Middle English Dictionary Entry
sparplen v.
Entry Info
| Forms | sparplen v. Also sparple, sparpel, sparpille, sparpule, sparble, sperple, sperpel & sparcle, sperkille, spartelin. Forms: sg.3 sparp(e)leth, sperpeleth, spratlith; ppl. sparpillinge, etc. & (error) sparlynge; p.sg. spratlit, sparbled; pl. sparpled, etc. & sparplied, sparpelled, spairpoillede, sperkeled & (error) sparled; ppl. sparpled(e, etc. & sparpeld(e, sparpoil(e)d, sparpoled, isparpuled, sparpulde, sparpuiled, sparboilled, sperpilled, sperpoled, sperpuled & sparcled, sparkilde, i)sperkelid, sperkeld, ispratelid. |
| Etymology | OF esparpaillier, -eillier, -illier, (late 15th cent.) -oillier, AF esparpeil(l)er, -el(l)er, il(l)er, esparplier; change of -p- to-c-, -k-, or -t- prob. due to assimilation. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Of people, sheep: to go in different directions, scatter, disperse; ~ wide (abrode); ~ from, go away or retreat from (God's face); ppl. sparplinge as adj.: straying; (b) to disperse (people, a group of people, ships); scatter (sth.) over an area; diffuse (sunbeams); ~ atwinne (wide); ben sparpled abrode, be widely dispersed; also, of a topic: be discussed here and there [quot. c1475(c1445)]; (c) to distribute (goods), dispense.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425 SLeg.And.(CmbAdd 3039)55/9 : Aftre þat Godd to heuen stegh, þe apostels sparpelled wyde [Hrl: wende wide aboute], Ilkone into sere contre to preche.
- (c1426) Audelay Poems (Dc 302)162/42 : His myȝt has made..Proud men to sparpil from His face.
- c1440 PLAlex.(Thrn)38/1 : Wate þou noȝte wele þat a wolfe chasez a grete floke of schepe & gerse þam sparple.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)8488 : Fleyng, þey sparplyed [vr. sparpled] & spredde.
- a1450 Parton.(1) (UC C.188)2869 : The hethen drust not a-byde, For Partanope made hym sparble wyde.
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)7826 : Þa lurdans..come þe castell for to wynn..Þaire entent was noȝt fulfilled; On þe ferth day þai sparpylled.
- a1500(1422) Yonge SSecr.(Rwl B.490)137/5 : Kynge Richarde out of Irlande into Walis arryuet; ther anoone spratlit al his ryche retenue.
- a1500(a1450) Gener.(2) (Trin-C O.5.2)6049 : Whanne ther felawes were take And slayn, A bak thei drewe and sperkelyd her and yer.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)274 : There in shorte tyme was grete occision, and longe it endured..than sparbled the saisnes and turned bakke towarde her chyuachie.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)396 : Thei made the renges to sparble a-brode.
- 1532-1897(c1385) Usk TL (Thynne:Skeat)11/75 : Every shepherde ought by reson to seke his sperkelande sheep, that arn ronne in-to wildernesse among busshes and perils.
b
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)2 Kings 18.8 : Þere was þe bataile sparpoilid [vr. sparpoild; WB(2): scaterid; vr. sparpuylid] vp on þe face of al þe land.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)163a/b : In mountaynes..þe ayre is þynne and cleer; ther fore þe bemes ben sperpillid and noȝt faste y-holde togedre, & so þe lasse hete is gendrede.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)134b/b : A strong blast of wynde..sparpliþ poudir & askes.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)152b/a : A welle..casteþ awaie from himself poudre and grauel..walmeþ by violence of his mevyng, passith þurgh the parties, and departeþ and deleþ partie fro partie, and shedeþ and sperpeliþ ham atwynne.
- a1400 WBible(1) (NYPubLib 67)Deeds 5.36 : Sparplyd [Dc: Alle whiche euere bileueden to him ben disparplid and brouȝt to nouȝt].
- a1425(?c1375) NHom.(3) Leg.(Hrl 4196)126/222 : Þe hathen men..Vnto saint Jones graue þai went, And þe banes..Sparpilled þai wide in þe land.
