Middle English Dictionary Entry
spūme n.
Entry Info
| Forms | spūme n. Also (N) spome & (error) speme. |
| Etymology | OF espume, spume & L spūma. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Foam, froth; ~ in se, a piece of foam in the sea; (b) ~ argentine, ~ of silver, litharge of silver [cp. litarge n. (b)]; ~ maris, foam from the sea as a medicinal ingredient; ~ of led, lead monoxide, litharge.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.4122 : Sche sette a caldron on the fyr..And let it buile in such a plit, Til that sche sawh the spume whyt.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)309a/a : In hem þat haueþ Iaundys, here vryne haþ ȝelow spume.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)218/1 : Þer wole go out miche spume of his mouþ.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)395/355 : Þe uryn is..full of small greynes..þai are full lytile & smal, & þai are not ellys bod decisiouns (lytill, small chippyngys) of spum (of froth).
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)40b/b : Iuel signez & dredful in squinancie beþe..puttyng out of þe tonge & of spume, i. fome, to þe maner of a wery hors.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)109b/a : Take þe white of ane eye..& ȝif þer be enye spume þerapon, tak it of clene wiþ a clene feþer.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)153/9 : I hafe no burnyng een, nor no spome at my mouthe.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Add 9066)425 : All thing that are in the worlde are not but as a spume in the see, and a veyne sight.
b
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)184/27 : Spume maris..is a maner kynde of sponges, saue it is more sutil & more whit.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)84/7 : Þai take alde peper and stepez it and strewez apon it spume of siluer or of leed and driez it agayne.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)163b/a : Take..of þe spume of siluer, þe rote of comune malowes, and altee..& make muscillage of hem.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)6.105 : Her woundes let enlyne With aske of wyne and with spume argentyne [L spuma..argenti].
- ?a1450 Agnus Castus (Stockh 10.90)140/9 : Þe jous of þis herbe with speme [vrr. spume; lytarge] of siluer and swynys grees swagyth þe hote potacre.