Middle English Dictionary Entry
sepulcre n.
Entry Info
| Forms | sepulcre n. Also sepulchre, sepulkre, cepulcre & sepulcur(e, sepulker & (in name) pulcris. |
| Etymology | L sepulcrum, sepulchrum & OF sepulcre, sepulchre & LOE sepulcer; sense 2. results from confusion with ME sepultūr(e n. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A tomb; a place of burial, grave; also fig.; right of ~, the right to a place of burial; (b) the tomb, or rock cave, in which Jesus was buried; also, the church in Jerusalem built to cover the tomb of Jesus; also fig.; ~ dor; the (the holi, seinte) ~; to the ~ ward, in the direction of Jesus' tomb; (c) eccl. a structure (usu. wooden) in a church, used during the period from Maundy Thursday through Easter, in which the preconsecrated Host (and perh. the cross) was deposited, an Easter sepulcher; ~ cerge (light), a large candle for the Easter sepulcher; ~ cloth, ?a cloth for decorating the Easter sepulcher; ~ tre, ?a frame supporting the Easter sepulcher; (d) in parish or church name.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))Jer.20.17 : Cursed the man..that me sloȝ not fro the priue wombe, that mad were to me my moder a sepulcre.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Mat.23.27 : Ȝou scribis and Pharisees..ben lic to sepulcris maad whijt, the whiche with outen forth semen faire to men, sothely with ynne thei ben ful of boonys of dead men.
- (?1387) Wimbledon Serm.(Corp-C 357)94/528 : Þe erþe..cannouȝt close wiþ vs oure possessionis in þe sepulcre [vr. graaue].
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.WB.(Manly-Rickert)D.498 : Al is his toumbe noght so curyous As was the sepulcre [vr. sepulture] of hym Daryus, Which that Appelles wroghte subtilly.
- c1400 Bk.Mother (Bod 416)80/25 : An opene sepulcre is her þrote; wiþ her tonges þei haue don trecherie.
- c1400 Bk.Mother (Bod 416)128/24 : For þei ben fouler sepulcres, faire ymad wiþoute semynge to folis, fouler stinkinge wiþinne.
- (1418) EEWills35/5 : I bequethe..The Residue of alle my Godes & my Catallys mebles..after my dettis payde and my questes fufilled & my sepulcure made.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Gen.23.4 : Ȝyue ȝe to me riȝt of sepulcre [WB(1): a biryyng place] with ȝou, that Y birie my deed body.
- a1425 Wycl.Serm.(Bod 788)2.213 : Many men ben disseyved in founding of chauntries, in coostli sepulcris, and in solempne sepulturis.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(3) (Htrn 95)57a/b : Þe ribbes..Of þe whiche eche man may seene þe schappe in þe sepulkers of dede men.
- a1450 Mandev.(3) (BodeMus 116)9/32 : In that cete is the cepulcre of Aristotyl, And aboue the graue of hym is mad an auter.
- (1467-8) RParl.5.632b : Many Robbours..sparen not..to touche the moost blessed Sacrament of the Auter..and also..to robbe dyvers Sepulcres in dyvers Chirches, and the Crosses and other Juelx of grete value, founde in the same, to bere away.
- a1500(c1340) Rolle Psalter (UC 64)48.10 : Thaire sepulcres ere thare howsis, that is, thai wene that thaire faire and dere graues may last til menynge of thaim euermare.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)228/30 : After tyme of his [Mausoleus's] deþ sche made hym a glorious and a riche sepulcre and callyd it Mausoleum.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)9 : After he putte vp aȝen priuely the armour in the sepulcre.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)4338 : He..closit hym faire With solempne sepulcre, sothely wroght.
b
- a1200 Trin.Hom.(Trin-C B.14.52)95 : On ester euen gon abuten þe fantston, þe bitocneð þe holie sepulcre.
- a1200 Trin.Hom.Creed (Trin-C B.14.52)21 : Was his holie lichame leid in burieles in þe holie sepulcre þat men sechen giet in ierusalem.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)88/22 : For ȝe beoð wið iesu crist bitund as i sepulcre.
- a1300 I-hereþ nv one (Jes-O 29)513 : He hwelfde at þare sepulchre-dure enne grete ston.
- c1300 SLeg.Cross (LdMisc 108)400-401 : Þo he cam to Ierusalem of þe sepulchre he hadde doute Þat ore louerd was on i-leid and a-non þat he þe sepulchre i-seiȝ.
- a1325(c1280) SLeg.Pass.(Pep 2344)1685 : To a sepulcre þat bodi hi bere.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)8502 : Þo wende hii to þe sepulcre þat god was on ido, & to oþer gode holi studes.
- a1350 SLeg.Cross (Ashm 43)257 : Hi him broȝte to deþe; Seþþe hi dude him in sepulcre.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)376 : Þe croys þat ihesus deyd an & þe sepulcre al so, With dede of armes ich hem wan & relyqes many mo.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Mark 15.46 : Joseph..doynge him doun, wlappede in the lynen cloth and puttide in a newe sepulcre that was hewen in a stoon [and] walewid to a stoon at the mouth of the sepul-cre.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.109 : Oure Lordes sepulcre, þat was somtym wiþ oute þe citee, is now wiþ ynne.
