Middle English Dictionary Entry

wel adv.
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Entry Info

Forms wel adv. Also wel(l)e, whel, wil, wil(l)e, wiel, wol(e, woel, wal(e, vel, (early) wæl(le, wuel & wēl(e, wẹ̄l(e & (?error) wellen, (errors) we, þel; comp. weller. For forms weil(e, velle, ȝele see LALME 4.276-7.
Etymology OE wel, weol, (Nhb.) woel. The word wel has meanings that persist regardless of the word it modifies, and where broad categorizations of its semantic range are possible, it has been so defined. But it is more commonly used to indicate the successful accomplishment of the action indicated by the verb it accompanies, and its meaning in such cases is largely contextual.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

Note: Cp. wella adv.
1a.
In accord with standards of conduct or character, specif.: (a) as a good or holy person, in accordance with God’s law or will, virtuously; uprightly, morally; don (liven, werken) ~; dien (enden) ~, etc., to die in a state of virtue or grace; (b) in a fit manner or to an appropriate end, rightly;—esp. with verbs of using or spending; also, allowably, legitimately; (c) in the customary or prescribed fashion, properly; in accord with orthodox doctrine or practice; (d) nobly; with resolve or courage, valiantly; also, patiently; (e) inf. or impv. phrase as noun: do (don) ~, acting or living in accordance with God’s will; the state of living thus, virtue; also person.; se (sei, go, etc.) ~, the virtuous or appropriate use of sight (speech, locomotion, etc.);—used as person.; also in names attributed to Pope Benedict XI [last quot.]; (f) in proverbs and prov. expressions.
Show 64 Quotations
1b.
In comb. with selected participles, gerunds, and agent nouns: (a) with past participles and adjectives in -ed: ~ bileved, orthodox; ~ condiciouned (norished), virtuous; ~ done, q.v.; ~ governed (disposed, ordeined, reuled); ~ idon; ~ imanered (manered); ~ named, having a good reputation; also, as noun: a person of good repute [quot. 1460]; ~ sette, q.v.; ~ spoken, properly or courteously said;—used iron.; ~ tached; ~ theued (itheued, itouen); (b) with present participles: ~ doinge, q.v.; ~ fightinge (servinge), doughty; ~ livinge, virtuous; also, as noun: the righteous ones; ~ meninge, upright; ~ settinge ppl., q.v.; ~ sufferinge (tholinge); ~ thinkinge; ~ werkinge; (c) with gerunds: ~ bering, prowess; ~ doinge, q.v.; ~ kepinge, rigorous adherence; ~ livinge (werkinge); (d) with agent nouns: ~ doer, q.v.; ~ governour, one who rules as he ought.
Show 39 Quotations
2a.
(a) Kindly; charitably; don ~, to act benevolently; willen ~, be of good will, be benevolent; as ~ as; (b) favorably; demen (leten) ~ of, tellen ~ to, to adjudge (sb., oneself, or sth.) favorably, hold in high regard, esteem; (c) in phrase: greten ~, to greet (sb.) kindly or heartily; often used in greeting formulas: ich (we) grete you ~, etc.
Show 33 Quotations
2b.
In comb. with selected participles, nouns, gerund, and adjective: ~ bithought, favorably disposed; ~ chered, cheerful; ~ disposed; ~ herted; ~ named (alloued), reputable, well reputed; ~ received (underfongen); ~ willed, q.v.; ~ willer, q.v.; ~ willi, q.v.; ~ willinge ger. [see wel-willing(e ger. (a) & (d)]; ~ willinge ppl., q.v.; ~ willingnesse, q.v.; ~ wilnes, q.v.; ~ wilninge.
Show 15 Quotations
3a.
(a) Carefully, attentively; also, prudently; (b) faithfully, conscientiously; also, scrupulously; ~ wonen, q.v.; (c) watchfully, closely [sometimes difficult to distinguish from (a)]; also, cautiously, circumspectly.
Show 47 Quotations
3b.
In comb. with selected participles and gerund: (a) with past participles: ~ assaied (itried, proved, etc.); ~ avised, prudent, careful, deliberate; ~ attended to, closely examined; ~ besheued; ~ soght; (b) with gerund: ~ witiinge, a careful guarding.
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4a.
(a) Accurately, exactly; rightly, truly; (b) aptly, fittingly; congruently; also, freely; accorden (semen, sitten, etc.) ~; as ~…as; (c) sincerely, genuinely; (d) with reason; clearly, conclusively; also, shrewdly, perceptively; sen (sheuen, witen, etc.) ~; (e) in proverbs.
Show 55 Quotations
4b.
