Middle English Dictionary Entry
blō adj.
Entry Info
| Forms | blō adj. Also bla, bloe, bloi, ble. |
| Etymology | ON & OF; cp. OI blā-r & OF blo, bloi. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. bleu.
1.
(a) Of the body: dark, discolored, black-and-blue, livid; fig. livid with anger; ~ stroke, a bruise; (b) as ~ as (eni) led, as livid as lead; blak and ~, ~ and wan, black-and-blue, livid; ~ and blodi, bruised and bloody; ~ and red, livid and red, bruised and bloody; pale and ~, pale and wan; (c) pale, ashen.
Associated quotations
a
- a1350 Maximian (Hrl 2253)212 : Y waxe blo & cold.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)36b/a : If þis humour ['unnatural' melancholy] haue maistrye..þe colour of þe skyn chaungiþ in to þe blake or into bloo colour [L in nigredinem vel liuorem].
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)35a/b : Signez [of melancolious apostemez]..beþ..colours in middez of rede & of blak..Many of lechez calleþ þe colour forsoþ liuid or bloo [*Ch.(2): wan; L lividum].
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)16509 : Licomede wex blo of blod, When he these wordes vndirstod.
- c1440(a1350) Isumb.(Thrn)311 : Thay..bett hym tille his rybbis braste And made his flesche fulle blaa [rime: slaa, waa, fraa].
- a1450(a1400) Medit.Pass.(2) (Add 11307)641 : His face wex bliech, his lippes bloo [rime: þoo].
- a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290)481/45 : Þat blissid body blo is and bolned for betyng.
- a1450 WBible(2) (Corp-C 147)Ex.21.25 : A wan wounde, that is a bloo stroke, for a wan wounde [L livorem pro livore].
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)15a : Bla: liuidus.
b
- c1300 Body & S.(5) (LdMisc 108)p.43 : Me þat ligge here so blo and blac.
- c1330 Horn Child (Auch)76 : Sides þai made blo & wan Þat er wer white.
- ?a1425(?c1350) NHom.(3) Pass.(RwlPoet 175)2803 : Þe blode brast out both bla and rede.
- c1390 Ihesu þi swetnes (Vrn)65 : His sydes blo and blodi were.
- a1475 As Reson Rywlyde (Hrl 3954)28 : Seist þu noȝt me, Thi karefulle moder blo & wanme [read: wanne]?
- a1475 As Reson Rywlyde (Hrl 3954)43 : Nowe ligiȝt he ded, boþe blok & blo.
- (a1438) MKempe A (Add 61823)69/34 : Sche wex as blo as any leed.
- a1450 Castle Persev.(Folg V.a.354)2220 : I am al betyn blak & blo.
- c1450(a1425) MOTest.Antiochus (SeldSup 52)st.10 : So lay he bolnand, blo als led.
- c1450 *Bonav.Medit.(4) (MSU 1)p.48 : Þe woundis of hys scorgeyng blo and wayn as any lede.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)311/1141 : Lo mary modyr..here is þi son, blody and bloo.
- c1475 There stood (Trin-C R.3.21)80 : To se her chylde..hang there dede, boþe pale & blo.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)268/327 : To se my barne..Bett as blo as lede.
- a1500 Mirror Salv.(Beeleigh)p.158 : When [Joseph of Aramathye] hym layde in thyn armys..Colde, dede, bla and blody.
- a1500 X for crystes (StJ-C S.54)p.53 : Crist..With hys wondys rede & bloo.
c
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)90a : Te sawle þe wes bla & nefde bute dead heow.
- a1300 I syke (Dgb 2)24 : He se his bodi colde, his ble waxit alle bloe [rime: two, woe].
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)40 : Bloo coloure: luridus.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)15a : Bla: pale.
2.
(a) Of objects: bluish grey, lead- or ash-colored; dark (reflecting little light); also fig.; blak & blo, utterly dark; (b) tawny; of hair: blond; (c) blo erthe, potter's clay.
Associated quotations
a
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)3.97 : That fyre shal falle, and berne al to blo askes.
- c1400(?c1380) Patience (Nero A.10)134 : Ewrus & Aquiloun..Blowes boþe at my bode vpon blo watteres.
- c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)83 : Þe sunnebemez [weren] bot blo and blynde In respecte of þat adubbement.
- c1440(a1350) Isumb.(Thrn)215 : Thay sawe stormes bloo.
