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Concise Dictionary Of Middle English

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A Concise Dictionary of Middle English (COMPLETE A_Z)
A. L. Mayhew and Walter W. Skeat




The present work is intended to meet, in some measure, the requirements of those who wish to make some
study of Middle−English, and who find a difficulty in obtaining such assistance as will enable them to find out
the meanings and etymologies of the words most essential to their purpose.
The best Middle−English Dictionary, that by Dr. MAtzner of Berlin, has only reached the end of the letter H;
and it is probable that it will not be completed for many years. The only Middle−English Dictionary that has
been carried on to the end of the alphabet is that by the late Dr. Stratmann, of Krefeld. This is a valuable work,
and is indispensable for the more advanced student. However, the present work will still supply a deficiency,
as it differs from Stratmann's Dictionary in many particulars. We have chosen as our Main Words, where
possible, the most typical of the forms or spellings of the period of Chaucer and Piers Plowman; in Stratmann,
on the other hand, the form chosen as Main Word is generally the oldest form in which it appears, frequently
one of the twelfth century. Moreover, with regard to authorities, we refer in the case of the great majority of
our forms to a few, cheap, easily accessible works, whereas Stratmann's authorities are mainly the numerous
and expensive publications of the Early English Text Society. Lastly, we have paid special attention to the
French element in Middle−English, whereas Stratmann is somewhat deficient in respect of words of French
origin [Footnote 1: A new and thoroughly revised edition of Stratmann's Dictionary is being prepared by Mr.
Henry Bradley, for the Delegates of the Clarendon Press.] The book which has generally been found of most
assistance to the learner is probably Halliwell's Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words; but this is not
specially confined to the Middle−English period, and the plan of it differs in several respects from that of the
present work.
The scope of this volume will be best understood by an explanation of the circumstances that gave rise to it.
Some useful and comparatively inexpensive volumes illustrative of the Middle−English period have been
issued by the Clarendon Press; all of which are furnished with glossaries, explaining all the important words,
with exact references to the passages wherein the words occur. In particular, the three useful hand−books
containing Specimens of English (from 1150 down to 1580) together supply no less than sixty−seven
characteristic extracts from the most important literary monuments of this period; and the three glossaries to
these books together fill more than 370 pages of closely−printed type in double columns. The idea suggested
itself that it would be highly desirable to bring the very useful information thus already collected under one
alphabet, and this has now been effected. At the same time, a reference has in every case been carefully given
to the particular Glossarial Index which registers each form here cited, so that it is perfectly easy for any one
who consults our book to refer, not merely to the particular Index thus noted, but to the references given in
that Index; and so, by means of such references, to find every passage referred to, with its proper context.
Moreover the student only requires, for this purpose, a small array of the text−books in the Clarendon Press
Series, instead of a more or less complete set of editions of Middle−English texts, the possession of which
necessitates a considerable outlay of money. By this plan, so great a compression of information has been
achieved, that a large number of the articles give a summary such as can be readily expanded to a considerable
length, by the exercise of a very little trouble; and thus the work is practically as full of material as if it had
been three or four times its present size. A couple of examples will shew* what this really means.

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