Middle English Dictionary Entry
culver n.
Entry Info
| Forms | culver n. Also colver, colvour, colvre, culvre, collovre, (early) culfre. Forms: gen. sg. culvres, colvers, culfres & culvre(n, culfre(n, colovre, (late) culver; pl. culveres, colveres, culfres & culvere(n, colvere(n, colfren, coleron. |
| Etymology | OE culfre; ult. L columbula. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A dove; also fig.; (b) as a term of endearment; (c) an image of a dove.
Associated quotations
a
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)1258 : Forr cullfre iss milde..all wiþþutenn galle.
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)7892 : Þa brohhte ȝho..Twa cullfress.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)24521 : Þreo snau-whte [read: white] culueren [Otho: coluere] senten [Otho: seate] an heore sculderen.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)48/8 : Com a culure, se briht as þah ha bearnde, of heouene.
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)79b : Loke nu þet tu þe he cleopeð culure..cum to him baldeliche.
- a1300 Bestiary (Arun 292)650 : Ðe culuer haueð costes gode.
- c1300 SLeg.Kenelm (LdMisc 108)247 : A coluere [vr. coluore], ȝwiȝt so ani snov, cam fram heouene fleo.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)3937 : Þe voure kinges wiues..foure wite colfren [vr. colueren] al so biuore hire bere.
- c1330 Otuel (Auch)577 : A whit coluere þer cam fle.
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)127/13 : Þou ert þe coluere of noe.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)142/11 : He is y-guo..ase þe colure.
- c1350 MPPsalter (Add 17376)p.180 : Y shal þenche as coluer [L columba].
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))SSol.1.14 : Thou art fair..thin eȝen of culueres.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Mat.3.16 : He say the Spirit of God cummynge doun as a culuer [WB(2): a dowue].
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)5.291 : A colver [Higd.(2): dove] brouȝte..a viol wiþ crisma.
- c1390(?c1350) SVrn.Leg.(Vrn)29/186 : In hous is schut a coluere meke.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)18.173 : In aiþer of hus eris..he hadde Corn, þat þe coluer [vr. culuur] eet.
- a1400 Pep.Gosp.(Pep 2498)12/28 : He..fonde þere hou men solden oxen & schepe & culueren for to offren.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)79/13,15 : The colueren ben so taughte..the colueres ben norysscht in þo places.
- c1430(c1386) Chaucer LGW (Benson-Robinson)2319 : As the culver that of the egle is smiten.
- a1450 St.Editha (Fst B.3)1137 : He louede coleron..for þey weron so meke.
- (a1460) DSPhilos.(Helm)281/9 : A man shulde kepe hem wele..lyke a coluer that is pryvee.
- a1475 *Hrl.Bk.Hawking (Hrl 2340)2a : Let his wach be a coluour.
- a1500(1422) Yonge SSecr.(Rwl B.490)245/20 : Hit nedyth to vse..hote mettys and moiste, as chykenys..culueres, good Swete wyne.
b
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)25b : Cum to me, mi leofmon, mi culure, mi feire.
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)79b : 'Mi culure [Nero: kulure],' he seið, 'cum, hud te i mine limen þurles.'
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))SSol.5.2 : Opene thou to me..my leef, my culuer!
- a1450 St.Editha (Fst B.3)1899 : Aryse vp, my colloure, my frend, and heyȝe!
c
- a1450 Rich.(Cai 175/96)558 : Culuere [Brunner: A whyte doue on hys helme stood].
- c1475 Guy(1) (Cai 107/176)10540 : Theron was a coluer of gold, The Ioly creste in hys fote gan hold.
- ?c1475(a1460) Coron.Kings Eng.in Archaeol.57 (Lnsd 285)53 : Culuer [Mrg: the cross and the rodde of golde with the olvere].
2a.
In cpds. & combs.: (a) culvres dong, ~ dong (drit, fime, tord), dove dung; ~ ei, a dove egg; ~ blod, ~ fether; (b) ~ brid, the young of a dove; (c) ~ fot, some European species of wild geranium; prob., dove's foot (G. molle); (d) ~ heie, enclosure around a dovecote; ~ hous, a dovecote; -- also as surname; (e) adv. ~ iliche, like a dove; (f) in surnames and place names [see also Smith PNElem. 1.118].
Associated quotations
a
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)84a/b : Culuir blood..departiþ þis blood.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)230a/b : It is y-sode in wyne, branne and lynseed and coluer drytte.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)292b/b : An egle feþer y-do amonge coluere feþeres pilieþ and gnaweþ hem.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)324a/b : Coluer eiren beþ lasse þan henne eyren.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)230/11 : Þan do þerto of culuer tordis & make it a þicke plastre.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)24b/a : And to þis praiseþ Auicen semen lini, fermentum, & fimum columbinum i. coluerdonge.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)50/1 : I putte to al a niȝt ane emplastre of coluerz dong.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)70/15 : Nouþer stuphez of..coluer fyme..ne syttyng aboue vesselez..be noȝt so competent as fomentacion.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(1) (Med-L 136)20/15 : Take encenes & coluere dunge.
b
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)7887 : Þe lac wass lamb & cullfre bridd.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Lev.12.6 : She shal bere a lomb of o ȝeer in to brent sacrifice, and a culuer brid [L pullum columbæ].
