Middle English Dictionary Entry
thǒume n.
Entry Info
| Forms | thǒume n. Also thom(e, thume, thomb(e, thoumb(e, thumb(e, tombe, (N) tumb & (early infl.) þuman; pl. thoumes, etc. & (WM) þhommes. |
| Etymology | OE þūma |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The short thick digit next to the index finger and opposable to the other digits, thumb; hille of the ~, the fleshy part of the palm lying below the thumb; (b) in proverbs and prov. expressions.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.MQuad.(Hrl 6258B)239/8 : Nim æppel mid þinre wynstran handa, mid twam fingran þæt ys mid þuman & mid hringfingrum.
- ?a1160 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1137 : Me henged bi the þumbes, other bi the hefed.
- c1300 SLeg.Mich.(LdMisc 108)319 : 'Strongue' is þe þoumbe I-cleoped.
- c1300 SLeg.Mich.(LdMisc 108)356 : Ȝif he ne may with is 'techare' maken is wei roume, with is 'strongue' he tollez þanne, with is schrewe þoume.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)58 : Pouce, poynoun, et les meyns: Thoumbe, knokil, and the handes.
- c1390 Mayden Modur (Vrn)296 : Blessed beo..Þi þhommes and þi ffyngres.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)51b/b : Þe firste hatte pollex, þe þombe.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)21244 : Men sais þat of his thumb [Göt: tumb] he smate.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)100b/a : If þe last of ossis caude, i. tailebone, be broken, put in þe thomb of þe riȝt hand into þe towel & euen þe broken bone wiþ þe toþer.
- c1450(c1405) Mum & S.(2) (Add 41666)55/968 : He houed ouer a hyue þe hony forto kepe Fro dranes..He thraste þaym with his thumbe as þicke as þay come.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)275/24 : Euer sho prayed Almyghti God to send hur som of þe relikkis of Saynt Iohn Baptiste, And sodanly apon ane altar sho saw a thombe þat was passand white, and sho was glad þerof & tuke itt.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)58/144 : On the vayne on the thowmb, lett the blode.
- c1450 Metham Palm.(Gar 141)84/24 : The fyrste lyne ys the fyrst parte off the tryangyl, and yt gothe aboute the hylle of the thombe.
- c1475(1392) *MS Wel.564 (Wel 564)30b/b : The þombe is sett diuersly from þe oþere foure fyngris.
- a1500 Lystyne lordys verament (Lin-O Lat.141)29 : He bequethed hys dowtyr Kat Hys nallys and hys thombys blak.
b
- ?c1335 Heil seint Michel (Hrl 913)p.157 : Hail be ȝe brewesters wiþ ȝur galuns..Ȝur þowmes berriþ moch awai.
- (c1387-95) Chaucer CT.Prol.(Manly-Rickert)A.563 : Wel koude he stelen corn and tollen thries, And yet he hadde a thombe of gold pardee.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)2.468 : Al this yonge lusty route..alday pressen hire aboute..Hire thombe sche holt in hire fest So clos withinne hire oghne hond That there winneth noman lond.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)5.439 : I nam nouȝte lured with loue, but þere ligge auȝte vnder þe thombe.
- (1469) Paston (EETS)1.544 : Thow thou can begyll the Dwk of Norffolk, and bryng hym abow[t] the thombe as thow lyst, I let the wet thow shalt not do me so.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)1.83 : Therfore, whereuer þou Ride or wende, Speke [read: Kepe] cloos all thyng as thombe in fiste.
- a1500 How schal a mann (Hnt HM 183)11 : Of thi frynde make not thi foo, Lat anger pas and euer goo; Bende thi thombe yn thi fyste, And euer be ware of had y wiste.
2.
The thumb used as: (a) the digit prescribed for making a small sign of the cross; (b) the digit bearing large or significant rings; also, the digit used for impressing a seal; (c) a unit of linear measure; also, the breadth or length of a joint of the thumb used for the measurement of an inch; ~ gret, as wide or as long as a thumb; (d) a tool of divination; also, a thumbnail.
Associated quotations
a
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)14/28 : Beateð ower heorte & cusseð þe eorðe, icruchet wið þe þume.
- a1400(?c1300) LFMass Bk.(Roy 17.B.17)158 : Þo prest..makes a cros vpon þo letter with his thoume.
- a1400 Nicod.(2) (Pep 2498)133/9 : Hii..wiþ her þombes maden þe tokne of þe croice opon her tunges.
- a1450 St.Editha (Fst B.3)2483 : Þe thombe of my ryȝt honde..Wt þe whyche y was y-wonde to blesse me byfore..also freysshe hit is..As euer hit was.
b
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sq.(Manly-Rickert)F.83 : Ther cam a knyght..Vpon his thombe he hadde of gold a ryng.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sq.(Manly-Rickert)F.148 : The vertu of the ryng..Is..that if hir list it for to were Vpon hir thombe..Ther is no fowel..That she ne shal wel vnderstonde his steuene.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)72 : Tho anon he toke the thome of the dede man, and made him to seal hit with a fals seal.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)74 : Þou madist þe chartre to be asselid with the thom of the dede man.
c
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)107a/b : Þer was one [aposteme] as grete & as scharpe as þe horne of a kidde oþer elles of þe lengþe of a mannes þoume.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)5.108 : Thombe gret in pastyn hem asonder Or into delf.
- c1450 *Bk.Marchalsi (Hrl 6398)26a : Þou shalt fyndin þre veynis vndir-neþin þe tonge, þat lyn in þe largesse of þi thumbe [vr. the tunge] to-gedir.
- a1500 Chauliac(1) (Cmb Dd.3.52)3.29/15 : Thombe, i. ynche [NY: euery pece be applied in euery side of þe wonde after distance of an ynch].
d
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)43/14 : To þise zenne belongeþ þe zenne of ham þet..makeþ to loky ine þe zuord oþer ine þe nayle of þe þoume uor to of-take þe þyeues.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)353 : Ȝyf you yn swerd, oþer yn bacyn, Any chyld madyst loke þeryn Or yn þumbe [vr. tombe] or yn cristal, wycchecraft men clepyn hyt al.
3.
Associated quotations
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Lev.14.14 : Þe prest, takynge of þe blood of þe hoost..he shal putte opon þe end of his riȝt eere..& opon þe þoombes of þe riȝt hoond & foot.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)19b/b : Þe tooz..bene 5, ychone hauyng 3 bonez, outake þe þombe too which haþ but 2.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)2.189 : A thowmbe..in the ryȝhte foote of Pirrus kynge, the towchenge of whom ȝafe subsidy ageyne venom.
4.
Mus. ?The art of thumbing [see H.H. Carter Dict.of ME Musical Terms 489]; ?error for chimbe n.
Associated quotations
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)4029 : He couþe so mykel musyk & thume [Petyt: chyme] Þat þe people [saide] in his tyme He was þe best of ffythelers, Of iogelours, & of sangesters.
5.
In surnames.
Associated quotations
- (1232) in Reaney Dict.Br.Surnames347 : Geoffrey Thumb.
- (1314) Pat.R.Edw.II238 : Richard Thumbe.
- (1327) Nickname in LuSE 55189 : Will. Whitthomb.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. thumb.