Middle English Dictionary Entry
pursuit(e n.
Entry Info
| Forms | pursuit(e n. Also pursuet, -seut, -seuet, -sut(e & (late) pursieute & persut & porsuite, -seute, poursuite & (errors) pursaut, prefute. |
| Etymology | AF pursuite & CF porsuit & porsuite, poursuite. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The action of pursuing to overtake; a chase; (b) the action of pursuing with hostile intent; don ~ ayenes, make pursuit after (sb.); maken ~ on the chase, give chase; (c) the action of hunting.
Associated quotations
a
- c1450(c1440) Scrope Othea (StJ-C H.5)100/5 : He in no wise hadde liste to loue hire, & she pursued him ouer-all..þe yong þing [vr. gentilman] was ful wery of þe pursuet [vr. purswte] whereinne he had trauayled all þe day.
- c1450(c1440) Scrope Othea (StJ-C H.5)106/15 : It myght happe þat some myȝti man wiþ longe traveill suwed a lady, in so myche þat with his greet pursute he come to his will vndir a laurere.
b
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)2.45 : Eueriche man þat fley to eny of þe þre for socour for trespas þat he hadde i-doo schulde be safe for pursuyt of alle his enemyes.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.1783 : So longe laste þe pursute and þe chas, Til þei were take, and for her trespas Demp to be ded.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.5493 : Herodes þe blissed childe haþ souȝt Þoruȝ his malis & cruelte horrible..For whiche pursut and persecucioun, Þer dide apere..An holy angel to Ioseph as he slep.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)3.5226 : Troyens..home gan hem hiȝe And mortally to make noise & crie..for þe pursut of kyng Thelamon Made on þe chaas, þoruȝ his cruelte.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)59a/a : Secta: a pursaut.
- a1475(a1456) Shirley Death Jas.(Add 5467)21 : The Qwene did suche diligence and pursuet ayanst the said felonouce traitours, that withyne a moneth..thay were all takyn and byhedid at Edynburghe.
- c1480(1422) Lydg.SD (Add 48031)49/8 : By the manly pursuite of Collatyns kynrede, and ful assente of all the Senate, the name of kyngis ceased in the Citie of Rome for evur more.
- c1500 Melusine (Roy 18.B.2)135/13 : The other that had be at the pursyewte & chaas of the paynemys, they lodged þem that nyght the best wyse they coude, & made good watche.
c
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.2442 : And myn hors..In my pursute so sore he was constreyned With my sporis, scharp and dyed rede; After þe hert so priked I my stede.
2.
(a) Perseverance, persistence; also, pursuit of a matter; (b) that in which one is engaged, a pursuit; an endeavor, effort; for) lak of ~, for) lack of effort.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.4423 : Men se poverte With porsuite and continuance Fulofte make a gret chevance.
- a1500 Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)112/12 : I woll provide the othir interrogacions aftir their ordres and places according to pursute of the matir aftir that thou hast made thyne answere.
b
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.201 : Toward Iason in herte he bare envie..And day be day cast and fantasieth How his venym may be som pursute Vppon Iason be fully execute.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)2.959 : Sire, my nece wol..love the best, by God and by my trouthe, But lak of pursuyt [vr. purseut] make it in thi slouthe.
- (1428) Grocer Lond.(Kingdon)179 : This ben serteyn benfettes concludyd and in acted by asent of al þe crafte and pursewt and labor in our tyme.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)1.5389 : Hercules, most myhti off renoun, The serpent slouh throuh his manli pursuit.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)5.2032 : But, o alas, a litil slouthe & pride, For lak of pursut, his conquest set aside.
- c1475 Guy(1) (Cai 107/176)8141 : I will prove that youre son dere Thorough his owen pursuet was dede.
- a1500 The best tre (BodPoet e.1)p.55 : Fyrst when Ipocras schuld dyspute Cum viris sapientibus, Gud wyne befor was hys prefute [?read: persute], Acumen prebens sensibus.
3.
(a) An attack, assault; (b) persecution; ill-treatment, abuse; also, a vexation, an annoyance [quot.: RParl.].
Associated quotations
a
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.474 : Paris..hath hem so be-leyn With myȝti shot of his stronge archeris, And with þe pursut of his arblasteris.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.1363 : Troyens..Were compelled of force hem to with-drawe, Þoruȝ þe pursut of kyng Pallamydes.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.1441 : Grekis..With-outen hym hadde finally be shent, And her shippes attonys lost & brent, Þoruȝ þe pursut of Paris..And worþi Troylus.
b
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)2.355 : Frixus and his suster, Elles, flyȝe þe malice and þe pursute of here stepdame.
- a1425 Wycl.Serm.(Bod 788)1.208 : And oþer pursuytis and bodili deþ shulen sue aftir, siþ Crist hadde hem.
- (1425) RParl.4.304b : Whiche ying shuld be to ye Merchantz..full grete hyndryng and a poursuite infinite to yare full importable costes and expenses and uttre destruction.
- ?c1430(c1383) Wycl.Leaven Pharisees (Corp-C 296)5 : Þe pursuyt is maad for prestes techyng men where þei schullen do here almes to here moste nedy neiȝbores after þe gospel.
