Middle English Dictionary Entry

brid n.
Quotations: Show all Hide all

Entry Info

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1a.
(a) A bird of any kind; briddes and bestes; (b) brid of prai, a bird of prey; ~ of gentris, a noble bird; ~ of plesaunce, a bird used in the sport of hunting; feld ~, wild fowl; (c) a bird as food.
1b.
The representation of a bird (as embroidered on cloth).
1c.
Proverbs and sayings: (a) blithe (jolif, light) as brid, gay as a bird; (b) on beteth the bush, another has brid; (c) a brid in honde, etc.; (d) miscellaneous.
2.
(a) A winged insect, such as a bee; (b) a fabulous winged creature, such as the Phoenix, a Harpy, etc.
3a.
(a) The young of a bird, fledgling, nestling, chick; (b) the young of other animals; (c) a babe or child.
3b.
(a) As a term of endearment: sweetheart; (b) as a term of disparagement: a wretch, a fiend; lither ~, warlau ~, develes ~, etc.
4.
Alch. Used fig. for volatile substances.
5.
Cpds. (a) ~ bolt, a bolt for shooting birds; ~ broche, ~ spit, a spit for roasting birds; ~ conjurer, ~ diviner, an augur; ~ lim, birdlime; (b) brid(des-nest, the wild carrot Daucus carota; briddes tonge, the pimpernel, prob. burnet-saxifrage Pimpinella saxifraga; also, the greater stitchwort Stellaria holostea; also one of the larkspurs, perhaps forking larkspur Consolida regalis; (c) in surnames.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • a1500 MS Arun 272 in Halliwell D.850 : Brydswete or tank [read: tauk]. Hit hath leves lyke to hemlok and a quite flower. The vertu therof is that hit [is] gud to hele the dropey and bytynge of venemes bestus.
  • Note: New compound.
    Note: This quot. belongs to sense 5.(b).
    Note: Modify existent compound and gloss "brid(des-nest, the wild carrot (Daucus carota)": brid(des-nest, ~ swete or perh. briddes wete (?error for brid)des-nest), the wild carrot (Daucus carota).
  • a1450 Dur-CRO.Bk.Hawking (Dur-CRO Roll D/X/76/7)26/90 : When þu come þer, tak þi fesaunt and lat a man sit in a buse with þi fesaunt a litill fro þin hawke als fer as þu may schote a brid-bolt.
  • Note: Additional quot. for sense 5.(a) (for compound ~ bolt).
  • c1450(c1415) Roy.Serm.(Roy 18.B.23)239/5 : Trewly birdes raueners, when þei die, þei be cast awey vppon þe myddynges as no þinge of valew, bot þe birdes þat þei dud þer raueeyn too ben born to lordes tables.
  • Note: New collocation for sense 1.(b).
    Note: Gloss: briddes ravinour, a bird of prey, predatory bird.
  • a1500 Terms Assoc.(4) (Dgb 196)232 : A pype of bryddes.
  • Note: New sense for sense 1a.(d).
    Note: Gloss: (d) as term of association: a pipe of briddes, a flock of birds.

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • c1300 Add.15236 Recipes(1) (Add 15236)225.1 : Pocio pro plagis curandis: Accipe..summitates veprium rubeorum..millefolium, linguam avis, i. bridistunge vel stichewrt.
Note: Additional quot. for sense 5.(b) (for collocation briddes tonge).

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.92rb (3.6) : 'Viscus' is birdlym and þerof comeþ 'viscosus' (anglice: ropand and cleuand togedre).
Note: Antedates cpd., sense 5.(a). ?Perh. expand birdlime def. Editor's gloss: 'sticky substance spread on twigs for catching birds'. Cf. OED bird-lime, n.