Middle English Dictionary Entry
surfē̆t n.
Entry Info
| Forms | surfē̆t n. Also surfet(t)e, surffet, -feite, -fait(e, sourfait, sorf(f)et, -fete, -fait & (?errors) furfete, forfete; pl. surfetes, etc. & surfetas, surphettis, (?error) forfetes. |
| Etymology | OF sorfait, -f(f)et, sourfait, AF surfet, -feit, -fait; some forms in f- may belong to ME forfē̆t n. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1a.
Overindulgence, excess; immoderate behavior; an instance of immoderate behavior; also, loquacity, talkativeness [quot. a1449 Lydg.Cock]; ~ of biinge, profligacy.
Associated quotations
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.4561 : The Philosophre upon this thing Writ and conseileth to a king, That he the surfet of luxure Schal tempre and reule of such mesure.
- a1425 Ben.Rule(1) (Lnsd 378)26/31 : Of þe seke..þai ne sal noht þurz þair surfait noy þaire sistirs þat seruis tam.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)6.2694 : Thus eueri surfet englued is to othir, And o mysreule bryngeth in anothir.
- c1460(a1449) Lydg.Cock (Hrl 2255)15 : The stare wyl chatre and speke of long vsage, Though in his speche there be no great resoun; Kepe ay thy tounge fro surffeet and outrage.
- c1460(a1449) Lydg.Consulo (Hrl 2255)104 : Mouth and tonge avoiden al outrage, Ageyn the vice of fals detraccioun To do no surfet [vr. surfaite] in woord nor in language.
- c1475 Wisd.(Folg V.a.354)435 : Contemplatyff lyff for to sewe Yt ys grett drede, and se cause why: They must..Wse harde lywynge..Kepe sylence, wepe, and surphettys eschewe.
- a1500(1413) ?Hoccl.Poems PS (Eg 615)p.xxiv/22 : Thu hast, with surfeet, leuyng sobirnesse, fful greuously encombred thi corage, In lust dispending al thin besynesse.
- a1500(1422) Yonge SSecr.(Rwl B.490)186/26 : If thou desyriste Temporance, Put away euery Surfete, and restrayne thy desyres.
- a1500 Rule Minoresses (Bod 585)96/11 : We wole aboue alle þinges þat þe sustris of þis religioun eschuen outrage & þe sourfait of bigginge & of alle maner curiosite.
- 1532-1897(c1385) Usk TL (Thynne:Skeat)100/58 : Trewly, this is the sorinesse of fayned love..of these surfettes sicknesse muste folowe.
1b.
(a) Overindulgence in food or drink, immoderation, gluttony; the sin of gluttony; also person.; ~ in (of), overindulgence in (food and drink, eating or drinking, etc.); don ~; (b) an instance of overindulgence in food or drink.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)4.329 : Þese lyved lengest..for þey..dede noon surfeet of mete and of drynke.
- c1390 Form Conf.(1) (Vrn)341 : In polucions of niht..not wel con telle wher hit come..of eny sorfet of mete or drinke.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.913 : And this synne men clepen polucioun that comth in foure maneres..Somtyme for surfeet [vrr. sorfett, forfete] of mete and drynke.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.311 : On mornes long to lie, Surfeyte in euenyng & luf of licchorie..þe Bretons..forsoke suilk party.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)7.249 : Let nouȝt sire surfet [B: surfait; C: sorfait] sitten at þi bord..for he is a lecchour & likerous of tunge, And aftir many maner of metis his mawe is alongid.
- a1425 Dial.Reason & A.(Cmb Ii.6.39)39/9,28 : It is wreten þat for surfet many on hath perched; ȝe, glotenye sleeth mo þan þe sweerd doth..þe more likerous þat þe mete is, þe sunner it bringith a man to do surfet.
- ?c1430(c1383) Wycl.Leaven Pharisees (Corp-C 296)7 : Þei seyn þat þei ben most holy and best men of religion and þer wiþ lyuen in most pride, most enuye and wraþe, in most coueitise and ydilnesse, in most glotone, dronkennesse or surfet and leccherie.
