Middle English Dictionary Entry
cōpe n.
Entry Info
| Forms | cōpe n. Also cāpe. |
| Etymology | ML cāpa (beside cappa). |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A cloak or mantle; (b) fig. the cloak (of night, grief, etc.); also outward form, appearance [quot. Lydg.TG]; (c) develes ~, fendi ~; (d) a cover.
Associated quotations
a
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)7782 : Þa turres cop mitte weoren [Otho: þe toppe mihte wreie] a cniht mid his capen [Otho: cope].
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)13097 : He nom ane cape [Otho: cloke] of his ane cnihte, on þene munec he heo dude.
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)1957 : Comen her mo þan sixti þeues With lokene copes and wide sleues, Me forto robben.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.1315 : A route Of ladis..In kertles and in Copes riche Thei weren clothed.
- a1425(?a1350) 7 Sages(2) (Glb E.9)3849 : Fader, þou sal be ful fayn For to hald my kapes sleue Whils I washs.
- a1425(?a1350) 7 Sages(2) (Glb E.9)4205 : In a gude kape þe king gan stand, Als custume was þan in þat land.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)3.724 : O Mars, thow with thi blody cope.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)408 : A furred cope on had she nomen.
- a1425 NHom.(3) Leg.Suppl.Hrl.(Hrl 4196)149/201 : In a cape of parchemyn was he cled.
- a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290)228/199 : Cladde in a cope.
- c1475(?c1425) Avow.Arth.(Tay 9:French&Hale)617 : Wyth copus couert þay hom thenne..For þat þay wold noȝte be kennet.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)110/22 : Cled, as hym thoght, all in a fayre cape made of feddurs.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)414/12 : Þis knyght sent vnto hym his beste furryd gown to happ hym with for colde, and he vppon þe nyght had þis cape away.
b
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)4.2979 : This Yris..Hire reyny Cope dede upon, The which was wonderli begon With colours of diverse hewe.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.2731 : Herynes with hir copis myrke Þe heuenyng be-gonne for to dirke.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)3.2672 : Whan þe twylyȝt..morneth þe absence of þe sonne, And nyȝt aprocheþ with his copis donne.
- a1450(?1420) Lydg.TG (Tan 346)117 : Hou þat Ioue gan to chaunge his cope Oonli for loue of þe faire Europe, And into [a] bole..List of his godhode his fourme to transmwe.
- 1532-1897(c1385) Usk TL (Thynne:Skeat)18/149 : The cope of tene is wounde aboute al my body.
c
- c1300 Body & S.(5) (LdMisc 108)p.59 : A develes cope for to bere Al brennynde on him was kest.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.B.2251 : God was wrothe..And couered hym in helle vndre a feendy coope.
d
- a1475 Bk.Courtesy (Sln 1986)689 : At aþer ende [of the table] he castes a cope, Layde down on borde, þe endys plyed vp.
2.
(a) An ecclesiastical outer garment, as of the Pope, a cardinal, a papal emissary, a priest; loken ~, such a garment as being closed in front; red ~; (b) esp., the cowl or hood of a friar, monk, nun; freres ~; blak ~; whit ~; cacchen ~, to get a cowl, i.e. become a friar; (c) a cleric.
Associated quotations
a
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)29559 : Heo..nomen tailes of rehȝen and hangede on his cape [Otho: cope]..and wurpen hine [Seint Austin] mid banen.
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)14b : Ȝef he haueð a wid hod & a loke cape [Nero: ilokene cope].
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)454/204 : Seint Martin..ne bi-lefde on him no cloth of wolle, bote is Cope al-one.
- (c1300) Havelok (LdMisc 108)429 : Haue he þe malisun..Of patriark and of pope, And of prest with loken kope!
- a1350 Ne mai no lewed (Hrl 2253)46 : Nou wol vch fol clerc..come to countene court, couren in a cope.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)11918 : Þe legat mid is rede cope amensede þo Hom þat in þe castel were.
- c1350 St.Greg.(Cleo D.9)190/1283 : He was pope..And sate at Rome in his cope To assoyli þat þer be.
- a1425 Celestine (LdMisc 463)196 : Þese Cardinals wiþ þe rede cope..On me þei loke wiþ haþely loke al wiþ wouȝ.
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)239/18 : The kyngus of Fraunce vsid euer-more in batel for to bere his [St. Martin's] cope.
b
- c1230(?a1200) *Ancr.(Corp-C 402)115b : Hare cop beo hehe isticchet & bute broche; na mon ne seo ham unleppet ne open heaued.
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)285/241 : Þe passour..bi þe cope him nam..Ore suete louerd nolde nouȝt þat þe freres i-lette were.
- c1300 SLeg.Becket (LdMisc 108)1155 : Þe Abite of frere he nam..blac was is cope a-boue, is Cuyrtel ȝwijt blaunket.
- ?c1335 Heil seint Michel (Hrl 913)p.155 : Hail be ȝe freris wiþ þe white copis!
- c1350(a1333) Shoreham Poems (Add 17376)107/245 : Vnder couele and cope Þe foule prede lyþe; Þeȝ man go gert wyþ rope, Ȝet prede to hym swyþ.
- (c1387-95) Chaucer CT.Prol.(Manly-Rickert)A.260 : He [the frere] was nat lyk a cloystrer With a thredbare cope..Of double worstede was his semycope.
