Middle English Dictionary Entry
splatten v.
Entry Info
| Forms | splatten v. Also splat(te; p. splat(e; ppl. splat, isplate, isplet. |
| Etymology | Origin uncertain: perh. from AL splattāre; related to MDu., MLG splitten, spletten & OFris. splīta, MDu., MLG splīten. The p.ppl. form isplet prob. directly from MDu. or MLG. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. spalden v.
1.
(a) To split (a fish); cut up (an animal); also, slice (food); ppl. splat as adj.: split open; (b) ?to split (sb.) open, kill; ?error for speken v.
Associated quotations
a
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)14008 : He layde him as brod & flat As is a pike when he is splat.
- a1450 Terms Assoc.(1) (Rwl D.328)604 : A peke y splett [vr. isplate].
- c1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(2) (Hrl 4016)101 : Take the pike and roste him splat on a gredire ynogh.
- c1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(2) (Hrl 4016)104 : Take a gurnard rawe, and slytte him endelonge the bak..and splatte him.
- ?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674)34 : Let It be stif; then gadur It vp in a clothe and splat It somdele abrod, and couer It..till It be cold and lay ij or iij leskis in a dische.
- ?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674)71 : To dight a tenche In Brasse, splat hym by the bak throughe the hed, let the belly be hole.
- a1500 Eglam.(Cmb Ff.2.38)490 : To splatt [vrr. bryttyn, byrten] the bore they wente fulle tyte; Ther was no knyfe that wolde hym byte, So harde of hyde was hee.
b
- c1475 Gregory's Chron.(Eg 1995)p.86 : That same yere men, bestys, treys, and howsys were smyght fervently with lytthenyge, and sodenly i-peryschyde; And they fonde in mennys lyckenys splatt [Lond.Chron.Vit.(1): the fend..splate; Gt.Chron.41: the devyl..spake to] men goyng in the waye.