- c1425 Bible SNT(1) (Cmb Dd.12.39)Deeds 5.37 : Iudas of Galilee..perisched and als many as vnto hym assented wore sparpulde o-brode.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)467 : Sparplyn [KC: spartelyn]: Spergo, dispergo.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4162 : Þan ferd þai forth fra fild to fild & freschly assemblis All at was sperpolid on þe spene & spilt with þe blastis.
- c1475(c1445) Pecock Donet (Bod 916)116/20 : Þilk drede to god..is not oon specialist moral vertu, but he conteyneþ manye special moral vertues being sparclid abrood in alle þe iiij tablis.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)118a : To Sparpyll [Monson: Sparpylle]: spergere.
- 1483 Cath.Angl.(Monson 168)352 : Sparpyllde: sparsus.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)192/29 : The apostle..bad hym..geder aȝeyn his bones that so fowle were i-sparpuled.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)198/1 : They brake his graue and dide sparpule his bones in the felde.
- c1500 Melusine (Roy 18.B.2)165/16 : viii vessels..were sparpylled by the tempeste.
- 1543(1464) Hardyng Chron.B (Grafton)p.310 : Then went the kyng and Spencers..to Burton vpon Trent, Where the lordes laye and sparled [read: sparpled] theim then so.
c
- (1435) Misyn FL (Corp-O 236)24/23 : Bot þat our lordis seruand is, In our lorde tristis, & gudes þe whilk he has ouer his nede, to þame þat it nedis he sparpyll.
- 1448 *Glo.Chron.C (Arms 58:Kooper)f.251r : Kyng Richard .. whas right honde as though hit were another Tytus sparbled ricches [L (Itinerarium Regis Ricardi (Stubbs) 2:5): dextra sparsit opes] and tresoure.
2.
(a) To sprinkle (sth. above or into sth. else); sprinkle (a wound with salt); ~ abrode; (b) to splatter (blood or someone's brain on sth.); splatter (clothes with blood); to scatter (fragments); ppl. sparpled, splattered; (c) red sparpled, red flecked.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)185a/a : Take..of suger Candy tuthye preparate halfe ane ounce, pouder hem and paste hem wiþ water of rosen, and sperpel hem o brede in a basine.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)634/18 : Powdre ham and paste ham wiþ water of roses and sperple [L spergantur] ham in a basyn.
- c1475 *Mondeville (Wel 564)158a/b : At euery drauȝte the poudre schal be sparplid in maner of a crosse aboue þe drinke.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)118a : To Sparpyll: obsipare.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)29/25 : Alle the pepel..mette hym in penaunce as with askes and fylthe sperkeld ouer here hedes.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)129/26 : His woundes schuld ben i-sperkilid with salt and rubbid with an hard hayre.
b
- (c1426) Audelay Poems (Dc 302)172/27 : Þi blod was sparpild on euere stone.
- 1448 *Glo.Chron.C (Arms 58:Kooper)f.200r : It was aboute Seynt Lukes Day tempestes of thonders and lightynges, ffor in the Idus of Octobre atte Wynchecombe suche a stroke cam doune that hit .. holwed the stonene wall to a mannes gretnesse and there hit passed in and all tobrast a grete bem and sparkeled the gobettes all aboute the churche.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)15/25 : They keste oute his brayn of his hede for despit, the which with the bonne and blode they dide sperkylle..vpon the stones and pament.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)100 : So is þe blode sperkelid aboute the cradil.
- a1500 Bevis (Cmb Ff.2.38)16/350 : He had sparkylde [Auch: Þe childes cloþes, þat were gode, Al a bi-sprengde wiþ þat blode].
c
- a1500(1422) Yonge SSecr.(Rwl B.490)233/25 : Eyen that bene whit y-freklet, or I-sprotid, or blake, or reede y-spratelid throgh the eyen, bene moste to blame amonge al otheris.
3.
(a) In passive construction: ben sparpled, of a symptom, disease, etc.: to spread or be spread (throughout the body or in a part of the body), be diffused; of a vein: spread out in branches; (b) ppl. sparplinge, dispersing, shooting out in various directions.