In comb. with selected participles: (a) with past participles: ~ avised; ~ biset (disposed), aptly placed; ~ chosen (piked); ~ imotet (weien); ~ named; ~ seid, apt; ~ sen (preved, understonden, etc.), evident, clear; ~ shapen; (b) with present participles: ~ according; ~ felinge, sensible, wise; also, as noun: wise people; ~ sittinge, proper, befitting; well chosen; also, nicely executed.
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5a.
(a) In accordance with the standards of an art or a craft; adeptly, proficiently; as ~ as; (b) in accordance with the standards of a profession, skillfully; also, effectively; as ~ as.
Show 26 Quotations
5b.
In comb. with selected participles, gerund, and agent noun: (a) with past participles and adjectives in -ed: ~ biset (idight, etc.); ~ imaked (iwrohte, etc.); ~ langaged (spoken, etc.), fluent; eloquent; ~ spunne (tilled, whetted); ~ sung; (b) with present participles: ~ spekinge, eloquent; ~ techinge; (c) with gerund: ~ seiinge, eloquence; (d) with agent noun: ~ justere, a skilled or an experienced jouster.
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6a.
Elegantly, attractively; also, sweetly, pleasantly; savouren (smellen) ~.
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6b.
In comb. with selected participles: (a) with past participles and adjectives in -ed: ~ appareilled (arraied, etc. ); ~ biset (imade, ishapen, etc.), of good build, proportions, or form; ~ chered (visaged, etc.), attractive; ~ savoured (souned, etc.), pleasant; (b) with present participles: ~ drinkinge (savouringe, smakinge, souninge, etc.), pleasant to the senses; ~ sittinge, attractive, elegant; ~ smellinge, good smelling; also, as noun: fragrant substances [quot. a1450].
Show 35 Quotations
7a.
(a) Prosperously; fortunately, felicitously; also, safely; also, successfully, profitably; don (faren) ~; ~ faren, q.v.; (b) with verbs of succeeding, thriving, etc.;—sometimes used pleonastically; (c) in expressions of good will and valedictions: ~ mot ye fare, fare ~, etc., farewell; ~ him bitide, etc., well may it befall him, etc.; god bringe you ~ hom, god yeve you thider ~ to winnen, etc., may God bring you safely home (there), etc.; (d) in proverbs and prov. expressions.
Show 52 Quotations
7b.
In comb. with selected participles, gerund, and noun: (a) with past participles: ~ bigon (boren, fortuned, etc.); (b) with present participle, gerund, and noun: ~ faringe ppl., q.v.; ~ faringe ger., q.v.; ~ fare, q.v.
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8a.
(a) In a state of good health; soundly; also, so as to regain a state of good health; don (faren) ~; (b) in a manner conducive to or indicative of good health.
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8b.
In comb. with selected participles and gerunds: (a) with past participles and adjectives in -ed: ~ attempred (tempred), having balanced humors; ~ boned (brethed, complexioned, etc.); ~ disposed, physically sound, healthy; ~ imade (made); ~ witted, of sound mind; (b) with present participles: in a manner consistent with good health; (c) with gerunds: ~ etinge (goinge), healthy eating (moving).
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9a.
Without difficulty or hindrance, readily, easily; as ~…as, as easily…as.
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9b.
In comb. with selected participles: (a) with past participles: ~ sounede (traced), easily sounded (tracked); (b) with present participles: ~ renninge (trottinge, etc.), easily running (trotting, etc.).
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10a.
(a) Amply, abundantly; richly, generously, liberally; in full, in the prescribed or proper amount; (b) copiously, easily; (c) in large amount, greedily.
Show 26 Quotations
10b.
In comb. with selected participles: ~ accompanied; ~ armed (horsed, iarmed, wepened, etc.); ~ bering, fertile; ~ dieted (fed, norished, etc.); ~ enhabited (icharged, manned, etc.); ~ furnished (purveied, warnished, etc.); ~ paied [see wel-paied ppl. (b) & (c)].
Show 22 Quotations
11a.
(a) Thoroughly; to a considerable degree;—used with verbs denoting an incremental process; (b) fully, completely; as ~ as; ~ and far, ?fully and far; ?to a considerable distance; (c) sufficiently, satisfactorily; also, with considerable effectiveness; (d) in depth, intimately; with great familiarity; ~ as.
Show 58 Quotations
11b.
In comb. with selected participles, gerunds, and related noun: (a) with participles: ~ clarified (cured, polished, thouen, etc.); ~ ilered (lerned, lettred, taught, etc.); ~ paied [see wel-paied ppl. (a)]; ~ strikinge; (b) with gerunds and noun: ~ helinge, skillful concealment;—used as person.; ~ paidenesse, q.v.; ~ susteninge, sustenance, support.
Show 32 Quotations
12.
(a) Firmly, securely; ~ setten, q.v.; (b) in comb. with selected participles and gerund: ~ bilded (covered, wrought, etc.); ~ ihote; ~ knitte (teied); ~ settinge ger., q.v.
