Middle English Dictionary Entry
caul n.
Entry Info
| Forms | caul n. Also cawel, gawel. |
| Etymology | OE cā̆wel, caul (from L caulis 'stalk, stem; cabbage, colewort') & ML caulis. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. col.
1.
(a) Cabbage, kale, colwort, rape, mustard, or some other plant of the genus Brassica; also, any cultivated leafy vegetable, garden greens, pot-herbs; (b) wilde ~, wild mustard, charlock.
Associated quotations
a
- ?c1125(?OE) Dur-C.Gloss.(Dur-C Hunter 100)125(d) : Caula: caul.
- a1300 Hrl.978 Vocab.(Hrl 978)559/4 : Caulus: cholet, kaul.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)238a/b : Caule hatte olus..Isider seiþ first men eten caul or men hadde corn and fleissh to ete..þe herbe is colde and druye and bredith þikke blood..som caule is somer caule and some is wynter caul.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)238b/a : This herbe þryueþ by settynge and plauntynge..Plinius..seith þat þer is þre maner kynde of caule, some with crispe leues..anoþer wiþ brode leues and þikke..þe þridde wiþ þynne leues..and is more bitter þan þe oþer and bettre in medicyne.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)181/36 : Beef & caul..engendriþ malancolie.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)43a/b : Napocaulus: maner of caule.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)14b : Caulus Domesticis. Caule is a comyn erbe..he will hele all freshe wondys and olde wondis.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)35b/a : Eschwe he al þingez þat gendreþ melancolic blode..Of wortez forsoþ bracica, i. rede caulez [L olerum vero brasica i. caules rubei].
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)56a/a : A rede caulez leefe.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)57/5 : Scharp þings, as onyons, lekez, caulez.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)74/24 : Be it fomented with watre of decoction of caulez.
- a1450 Agnus Castus (Roy 18.A.6)p.142 : Cawl or wortoun [Stockh: Caulus is an herbe men clepe wourte or cool].
- ?c1450 Stockh.PRecipes (Stockh 10.90)114/21 : A souereyn watyr for eyne..Take fenell, ruwe..endiue, sowthistill, gawle.
b
- c1225 Wor.Bod.Gloss.(Hat 76)21 : Wilde cawul: brasica siluatica.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)238b/a : Þe wilde caule, groweþ wiþoute tiliynge and haþ strengere vertues and worchynge.
2.
(a) ~ plaunte (wort) = caul; (b) ~ lef; ~ sed, the seed of rape or mustard; (c) ~ garth, vegetable garden; (d) ~ hert, cabbage deer [a humorous name for the hare].
Associated quotations
a
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)238b/a : Plinius preiseþ hougelich the caule worte [L caulem] touchynge þe vse of medycyne.
- c1400 PPl.A(1) (Hrl 875)7.273 : Caulplontes [Vrn: Colplontes].
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)285b/b : Þe malschragge..bredeþ in caule leues [L folijs olerum].
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)296/21 : Askis of vines & caul-seed [L seminum caulium].
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)307/9 : A caul-leef [L folium caulis].
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)76/19 : Caule lefez.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)222/4 : For to sle þe trunchynis in a manis body..drynke cawle-sede.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)229/18 : Wyndyt with-in a cawle-lefe.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)254/15 : Cawle-sede.
c
- a1500 in Camd.2558 : Cauletum: cawlegarthe.
d
- ?a1300 Names Hare (Dgb 86)350/39 : Þe cawelhert, þe wortcroppere.
3.
A stem or stalk; ~ stok; prob. also, any plant with a prominent stem.
Associated quotations
- c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)545/1 : Caula, uel magudaris: caul.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)217a/b : Aristot[le]..seiþ þat me may graffe on a beete stok as me doþ on a caule stok [L caulem] and þanne þe beta stok..torneþ in to a tre.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)219a/a : A certain caule hatte calamus aromaticus..for likness of þe comyn cane..with knottes in many place.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)233a/a : A schort caulstok [L stipitem] knotty wiþoute and ful of piþ wiþinne.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)4.261 : The caules [L caules] that of seed encluse vp wynde Wol bigger be.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)8.39 : The foiles are of hit away to gete Amydde his caule [L caule].
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)11.381 : Take leef or roote or caule [L caulem] of malve agrest.
- c1450 Trin-C.LEDict.(Trin-C O.5.4)594/20 : Maglis: a cavlstok.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1300 Add.15236 Gloss.(1) (Add 15236)116/250 : Strucium, cauliculus agrestis: wylde coule.
- a1475 Gilb.Angl.(Wel 537)99/15 : Let him holde castor vndir his tunge, or þe iuse of wilde caul.
Note: Supplementary material for sense 1.(b).
Note: Modify gloss for combination to read: 'wilde ~, wild mustard, charlock Sinapis arvensis; also, wild cabbage Brassica oleracea.'
Note: New form: Also..coule.
- a1425 MS Roy.12.E.1 in Hunt Plant Names (Roy 12.E.1)54 : [Borago:] wild borage, galwort.
- ?a1450 Agnus Castus (Stockh 10.90)138/18 : Borage silvestres is an herbe þat men clepe wylde borage or tauwort [read: cauwort; vrr. calewort].
- a1500 MS Sln.962 in Hunt Plant Names (Sln 962)54 : [Borago:] wilde borage or calwort
- a1500 MS Trin-C R.14.32 in Hunt Plant Names (Trin-C R.14.32)54 : [Borago:]wylde borage or katwortte [read: kalwortte].
Note: New forms: Also.. (in cpds.) cale-, kal- cau-, gal-, (errors) tau-, kat-.
Note: Quots. belong to sense 2.(a).
- ?a1200(?OE) PDidax.(Hrl 6258b)19/6 : Þanne nim þu ærest þane cyrnel þe byð innan þan persogȝe and cyrfetan cyrnel and cawelstelan togædere.
Note: New compound: ~ stele.
Note: Quot. belongs to sense 3..
Note: Modify gloss to read: 'A stem or stalk; ~stele (stok); prob. also, any plant with a prominent stem.'
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.--all notes per MLL