Middle English Dictionary Entry
thē̆r-at adv.
Entry Info
Forms | thē̆r-at adv. Also therat(t)e. |
Etymology | OE þǣr-æt; also cp. ME thē̆r adv. & at prep. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
With ref. to a physical place, point in space, an object, etc. or to a specified event: (a) in that place, at that spot, there; (b) at that event; ben ~ (presente, to be in attendance at that event, be there; him-self ~ presente; (c) with verbs of motion: to that place, to there; also, with verb of looking: upon it, at it [1st quot.]; have ~, go to it!
Associated quotations
a
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)329a/a : Þe poynt..is bygynnynge of alle lynes and þerfro alle lynes bigynneþ and..endith þer atte.
- c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)514 : Aboute vnder þe lorde to marked totz, And ydel men stande he fyndez þerate.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)74/25 : Þare nere es anoþer hill þat men callez Ararath..Sum saise þai hafe bene þare att.
- a1500 Merch.& S.(Cmb Ff.2.38)10 : Yf ony pore man came to hys place..He schuld have neyther mete nor drynke, thoȝ he dyed ther ate.
b
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)12250 : Songes þer weoren murie..ȝif hit weore ilast seoue ȝere, þa ȝet heo weolden mare þe þer-at weoren.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)9526 : At londone hii hulde a parlement..& þe king him sulf was þerate.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Prov.8.27 : Whan he greiþede heuenes, I was þer-ate [WB(2): present].
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.561 : Halwed was þe feste..And many worþi present wer þer-at.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)1455 : Adrastus..A feeste made..hym-silf ther-at present.
- a1425 Ben.Rule(1) (Lnsd 378)30/23 : At te verse by-fore þe mete sal alle be asembild at te borde; sho þat is noht tar-at, for hir neccligence man sal say til hir ane tyme, and a-noþir tyme.
- (1436) EEWills105/16 : Placebo & Dirige & masse of Requiem to be doon oones, yevynge to euery chanon beinge ther-at present viij d.
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)186 : Þe spousyng was jdon þat nyȝt; þeratte daunsyd many a knyȝt.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)296/4 : Where there were ony mastryes doynge, thereat wolde he be.
- a1500(1439) Lydg.Sts.AA (Lnsd 699)4367 : He ordeyned for his translacion..Grettest prelatis to be therat present.
c
- a1425(?a1400) Cloud (Hrl 674)103/12 : Þe feende may haue none oþer brayn, & ȝif he miȝt make a man loke in þer-ate, he kepeþ no beter.
- c1475 Mankind (Folg V.a.354)81 : Haue þeratt þen wyth a mery chere!
- a1500(a1450) Gener.(2) (Trin-C O.5.2)62 : Whenne that he was come nygh hande therate, A fayre mayde ther openyd hym the gate.
2.
With ref. to a door, gate, an opening, or orifice: (a) beside it, at it; (b) with verbs of motion (implied or expressed): through it, by way of it or them; also, toward it, at it; as rel. adv.: through which, at which [quot. c1475]; (c) knokken ~, to knock on it, pound on it; pullen ~, ?open it, pull it outward; ?tug at it.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300(c1250) Floris (Cmb Gg.4.27)154 : Þe he com to þe gate, þe porter he fond anon þerate, Sittinde one a marbelston.
- c1330 Orfeo (Auch)33/380 : Orfeo knokkeþ atte gate; Þe porter was redi þer-ate.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)3153 : Othere..to þe tour ȝeate þar-wiþ buþ wente; Flo[rippe] redely was thar-ate.
- a1400(?a1350) Siege Troy(1) (Eg 2862)155/1961 : Neptolomus went vnto þe ȝate; He fyndeþ þe twey Tratoures þerate.
- a1400 Cursor (Göt Theol 107)17940 : I come þan to paradis ȝate And gern bisoght i godd þar-ate.
- ?a1450 MLChrist (Add 39996)1841 : When ȝe comen to þe ȝate, An asse ȝe schal fynde þerate.
- c1475 My dere sone wher (RwlPoet 143)362 : Then bringes..novmbles and þe hornes to þe lordes yate; Þen mowe ye boldely blowe prise thereate..Er ye come there in.
- c1450(a1400) Libeaus (Clg A.2)1490 : Ryde to þat est gate And axede þyn jn þer-ate.
b
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)5732 : Þo were vp vndon þe gate, Cleodalis rode out þerate.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.1534 : Sche was..at hir fader gate The ferste; and whan he com therate And sih his douhter, he tobreide Hise clothes.
- a1400 Cursor (Trin-C R.3.8)15896 : Whenne he was to paleis comen, spered was þe ȝate; A knowen frend..lete him In þer-ate.
- a1425(?c1350) Ywain (Glb E.9)1922 : Sir Ywayne sone withset þe ȝate þat þe eril myght noght in þarate.
- a1425 NHom.(3) Pass.(Hrl 4196)150/222* : Wende unto paradis ȝate And put in bot þi heuid þerate.