Show 10 Quotations
13.
As a rough indication of measure;—used with adjectives, adverbs, numerals, adv. phrases, etc.: (a) in expressions of quantity or duration: at least, no less than; also as intensive; ~ fele (mani), a good many; ~ (half) a dai; ~ four and twenti thousand (a ten or twelve, a thre mile, etc.); ~ of fiftene winter, a good fifteen years; ~ the lengthe of a mile, for a good twenty minutes (the time it takes to walk a mile), for a long stretch of time; (b) in expressions of quantity, duration, or extent: about, with close approximation, almost; also, only;—often used with merely intensive force, where the exact meaning is dependent upon the context; ~ abouten, approximately; ~ feue, very few; ~ iwher (ai-wher), nearly everywhere [see also iwher adv.]; (c) with temporal or spatial adverbs: very; with adv. prep. phrases: very much; ~ biforen; ~ longe (oft, sone).
Show 53 Quotations
14a.
Used to intensify the positive cast of verbs, often merely emphatic [the precise gloss is largely contextual]: (a) with verbs of emotion: greatly; devotedly; so as to induce an improved state of mind; as ~ as; (b) with verbs denoting belief, perception, etc.: confidently; surely; also, certainly; also, acutely; (c) with verbs denoting knowledge: assuredly; also, as a commonplace; also in tags: ich knou ~, ich wot (ful) ~, wit thou ~, etc.; (d) with verbs denoting obligation, deserving, etc.: duly; indeed; as ~…as, as ~ or muche rathere; (e) in proverbs.
Show 84 Quotations
14b.
In comb. with selected participles, gerunds, nouns, and adjective: (a) with past participles: ~ adaunted; ~ biloved, q.v.; ~ contented (apaied, esed, etc.); ~ knouen, generally known; ~ loved; ~ quemed, q.v.; (b) with present participles: ~ likinge, well-favored; also, gratified; ~ plesinge; ~ quemand, q.v.; ~ seinge, visually acute; (c) with gerunds: ~ likinge (plesinge), good will; also, pleasure; ~ queming, q.v.; (d) with nouns and adjective: ~ queme n., q.v.; ~ queme adj., q.v.; ~ quemenesse, q.v.
Show 27 Quotations
15.
(a) Used to intensify the sense of likelihood or contingency: possibly, haply; likely; I dare say, granted; also used to intensify the sense of choice; (b) in phrases: mouen ~ with, to bear up well under (labor), be possessed of stamina; might as ~ (…as, mot as ~…as, might as well (do sth.); might as well (do sth. as do sth. else).
Show 16 Quotations
16.
As intensifier: (a) with adverbs: to a full or considerable degree, considerably; wholly, entirely; ?also, excessively, too;—often used with merely emphatic force; (b) with adjectives: wholly, utterly, altogether; genuinely; truly, indeed, beyond question;—often used merely for emphasis; also, very, exceedingly, to a considerable degree; rather, quite; (c) with comp. adverbs and adjectives: much, considerably;—occas. with comp. adjective as noun; also, with comp. adverbs or adjectives and intervening the adv.: ~ the werse (bettre, more, etc.), considerably the worse (better, greater, etc.); (d) with prep. phrases: indeed, certainly; very much [the precise gloss is largely contextual]; ~ at (on) ese; (e) in selected adv. phrases and combs.: ~ afine, thoroughly [see also afine adv. (b)]; ~ ataunt, very much to excess; ~ awei, with comp.: far and away, very much; ~ forthe, far along; ~ inough [see inough adv. (c)]; ~ neigh, q.v.; ~ neigh-hondes, nearly; ~ ner, q.v.; ~ toward, very nearly; ~ unethe, scarcely at all, barely; with great difficulty; also, very nearly; ~ ~, very well [with 2nd occurrence belonging to various senses]; ~ yet, almost, well-nigh.
Show 105 Quotations
17.
(a) Used to initiate an utterance, acknowledgement, or a response, usu. with reduced semantic force and sometimes perh. conveying acquiescence, skepticism, or concession: fine, that’s all very well; to be sure; quite; ~ thanne; nou ~; (b) as interj., denoting triumph, discovery, or accusation: aha; ~ ~; (c) ~ found, well met.
Show 21 Quotations
18.
In certain set phrases: (a) as ~ as (so), in addition to, as well as, and also;—used to denote the inclusion of one thing with another; (b) as ~…as, both…and; not only…but also; (c) as ~, also; likewise; ?also, in addition to (sth.) [last quot.]; (d) ~ and fine, thoroughly; also with reduced semantic force as rime tag;—may represent a reanalysis of ~ afine [see sense 16.(e)]; (e) get the ~, get a move on; (f) leven ~ inough, to leave well enough alone.
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19.
(a) In surnames; (b) in ship name.
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