Middle English Dictionary Entry
tollen v.(1)
Entry Info
| Forms | tollen v.(1) Also tol(le, tole, tolli, (pseudo-N) tulle & (error) telle; sg.3 tolleth, etc. & tollet, (error) telles; p. tolled(e, tolde; ppl. itolled, ? tolled, ? told(e. |
| Etymology | Prob. OE *tollian (cp. betyllan, fortyllan & ME tillen v.(3)). Sense 2. could also be construed as ME toilen v., with oi = ō̆ before l; cp. mollen v., oil(e n., soil n.(1). |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) To draw (sb.), lead; attract (sb.); ppl. tolling, leading; (b) to beckon [quot. c1300, 3rd]; beguile (sb., a bird, an animal), lure, entice [sometimes difficult to distinguish from (a)]; also, beckon (sb.); ppl. tolling as adj.: enticing; (c) to draw forth (tears), bring forth; also, stretch out to (a number of yards) [last quot.; some vrr. may belong to tellen v. 17.(h)]; (d) to incite (sb. to do sth.), urge.
Associated quotations
a
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)149/8 : Ne sei þu nawt slepinde, 'Ame, dogge, ga her ut. Hwet wult tu nu her inne?' Þis tolleð him inward.
- c1300 SLeg.Little Jew (Hrl 2277)32 : Þe faire womman þat ich at churche iseȝ & stod vp an heȝ bi þe croiȝ..Me þoȝte heo stod vpe þe weued & tollede me þerto.
- a1325(?c1300) Caiphas (Sln 2478)6 : Blysful and blyþe ȝee mowe boe Such a prelat her y-soe I-tolled to þis trome.
- c1390 Talking LGod (Vrn)6/3 : We vs torne þerfro as þeiȝ hit nouȝt ne weore; And bugge þe schadewe of þe world, A seynynge of þat is nouȝt, but fikel, faylynde, and fals, and tollyng to serwe.
- a1425 LOL (Wnds E.I.I)80/14 : Hou many virgins shal she tolle and drawe to þe Lord, and seie: 'Þis virgin haaþ kept clene þe bed of my sone.'
- a1425 NHom.(3) Leg.Suppl.Hrl.(Hrl 4196)88/608 : Mi mayster Peter with þe went And tolde þe to Cristes monument.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)2.pr.7.16 : It may nat drawen or tollen [L allicere] swiche hertes as ben ibrought to the ful perfeccioun of vertue.
- (c1449) Pecock Repr.(Cmb Kk.4.26)523 : The othere plesauntis and eesis of the religiosis persoones, which schulde tolle hem into religioun..ben not like and the same in alle religiouns.
- ?a1450 Macer (Stockh Med.10.91)129 : Who-so etiþ mykyll skerewhit, it wole tolle him to lecherye.
- a1475 PPl.A(1) (Ashm 1468)2.181 : Tollid [Trin-C: Pardoners hadde pite & pulden him to house].
b
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)30/18 : Nabbe ȝe nawt te nome ne ne schulen habben..of totilde ancres, ne of tollinde locunges, ne lates þet summe..uncundeliche makieð.
- c1275(?c1250) Owl & N.(Clg A.9)1627 : Me mai upone smale sticke Me sette awude ine þe wicke, An swa mai mon tolli him to Lutle briddes & iuo.
- a1300 Bestiary (Arun 292)430 : Ðis deuel is mikel wið wil & magt So witches hauen in here craft; He..tolleð men to him wið his onde; wo so him folegeð he findeð sonde.
- c1300 SLeg.Mich.(LdMisc 108)304 : Þe deuel..ful wide..cast is eiȝe Ȝif he may ani man i-seo þat toward him wole drawe; he bi-guynnez a-non for-to tolli him, ase man doth his felawe.
- c1300 SLeg.Mich.(LdMisc 108)306 : Ȝwane a man ne mai his felawe bringue him nere, with is hond he tollez him, ase man þat seith, 'Ich am here.'
- c1300 SLeg.Mich.(LdMisc 108)307 : Þe Deuel tollez with is hond, ase wel as doth a man.
- a1325 SLeg.Mich.(Corp-C 145)324 : Wiþ liteman, is leste finger, he ginþ him ferst to telle [Ld: tolle].
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)6.149 : Þe men of Scotland..tollede hem and drouȝ hem into streyte places bytwene hilles..and slow hym þere.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Rv.(Manly-Rickert)A.4134 : Get vs som mete and drynk and make vs cheere..With empty hand men may na haukes tulle.
- (a1398) Trev.Barth.(Add 27944:Seymour)856/10 : Bestes þat hunters may nought take wiþ rennyng of houndes þay taken and tollen to hem with þe sight and schewynge..of þis ston lapparea.
- (a1402) Trev.DCur.(Hrl 1900)58/15 : Aȝenus þe whiche heestes freres doþ, as hit semeþ, whanne þei tolleþ to hem children wiþ fraude & wiþ gile.
- a1450 Castle Persev.(Folg V.a.354)85 : He profyrth hym good and gold so gret a sowme..Þe Badde Aungyl to þe Werld tollyth hym downe.
- a1500 Peterb.Lapid.(Peterb 33)p.99 : For bestes þat may not be taked with hondes, þey taken & tollen him with þe syȝt & schynyng only of þe laparia.
c
- a1300 Loverd þi passion (Ashm 360)2 : Þe minde of þi passiun, suete ihesu, þe teres it tollid, þe heine it bolled.
- a1300 Loverd þi passion (StJ-C C.12)3 : Loverd þi passion, Who þe þenchet arist þaron, teres hit tollet.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)5.128 : Among þe riche rayes I rendrit a lessoun..putte hem in a pressour & pynnede hem þereinne Til ten ȝardis oþer twelue tollide [vrr. tollid, tolled, tolde, tolden; B: hadde tolled; vrr. hadden tollid, hadde told, hadden tolde] out þrittene.
d
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)496 : Tollyn, or mevyn, or steryn to doon [KC: to done a dede]: Incito, provoco, excito.
2.
(a) To work, labor; also, pull (sb.), drag; ~ of, pull (sb.) down; (b) to tug playfully; (c) to mix (ingredients).
Associated quotations
a
- a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290)54/281 : Full sore for-thynkyng was he That euere he made mankynde, That makis vs nowe to tole and trusse.
- a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290)482/58 : As a traytour atteynted þei toled hym and tugged hym.
- a1400 Siege Jerus.(1) (LdMisc 656)537 : Tytus tourneþ hym to, telles [vr. tollith] of þe bestes [read: beste], For-justes þe jolieste with joyned [vr. ioynyng] of werr.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)3640 : Þan preses in þe Persyns & of þe proud Medis..Tolls of þe tirantis & termynd o lyue, Seȝes doun on aithire side a sowme out of nounbre.
b
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)32/19 : Lihtliche on alre earest, wið luueliche lates..& wið plohe-speche sputte to mare, se longe þet ha toggið & tollið to-gederes.
c
- a1450 Hrl.Cook.Bk.(1) (Hrl 279)40 : Caste þer-on poudere of Gyngere & Saffroun & tolle hem to-gederys with þin hond.
3.
To sound (a peal), ring.
Associated quotations
- (1452) Doc.in Gilbert Cal.Dublin 1276 : The comone bell shuld toll iii tollis iiii tymes to warne the comones to harr semble.