- c1450(c1380) Chaucer HF (Benson-Robinson)1647 : A smoke gan out wende..Blak, bloo, grenyssh, swartish red As doth where that men melte led.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)559 : Alle flames þe flode..Nowe briȝt, nowe blaa.
- a1500(c1386) St.Erk.(Hrl 2250)290 : I was non of þe nombre þat þou with noy boghtes With þe blode of thi bodi upon þe blo rode.
- a1500 SLeg.Pass.(Vsp A.3)958/28 : Þe son wex blak & bloo.
b
- a1450 Parton.(1) (UC C.188)9398 : His here was bloy, Imedeled some dele Wyth whytte heres.
- a1500(a1450) Parton.(1) (Add 35288)5156 : xviij yere she wes of age..Hyr here was bloye, streyghte wes hur nose.
- a1500 Hal.Gloss.(Eg 829)8 : Fulvus: bloo.
c
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)40 : Blo erye [vr. blee erth]: Argilla.
3.
Of persons: black or blackish in color, dark-skinned; blak & ~, very black, quite black.
Associated quotations
- c1330(?a1300) Tristrem (Auch)2976 : Þo seiȝe þai..beliagog al blo.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)8073 : Four sarzins..Blac and bla [Trin-C: blo] als led þai war.
- a1450 Castle Persev.(Folg V.a.354)931 : Syr Belyal blak & blo [rime: goo, foo].
- c1450(c1400) Sultan Bab.(Gar 140)1005 : Thre hundred thousand of Sarsyns..Some bloo, some yolowe, some blake as more.
4.
Sad, sorrowful, blue.
Associated quotations
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)637 : God..Taunede him..Reinbowe, men cleped, reed and blo.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.173 : Þe sailes..som were blak & blo, Som were rede & grene.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Merlin (Corp-C 80)10220 : Bloye breteygne hit was clepyd..and why bloye..For here hertes bothe blw and blak they were..for here frendis dethis.
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)2660 : Foure sayles were þertoo, Ȝelew and grene, rede and bloo.
- a1500(?a1400) Morte Arth.(2) (Hrl 2252)151 : Armys of one hewe, Rede or white, yelew or bloo.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)147 : The mene peple cleped it the bloy bretaigne, ffor that her hertes and her thoughtes were so bloy and so blake for theire frendes that thei hade so loste.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)307 : Kynge Vortiger of the bloy mountayne [F bloie bertaigne].
5.
Associated quotations
- (1220) CRR(2) 8312 : Robertus Blofot.
- (1277) Close R.Edw.I370 : Richard Blofot.
- (1288) Pat.R.Edw.I310 : Matthew Blaberd.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1400 Trin-C O.9.39 Recipes (Trin-C O.9.39) 50/2 : Medle hem al togidres with þe juysse of a turnesole or ells with the juysse of blo flour in corn, and..put hem in..a gode large jurdan of glas.
- a1500 Trin-C.R.14.45 Recipes (Trin-C R.14.45) 133/1 : Take þe pouder of lyme..and grynde hit with þe juse of the blo flourys on a stone, þanne drye hit up and grynde hit ageyn.
Note: ?New cpd. ~ flour prob. = 'cornflower Centaurea cyanus'. Cf. OED corn-flower, n.
- ?c1450 Iff a man (Stockh 10.90)317/395 : Parwynke is an erbe grene of colour, In tyme of may he beryth blo flour.
Note: ?New sense = 'blue', or ?modify sense 2.(a) to include 'blue'.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.25vb (2.2) : When blak vryn seiþ mortificacioun, þan went blo vryn byforne þat blak vryn.
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.29va (2.3) : Blo colour in vryn is moste betwene white colour and blak colour, hauand vnneþes more of blak þan of white vppon ymaginacioun.
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.33rb (2.3) : Somtyme þe vryn is blo mykel like a draght of lede wiþ a plum in papir or in a perchemyne lef, and swich blohed euermor seiþ mortificacioun.
Note: ?New sense. Editor's gloss: 'of urine: lead-coloured'.
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.28vb (2.2) : If þe ey-liddes wax blo; and his nose waxe scharp & þenne & wronge..if his ey wax holwe and derk and dym and gastly lokand: alle þise ar tokenes of deþ.
Note: Need date, sense 1.(a). Editor's gloss: 'of the body or parts of the body: bruise-coloured, livid, black-and-blue'.