- c1390 PPl.A(1) (Vrn)prol.53 : Grete lobres..Cloþeden hem in Copes to beo knowen for breþeren.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mk.(Manly-Rickert)B.3139 : My lord the monk..why werestow so wyd a cope?
- a1400 Ancr.Recl.(Pep 2498)78/17 : Whan hij han cauȝtt a coope..many of hem ben wers þan hij weren whan þat hij weren in þe werlde.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)6.191 : An heep of heremites..ketten here copes [vrr. capes; C: coppes] and courtpies hem made, And wenten as werkemen.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)10.210 : Þei..cloþed hem in copes, clerkus as hit were, Oþer on of som ordre.
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)73 : In a Cope of blak and not of grene.
- a1500(c1465) SEChron.(Lamb 306)59 : An habite in maner of a freres cope off fyne scarled, furred with puryd graye.
c
- c1450(c1405) Mum & S.(2) (Add 41666)1673 : Clepith to your cunseil copes and other.
3.
A ceremonial ecclesiastical vestment, a cope [see F. L. Cross Oxf.Dict.Christ.Church (1958)]; ~ cote.
Associated quotations
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)430/345 : His cope oþur is surplis, þe preost he seith it isse.
- c1300 SLeg.Becket (LdMisc 108)954 : Þo seint thomas hadde is masse i-songue, his chesible he gan of weue; Alle is oþur uestimenz on him he let bi-leue..Aboue he caste is cope.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Ex.25.7 : Ephoth, that is a preestis ouermest clothing that we cleepen a coope.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Ex.39.20 : Thei maden the coope coote [L tunicam superhumeralis] al iacynctyne.
- (1429) Will Braybroke in Ess.AST 5301 : My principal vestiment of motle ueluet, cope, chesible, and ij tunicles.
- (1432) Rec.St.Mary at Hill26 : Also iij blu copes of þe same sevte with sterres & mones.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)4334 : Throly belles thay rynge and Requiem syngys..Relygeous reueste in theire riche copes.
- (1444) Will York in Sur.Soc.30110 : A cope of blew velvet with chisiple and ij toniclis and the aubis therto.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)1537 : Þis prelate..castis on a Cape of kastand hewes, With riche rabies of gold railed bi þe hemmes.
- (1455) Acc.St.Ewen in BGAS 15149 : The coope, the chesyple, tunnycles, three awbys, three amysses, with the stoolys.
- (1473-4) Acc.St.Edm.Sarum360 : The reparacion of the copys of selke.
4.
(a) cope belle, a bell rung as a signal for choir members to put on their robes; (b) cantur-cope, quer ~, choir robe; children ~; riding ~.
Associated quotations
a
- (1432) Visit.Flemyng & Gray138 : Quod vicarij et alij ministri ecclesie omni nocte quibus interesse tenentur matutinis presentes sint in choro in inicio pulsacionis proxime post ly cope belle expectantes executorem officij.
- (1437) Visit.Alnwick in Lin-C.Statutes 2377 : Omnes ministri ecclesie qui matutinis missis et alijs horis debent interesse, capas et habitus suos tempore pulsacionis ly capebell sumerent, ad chorum accederent.
b
- c1300 SLeg.Brendan (LdMisc 108)274 : Monekes..yreuested faire and in queor-copes.
- (1429) Acc.St.Michael Oxf.in OAST 7822 : For mending of ii qwere copis.
- (1432) Rec.St.Mary at Hill27 : Also ij children copes.
- (1466) Paston (Gairdner)4.230 : Cloth for a ridyng cope.
- a1500 Mayer Nominale (Mayer)721/26 : Dalmatica: a canturcope.
5.
the ~ of heven, the 'cloak' or vault of the sky; under the ~ of heven (under heven ~), under the sky, in the open; under the heavens, in this world.
Associated quotations
- c1400(1389) Wycl.25 Art.(Dc 273)488 : Efte men mowe say þe Pater noster medefully under þo cope of heven, as Crist dide in þo hille in nyȝttus.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.534 : Asie, Aufrique, Europe, The whiche under the hevene cope..Begripeth al this Erthe round.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.1579 : The word under the coupe of hevene Set every thing or odde or evene; With word the hihe god is plesed [etc.].
- a1425 Wycl.Serm.(Bod 788)2.3 : Oþer housis hadde he noon but þis wildernesse and cope of hevene.
- c1430(c1386) Chaucer LGW (Benson-Robinson)1527 : Half so trewe a man there nas of love Under the cope of heven.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)2368 : Þe kiddest kniȝtis..vnder þe cape [Dub: cope] of heuen.
- c1450 Falm.Squire (Cmb Ff.2.38)p.101 : The grettyst clerke..undur hevyn cope.
- a1500(c1380) Wycl.Papa (Ryl Eng 86)478 : In þe olde lawe was salomons temple a figure of þe chirche in þe newe lawe..fre and large vndir þe cope of heuene, and stonde in vertues of mannus soule.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. cope.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Possible modification of gloss for loken ~ in sense 2.(a): see Mary Baldwin, "Some Difficult Words in the Ancrene Riwle," Mediaeval Studies 38 (1976), pp. 287-90, in which (among other things) she suggests that the "loke cape" of the Ancrene quot. in sense 2.(a) "may be a specific allusion to the secular clergy."--per MLL