Middle English Dictionary Entry
quitter(e n.
Entry Info
| Forms | quitter(e n. Also quiter(e, quittre, quittur(e, quiture, quitour, queture, quetour(e, & (chiefly N) whiter, whittour, whitour(e, whitor, wheter, whet(t)our, whetur, gotour & (?error) guetere; pl. quittres, etc. & (?error) quitras. |
| Etymology | OF quiture, var. of cuiture burn, scald. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Pus, suppuration, a discharge of pus or matter; also fig.; (b) pl. decaying or corrupt humors; also, purulent sores; (c) putrid matter; (d) a puslike substance.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 SLeg.Edm.Abp.(LdMisc 108)170 : Þe knottes deope wode, Þat muche del of is bodie orn of quiture [Hrl: in quiture] and of blode.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)8956 : In to hire chambre heo drou Boþe meseles & oþere..& wess hor vet & clene þe quiture [vrr. qwetour, quetoure; queyne] out soȝte.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Job 2.8 : Job..with a sherd scrapide awei þe quyture [WB(2): quytere; L saniem], sittinge in þe dunge hil.
- (?a1390) Daniel *Herbal (Add 27329)f.124va : Rubarba minor is a litil herbe .., A noble drawere of qwiture [Arun 42: quyture] & filthe in sores & of bodies infix in þe flesch & a gret helere.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)43a/b : Þe ere is greued in many wise: somtyme by apostume þat is þerinne, & þan comeþ quyttir out of þe eere.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)15/1-2 : If..þe oon haþ myche quytture & þe toþer litil, he þat haþ þe myche quytture nediþ to han þe drier medicyn.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)37/10 : If þat a wounde haþ be to longe in þe eir open, which þat is þe cause of quyttere þat lettiþ consolidacioun, þanne we musten clense þe wounde.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)2b/a : Rogeryne, Roland, & 4 maistres..indifferently procured with þair pultes saniem, i. quitour [Ch.(2): quyttur], to al woundes & apostemes.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)169b/b : Suppuracioun is no þing ellez þan transmutacioun..þat is made of medled hete in mene materie which is sanies, i. quitour.
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)8145 : We ben ful of woundes and biles, That ben ful of quytour & wores.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)153/10 : The whiteflawe..sendeþ out ofte tymes þynne and stynkynge quyttre [*Ch.(1): sanie].
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)525 : Whytowre, of a soore [vr. whitour or filth of sore] Sanies.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)9/28 : If euyll blode or whettour be þare, it sall drawe it owte.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)76 marg. : For to mak a wounde harde & waste þe whetour & ware.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)79/35 : Wasche it wele with hate wyne, & do so ilk day to þe festre be dede, & þat may þu wete þer-by when þer commes no gotour out.
- a1450(c1400) Wor.Serm.(Wor F.10)31/323 : Now a stynkeþ mor vowlir þan doþ any lepur e þe world be þe quiter & scabbe o dedli synne.
- a1450 SLeg.Fran.(2) (Bod 779)203 : Here veet he wolde wassche..& alle here sorus to pyke; out he drouȝ þe queture manyatyme al-so.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)134/28 : Þou schalt sen ful sone rennyn owte mekyl fylthe and qweture.
- a1475 Hrl.Bk.Hawking in Studia Neoph.16 (Hrl 2340)19 : Clense oute the guetere [read: quetere] away with a penne.
- a1475 Rev.St.Bridget(3) (Gar 145)47/8 : Þer come þer-fro as whiter of a soor with corupte blode.
- a1500 *Lanfranc CP (Wel 397)23a/12 : Lege vpon þe bone tobreke a medysyn of mele Roset and þe yolke of an eye till it make whetyr.
- a1500 *Lanfranc CP (Wel 397)24a/25 : And it be holowe be nethe, than shall ther be wheter in the holownes and shall rote the stede.
- a1500 *Lanfranc CP (Wel 397)28a/12 : When þe stede is open and þe whetur out all or som, lay A lewke mundificatiue and kyue þe flesshe and sowde þe wound.
b
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)244/17 : It were not in able place to purge or to clense þe quyttres or humoures [*Ch.(1): ycore; L ycores].
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)78/38 : Euer clence it [fistula] wele of gotours & wasche it with hate wyne.
- ?a1450 Agnus Castus (Stockh 10.90)181/24,26 : Ȝef a man hawe wycked quetures [vr. teteres] or scabbys, tak þis herbe..and it helyth bothe quetures and scabbis.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)204/651 : This oyntment is gode for all maner of sores, scabbes, and whitors, festires, and cankres.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)62/1 : Þis oynement ys good for alle sorys, scabbys, and quitras [?read: quiturs], fester, kancre, and all maner of woundys.
c
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Is.14.19 : Þou forsoþe art cast aferre fro þi sepulcre as a stoc vnprofitable as with quyture defoulid [WB(2): defoulid with rot; L pollutus].
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)64b/b : The ffleisch hat caro in latyn, & haþ þat name of carie, þat is, qwittir or rotidnes [L putredine].
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)214a/a : Pouder þerof..eseþ Icchynge yhen, rotynge and quitter of þe mouþe [L putredinem oris] and of þe gomes.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)157a/b : It is nedefulle þat fleische þat is brissed be rotted oþer matured and turne in to quiture, and þat þer be newe fleische engenderde.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)238/5 : It is nede..to kitte the bone þat the quitter [*Ch.(1): virulence; L virulentia], þe whiche is gadred togidre wiþynne þe brayne, may dewely be clensede.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)72/39 : Þe wounde es wele rotyn & whelis whitoure faire.
d
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)267b/b : Salamandra, þe criket..casteþ out of his mouþ white quytter [L lacteam..saniem].
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1400 in Camd.89525 : [Rubea minor] is a noble drawere of quyteour and felþe and soris, and of þyngys infix in þe flessh.
Note: This quot., likely inaccurate, from Arundel 42 f.82 has been replaced by the equivalent passage from Add 27329, and the spelling 'quiteour' removed from the list of attested spellings. The Henry Daniel project transcription reads: "Rubea minor .. is a noble drawere of quyture & felþe & soris & of þynges infix in þe flessh."
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)345/5146 : Þis bene takyns of face: bolnd & blaught… nase gret & horrible; nasethyrles clongyn togidir, may not smel; and stynkand chowes & gomes, blou & rotond & attour & whyttour & fylth comynge þarefra.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)141a/b : Þe seuenþe is flowinge of liquide quiture, þe whiche þe surgene maye not drye.
Note: New spellings 'whittour' and 'quiture' added to form section.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. gotour.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. quitter.