bef - Middle English Compendium

Middle English Dictionary Entry

bẹ̄f n.

Forms	bẹ̄f n. Also beyf, bief; boef, buef, beof, bo(u)f, buf(f; beff, byffe. Gen. bẹ̄ves, beffis.
Etymology	OF buef, boef.

(a) The flesh of cattle, beef; (b) ~ flicche, a side of beef; ~ of oxe, broth of ~, fresh ~, ribbe of ~, salt ~; (c) fig. the flesh of a woman.

c1300 SLeg.Magd.(2) (LdMisc 108)344 : Huy nomen with heom..porc, motoun, and beof [rime: leof].
c1330 7 Sages(1) (Auch)44/972 : What was his medicine? Bef and broþ.
c1330 Why werre (Auch)235 : He doth the wif sethe a chapoun and piece beof [rime: leof].
a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)1868 : He..fond þe bred & þe bouf.
1381 Pegge Cook.Recipes (Dc 257)99 : Nym Hennys and seth hem wyth god Buf.
(c1395) Chaucer CT.Sum.(Manly-Rickert)D.1753 : Yif vs of youre..Bacoun or beef.
c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)5239 : To mete was greiþed boef and motoun.
?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)45a/a : Take a litel gobet of bief halfe soden.
(1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)28 : Byffe, flesche: Bovilla, bosor.
?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)132/24 : Lete it so sethe, as it were a pece of befe.
(1466) Acc.Howard in RC 57345 : A quarter beffe bout, prise xx d..in beff bout of Broune, xij d.
?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)11a : Beffe: Bossor, carnes bouine.
a1500 Bring us (BodPoet e.1)286 : Bryng us in no befe..But bryng us in good ale.

1381 Pegge Cook.Recipes (Dc 257)96 : Kast therto god fat breyt of Bef.
a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)18a/a : Cornupeta: beef of oxe.
(1426-7) Rec.St.Mary at Hill65 : In bred & ale & ij rybbes beff.
(1426-7) Rec.St.Mary at Hill71 : For a rib of bef, iij d.
c1450 7 Sages(1) (Arun 140:Camp.)155 : He mot..ete..ffresch beef.
c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)121 : [T]ake a peece of salt beof, þe lene & noon of þe fat.
(1460-1) Doc.in HMC Rep.5 App.491 : For vi rybbys of beef, 12 d.
(1462) Will York in Sur.Soc.30261 : iiij bakon fliks, ij beffe fliks.
a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sln 1986)p.27 : Welle hit in fresshe brothe of þe befe.
?a1500 Henslow Recipes (Henslow)47/7 : Take salt bef þat ys of martynes masse.

(c1395) Chaucer CT.Mch.(Manly-Rickert)E.1420 : And bet than old boef is the tendre veel.

(a) A bovine animal or its carcass; ~ (beves) flesh, beef; (b) in personal and place names; (c) lange de ~, ox-tongue, bugloss (Lycopsis arvensis).

c1330 7 Sages(1) (Auch)43/961 : Hit mot boþe drink and ete..Beues flesch and drinke þe broþt.
a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)95/14 : He muste leeue beeues fleisch [Add: beffys flesch] & gotis fleisch.
a1425 Roy.17.C.17 Nominale (Roy 17.C.17)661 : Caro bouina: beyfflesche.
(a1425) Stonor1.40 : Payd for halfe a beeffe, v s. iij d.
?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)47/23 : Þei eten but lytill or non of flessch of veel or of boef.
?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)41b/b : Take a litel gobet or pece of þe flesh of beef [L carnium bouinarum] halue cocte.
c1436 Ipswich Domesday(2) (Add 25011)203 : Of eche carcays of beeff [OF carcoys de beofe], as of oxe, kowe, bullok, and hefker..for the carcays ob.
c1475(?c1451) Worcester Bk.Noblesse (Roy 18.B.22)68 : He wolde hafe grete providence..of larde and beoffes.

?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)116a/a : Decoctioun made with..þe juse of fumyter, of borage, of lank de beef [L buglosse].

(1474) Stonor1.144 : At the dyner on the morow. For pouer men: item, vmbils to potage, sode beeff, rosted wele in a dische to geder, and rosted porkke.

Note: Additional quot. for sense 1.(a).

Note: Modify gloss for sense 1.(a): "The flesh of a cow, bull, or an ox used as food, beef."

?a1425(?a1350) SLeg.Guth.(Jul D.9)192 : Þo com þer aboute him..A lyon wit blody teþ þat goneþe also faste; A befe þe erde op to doun þat with his hornes caste.

Note: New sense.

Note: Gloss: A bull or an ox, a horned bovine.--notes per MLL