- a1400 Cursor (Vsp A.3)136* : In [read: It] was in maner of a hows þat crist laide in was, Grauen depe in a roche..þer was our lord sepulcre.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)6.14 : Þis folk fraynide hym faire whenis þat he come. 'Fro synay..& fro þe sepulcre [vr. seynt sepulcre].'
- a1425(?a1350) Nicod.(1) (Glb E.9)1063 : His sepulcre sone schewed he me; þe body was oway.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)49/18 : Whan men comen to Ierusalem here first pilgrymage is to the chirche of the holy Sepulcre [F lesglise seint Sepulchre].
- c1440 Bonav.Medit.(3) (Thrn)217 : Petir..myghte no langare abyde, bot ȝede forthe allone to þe sepulcre-warde.
- a1450 Mandev.(3) (BodeMus 116)53/5 : It is not long tyme sithyn that pilgrymys myghte com to the sepulcre and opynly sen it and touchyn it and kyssyn it, But..the Soudon hath don it enclosyd with an wal al aboutyn that no man may neghen it.
- c1450(c1415) Roy.Serm.(Roy 18.B.23)135/34 : God..holpe þem full well þat southen is sepulcur here in erthe.
- c1450 Mandev.(4) (CovCRO Acc.325/1)941 : In þat mynster is..The sepulcre of oure lorde Ihesu Crist Closed in with riche toures And twelff pilers of grete valoures.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)106/3 : Also soþely as in þe holy sepulcre his blyssyd body restyd..also soþely, Lord, hele þis seke man.
- (1472) Acc.St.Edm.Sarum4 : In the patent of the one [chalice] the figure of our Lord standyng in the sepulcre.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)4795 : My body I quethe also To the sepulkre, for dayes thre, Wych Ioseph hath mad for me.
- a1500 Nicod.(4) (Hrl 149)87 : We ought not yeue credence to the knyghtes whych kepte the sepulcre of Jhesu of that they tolde vs that they had seene the aungel lyfte vp the stoon of the sepulcre.
c
- 1389 Nrf.Gild Ret.48 : At þe fest of Estern, on kandel of xvj pound of waxe, for to brenne a-bout þe sepulcre in þe fornseide Chirche of seynt Nicholas.
- (1426-7) Rec.St.Mary at Hill63 : Paymentis made..at þe feste of Ester..ffirst payd for the sepulcre for diuers naylis & wyres & glu, ix d. ob. Also payd to Thomas Ioynour for makynge of þe same sepulcre, iiij s.
- (1429-30) Rec.St.Mary at Hill72 : For mendynge of þe sepulcre, xvj d.
- (a1438) MKempe A (Add 61823)140/1 : On a Good Fryday..preystys knelyng on her kneys & oþer worschepful men wyth torchys brennyng in her handys be-for þe Sepulcre, deuowtly representyng þe lamentabyl deth and doolful berying of owr Lord Ihesu Crist aftyr þe good custom of Holy Cherch.
- (1444-5) *Mun.B.Bridgewater11 : Item, ffor Kepinge of þe sepulcre lyȝt at Ester, viij d.
- (1446-7) Acc.Yatton in Som.RS 484 : Item, yreseived..of the parasche to the sepulcur, clare, xviij s. v d.
- (1447) Doc.in HMC Rep.3 App.316a : Item, i Sepulcre clothe.
- (1448) Acc.Yatton in Som.RS 490 : For makyng of the sepulkyr tre, xx d.
- (1466) Acc.Yatton in Som.RS 4104 : For ale to menne wakyng at the sepulcure, iiij d.
- (1466) in Cox Churches Derb.4.87 : Inprimis one sepulcur serge upholden by John Hardyng, and after upholden and kepte by Richard Stayngar.
- 1618(1440) Invent.Cumberworth in Peacock EChurch Furniture184 : Item, 2 clothes of gold of read and grene with all the honourments for the sepulchre and for or obetes.
d
- (1395) EEWills9 : This was yeve and writen..in the parosch of seynt sepulcre in the suburbe of london.
- (1415) Doc.in Bk.Lond.E.232/4 : The lane called Turneageyne lane in the parishe of Seint Pulcrys withoute Newgate in the Subbarbis of london.
2.
Burial; the act of burial; also fig.; also, the entombment of Christ.
Associated quotations
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.91 : Sepulcre [Higd.(2): sepulture; L sepultura] was denyed hym.
- c1415 Chaucer CT.Pars.(Lnsd 851)I.822 : Dronknes..is þe horrible sepulcre [vr. sepulker; Elsm: sepulture] of mannys reson.
- c1450 *Bonav.Medit.(4) (MSU 1)74 : Then þe sepulcur of crist wase endede.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)232/35 : The Office of Dede folowe[þ] the triduan sepulcre of Crist and foloweþ the trays of hym.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- 1790(1471-1472) Ordin.Househ.Edw.IV(2) (Topham)52 : The auditte…of all this stuffe longith to the chamberlayne…except for…the lynnen cloath for the sepulcre and fount.
Note: Needed for date