Middle English Dictionary Entry
sulen v.
Entry Info
| Forms | sulen v. Also (early SWM) sullen, sulien; sg.3 suleth, etc. & (early SWM) sulied; p.sbj. sulde; ppl. sulede, isuled, suld, siled(de, (early SWM) i)sulet. |
| Etymology | OE sylian |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. bisulien v., soilen v.(1), solen v., solwen v.
1.
(a) To become dirty; befoul (sth.); ppl. sulede, dirty; also, besmeared (with grease); (b) to pollute (sb.) morally; defile (sth.), pollute, taint; also, pollute, defile [quot. ?c1225]; ppl. sulede, defiled, polluted; flesh-sulede, defiled with respect to the flesh.
Associated quotations
a
- c1275(?c1250) Owl & N.(Clg A.9)1240 : Sum blind mon..To þare diche his dweole fulied An falleþ and þar one sulied [Jes-O: sulieþ].
- a1425 Gloss.Bibbesw.(AS 182)1026 : Nowe siledde [vr. biselit; glossing AF (Cmb): novele enboulre].
- c1450 Scrope Othea (Lngl 253:Bühler)50/11 : Sylyd [StJ-C: Pi-ramus..parceyued the wympil, but the lyon had fouled it and made it al blody, the which had vomyted thervppon the intrayle of a beste that he had deuoured].
- c1600(?c1395) PPl.Creed (Trin-C R.3.15)752 : Of þat beggers brol a bychop schal worþen..And his syre a soutere y-suled in grees.
b
- c1225(?c1200) HMaid.(Bod 34)30/508 : Þis is sunne, &..suleð þi sawle & makeð schuldi towart godd.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)6/27 : Biwite þu mi bodi..from flesliche fulþen, þet neauer mi sawle ne isuled [Roy: isulet; L contaminari] beo in sunne, þurh þet licomes lust.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)36/22 : Ha schulen ham sclepinde sulen [L facio eos somno peccare].
- c1225 St.Marg.(1) (Roy 17.A.27)55/5 : Þis meiden..i þat englene hird singeð aa un-sulet, þat mon ne wummon ne mei þat is flesch-sulet.
- ?c1225 Ancr.(Cleo C.6)68/5 : Oðere spechen sulleð, ach þeose attrieð baðe þe earen & þe heorte.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)83/13 : He..fleh awei in to wildernesse, leste he wið speche sulde his cleane lif.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)83/18 : Ich am a mon of sulede [L pollutus] lippen.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)83/20-21 : Ich wunie bimong men þe suleð hare lippen mid misliche spechen; lo hu godes prophete seið he wes isulet þurh beowiste bimong monne.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)201/6 : Þis dude ure lauerd us þe weren se seke of sunne & swa isulet þerwið þt na þing ne mahte healen us ne clean sin us bute his blod ane.
- c1460 MOTest.(Lngl 257)10539 : Thou, altar, that is suld [Seld: The Auter þat sollyed with syn, I warne þe here].