- ?c1430(c1400) Rule & T.St.Francis(1) (Corp-C 296)44 : Þei owen..euere preie to god wiþ clene herte & haue mekenesse & pacience in pursuyt & in infirmyte.
- c1600(?c1395) PPl.Creed (Trin-C R.3.15)655 : Y praie, parceyue now þe pursut of a frere, In what measure of meknesse þise men deleþ.
- c1600(?c1395) PPl.Creed (Trin-C R.3.15)664 : And þei pursueþ þe pouere & passeþ pursutes.
4.
(a) The action of seeking to obtain or achieve something; (b) the action of suing or petitioning for something; (c) the action of suing for a lady's favor; maken min ~, to make my suit.
Associated quotations
a
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.356 : Of hyȝe desyr thei hadde for to wynne Þe gret tresour þat was shette with-Inne Colchos lond..Whos pursute roos oute of couetise.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.4370 : For nouþer honour nor pursut of vengaunce With sorwe makyng mow ben execut.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)2.1744 : In titeryng and pursuyte and delayes, The folk devyne at waggyng of a stree.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)8882 : I am glad of þis gouernaunce, to be gyde here, Syn I with prayer ne with pursuet preset not þeraftur, Ne desyret hit in dede?
b
- (?1406) Hoccl.MR (Hnt HM 111)426 : I kepte nat to be seen inportune In my pursuyte; I am ther to ful looth.
c
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.28 : I thoghte mi poursuite To make, and therto sette a day To speke unto the swete May.
- 1532-1897(c1385) Usk TL (Thynne:Skeat)38/17 : For that she is so worthy, thou shuldest not clymbe so highe; for thy moebles and thyn estate arn voyded, thou thinkest fallen in suche miserie, that gladnesse of thy pursute wol nat on thee discende.
5.
Law (a) The act or process of bringing a legal action; the fact of being involved in legal proceedings [quot.: 1414]; (b) a formal plea, petition, complaint, charge, etc.; lawsuit; maken ~, to bring a charge.
Associated quotations
a
- [ 1419 Liber Albus Lond.in RS 12.1217 : Aduncques a la pursuite del pleintif, apres le quart defaut, mesmes les terres et tenementz, par usage de la citee, serrount extenduz et liverez a mesme le pleintif. ]
- (1410) Let.Bugge in Spec.14 (Vsp F.7)24 : Althow that Archibaud, Erl of Douglas..for som..nedes touchyng his estat..at his greet instance and pursuyte yn conservaccion of hys estat, were licenced to goo in to Scotland, [etc.].
- (1414) RParl.4.57a : He wole fouchesaf..to graunte me, durynge my pursuyte..to walken at large, to pursue these materes that ben folwynge in my bille.
- (1428) Grocer Lond.(Kingdon)180 : In oure tyme was purchased with gret besynez and helppe of Thomas Knolles, aldyrman, and also Scharpe and gret pursewet of his sone, Thomas, to al þe lordes of þe kynges Counseyle, þe patent for þe capasyte of oure plase in cony hope lane.
- (1432) RParl.4.418b : Robert Holme..by the space of vii yere and more, in pursuynge for the gode and profitees of oure Soveraign Lord the Kyng..in this lond hath taryed and abyden, in leyng for the saide pursuyt his godes and Jewelles to weolde, to his undoyng.
- a1525(?1464) Cov.Leet Bk.329 : Sich laufull and resonable costes, expenses, and damages..the seid Will. Huet & Will. Bedon haue made and susteyned in the pursute vpon thaccusacion & defence of sich maters betwix them dependyng in variance.
b
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.WB.(Manly-Rickert)D.890 : For which oppressioun was swich clamour And swich pursuyte vnto the kyng Arthour, That dampned was this knyght for to be deed.
- (1418-19) MSS PRO in App.Bk.Lond.E.292 : [Marke William of Bristol..complaining of wrongs done to him..bids the Chancellor do right thereon] þat þere be no more compleinte ne poursuite maad vnto vs..touching þat matere.
- (a1419) Let.Whitchurch in MLR 2274 : Leecroft, þe bastardys sone..persewyd after writtys of entre at Westmynster, makyng no mencioun þat tyme in his persut aȝeynes þe seyde Jon Hullemore.
- (a1422) MSS PRO in App.Bk.Lond.E.306 : [The King..wishes] nomore to be wered wiþ hir encombrous poursuites.
- (1428) Grocer Lond.(Kingdon)186 : Also Payed for þe expence and pursute of þe capasite of owr place..Also for þe pursute payed by Thomas Knolles in costes..þe Summa hereof is iiijxxij li.
- (1450) Doc.in Power Craft Surg.322 : God defend that none of them shall make eny pursuyt at the common lawe unto the tyme that he that findeth him aggreved in that partie hath made his compleint unto the Maister and Wardeins of the same Craft.
- (1455) Paston (Gairdner)3.58 : The seyd Fastolf, after long pursewts made to the Kyng and his conseill, was recompensed but to the value of ml. vj c saluz in lands in Normandye.
6.
?Error for purseint n.
Associated quotations
- a1500(a1450) Parton.(1) (Add 35288)462 : In thys Arderne..Ther ys a grette and a huge fforeste..Ther-In dwelluthe mony a wylde beste; The porsewte ys fulle large a-bowte.