Middle English Dictionary Entry
u n.
Entry Info
| Forms | u n. |
| Etymology |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. v n.
1.
(a) The letter u of the alphabet, or its sound [usu. represented in writing by v];
(b) the u-section of an alphabetized list [alternating with v and w].
Associated quotations
a
- c1175 Stw.57 Abecedarium (Stw 57)450 : T: te; V: u; Xx: ex.
- c1400 Daniel *Herbal (Arun 42)f.35v : Modirwort: Lewed folk þat in manye wordes conne no ryȝt sownyng, but ofte shortyn wordes & changyn lettrys & silablys, þey coruptyn þe 'o' into 'u' & 'd' into 'g' & syncopyn, i. smytyn awey 'i' & 'r' & seyn 'mugwort.'
- ?c1400 Sloane SSecr.(Sln 213)16/8 : Acounte þe letteres of þo names by þe noumbre of þis suyng Abece…A: 1, B: 4, C: 4…T: 2, V: 2, X: 3, Z: 4.
- a1425 Tit.Alphabet in MP 87 (Tit D.18)267 : Alphabetum Anglicum…t, te; u; x, ix.
- c1450 Trin-C.Accedence (Trin-C O.5.4)36/190 : The fourthe declynson is of the which the genityf case singuler endyth in -vs…the ablatyf in -v.
- c1460 Erly in a someristide (Dub 432)154/13 : There was an v and thre arres to gydre…of which I shal reherse.
- a1484 Treat.7 Lib.Arts (Trin-C R.14.52)1039/65,75 : We shuln vndirstonde the nature of…the v vowels, the whiche han divers placis…of their generacioun…the first letter a…is in figure like a triangle; or ellis it is contrarie wise and than is v caused, and his figure is turned and hath contrarie situacioun…bicause that the place of the complete generacioun of the letter a is bifore the place of e, the place of e bifore i, and i bifore o, and…o…bifore…v, therfor thiese vowels be so ordeyned a e i o v.
b
- c1425 Wycl.Concord.in Spec.43 (Roy 17.B.1)271 : If þee list fynde þis text, ‘womman lo þi sone’, if þou fynde it not in ‘s’ in þis word ‘sone’, þou shalt fynde it in ‘v’, in þis word ‘womman’.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)630/12 : Of þe lettre V [*Ch.(1): Medicynez bigynnyng by V]…Vua passa…Vmbelicus…Vrtica…Vryn, [etc.].