Middle English Dictionary Entry
shou interj.
Entry Info
| Forms | shou interj. Also showe, scou, ssou, sheu, (?error) scon. |
| Etymology | Cp. MHG schū, F shou, choue, cho. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
An exclamation, shoö, used to scare or drive away hens.
Associated quotations
- c1450 Trin-C.LEDict.(Trin-C O.5.4)610/22-4 : Scon, interjectio: showe; ut dicitur gallina lirida, scon: pykeled hen, show.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)113b : Schowe, Scou [Monson: ssou]: jnterieccio est.
- a1500 The krycket (Pen 356B)20,24 : All þe hennes off the town drew hym tyll; The mylner sayd, 'schew, henne, schew!'..Molendinarius inquit, 'scon, galina, scon!'