Middle English Dictionary Entry
chāce n.
Entry Info
| Forms | chāce n. Also chasse, chase, chas. |
| Etymology | OF chace |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1a.
(a) The hunting of game; a hunt or chase; maken ~, to hunt; also, the right to hunt [quot.: 1500]; (b) game to be hunted or being hunted; also, anything hunted for food [quot.: a1425]; (c) best of ~, game of a certain kind [quot.: c1425]; (d) ?a hunting dog; (e) a signal sounded on a hunter's horn.
Associated quotations
a
- ?c1250 Somer is comen & (Eg 613)60 : He was to-drawe, so dur islawe in chace.
- a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)2193 : Alle men þat mut herde of þe muri houndes seweden after..to se þat mury chase
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.1989 : He ne scholde After no beste make his chace.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)8.2930 : Go ther vertu moral duelleth..Thou miht noght make suite and chace, Wher that the game is nought pernable.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)334a/b : Þe trompe..is som tyme y blowe..for þe chase.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.94 : Neuer on Friday to wod þou go to chace.
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)199 : Of..wrestlyng, Of lyons chace [LinI: chas], of bere baityng.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)1604 : Þe maysterez Of þat chargeaunt chace, þat were chef huntes.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)1509 : He[re] ne scholde ȝe make chace, Bot þorow me or þe kyinges grace.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)174/270 : Thrugh all sees and sandys I gyf the the chace.
b
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)140 : In þe contrey of kanterbury mest plente of fiss is, & mest chas a boute salesbury of wilde bestes.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.4943 : After his chace as he poursuieth, He fell unwar into a pet.
- a1425(a1400) Titus & V.(Pep 2014)2530 : Suche hungger gan hem dere..Hors ne hounde let þei none go..And eche by lotte oþer chasse.
c
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)42 : Beestis of venery and of chace þe whiche men shal hunte.
- c1425 Twiti Venery(1) Prol.(Vsp B.12)p.150 : And ther ben othyr bestis v of chase; The buk the first, the do..The fox..the martyn..the roo.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)682/32 : Of sir Trystram cam all the good termys of venery..and whyche were bestis of chace and bestis of venery.
d
- c1450 Ponthus (Dgb 185)4/13 : Some to kepe his grehoundes and his chaces and sume to kepe havkes of the toure.
e
- c1425 Twiti Venery(1) (Vsp B.12)152 : Than shalle I rechace on myn houndis iij tymes; and whan he is ferre from me, than shall y chase hym in thys maner: Trout, trout [etc.]..what maner of chase clepe ye that? We clepe it the chace of the forloyne..Another chace ther is, and that is clepid the perfyȝt.
1b.
An unenclosed hunting ground (as distinct from a park), a forest.
Associated quotations
- [ (1286) Rec.Crondal in Hamp.RS 317 : Liberos et legales homines de visneto chacearum et warennorum venerabilis..Episcopi Wyntoniensis. ]
- [ (1290) RParl.1.26a : Prior & Conventus..habeant Chaceas suas in eisdem terris. ]
- [ c1383 Reg.Gaunt in RHS ser.3.2011 : Cum..chaceis, parcis, boscis, warennis. ]
- (a1422) *Anc.Pet.(PRO)117.5842 : Chappels chaces, parkes..warennes, fisshynges.
- c1440 Degrev.(Thrn)525 : Als he hunted in the chase, He tolde his sqwyere þe case.
- (1450) RParl.5.194b : The Leffe made by us unto theim of..the Chace of Dertemore..in the Counte of Devonshire.
- (1473) RParl.6.94a : Th'office of Keper of oure Forest or Chace of Boryngwode.
- a1500 Degrev.(Cmb Ff.1.6)378 : Haue ye nat parkus and chas?
2.
(a) The pursuit of an enemy; maken ~, setten ~; folwen, seuen ~ (upon sb.), pursue, press the pursuit; fallen unto the ~, start to pursue; (b) an attack; (c) the flight of an enemy being pursued.
Associated quotations
a
- c1330 Otuel (Auch)1614 : Otuwel & roulond..Maden þe sarazins tourne to fliȝt..& þei suweden faste þe chasse.
- a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)1274 : Þemperours men manly made þe chace & slowen doun..wham þei of-take miȝt.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)4.195 : Pompeus wolde nouȝt folwe..þe chaas [L sequi noluit].
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)2.2629 : Egipte fledde in his presence, And thei of Perse upon the chace Poursuien.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.3472 : So faste after the chace he spedde, That he was founde out of array.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.3781 : Whan thei wiste here avantage, Thei felle anon unto the chace.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.27 : So hard he sette his chace.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)3.3486 : Þei of Troye..Sewe on þe chaas.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)3925 : To stynten of his chas.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)2269 : Thare myghte men see chiftaynes..Choppe doun in the chaas cheualrye noble.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)12.436 : Tholomes chased him so faste..Manye Of hise Men Loste this Tholome In the Chas then.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)40b : Ȝif..þei putte the enemyes to fliȝt, þey schul..noȝt folowe þe chaas..bot þe liȝt armature..schulle pursewe þe chace.
- c1450(?a1400) Siege Milan (Add 31042)1152 : And Turpyn with his Clergy alle Folowede faste one þe chase.
- (a1460) DSPhilos.(Helm)191/28 : Thei followed the chaace vpon kinge Dayre.
- a1500(?c1400) EToulouse (Cmb Ff.2.38)118 : The Erle tyll nyght folowed þe chace.
b
- a1425(?c1350) Ywain (Glb E.9)3250 : To þe erth he [the lion] brayd him downe, Þan was þare nane..Þat þai ne war fayn of þat faire chace.
- c1475 Guy(1) (Cai 107/176)1428 : Toward hugon he made a chas; Thurgh the body he him smote.
- a1605(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Stw 952(2))23159 : The cruell hounds gaue me many mortall wounds; I was to-torne with ther chas.
c
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)29b/a : Fuga: a shase or a fleynge.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)23a : A chasse: fuga.
3.
The right to drive cattle across someone's property; driftway, easement.
Associated quotations
- [ (1259) Cart.Ramsey in RS 79.2375 : Quod prædictus Fabianus et heredes sui habeant..liberam chasiam, cum averiis suis propriis, ultra stagnum praedicti molendini. ]
- [ (a1285) Cart.Ramsey in RS 79.2248 : Ad habendam chaceam suam liberam, ad terram suam colendam..et ad utrumque caput chaceae suae liberum habentes exitum et introitum, nulla haya vel fossato impedientibus. Salvo..mihi et heredibus meis chaceam meam ad unam acram colendam. ]
- (1439) Doc.in Collect.Topogr.516 : I wil yat my brothir Robert..shal have all the londes and tenementis whiche I have purchasid..with free entre, chas and rechas.
4.
A term applied to a certain play in tennis [see OD chase sense 7].
Associated quotations
- (c1400) Gower PP (Eg 2862)295 : Off the Tenetz to winne or lese a chace Mai no lif wite er that the bal be ronne.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)68 : Chace of tenys pley, or oþyr lyke: Sistencia, obstaculum, obiculum.