Middle English Dictionary Entry
whāle n.
Entry Info
| Forms | whāle n. Also whal(le, wale, wal(le, huel-, qwal, quale, qual(le, (N) quail(le & (early) hwæl(e, hwel & (errors) swale, knelle; gen. whales, etc. & whallus, (error) swalles. |
| Etymology | OE hwæl, oblique hwæl-, hwal- & hwæla; forms in s- may be the result of assimilation with a preceding as, but cp. L squalus a kind of sea fish. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Any large marine mammal of the order Cetacea; also, the Biblical fish which swallowed Jonah; ~ oile, the oil obtained from whale blubber, whale oil;
(b) the Biblical Leviathan, a sea monster usu. taken to signify or embody evil;
(c) the whale or a similar fish as used for food; also, the meat of the whale.
Associated quotations
a
- a1150(OE) Vsp.D.Hom.(Vsp D.14)120/33 : God þa gearcode ænne hwæl, & he forswealh þone witega, & abær hine to þan lande…& hine þære ut aspeaw.
- c1175(OE) Bod.Aelfric OT (Bod 343)44/676 : Ionas…ðreo niht wæs innan ðam hwæle, & þe hwæl hine bær to Niniuea burig.
- a1300 Bestiary (Arun 292)598 : Panter…is blac so bro of qual [rime: al].
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)1495 : A gastlich best he was to mete He hadde a bodi as a whal [rime: helle].
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Job 7.12 : Am I þe se or a whal, for ȝee han enuyrowned me with a prisoun?
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sum.(Manly-Rickert)D.1930 : They been lyk Iouynyan, Fat as a whale [vrr. qualle, swale] and walkyng as a swan.
- (a1398) Trev.Barth.(Add 27944:Seymour)685/35, 686/5 : Þe whale is yclepede cete for hugenesse of body…And when þe whale hungreþ sore, he casteþ out of his mouþe a vapoure þat smelleþ as þe smelle of ambra.
- a1400(c1300) NHom.(1) Gosp.(Phys-E)p.136 : Riche men…etes That pouer wit thair trauail getes, For wit pouer men fares the kinge, Riht als the quale fars wit the elringe.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)9a/a : Balena: a whale [Cnt: walle].
- (1435-6) in Heath Grocers418 : Paid for costis, ffreight, cariage, wharvage & pilyng up of ii shippes of waloill, conteynyng xlviijo iii v oyll.
- a1450(1408) Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)169/19 : Þe see muskeles þogh þe ben litel ȝit doth þei grete esement ofte to þe grete baleyne or whaale.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)101a : A Qwayll [Monson: A Qwaylle]: cetus, cete.
- a1500(a1450) Ashmole SSecr.(Ashm 396)106/6 : Whan the mouthe to moche is, and to grete, it shewith a gloton…for such mouthes have whales of the see.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)119/105 : She is as greatt as a whall; She has a galon of gall.
- a1500 GRom.(Glo 42)763/22 : A gret wale folowed þe schyppe for to defowre þe mayde.
- a1500 Lo here is (Tan 407)36 : I se in þe gret see ther shyppys euer seylyng…and se the qwall fyght.
b
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Is.27.1 : In þat dai…he shal sleen þe whal þat is in þe se.
- a1450 WBible(2) Gloss.Job (Lamb 1033)40.20 : [Roy: Whether thou schalt mowe drawe out leuyathan] that is, a whal, that signefieth the fend [with an hook].
- a1475 Asneth (Hnt EL 26.A.13)392 : Deliuere me, lord, fro his powere & fro his mouth me drawe, Lest on happe he rauesshe me ant sle me, þat grett whale, That ys acursyd eternally.
c
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)753-5 : He tok þe sturgiun and þe qual And þe turbut and lax with-al; He tok þe sele and þe hwel [rime: wel]…Him and his genge wel he fedde.
- a1475 Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011)582 : Whale, Swerdfysche, purpose, dorray, rosted wele…cut in þe dische as youre lord etethe at meele.
- a1475 Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011)837 : Vynegur is good to salt purpose & torrentyne…Salt Thurlepolle, salt whale is good with egre wyne.
2.
The hard white substance composing whalebone, walrus or narwhal tusks, etc., ivory; whale(s bon, bon of ~;—freq. used in conventional comparisons.
Associated quotations
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)1182 : He…hehte hine faren to þon tune þe Trinouant wes ihaten…þe walles of stone, þe duren of whales [Otho: wales] bone.
- a1350 Most i ryden (Hrl 2253)67 : Hire gurdel of bete gold is al…þe bocle is al of whalles bon; þer wiþinne stont a ston.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)2429 : Þan liþ sche þer, þat swete þynge, as whit as wales bon.
- c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)212 : I seȝ…Her semblaunt sade…Her ble more blaȝt þen whallez bon.
- c1440(a1400) Eglam.(Thrn)1086 : Gud sir, we pray, gyf þat we myghte, Of ȝowre nece hafe a syghte, Es whytte as þe bone of qwalle.
- a1450 Rich.(Cai 175/96:Weber)62 : Another schip they countryd thoo…All it was whyt of huel-bon [vr. knelle bone] And every nayl with gold begrave.
- a1450 St.Etheldr.(Fst B.3)688 : Cynfrey past forthe þo by an olde walle…at þe last he saye where a ston lay as whytte as whall.
- c1450(?a1370) Winner & W.(Add 31042)181 : The sexte es of sendell and so are þay alle, Whitte als the whalles bone.
- a1475 Lovely lordynges (Brog 2.1)p.4 : The towres shal be of every, Clene corvene by and by, The dore of whallus bone.
- a1500(?a1400) Torrent (Chet 8009)794 : A knyghtes dowghttyr wase hyme bed Ase whyt ase swalles [read: walles] bone.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)3055 : Hir tethe…tryetly were set, Alse qwyte & qwem as any qwalle bon.
3.
In surnames.
Associated quotations
- (1249) in Reaney Dict.Br.Surnames377 : Hugh le Whal’.
- (1296) Sub.R.Sus.in Sus.RS 1030 : Barth. Qualbat.