Middle English Dictionary Entry
actī̆f, -ī̆ve adj.
Entry Info
| Forms | actī̆f, -ī̆ve adj. |
| Etymology | OF & L |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
Of human actions: done (as opposed to suffered), voluntary; ~ cursing, self-excommunication.
Associated quotations
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)297 : Whanne Reynold preisiþ Robert, þanne þer is in Reynold an actijf preising wiþ which he preisiþ Robert, and þer is in Robert a passyue preising wiþ which he is preisid of Reynold.
- c1425(?c1400) Wycl.Apol.(Dub 245)14 : Þer is mani maner of cursyng. Þe first and þe warst..is dedely synne, bi þe wilk a man synning puttiþ him self out of cominyng of feiþful men..God may not autorise þat actyfe cursyng.
2.
Phys. & phil. (a) Of an element or a quality of matter: capable of acting upon something, active (as opposed to passive), acting, operative; (b) of a formative principle: active, effective.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)28b/b : Tweyne of þese qualites ben Iclepid actiue, able to worche, hete & cooldnes; þe oþir tweyne, drynesse and wetnesse, ben Iclepid passiue, to soffre.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)305a/a : Bitwene whitenesse & blaknesse beþ many mene grees folwynge þe maistry of qualitees þat beþ actiue and passyue, worchinge and suffryng.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)172a/b : In actiue qualiteez forsoþ þer owe not be excesse, bot if þe discrasie of þam require it.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)176a/b : Þe tyme of cure of passiue qualiteez is mych more folde þan of actiuez [*Ch.(2): actyf qualitees].
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)188b/b : Sanke dragoun is þe Juse of an herbe temperate in þe actif qualitees and drye in þe secounde degree.
- a1500(1413) *Pilgr.Soul (Eg 615)2.23.45a : Thu were to me actiff as fire in the wode.
- a1550 *Norton OAlch.(BodeMus 63)1479 : Heat and colde be qualites actiue; moysture and drynes be qualitees passive.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)130b/a : Heuenly fourme is so actif þat it fulfilliþ al þe appetite of his matiere.
3.
Eccl. Given over to worldly activity; ~ lif, the life of action (as opposed to the life of meditation or contemplation); secular life (as opposed to monastic); ~ degre, the condition or rank of one who does not lead the contemplative life.
Associated quotations
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)199 : Holy Writ ous tekþ tuo maneres of liues..Þe uerste is yhote workuol (actiue)..Þe oþer is yhote resteuol (contemplatiue).
- c1390 PPl.A(1) (Vrn)7.236 : Actyf lyf or Contemplatyf, Crist wolde hit alse.
- c1390 Hilton ML (Vrn)264 : To whom actif lyf acordeþ, & to whom contemplatyf.
- a1400(c1340) Rolle Psalter (Hat 12)prol.6/23 : Þare in es descrived..þe lyf of actyf menne, þe meditacioun of contemplatyf.
- c1400(a1376) *PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)[11.180] f.27b : It is a wel lelly lif..Actif it is hoten; lewide men it vsen.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)13.225 : My name is actiua vita; Alle ydel ich hatye, for of actyf is my name.
- (1402) Topias (Dgb 41)p.63 : Two perfit lyves that actif and contemplatif comounli ben callid.
- a1425(?a1400) Cloud (Hrl 674)2/2 : Soche one..haþ..purposed him to be a parfite folower of Criste, not only in actyue leuyng, bot in þe souereinnest pointe of contemplatife leuing.
- a1425(?a1400) PCounsel.(Hrl 674)149/25 : Holde ȝow payed wiþ ȝoure parte, for it suffiseþ to þe sauyng of ȝoure soules in actyue degree.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)1.pr.1.33 : A Grekissch P (that signifieth the lif actif) and..a Grekyssh T (that signifieth the lif contemplatif).
- ?c1430(c1400) Wycl.FCLife (Corp-C 296)190 : Þes ypocritis wenen þat here dremys & fantasies of hemself ben contemplacion, & þat prechynge of þe gospel be actif lif.
- c1450 Scrope Othea (Lngl 253)85 : The lyffe contemplatyue is of ryght preferred afore the actiue liue..for the actiue life travellith hymselfe in the laboure of this present lyfe, but the contemplatyve lyfe farith as he that tristith the sauour of the reste that is for to come.
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)479 : Whi is it þat religiose men, as monkes and chanouns, mowe be taken fro her cloistris forto be parsouns and vicaries and bisschopis forto occupie actijf lijf?
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)1a : Actif life: Vita actiua.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)230/37 : By þes too sustyrs holy chyrch vndyrstondyth too maner of lyuyng of man, þat on ys actyf, þat oþer ys contemplatyf.
4.
Associated quotations
- a1450(a1397) WBible(2) GProl.(Hrl 1666)p.7 : A participle of a present tens, either preterit, of actif vois eithir passif, mai be resoluid into a verbe of the same tens and a coniunccioun copulatif.
- c1450 Battlefield Gram.(Trin-C O.5.4)111 : How many gendres haste of verbes? Fyue: actyf, passyf, neutre, comyn, and deponent. How knowyste a verbe actyf? That at endyth in o, and by tokenyth doyng, and may make of hym a passyf, and be construyd wyth an accusatyf case of a resonable thyng.
- c1450 Battlefield Gram.(Trin-C O.5.4)115 : How many significaciones haste in the participle? Fyue: actyf, passyf, neutre, comyn, and deponent.
- a1500 Donatus (1) (StJ-C F.26)1026 : If he be a participyl of þe actyf voys, he hath þe Englysch of þe infenityf mood of þe actyf voys.
- a1500 Donatus(2) (Dc 103)1030 : How mony maner of verbis byn there? V. Wych v? Verbe actyfy, verbe passyfy, verbe neutur, verbe deponent, & verbe commyn'. How knowyst a verbe actyfy?
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1475 Peniarth Informacio(1) (Pen 356B)99/308-9 : How schall þu fymde out a uerbe impersonell of the actyue voyce? After the iij person singuler nowmbur of the uerbe of the actyue voyce, as 'iuuat', 'dilectat', 'oportet'.
Note: Need date, sense 4.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.11rb (1.4) : 'Caliditas' and 'frigiditas' arne callede..þe qualites actif, i. qualites of wirching & doyng.
Note: Need date, sense 2.