Middle English Dictionary Entry
chāste n.(2)
Entry Info
| Forms | chāste n.(2) |
| Etymology | ?A blend of the synonyms cāse & cheste box, etc. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) holden in ~, keep in one's bosom, keep secret [cp. chest(e 3]; (b) staircase, stairwell.
Associated quotations
a
- c1450(a1400) Chev.Assigne (Clg A.2)127 : Holde þy wordes in chaste, þat none skape ferther.
b
- ?a1500(a1475) Wright's CW (Lamb 306)176 : Vp the steyer they gar [read: gan] hye..The lord stumbyllyd as he went in hast, He fell doune in to þat chaste Forty fote.