Middle English Dictionary Entry
slō n.
Entry Info
| Forms | slō n. Also sla & (in place names) slogh-, slouh-, sloȝgh-, slau(e)-, slagh-, slag-, slah-, slach-, slac-, sclach-, slaug-, slauc-, slauch-, slotȝ-; pl. slo(e)s, slo(e)n, sla(e)s, slane, (early) sclaes & (?errors) slagh, slou(e. |
| Etymology | OE slā, slāh, slāg, (in combs.) slāgh-, slāch-; pl. slān. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A sloe, the fruit of the blackthorn tree (Prunus spinosa); blak ~; ploume (wode) ~; blak as (ani) ~; (b) ~ thorn [OE slāh-þorn], ~ tre, the blackthorn tree; (c) something of little value, an insignificant amount; ne..worth o ~, not at all; no (nought) worth a ~, ne..worth a ~, completely worthless; ne) yeven nought a ~ of, to care nothing for (sb. or sth.); etc.; (d) in place names [see Smith PNElem.2.128; some quots. may belong to slough n.(1)].
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1300 StJ.List Trees (StJ-C E.17)p.155 : Pruneles: Sclaes.
- a1325 Gloss.Bibbesw.(Cmb Gg.1.1)674 : Le fouder, qe le foudeines [glossed:] slos [vrr. slon, slas, the slo] aporte.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)679 : Pome, pere, et furdye: Appul, pere, and slo.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mil.(Manly-Rickert)A.3246 : Hir browes two..were bent and blake as any slo.
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)4974 : Oþer mete þai ne habben Bot hawen, hepen, slon, and crabben.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)928 : Ful crokid was that foule stikke..And blak as bery or ony slo.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)193b/a : Acacia is þus maad: Sloon beþ gederid..and þe iuys is taken & dryed aȝenus þe sunne.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)11/4 : Tak..þe blak slaes of þe wode & wormode do þer-with.
- a1450 As ofte (Tan 346)86 : Vpon bushes growen slou [?read: slon] or hawes.
- a1450 Diseases Women(2) (Sln 2463)84 : Drynke it with jus of roses..[drams] iii ydronke with þe jus of sloue [?read: slone].
- c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)304/995 : Take stronge vynegre..and do it in a vessell of brasse and the blak slo of the wodd & wormod þerwith.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)90 : Take..þe jus of sloon and plom sloen & medle hem wel to gedir.
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)44/18 : Take..acasiam, þat is, jus of wod-slon.
- a1475 Holy berith beris (Hrl 5396)p.94 : Iuy hath berys as blake as any slo.
- c1475 Guy(1) (Cai 107/176)506 : Guy they fonde as blak as sloo.
- c1475 My dere sone wher (RwlPoet 143)632 : Slagh, heppes, and sloon, and haghes ynogh.
- 1483 Cath.Angl.(Monson 168)342 : A Sla: spinum, mespilum.
- a1500(?a1400) Torrent (Chet 8009)458 : Forthe sche browght a whyt sted, As whyt as the flowyr in med, Ys fytte blac ase slo.
- a1500 Mayer Nominale (Mayer)715/33 : Cornum: a slo.
b
- a1325 Gloss.Bibbesw.(Cmb Gg.1.1)674 : Le fouder [glossed:] slothorne [vr. sla tre].
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)655 : Fourder, leme, et alier: Slotre, birche, and ellertre.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Dan.13.54 : Saye thou, vndir what tree thou sawȝ hem speekynge to hemself? Whiche saith, Vndir a sloo tree [WB(2): haw tree; L schino].
- c1400 Femina (Trin-C B.14.40)52 : Slo þorin..sloez beruþ.
- c1475 Sln.4 Recipes in NQ ser.3.6 (Sln 4)4 : Ye kanker yt bredyth yn the Slothorne.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)115a : A Sla tre: Spinus, Spinum fructus eius, mespila, mespilum fructus eius.
c
- a1275 On hire is al (Trin-C B.14.39)18 : Þis worldis blis nis wrd a slo.
- a1300 11 Pains(1) (Jes-O 29)274 : Vor þeyh hi greden euer-mo, Ne helph heom wurþ o slo.
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)849 : Of me, ne is me nouth a slo; Betere is þat þu þider go.
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)2051 : Of hem ne yeue ich nouht a slo.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)7498 : Þou nart no god worþ a slo.
- c1330(?c1300) Guy(1) (Auch)141 : Þe[r] nas man..þat bireft him worþ of a slo.
- c1330(?c1300) Guy(1) (Auch)1414 : His armour no was him worþ a slo.
- c1330 St.Kath.(2) (Auch)620 : Her heuedes he dede of smite; Þer-of gaf he nouȝt a slo.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)4338 : Non assaut helpeþ noȝt..Hit were noȝt worþ a slo.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)2786 : Non man to harmen the worth of a slo.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)6672 : Almesse with-owten worschepe do aȝens god ne vaylleth not a slo.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)7152 : Al availled hit hem not a slo.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)1120 : Þou schalt..by desir of good nat sette a slo.
- a1450 SLeg.Suppl.Bod.(Bod 779)415/26 : We dredeþ þe þe worþ of a slo.
- c1450(a1375) Octav.(2) (Clg A.2)975 : Swych twenty ner worȝt a slo Wyth me to fyȝt.
- a1500 Orfeo (Hrl 3810)30/328 : Of my lyfe ȝeve y not a slo.
d
- (1091-1125) EPNSoc.7 (Sus.)277 : Slacham.
- (1176) EPNSoc.16 (Wil.)111 : Slachtoneford.
- (1186) EPNSoc.16 (Wil.)111 : Sclachtesford.
- (1248) EPNSoc.7 (Sus.)277 : Slagham.
- (1268) EPNSoc.16 (Wil.)111 : Slauchterford.
- (1272) EPNSoc.7 (Sus.)277 : Slaucham.
- (1279) EPNSoc.6 (Sus.)160 : Via de la Slouhtre.
- (1279) EPNSoc.7 (Sus.)277 : Slaweham.
- (1289) EPNSoc.16 (Wil.)111 : Slauterneford.
- (1291) EPNSoc.16 (Wil.)111 : Slahtereford.
- (1293) EPNSoc.6 (Sus.)150 : La Sloghtre.
- (1305) EPNSoc.7 (Sus.)277 : Slaghham.
- (1306) EPNSoc.6 (Sus.)177 : Slosteford.
- (1324) EPNSoc.7 (Sus.)277 : Slaugham.
- (1332) EPNSoc.6 (Sus.)177 : Sloȝghterforde.
- (1332) EPNSoc.11 (Sur.)288 : Slotȝterwyk.
- (1393) EPNSoc.16 (Wil.)111 : Slaghtonford.
- (1446) EPNSoc.11 (Sur.)288 : Sloghterwyk.
- c1460 Oseney Reg.122/8,9 : ij at slo tre forde..and j atte sloo tre forde.