- c1425 Evang.(BodAdd C.38)684 : Þei shulde bringe..tuo culuyrbirdes.
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)210 : Þou were offrid vp..wiþ a peire of culuer briddis.
- a1500(?a1390) Mirk Fest.(GoughETop 4)57/22 : Scho schuld come to þe tempull..and offre..two culuer-bryddes.
c
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)17b : Pes columbe. Coluyr fote is an herbe, his levis beþ like to maworte.
- c1465(?1373) *Lelamour Macer (Sln 5)43b : Maworte haviþ levis like to coluyr fote.
- ?a1425 Alphita (Sln 284)140 : [Pes columbinus]..dicitur anglice coluerfot [Seld: clauerfot].
- a1500 Sln.2584 Med.Miscell.(Sln 2584)128/2 : Take bugle..auans, coluerfoot.
- ?a1500 Trin-C.LEDict.Suppl.(Trin-C O.5.4)612/40 : Sparagus: Colverfot.
d
- (1310) Sub.R.Bdf.in Suf.GB 1820 : Adam Colverhous.
- (1327) Sub.R.Som.in Som.RS 395 : Rogerus atte Colverhouse.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)142/6 : Þet is þet coluerhous huerinne resteþ..oure lhord.
- (1347) *Acc.Bridgwater (PRO)968/17 : Et de vj s. viij d. receptis de firma columbaris cum la culvereheye vendita.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)15b/b : Colubar: a coluerhouse.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)1.554 : Vnder thi coluerhous..Make mewis tweyn.
- c1450(c1400) Vices & V.(2) (Hnt HM 147)140/23 : Þe coluer..hydeþ hire in þe coluerhous of oure lord.
- c1460 Oseney Reg.136/2 : Þe curtilage..is towarde þe Est By the Coluerhowse.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)188/12 : He had in towne..a gardeyne, a Culuerhous, and v yerdis of lond.
- a1500(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Stw 952(1))16509 : A Cely Dowe..ffleth hom to hyr colverhows.
e
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)121/180 : Þe gost com coluere ylyche.
f
- (1254) in Wallenberg PNKent183 : Culfredene.
- (1278) in Wallenberg PNKent183 : Culverdene.
- (1292) in Wallenberg PNKent183 : Coluerdene.
- (1327) R.Newnham in BGAS 18155 : De Johanne Culuare, vj d.
- (1327) Sub.R.Sus.in Sus.RS 10188 : Werrina de Coluerdene.
- (1381) in Wallenberg PNKent104 : Culversole.
2b.
In phrases: culvres (culvren, culvre, culver) anlicnesse (heue, iliche, liche, lik, wise), a dove's likeness, the form or appearance of a dove; culvre kind, the dove's nature.
Associated quotations
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)15957 : Haliȝ Gast comm..Inn aness cullfress like.
- a1225(OE) Lamb.Hom.Pentec.(Lamb 487)95 : Hwi ofer criste on culfren heowe?..þe halia gast on culfren onlicnesse..On culfre onlicnesse and on fures heowe.
- a1200 Trin.Hom.(Trin-C B.14.52)137 : Þe holi gost on culures hewe.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Kath.(1) (Einenkel)1823 : Crist..þurh his ahne engel, i culurene iliche [Roy: culure liche], fedde hire.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)16/15 : Send me þi sonde i culurene heowe [Roy: i culures iliche].
- c1225(?c1200) St.Marg.(1) (Bod 34)44/5 : Cume þe hali gast o culures iliche [Roy: lich].
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)43b : Þe hali trinite..schawde hire al to him..þe hali gast i culure heow.
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)79b : Loke nu þet tu..habbe culure cunde [Nero: kulure kunde; Recl.: culuer kynde], þet is, wið ute galle.
- a1275 Louerd asse þu ard (Trin-C B.14.39)265 : On one coloure liche þe holige on him liste.
- a1400 Ancr.Recl.(Pep 2498)72/8 : He schewed hym..þe holy gost in Culuer wise.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500 Agnus Castus (Hrl 3840)197/11 : Pes columbe ys an herbe that me clepyth coluerfot.
Note: Additional quot. for sense 2a.(c).
- a1400 Trin-C O.9.39 Recipes (Trin-C O.9.39) 51/16 : Loke þat þy furneys be rounde aboue as hit were a coluer-howse.
Note: Quot. needed for date in sense 2a.(d).
- a1450 Dur-CRO.Bk.Hawking (Dur-CRO Roll D/X/76/7)28/125 : What mete is noȝt gud for all hawkys: That is to sai befe of þe buttok of an oxe..The partrik is not gud, þe colour is noȝt. Theys ben poyson.
Note: New form: Also..colovr.
Note: New sense: "The dove as food."--notes per MLL