Middle English Dictionary Entry

briǧǧe n.
Quotations: Show all Hide all

Entry Info

Forms briǧǧe n. Also brugge, bregge. Pl. briǧǧes, etc.; (early) bruǧǧen.
Etymology OE brycge

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

1.
(a) A bridge (as over a stream); ~ of ston, tre, timber; ~ of bareles, barges, shippes, a pontoon bridge; ~ of London, London ~, etc.; (b) a drawbridge (as over the moat of a fortified city or a castle); drauen the ~, lower or raise the bridge; breiden, don, leten doun the ~, lower; breiden, drauen, winden up the ~, raise.
Show 75 Quotations
2.
Special uses: (a) a bridge or gangway of an assault tower; (b) a gangway for landing, or for boarding a ship; (c) a dock or landing platform; (d) a framework; (e) the bridge of a string instrument; (f) the bridge (of the nose); (g) the arch (of the heavens).
Show 11 Quotations
3.
Cpds. (a) brigge-bote, ~ silver, a customary service or payment for keeping bridges in good repair; (b) ~ ende, ~ fot, head of or entrance to a bridge; ~ gate, gate or entrance of a bridge; ~ hous, a house or tower at, or over, the entrance of a bridge; ~ huthe [cp. hithe], a harbor or landing place at a bridge; (c) ~ maister, ~ ward, custodian or warden of a bridge; ~ warde, custodianship or guarding of a bridge.
Show 28 Quotations
4.
In names: brigge-ende, ~ greve, ~ lane, ~ man, ~ wer, ~ wright, fen ~. [See also Smith PNElem. 1.54.]
Show 26 Quotations

Supplemental Materials (draft)

  • c1390 Disp.Virg.& Cross (Vrn)146 : I was piler and bar a brugge..God seiþ he is soþfast weye.
  • ?a1425 Orch.Syon (Hrl 3432)68/1 : Þi sone..was doon vpon þe rode tre for me..Of þe which sone þou madist a brigge to me.
    • Note: New sense for 1.(a).
    Note: Add "also fig. [quots. 1374 & ?a1425]."
  • (1374) MSS Beverley in HMC ()69 : [It is ordained by the Keepers of the town of Beverley..that each of them should take for one horse load..to the] Crossbig [3/4 d.]
    • Note: New form: Also..(in name) -big.
    Note: Quot. belongs to sense 4.
Note: The list of variant spellings in the form section may be incomplete and / or may need revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED.--notes per MLL

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. bridge.

©2025 Regents of the University of Michigan. For details about this collection's copyright see the MEC copyright statement and the U-M Library Copyright Policy. Data last refreshed Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 12:18:00.