Middle English Dictionary Entry
stellen v.
Entry Info
| Forms | stellen v. Also stelen; p. stalde, stolde; ppl. istald, istalt, istold. |
| Etymology | OE stellan, p. stealde, p.ppl. steald. For sense (b) cp. MScot. stell to fix, place. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. astellen v., onstellen v., stallen v.
1.
(a) To establish (a rule), institute (a law); (b) ?to set or fix (castles with pigstys), turn (castles into pigstys) [could also be construed as stelen v. 3.(b), in which case the obj. of the prep. would be sti(e n.(2) rather than sti n.]; (c) ppl. stellende, ?firm, unyielding, grim.
Associated quotations
a
- c1225(?c1200) HMaid.(Bod 34)18/262 : Þe ilke lahe..godd haueð istald for þe unstronge.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)7/6 : Þe uttre riwle..is..for na þing elles istald [Nero: istold; Cleo: istalt] bute to serui þe inre.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)8/11 : Þeos..ne beoð nawt monnes fundles, ne riwle þet mon stalde [Nero: stolde].
- a1300 Hwi ne serue (Jes-O 29)60 : He wolde þe lawe leoflyche holde As god..i þis world stolde.
b
- a1350 When man as mad (Hrl 2253)6 : When mon makes stables of kyrkes & steles castles wyþ styes..Whenne shal þis be?
c
- a1400 Þo dedtur (Hrl 7322)8 : Þo dedtur so is fals..Stille..Gredy..steorne and eke stellende [L seuerissima].