Middle English Dictionary Entry
sailen v.(2)
Entry Info
| Forms | sailen v.(2) Also sail(l)e, sailli, seilen & salien. |
| Etymology | OF salir, sail(l)ir & L salīre. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) To dance, skip, leap about, perform acrobatic feats; also, hasten; (b) arch.: ppl. sailing, projecting; sailing pece, a projecting beam or structure.
Associated quotations
a
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)5633 : Þe deuel com biuore him & hoppede & lou & saylede & pleyde & made ioye ynou.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)13.233 : I can..noyther sailly [vrr. saille, sayle, saylen] ne saute ne synge with þe gyterne.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)441 : Salyyn: Salio.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)744 : Frekes on þe forestayne faken þeire coblez..Tytt saillez to þe toppe and turnez þe lufe.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.B.903 : He commaundeth the Sonday eche man to halowe And not to swyngge and saille aboute a [vr. lyk a] swalowe.
b
- (1410) in Salzman Building in Engl.484 : Le dit secunde Flore deuaunt serra fait ouesque une Seylingpece parmye icell.
- (1446) *Chicago Photo.R.72 : They fynde there a baywyndowe and othir wyndowes and an evese of the seid Priour and Covent on the southside of her forseid tenement trussed out aboue seilyng ouer the lenght of xl fote and an ynche of assise.
- (1493-4) Rec.St.Mary at Hill197 : Item, payd to parys for a saylyng pece for sentt stevyn ys Autyr.