Middle English Dictionary Entry
cāble n.
Entry Info
| Forms | cāble n. Also cabel, kabel, cawble, gable. Pl. cables, (early) kablen. |
| Etymology | AF cable (cp. CF chäable) & ML cabulus. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A heavy rope or cable used on a ship; esp., the anchor cable; (b) a rope; (c) ~ hok, instrument used in making cables; ~ rop, a heavy rope; ~ yarn, yarn for cables.
Associated quotations
a
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)1338 : He hihte hondlien kablen [Otho: cables], teon seiles to toppa.
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)710 : Hise ship he greyþede..þer-inne dide a ful god mast, Stronge kables.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)3102 : 'Cuþeþ ȝoure miȝte Hou ȝe mowe þis stones best to ssipe diȝte.' Hii..cables [?a1425 B: gables] vette ynowe.
- (1377-99) Oath Bk.Colchester7 : Un Cable de Bast..l gret Anker..A gret Mast.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.443 : Thanne hath the Schip tobroke his cable, With every wynd and is muable.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)418 : Hit waltered on þe wylde flod..Withouten mast..Kable oþer capstan to clyppe to her ankrez.
- c1400(?c1380) Patience (Nero A.10)102 : Then he tron on þo tres..Cachen vp þe crossayl, cables þay fasten, Wiȝt at þe wyndas weȝen her ankres.
- (1420-1) in Gras Eng.Cust.Syst.505 : De Laurentio Scotyll' pro iii barellis tarre..i parv' cable.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)55b/b : Remulcum: a cabul holdynge a shyppe.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)269 : Kable, schyppe rope: Curculia, rudens, restis.
- (1447) RParl.5.135a : They toke and led awey with theym the Rother of the Ship, the Saile..all the Cables, Ancres, Cordes, Ropes.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)2978 : Mast & sayl doun hit lusched, Cordes, kables, casteles tofrusched.
- a1450 St.Editha (Fst B.3)3449 : Alle þe Gables of þe shippe þey broston a-to.
- (1466) Acc.Howard in RC 57207 : My mastyr payd to Thomas Chateryse that maketh his cawbles, xx s.
- (1466) Acc.Howard in RC 57367 : I payd at Kales fore a kabel and a stey fore my lytel schepe.
- c1475 Guy(1) (Cai 107/176)8732 : The gret cabull brast in two..The wynde hem drofe into the see.
- c1500 PFulham (Trin-C R.3.19)p.128 : For som havens wyll no anker holde; The cablys [Jas: takelynge] crasen and begynne to ffolde.
b
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)974 : A windowe was þer in & a cabel made bi gin Forto drawen vp al þing.
- c1330(?c1300) Guy(1) (Auch)4613 : Sche come..Doun of þe castel..Bi on cable [Cai: a rope] alle sleyeliche.
- (1399) Fabric R.Yk.Min.in Sur.Soc.3518 : Item, j magna rota pro wyndyng lapidum et cementi cum iiij magnis cabels.
- (1351-2) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.100382 : It.' de cabils et cordis.
- (1366-7) *Mun.B.Bridgewater23 : Pro vna corda vocata cable.
- (1391) Acc.Exped.Der.in Camd.n.s.5249/15 : Pro iij cabul per ipsum emptis ad tractandum les prames versus le Memele.
- (1404) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.100396 : Item, in custodia Carpentarii..4 cabyll..1 crok pro cabyllys.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)56a/a : Restis: a cable.
- (1448) in Willis & C.Cambridge 1401 : For coles, ropes, cables, Barowes..and othere diuerse thinges necessarie to be purveid for the seid werkes.
- c1450(c1390) Chaucer Ven.(Benson-Robinson)33 : Jelosie be hanged be a cable!
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)2486 : Him thar noȝt drede þe deuels cabill.
- (1473-4) Acc.St.Edm.Sarum15 : In ij galons of tarre bought for the tarryng of the hempon cabul ij s.
- (?1474) Stonor1.147 : Item, yn þe Backehousse þer ys lefft..j cabulle, j axe.
- c1450(a1375) Octav.(2) (Clg A.2)44/1406 : Þe stede was broȝt out of stable; Þe bloman hym ladde with a cable.
c
- (1377-99) Oath Bk.Colchester7 : Cableyarn and Ropyarn c lb., ob.
- (1420) *For.Acc.(PRO) 3 Hen.VI L [OD col.] : vj ferra vocata Cabilhokes.
- (1420) *For.Acc.(PRO) 3 Hen.VI H dorso [OD col.] : Cabulhokes.
- 1436 *Acc.Exch.K.R.53/5.m.14 [OD col.] : De ferramentis vocatis Cabilhokes pro factura cabularum et cordarum.
- (1448-9) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.100473 : Pro 1 cabillraype emp. pro ereccione feretri, 4 s.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1450(a1425) MOTest.(SeldSup 52)14575 : Þen anbswerd Iob vnto þo thre.."Bot god þat kast me in þis cabull [rime: vn mesurabyll] may, when hym lyst, lawse yt agayn."
Note: New sense.
Note: Gloss: (d) bondage.
Note: This quot. has been taken back to books.
- ?c1460 *Medulla (Add 33534)41a/b : Curtelia: a cable [Stnh: table; Pep: tabill; Hrl 2270: funis nautarum] of tempest.
Note: New forms: Also..(errors) table, tabill.
Note: Quot. belongs to sense (a).
Note: Quot. not in (StJ-C), (Cnt), or (Hrl 1738).
Note: Editor of Pepys manuscript notes that usual gloss for 'curtilia,' which derives from 'cortis,' is 'atrium' (yard, courtyard, etc.).
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