- a1450(a1425) Mirk IPP (Cld A.2)1595 : Off þy fowle gloterye Abstene þe..And for þy lust & þy sorfet þow moste do almes fulle gret.
- c1450(a1400) Lavynham Treat.7 Dead.Sins (Hrl 211)21/5 : Surfet in etyng or drenkyng is whan a man pamprith so his bely with mete & wt drynke þt he may not browke it wt hele.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4293 : Oure inward enmys ilkane we inwardly drepis, Þat is to say, all þe syn at solp may þe saule, As surfet, surquidry, & slawth, þe seuyn al bedene.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4439 : Quat dewis ȝow þan þire diatis & all þis dere fode, Ȝoure sowping in vnseson, ȝoure surfete of drinkis, Bot settis ȝow in-to sekenes?
- a1475 *Gilb.Angl.(Wel 537)227/10,13 : Þe neþir parte of þe stomake..is y-turnid vpsodoun..of grete abstinence eiþir of grete surfet..If it be of surfet, he must caste þat he be deliuered of þe corrupt humours þat ben in his stomake.
- c1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Tbr A.7)22633,22638 : I..mynystre the sustenaunce To ffolkes..I kepe hem hool..By a mesurable meene, That, surffet be not to blame..my gorger..Is I-callyd Sobrete, To kepe the gorge in sobrenesse ffrom sorffet and al excesse.
- c1475 Wisd.(Folg V.a.354)754 : Cum slepers, Rekleshede and Idyllnes, All in all, Surfet and Gredynes, For þe flesche, Spousebreche and Mastres, Wyth jentyll Fornycacyon.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)63/18 : Solempnite and holynes ys turned ynto fulþe of synne and sekenes of soule, ynto pryde..into envy..in gloteny by surfet of dyuerse metys and drynkes.
- a1500(1422) Yonge SSecr.(Rwl B.490)237/20 : Yf a man do surfete of mette and drynke, the kyndely hette shal be enfebelit.
- c1500 Tronos celorum (Trin-C R.3.19)53 : Take good hede..To rule your body with a good diete; loke with tyme ye be nat at debate, Though thurgh youre owne mysrule and surfete Sekenes or sorow haue yeuyn yow an hete.
b
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)13.405 : Ȝet glotoun..more mete ete and dronke þen kende miȝt defie: 'And kauȝte seknesse sum-tyme for my forfetes [vr. surfetys] ofte, And þanne I dradde to deye in dedlich synne.'
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)3.543 : Pouert..auoid off al fatnesse Riht weel brethed & nothyng corpulent, Smal off dieete surfetis to represse, Ageyn Fortune proudli gan hir dresse.
- c1460(a1449) Lydg.Consulo (Hrl 2255)19 : With a glotoun be delicat of thy ffare, With dronke men do surfetys by excesse.
- c1450(a1449) Lydg.Diet.(Sln 3534)49 : Suffur no surfettes in thy house at nyght; Ware of rere-suppers and of grete excesse.
- ?a1450 Mem.Cred.(Tan 201)132/21 : For at festus buþ ofte surfetis and glotonyes.
- c1450(a1400) Lavynham Treat.7 Dead.Sins (Hrl 211)21/20 : Þerfor consaylith vs þe apostil..ad Romanos 12: walke we now as in þe day honestly leuyng & not in surfetis of mete and drynke.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)1.377 : The clergy of that londe schynethe in chastite, ȝiffenge attendaunce to preier and to abstinence by the day artificialle, spendenge the nyȝhtes in surfettes and in ryette [Trev.: drynkeþ al nyȝt; L noctem..assidua potatione polluit].
- a1500 15c.Serm.Cycle(Hrl 2247:Powell)60/43 : Thi soule is clad in fowl clothis whan it is wrappid in wrecchednes of synfull surfettes of gullyng, of gloteny in etyng and drinking, in sluggy slouth of ydilnes.
