði, etc., are borrowings from OE. The rare OE forms in -ȳ-, due to analogy with prȳte n. 'pride', had little or no effect on the development of the ME adj. ME comparatives with -dd-, -tt- are due to the same sort of gemination before -r- which produced LOE brā̆ddre, swē̆ttra, etc.; this gemination was often accompanied by shortening of the root vowel.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
(a) Guilty of the sin of Pride; haughty, arrogant; also, obstinate, rebellious; (b) proudest of pride, supremely proud; ~ as lucifer; ~ herte, proud heart; -- also as surname or epithet; maken hit ~, to behave haughtily, be arrogant; waxen ~, become proud or obstinate; nere he no (never) so ~, no matter how haughty he may have been; ne ben thei never so ~, no matter how arrogant they may be; (c) of fate, destiny, the hand of Fortune: inexorable, implacable; (d) proud of one's appearance, vain; ~ as a po (po-cok); (e) of words, speech, manners, a boast, a desire: arrogant, presumptuous.
Show 62 Quotations
2.
(a) Greatly pleased, gratified, elated; glad (to do sth.); ~ mid, greatly pleased with (sb.); ~ of, elated about (sth.); ~ ther-of (ther-for); (b) ~ of, proud of (sth.); (c) ~ for, proud on account of (sth.), proud of (sth.); ~ ther-for.
Show 29 Quotations
3.
(a) Brave, bold, valiant; of birds or animals: fierce; of blows: boldly struck, hard; (b) ~ in (on) presse, ~ in pleie (armes), ~ of werre, valiant in battle, war, or combat; ~ as a pie, quarrelsome as a magpie; picher ~, drunk and quarrelsome; (c) of a horse: spirited, fearless; ?also, proud; (d) ?virtuous; ?valiant.
Show 39 Quotations
4.
(a) Noble, excellent, splendid; (b) noble in bearing or appearance; ~ in presse, splendid in the throng; ~ of appareil, ~ in (of) pride, splendidly arrayed; ~ in pal, handsome in rich clothing; maken ~, to make (sb.) splendid, adorn (sb.); maken in ~, make (sb.) splendid in (a garment).
Show 23 Quotations
5.
(a) Of cities, buildings, walls, etc.: stately, majestic, beautiful; of a country: rich; ~ in pride, magnificent in decoration; (b) of clothing, jewelry, trappings, etc.: sumptuous, splendid, beautiful; on ~ wise, splendidly; (c) of chariots: great; of gold: fine, pure; of gifts, feasts: rich, splendid; of beds, gravestones: handsome, ornate; of a horse's breast: broad, stout; proudest in presse; of plants: finest among the mass; (d) of honors: exciting pride or vanity; privilege ~, an imposing license or commission; (e) ~ fal, the front part of a woman's hair.
Show 31 Quotations
6.
Med. & surg. ~ flesh, flesh puffed up by excessive granulation, proud flesh; also fig.
Show 8 Quotations
7.
In proverbs.
Show 10 Quotations
8.
In surnames.
Show 26 Quotations

©2024 Regents of the University of Michigan. For details about this collection's copyright see the MEC copyright statement and the U-M Library Copyright Policy. Data last refreshed December 2023.