Middle English Dictionary Entry
splent(e n.
Entry Info
| Forms | splent(e n. Also splint, (in cpd.) spleint-. |
| Etymology | MDu. splint(e, MLG splinte, splente & AL splenta, splinta & AF e)splente. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) One of the metal plates making up or reinforcing armor; also, ?one of a pair of armor pieces for protecting the lower part of the arm [quot. 1374]; ~ of stele; (b) a slender piece of wood; a rod, twig, withe; -- also coll.; also, a lathe or stake used in wattle-and-daub construction; ~ ware; splentes wal, a wattle-and-daub wall; (c) a snake; (d) a surgical splint; (e) a chip, fragment, splinter; bresten in splentes, splinderen on splentes, to break into pieces; (f) ~ nail [cp. MLG splintnāgel], coll. small nails of some kind; (g) ~ bon, ?the ankle ; (h) an excrescent callosity on the leg of a horse.
Associated quotations
a
- c1330(?a1300) Guy(2) (Auch)p.594 : His hauberk..was al of anoþer werk..Alle it were þicke splentes of stiel [Cai: Of stele gaddys], Þicke y-ioined.
- (1374) *Acc.John de Sleford in For.Acc.49 Edw.III B [OD col.] : xj paribus splentes, ij paribus tibialium.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)2061 : The comlyche kynge..With a crewell launce cowpez full euen..emange þe schortte rybbys, That the splent and the spleen on the spere lengez.
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)5015 : Richard..com to batayle..armyd in splentes off steel.
- a1500(?a1475) Guy(4) (Cmb Ff.2.38)10233 : Hys hawbarke..was made of splentys of stele Before and behynde yoyned wele.
b
- (1267) in Salzman Building in Engl.189 : [For walls..] splenteware [and] batthes [bought and] wytthes [for binding them].
- a1325 Gloss.Bibbesw.(Cmb Gg.1.1)965 : K'il ne covent aver girnchouns E clous ficchez en vos mesouns, E trenchons, [glossed:] splentes, a la meisoun ausi.
- (1348) Doc.in HMC Rep.1 App.65 : [For] splentes [for the vineyard, 7 d.].
- (1376-8) in Davenport Nrf.Manorp.lv : Item, in expensis diversorum hominum amputantium et colligentium dcc splyntes in bosco vocato Westwode.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)330b/b : Calathus is a basket y-made of splyntes [L vimineum] to bere figes þer Inne.
- (1410) Court R.Great Waltham in Ess.R.13201 : [John Rede was mulcted 2 d. and William Davenysh 1 d. for topping willows on copyhold to the amount of 2 cartloads of] splent.
- (1422) *Mun.B.Bridgewaterno.629 : Et pred. Johannes pred. tenement, in omnibus domibus de novo reparabit ut in Splentyswall ex utraque parte Et in rafterijs et aliis necessariis de novo meremiis ubi necesse fuerit.
- ?c1425 Arun.Cook.Recipes (Arun 334)433 : Take a faire urthen pot and lay hit well with splentes in the bothum, that the flessh neigh hit not.
- c1436 Ipswich Domesday(2) (Add 25011)201 : Of eche carte of hurdles and splints [ID(1): splentes], qua.
- c1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(2) (Hrl 4016)73 : Ley splentes vnderneth and al abouȝt the sides that the Capon touche no thinge of the potte.
- (1465) Acc.Howard in RC 57566 : Item, the said Barkere axsethe alowance for dawbynge, ij s. j d..Item, for splentes, viij d.
- (1474) in Salzman Building in Engl.189 : [For hemp for binding the] splentes [in the grammar school].
- ?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674)69 : To stew a capon..couche it in an erthen pot and lay splentes vnder nethe and about the sides of the pot.
c
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)6320 : Aboute his nek agayne sho [serpent] cleuyd; Shame mare þan him greuyd Of þat sary splent [rime: went].
d
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)63/11-12 : If þat þe prickynge eiþer þe dislocacioun nediþ splentis, make þat þe splentis & byndynge faile aboue þe wounde.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)53 : If ther be ony broke boon, men shuld..bynde it wiþ flex aboue..with iiii splyntes [F astelles] wel ibounde þerto þat oon agayn þat oþer.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)67b/b : Som men..putteþ to..an instrument mechanic..made wiþ 2 ascellis, i. splyntz, & a rounde tree in þe closure of þe hand.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)117a/a : Leie a splente on þe broken iowe oþer þe sole of a scho made euen þerfore.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)341/21 : Bynde þere-vppon þe splentes of tree or..lether made after the kynde of þe membre wiþ a rolle.
e
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)138b/a : Þe matiere is I-broke in brode parties as it were splintis of schelles.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)168b/a : It..draweþ out corrupted bonez & thornez & furculez, i. splintez or shiuerez.
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)1467 : Lamedon..brak his spere in many a splent On duk Nestor In that dynt.
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)7395 : Here speres brast In splentes.
- a1450 Treat.Horses (Sln 2584)121/472 : Take sayme of lard in a sawcer & anoynte þe corn with a feþer or with a splent of tre.
- c1475(1392) *MS Wel.564 (Wel 564)88a/b : First þou schalt drawen out þe splyntis of þe broken bonys if þer ben ony in þe wounde.
- a1500(?c1400) Song Roland (Lnsd 388)87 : The splintis of the sper sprong into heuyn.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)594 : Triamores..smote Salubrun so harde a-mydde the shelde that the spere splindred on splyntes.
f
- (1272-3) in Davenport Nrf.Manorp.xxxv : In lx de splentenail emptis, i d.
- (1345-6) Sacrist R.Ely 2130 : In iiij m de Spleyntnayle empt. 5 s.
- (a1362) Cellarer R.in Nrf.Archaeol.7163 : In clavis, viz. dornayl, schotnaye, et splentnayl circa domos, &c., per annum, ij s., ix d. q.
- (1431) in Salzman Building in Engl.307 : Splentnayl.
g
- a1500 Add.37075 Gloss (Add 37075)2/9a : Cavilla: splent bone.
h
- c1450 Diseases Horse (Yale 163)47 : For a splent.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. splint.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc. (sense (g)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. splint bone.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Sense (h) = OED splint n., sense 5, "a callous tumour developing into a bony excrescence formed on the metacarpal bones of a horse's or mule's leg, occurring usually on the inside of the leg along the line of union of the splint-bones with the cannon-bone." Cp. also sereue n. and OED serewe n., which features this quotation: "1610 G. Markham Maister-peece ii. lxiv. 326: ... Although diuers of our Farriers do distinguish..betwixt a serew and a splent, saying, that the serew is euer of the out-side of the leg, as the splent is of the inside; yet..the disease..is all of one."