Associated quotations
a
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)158/19 : Þe veyne arisynge comeþ to þe mydrif; & sum partie of hir is sparpoiled þoruȝ þe mydrif & þe lymes of þe brest.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)101b/a : Þis is þe token þerof [Erisipila]; it is sparpelde in þe superficie of þe member be cause of his liȝtnesse, & it is of colour of fire be cause of similitude.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)48a/b : Hernia aquose is aposteme aquose in þe burs of þe testiclez & ventose also, And it is double; Som bene sparpled [Ch.(2): spredde; L sparsa] in al þe burse, Som be noȝt sparpled bot closed in a bagge as if it war an egge.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)110b/a : Cause coniuncte is melancolie sperpled bi al þe body..melancolie..is sperpled [Ch.(2): sperplede] bi alle þe body or to a partie, If to alle þe body & is putrified & it makeþ febre..If [Ch.(2): if it be sparplede] to a partie þer is gendred cancer &..wartes.
- c1475(1392) *MS Wel.564 (Wel 564)70b/a : So þoruȝ þe contynuacioun of þilke senewe wiþ þe brayn, and þe brayn is also a partener of þilke akynge, and þanne he wexiþ feble and resseyueþ þe humouris, þe whiche ben as weel sparplid aboute it as aboute þe senewe.
- c1475(1392) *MS Wel.564 (Wel 564)85b/b : First þe akynge is in þe same place, and aftir yt ys sparplid & goiþ in to al þe body.
b
- c1475 *Mondeville (Wel 564)147b/a : If þat it [blood] passe out at manye placis & sparlynge [read: sparplynge], þe wounde schal be sewid if it be possible.
4.
(a) To destroy (sth.), obliterate; waste (sth.), dissipate; also fig.; (b) ~ abrode, med. to break up or reduce (an aposteme, a swelling, etc.); ?destroy (worms), dispel; (c) ben sparpled, of a voice: ?to be broken, be cracked; ppl. sparpled, dissipated, weakened.
Associated quotations
a
- (1435) Misyn FL (Corp-O 236)14/6 : Þo þinges þat trew cristen men haly haldys, þai Ioy with þer vanites to sparpyll.
- (1435) Misyn FL (Corp-O 236)66/39 : Bot how mikyll is to be praysyd his kyndist help..þat..sturbyld he settis in pesse, & all noyse sparpilland he wastis.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)18714 : As kyng Oryans hadde logged his meyne jnto the lond, they sparpoyllede ful gret plente and fyrede the contre al abowte.
- c1475 Chartier Quad.(1) (UC 85)191/4 : All the richesses of this reame, that were in the cofirs of the nobles and clergye, ben spairboilled and lessed by the longe continuaunce of the werre.
- a1500(a1450) Ashmole SSecr.(Ashm 396)41/13 : Of wyndes..dyuers..perilles happeth..in see..With wyfes [read: waves] it discouereth and spratlith the richesse of men.
- a1500 Chartier Quad.(2) (Rwl A.338)170/12 : The policie of vs Frenschmen may be likenyd to the feble householders, which sparpelith and wastith his possessid substaunce afore a newe prouision had.
- a1500 Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)80/5 : What thing is worse thanne money, which comonly is..kepte through mistrust of the holders? Yette the nature thereof is to shrincke away as dothe the watir, and to be sperpuled lightly like quycke siluer.
b
- ?a1450 Macer (Stockh Med.10.91)102 : Vyldemalwe..sodin in mulsa..wole sprede or sparcle a-brode and destroie wormus [vrr. wennes; venes; venymes; L scrophas].
- ?a1450 Macer (Stockh Med.10.91)103 : Vyldemalwe..wole breke or sparcle a-brode harde apositmes.
c
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)126b/b : Nyȝt is tyme..of reste þat þe vertues þat beþ distract, sparpoled, And I-made feeble bi day wakynge may be oned and resttid.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)334a/a : Þe rowȝ voice is hose and sparpled [L dispergitur] by smale & dyuerse breþynge.