Middle English Dictionary Entry
chervel n.
Entry Info
| Forms | chervel n. Also (early) cerfille, -ville, -velle; chervil, -felle; char-vil, -wel, -foille; chirvil, -felle; kervel, korwel. |
| Etymology | OE cerfille, -felle, from L chærephylla (ultim. Gr.); ME kervel is prob. influ. by ML. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
Note: Cp. cerfoil.
Note: Cp. cer-foile n. and chever-foil n.
1.
Chervil Anthriscus cerefolium, used as a pot-herb and in medicaments.
Associated quotations
- ?c1125(?OE) Dur-C.Gloss.(Dur-C Hunter 100)125(d) : Ceruillum: fille; Cerefolium: cerfille uel hynne leac.
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.HApul.(Hrl 6258B:Berberich)88.39 : [W]iþ þas magan sare nim [þ]isse wyrt ðry croppas grene, þa man cerefoliam & engle cerfille nemnað.
- ?a1200(?OE) PDidax.(Hrl 6258b)9/14 : Nim..ceruellan and enneleac and cnuca þa wurtan togadere.
- ?a1200(?OE) PDidax.(Hrl 6258b)23/6 : Syle hym ceruillan etan and fæt flæsc.
- a1400 Alphita (SeldArch B.35)38 : Cerfolium, gallice cerfoil: cherefelle.
- ?a1400 Adv.18.5.16 Gloss.(Adv 18.5.16)161/100 : Cerefolium: charuille.
- c1400(a1376) *PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)[7.281] 19a : Chibollis & chiriuell [vr. cheruelys; C: chiruylles] & riche chiries manye.
- c1400 Daniel *Herbal (Arun 42)f.66r : I sawh a gode womman, a deynte lyuere þat dude many wonder curys, she tok cerfoyl þat she called cheruel, & as muche of horhowne & whete flour & an ey, al but þe shelle, & half as mykel hony, & grounde al togydere in a morter smal as myȝte ben, & with þat manere oynement she cured euery egre fu, fur of helle.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)36a : Apium risus. Korwell is hote and drye, oþer waies called cheruell.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)37b : Keruell..helpith of all maner of swellynge.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)90a/b : Many leches..coueren wiþ herbe Robert and wiþ scabiouse, wiþ chauaile [read: charuaile; *Ch.(1): cerfoil], with wodebynde.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)73 : Chervell, herbe: Cerifolium, apium risus.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)50/16 : Þe jus of charwelle.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)59/15 : Þe jus of cerfoil & cheruell.
- ?a1450 Agnus Castus (Stockh 10.90)122/22 : Apium risus is an herbe þat men clepe cerfoylle or chiretelle [read: chirefelle; vr. cheruyl]..he delyverit akynge of reynys and of þe bleddre.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)300/979 : Water of cherfoille is gode for a sore mouth.
- a1500 Sln.Herb List (Sln 1201)75 : Herbes for Potage..Chervell.
2.
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum).
Associated quotations
- a1300 Hrl.978 Vocab.(Hrl 978)558/7 : Herba Roberti: chareuille.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: In cer-foile n., sense 1., the error form chirtelle in the Agnus Castus quot. belongs under chervel n. Cut the quot.: 'Apium risus is an herbe þat men clepe..chirtelle [read: chirfelle].'
Note: The error forms under cer-foile n. in the supplement quot. (therfoile) as well as therfoill--from Med.Bk.(1)--in sense 2. and herfoyl in sense 3) may belong here under chervel n.
Note: Previous examples point to larger issue of (etymological and morphological ) criteria for separating the entries cer-foile n. and chervel n. The two entries may need to be combined. (Note that the AND does this with the corresponding forms of cerfoil n.)
Note: The etymology for cer-foile n.: OF (Tobler-Lommatzsch) = cerfueil (nfz. cerfeuil). The etymology for chervel n.: OE (DOE) = cerfille n., derived from ML (DMLBS) chærophyllum (ultim. Gr.); the ME variant kervel is probably influenced by ML.
Note: As these two entries stand (if they are not combined) the list of variant spellings in each of their form sections is incomplete and needs revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED.)