Middle English Dictionary Entry
ballok n.
Entry Info
| Forms | ballok n. |
| Etymology | OE bealluc |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. bal.
1.
(a) A testicle; ~ ston; purse of the ballokes, the scrotum; (b) ~ cod (lether, purse), the scrotum.
Associated quotations
a
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)42 : Coyloun: ballok.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))Job 40.12 : The senewis of his ballokis [WB(2): stones of gendrure] ben wrappid togidere.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)28/7 : Þe glandelose fleisch of þe ballockis..turneþ þe blood into sperme.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)76b : Standilgose..havith knobbis in the rotis lyke ballok stonys.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)37/1 : For þe swynacy: Take a horse ryghte balloke & clefe it in twa.
- a1450 *Trev.Barth.[OD col.] (BodeMus 16)v.xlviii : Oþer membres ben grounde..of þe vertue of gendring, as þe bollock stones þat hatte testiculi in latine.
- ?a1450 Macer (Stockh Med.10.91)112 : Þis oynement heleþ swollen balloqes.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)89/7 : Þe thrid with a rasur cutt away bothe his balok-stonys.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)252/24 : Let hyr ete þe balockis of boris and sche schall conceyue.
- a1450 MS Sln.2463 in EETS 102 (Sln 2463)269 : Þe purs of þe ballokes.
b
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)269/20,23 : If hise guttis falle adoun into his ballok leþir [L testiculorum bursa]..Whanne a mannes bowels falliþ into his ballokis leþeris.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)308/21 : Þis cauterie mai be maad..vpon þe ballockeleþeris.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)56 : Somtyme hem bifallen an euyl in þe ballok purse.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)45b/b : Omembrana [read, with Hrl 2257: Omnimembrana] : a balloc codde.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)49b/b : Pigas summitas narium, or a ballok purse.
- c1425 MS Sln.277 in EETS 102 (Sln 277)269 : Þe guttes comen not down to þe ballock codd.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)8a : A Balloke code: Piga.
2.
In cpds. and combs.: (a) ~ haft, a haft with a knob on either side between the handle and the blade; ~ knif, a knife with such a handle, a bollock-hafted knife; ~ hafted of a dagger: having a haft with knobs between the handle and the blade; (b) ~ purse, ?a purse resembling an animal's scrotum; (c) ~ wort, some kind of orchid [cp. Gr. órchis testicle].
Associated quotations
a
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)15.121 : Sire Geffray hath a gerdel of syluer, A basellarde, or a ballokknyf, with botones ouergylte.
- (c1423) Will York in Sur.Soc.4598 : j manubrium vocatum j ballokheft.
- (1437-8) Will York in Sur.Soc.3063 : Unum dagar ballokhefted.
- (1442) Will York in Sur.Soc.3085 : Volo quod gestrum meum balokhefter [?read:balokhefted] hernasiatum cum argento vendatur.
b
- (1446) Will York in Sur.Soc.45103 : De ij ballok pursez, ij d.
c
- (?a1300) MS Bod.130 in Cockayne Leechdoms3.313 : Herba priapisci i. beallocwirt.
- ?a1500 Trin-C.LEDict.Suppl.(Trin-C O.5.4)609 : Saturia: Ballokwort.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- ?a1425 Chauliac(3) (Htrn 95)73/8 : Þer ben summe veines..descendinge and berynge blood to þe ballockes as wele off þe man as off þe woman.
- ?a1425 Chauliac(3) (Htrn 95)73/13 : Þe sede..in men..procedeþ oute be cause þe ballockes off hem ben wiþ-oute; in wymmen it abidethe wiþ-inne for þe ballockes of wymmen ben wiþ-inne.
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.40ra (2.3) : Wiþin þe mouþe of þe forsaide matrice ar two stones schapen like ballok stones of a man, and þai [ar] callede 'testiculi matricis,' or 'testiculi mulieris'..þe moder ballokes stones.
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.108rb (3.17) : 'Sperma' passeth somtyme..because of feblenes in kynde, os it ofte tyme falleþ in seke folk. For oftym in sekenesse, þe vesseles of þe sede, os in þe reyns & þe womanes bollok stones, & when þe [ballok stones] ar dedish & feble & kynd is noȝt of myght for to wiþholden it.
Note: New subsense for sense 1.
Note: Gloss: "anat. & physiol. pl. the male or female gonads, the testicles or ovaries; moder ballokes stones, wommanes ~ stones, the ovaries."
Note: New form: Also..bollok.
Note: Editor's glossary: 'the ovaries.'
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Deut.23.1
: A geldynge, þe ballogys brusyd or kut off, & þe ȝarde kut awey, shal not goon yn to þe chirche.
Note: New form: Also..ballog.Note: Quot. belongs to sense 1.(a).Note: Revise the definition for this subsense to include animal testicles; (there are such quots. already in this subsense): "The testicle of a human or an animal;--usu. pl."
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.107vb (3.17) : 'Sperma' hath his first grounde and bygynnyng at þe principal membre of lif, s. in þe cerebre..and so passeth forth to þe generatiues, s. to þe reyns and to the ballokkes, berand wiþ him mater & kynde of euery membre þat is bitwene þe cerebre and þe generatiues, redy for to make generacioun.
Note: New form: Pl. ballokkes.
Note: Quot. belongs to sense 1.(a).
- a1450 Eagle Magic in Tul.SE 22 (Add 34111)25/65 : Þe reyns of þe egle wiþ þe ballokes y-dryed and i-poudrede..y-dronk in wyne ȝif loue of man and of woman.
Note: Modify gloss for sense 1.(a): "also, animal testicles used in medicinal preparations."
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)48/36 : For nosse bledyng, a remedy..Tak ayselle or calde water & lay thi ballokes in, & it sal stanche.
Note: Additional quot. for sense 1.(a).
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.60rb (2.7) : 'Osceum' and 'bursa testiculorum,' al on (in Englisshe, þe ballok codde or þe ballok purse).
Note: Quot. (composition date) antedates sense 1.(b).
- ?a1400 Adv.18.5.16 Gloss.(Adv 18.5.16)161 : Satirion: ballocwrt, standilgoce idem.
Note: Supplementary material for sense 2.(c).
- (1459) Invent.Fastolf(1) in Paston Letters (Add Charter 17247:Gairdner)3.171 : Item, j. bollok haftyd dager, harnesyd wyth sylver, and j. chape.
Note: Quot. postdates sense 2.(a).
- (1238) Close R.Hen.III92 : Symon Blacballoc.
- (1316) Nickname in LuSE 5595 : Rog. Gildynballokes.
- (1332) Nickname in LuSE 5556 : Rob. Blakballok.
- (1338) Nickname in LuSE 55180 : Joh. Tuppeballok.
- (1340) Plea & Mem.R.Lond.Gildh.125 : [The jury..present..that a surgeon, name unknown, is a receiver of bad characters; that] Agnes de Chedygfeld [and] Clarice la Claterballok [do the same and are women of ill-fame].
Note: New sense: "In surname / nickname."
Note: Form section needed.--all notes per MLL
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. ballock.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc. (sense 1.(a)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. ballock stone.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc. (sense 1.(b)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. ballock cod.