Middle English Dictionary Entry
tǒurtelle n.
Entry Info
| Forms | tǒurtelle n. Also (?error) tortose; pl. tourtellis, tortelles. |
| Etymology | OF tortel, tourtel, torteau & L tortula, ML tortellus, tourtellus; the form tortose is apparently from misconstruction of OF pl. tourteaus, torteax, etc. as a singular. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A small round cake or bread roll; (b) her. a stylized wafer or round cake used as a heraldic device.
Associated quotations
a
- a1500 Hrl.2378 Recipes (Hrl 2378)101/20 : For þe coughe þat is called þe kynke..Take þe Ius of heyhoue, and with [?read: whit] flour of whete and medle þem to-gedere, and make ix smale tourtellis, and bake þem and ete euery day on tille alle ix be spent.
b
- (c1460) Bk.Arms in Anc.3 (Hrl 2169)193 : The feld of sabyll [with a golden chalice and a] tortose of sylvyr.
- 1486 ?Berners Bk.St.Albans (Blades 1881)her.leaf e vi/a : Off tortellys or litill Cakys in armys: Ther be also tortellis yt be litill Cakys the wich be grettir then ballys & tharmys be truly made as here it is opyn.