- a1450 Diseases Women(2) (Sln 2463)102 : Sume women haue so gret penaunce in beryng of a childe that þe skynne þat is bitwen the two prevy membres brekith atwo & all is an hole, & so þe moder fallith out þeratte.
- ?a1450 Macer (Stockh Med.10.91)153 : Þis wole open þe poores and make þe swet for to renne out þer-at.
- a1475 Gilb.Angl.(Wel 537)268/24 : Whan he goiþ to priuy, let him hold þat place fast with his hond, lest þe gut fal oute þerat.
- c1475 Gregory's Chron.(Eg 1995)213 : They hadde a thynge made lyke unto a latysse fulle of naylys..And that servyd to lye at gappys there at horsemen wolde entyr yn.
- a1500 How mankinde dooþ (Fil)480 : Þe comaundementis þat God bede, Þey bene þe lokkes of heuene ȝate, Seuene werkys of mercy & þe crede Þe keyes þat schal late vs inne þeratte.
c
- c1330 Pennyw.Wit(1) (Auch)164 : His leman bad hir maiden gon To wite who was atte ȝate & knocked so þer ate.
- ?a1425 Orch.Syon (Hrl 3432)321/1 : First þou openest þe gate eer þanne we knocke þereate.
- (1440) Capgr.St.Norb.(Hnt HM 55)2607 : Whan alle were in dryuyn at the gate..With his feet knokked he sore þereate.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)13934 : Anon kam merlyne to the ȝate and with his hond pulled there-ate.
- a1500 GRom.(Glo 42)749/10 : Þe knyȝte..fonde all þe ȝates of þe castell schet faste; he called faste & knocked þer-ate.
3.
With ref. to an action, a point in a narrative or in a temporal sequence, a task, etc.: (a) in response to that, at that; disdeinen (grucchen, laughen, wepen) ~; haven disdeine (envie, joie) ~; (b) ?thereupon, at that point in time, right then; ?on the spot, right there [if the latter, these quots. belong to sense 1.(a)]; (c) in misc. verb phrases: ben ~, to be occupied with that, be in the process of doing that; comen ~, win that, achieve that end; don ~, make efforts toward that end, accomplish that; holden ~, refl. keep oneself to that, concentrate on it; skelten ~, labor at that, go at it.
Associated quotations
a
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)9304 : Þat he dyd, þere-at y logh.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)909 : When þe lorde hade lerned þat he þe leude hade, Loude laȝed he þerat.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.115 : Kyng Pallamydes Compleineth sore of Agamenoun, Þat he hath..domynacioun Aboue hem alle, havyng þer-at envie.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)1797 : Whan they hadde hool her tale fyned, Ethyocles fully is enclynyd, Who so euer ther-at laugh or wepe lik her counsayl possessioun to kepe.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)395/26 : He axkid hym what þai coste, & he sayd iij s.; and he grynnyd & had grete dedyn þeratt.
- c1450 Ponthus (Dgb 185)56/13 : When the kyng had red the lettre, he had grete ioy therat.
- ?c1450 Knt.Tour-L.(Hrl 1764)98/6 : Kinge Dauid putte hym selff in the temple..for to harpe and to singe..his wyff beholdinge hym in such wise..she dysdeyned thereatte.
- (c1469) Stonor1.104 : I woll hertely pray ȝow to onsele hyt, and yff so be that ȝowr conscyense do groge ther at, that ȝe wod do make astate wnto me.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)102/4 : Merlyon toke kynge Pellinor by the honde..And thereat had sir Gawayne grete envy.
b
- c1300 SLeg.Judas (Hrl 2277)84 : He smot him wiþ a ston bihynde in þe pate Þat al þe sculle to-daschte; þe brayn ful out þerate.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)198/5 : Þer was a pylgram at, when he fand gude wyne on a tyme, he seld his slavyn & drank it þer-att.
c
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)1.600 : An ypocrite..wolde winne Of his desir the vein astat, And whanne he comth anon therat, He scheweth thanne what he was.
- a1400 Cursor (Frf 14)11674 : Mari me þink ferli of þe þat seys þe heȝt of þis tree; þe frute how sulde men reyche þer-to? my hande þer-at may na-þing do.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)1554 : He bede his burnes..To wayte þe wryt þat hit wolde..Scoleres skelten þeratte þe skyl for to fynde.
- a1425(c1400) 5 Wits (Hrl 2398)14/9 : Wiþ sobore spirit do þy deuer when þou art þerate.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)1005 : Who so schal wryte may nat..syng this ne that, But al his wittes hoole..Ther must appere, and halden hem ther-at.
- a1450 Dial.Bern.& V.(2) (Cmb Dd.1.1)627 : I bad Joseph takin him doun..'We ben þer ate, To bring him to the.'
4.
As subordinating conj. introducing a locative adv. clause: wherever, where.
Associated quotations
- a1500(?a1400) Firumb.(2) (Fil)21 : They leyden on harde in euery halue; ther-at Dorinydale dovn glode, ther nedyd no salue.