2.
(a) An excess quantity, a surplus, superfluity; a superfluous thing; (b) an excessive quantity of food or drink; an overabundance of food within the body; also, a morbidity arising from such overabundance, a physiological derangement [last quot.].
Associated quotations
a
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)22884 : Agh we þer-on to seke resun Hu he dos alkin thing to nait; Certes þat war bot surfait.
- a1400 Cursor (Göt Theol 107)23566 : If þai a-noþer heuen wroght, It war sur-fait [Vsp: vnnait] and all for noght.
- a1456(a1449) Lydg.Say.Nightingale (Trin-C R.3.20)183 : For þe surfeyte of þy synnes alle And for þoffence of þy wittes fyve My touche, my taast, myn hering did appalle..Þus in yche party..I suffred peyne.
- (a1460) DSPhilos.(Helm)51/6-8 : Holde you contente with that that aught suffyce you, and so shal ye neuer haue surfeete; for by that maner thu shalt be the nerre vnto God, for God hath no surfeet.
- a1500(?a1425) Lambeth SSecr.(Lamb 501)52/20 : What kyng þat wille continue giftys yn surfaytes ouer þat his kyngdom wyl suffyse to hym, That kynge with outen doute shal be destroyed.
b
- c1450(a1449) Lydg.Diet.(Sln 3534)76 : Moderate fode growith to mannys helth, And surfette doth hele from hym remewe.
- c1450 Royal SSecr.(Roy 18.A.7)23/14 : For and the hete euir growe and inflawme the body within bi surfete of ouyr stronge metis or drynkis..than contrary metis and drynkis are most helpeliche to his helthe.
- a1500(1422) Yonge SSecr.(Rwl B.490)238/28 : Whan the humours Passyth ryght mesure by diet discordeynet..they sholde vse contrary dyetis to redresse the excesse and the sorfete.
- a1500(?a1425) Lambeth SSecr.(Lamb 501)67/28 : I haue knowyn many þat withdrew hem froo etynges of surfaytz, and her appetitz with-drawand froo glotonye, lyuand mesurably by dyetes.
- a1500(?a1425) Lambeth SSecr.(Lamb 501)68/4 : Þe secunde ys þat he clense hym of þat þat ys engendryd yn his body of surfaytes and of corumpyd humours.
- c1500 Lydg.Diet.(Rwl C.86)76 : Moderat fode gevyth to man his helth And all surfetys doth from him remeve.
3.
(a) A misdeed, transgression, crime; an error, a fault; (b) a wrong, harm, an injury.
Associated quotations
a
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)2433 : Bot your gordel..in syngne of my surfet I schal se hit ofte When I ride in renoun.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)2.856 : Prudent iuges..To punshe wrong and surfetis to redresse, In this ymage shal ocupie the siht.
- c1460(a1449) Lydg.Meas.Treas.(Hrl 2255)60 : Trewe iuges..shal ther doomys dresse With-oute excepcioun, and ther hand with-drawe Fro meede and yifftes, alle surffetys to represse.
- c1450(1410) Walton Boeth.(Lin-C 103)p.10 : Also þe worthy noble Symachus..Wiþ-outen cause, surfet [vr. furfete], or trespace At Rauenne eke he slow hym cruellye.
- c1475(a1449) Lydg.Prayer Cross (LdMisc 683)38 : O Iesu, graunte of thy benygnyte That thy fyve wellis..Callid thy fyve woundis..May wasshe in us al surfetis [vr. surfetas] reprevable.
- a1500(a1450) Ashmole SSecr.(Ashm 396)47/19 : Men may pray to God-is clemencie..for oure giltes askyng pardone, and for our surfetes punycion or penaunce.
b
- c1475(a1449) Lydg.Test.(Hrl 218)238 : I now purpose..To wryte a trites of surfetes don to the [Christ], And calle it my last testament.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. surfeit.