A

aband, to abandon. Spenser, F. Q. ii. 10. 65; Mirror for Magistrates, Albanact, st. 20.

abatures, the traces left by a stag in the underwood through which he has passed. Turbervile, Hunting, c. 26, p. 68. F. abatture, a throwing down. See NED.

abeare, reflex., to demean oneself. Only in Spenser in this sense, F. Q. v. 12. 19; vi. 9. 45.

abiliments, 'abiliments of war', warlike accoutrements, things which made 'able' for war. More, Richard III (ed. 1641, 414). OF. (h)abillement, 'tout ce qui est propre à quelque chose, machines de guerre' (Didot).

able, to warrant, vouch for. Middleton, The Changeling, i. 2 (Lollio); King Lear, iv. 6. 173.

ablesse, ability. Only in Chapman, Iliad, v. 248.

abode, to forebode, Hen. VIII, i. 1. 93. An announcement, Chapman, Iliad, xiii. 146, 226. Cp. OE. abeodan, to announce (pp. aboden).

abodement, a foreboding, presage, omen. 3 Hen. VI, iv. 7. 13.

abord, used by Spenser for abroad, adrift. Ruins of Rome, xiv; Mother Hubberd's Tale, 324.

aborde, to approach. Caxton, Hist. Troye, leaf 99, back, l. 8; lf. 103. 6; 'I aborde, as one shyppe dothe an-other', Palsgrave. F. aborder, to come to the side of; from à, to, bord, side.

abraid, abray, in Spenser, to start out of sleep, a swoon, to awake; 'I did out of sleepe abray', F. Q. iv. 6. 36; 'Sir Satyrane abraid Out of the swowne', F. Q. iv. 4. 22; to arouse, startle, 'For feare lest her unwares she should abrayd', F. Q. iii. 1. 61; 'The brave maid would not for courtesie, Out of his quiet slumber him abrade', F. Q. iii. 11. 8. ME. abreyde, to start up, start from sleep, awake (Chaucer); OE. abregdan.

abraid, to upbraid. Greene, Alphonsus, ii (Belinus), ed. Dyce, 231; 'I abrayde one, I caste one in the tethe', Palsgrave. A n. Yorks. form (EDD.).

Abram-colour'd, auburn. Said of a beard. Middleton, Blurt, Mr. Constable, ii. 2 (Curvetto); Coriolanus, ii. 3. 21. See Nares.

Abram-man, Abraham-man, a sham patriarch, a begging vagabond. Fletcher, Beggar's Bush, ii. 1. 5; Massinger, New Way, ii. 1 (Marrall); 'An Abraham-man is he that walketh bare-armed, and bare-legged, and fayneth hymselfe mad, ... and nameth himselfe poor Tom', Awdeley, Fraternity of Vagabonds, p. 3.

abron, auburn. 'Curled head With abron locks was fairly furnished', Hall, Satires, v. 8. A Shropsh. pronunciation (EDD.). OF. auborne, Med. L. alburnus, 'subalbus' (Ducange).

abrook, to brook, endure. 2 Hen. VI, ii. 4. 10.

abrupt, separated, parted asunder. Middleton, Family of Love, iii. 2 (Maria); as subst., an abrupt place, a precipice over an abyss, Milton, P. L. ii. 409.

absey-book, a spelling-book, primer. King John, i. 1. 196. For A-B-C book.

aby, to pay the penalty for. Mids. Night's D. iii. 2. 175; Spenser, F. Q. ii. 8. 33. ME. abye, to pay for (Chaucer, C. T. A. 4393); OE. abycgan.

acates, provisions that are purchased. B. Jonson, Staple of News, ii. 1 (P. sen.); Sad Shepherd, i. 3. 19. Norm. F. acat, purchase (Moisy).

accent, misused with the sense of 'scent'. 'The vines with blossoms do abound, which yield a sweet accént', Drayton, Harmonie of the Church; Sol. Song, ch. ii. l. 28.

access, an attack of illness. Also spelt axes, Skelton, Garl. of Laurell, 315; accesses, pl., Butler, Hudibras, iii. 2. 822. Access is used in Kent and Sussex for an ague-fit (EDD.). F. accès, cp. 'un accès de fièvre'.

accite, to summon. 2 Hen. IV, v. 2. 141; Titus Andron. i. 1. 27; Chapman, tr. Iliad, ii. 376, has 'summon' (his first version had accite); pt. t. accited, id. xi. 595; accite, imp., Heywood, Dialogue iv; vol. vi. p. 163. L. accitare, to summon.

accite, to excite. 2 Hen. IV, ii. 2. 67; B. Jonson, Underwoods (ed. 1692, p. 563).

accloye, to stop up, choke (with weeds). Spenser, F. Q. ii. 7. 15; 'accloyed, as a Horse, Accloy'd or Cloyed, i.e. nail'd or prickt in the shooing', Phillips, Dict. 1706. F. encloyer, 'to cloy, choak, or stop up' (Cotgr.). Med. L. inclavare, to lame a horse with a nail while shoeing (Ducange); L. clavus, a nail.

accomplement, accomplishment. Shaks. (?), Edw. III, iv. 6. 66. See NED.

accourt, to entertain courteously. Spenser, F. Q. ii. 2. 16.

accoy, to daunt, tame, soothe. Spenser, Shep. Kal., Feb., 48; F. Q. iv. 8. 59. OF. acoier, to quiet; deriv. of coi, quiet; cp. Med. L. acquietare (adquietare), 'quietum reddere' (Ducange).

accoyl, to assemble, gather together. Spenser, F. Q. ii. 9. 30. OF. acoillir, to assemble; Med. L. accolligere (Ducange).

accumber, acomber, to encumber, oppress. 'That my sowle be not acombred', Reynard the Fox (ed. Arber, p. 34). Anglo-F. encumbrer, 'accabler' (Ch. Rol. 15).

achates, provisions, purchased as required. Spenser, F. Q. ii. 9. 31. See acates.

acknown, pp. acknowledged. Kyd, Cornelia, ii. 229; to be acknown on, to confess knowledge of, Othello, iii. 3. 320; to be acknowen of, to acknowledge, Puttenham, English Poesie, iii. 22 (p. 260). OE. oncnawen, pp. of oncnawan, to acknowledge.

a-cop, on high; sticking up. B. Jonson, Alchem. ii. 1 (Drugger). OE. copp, top, summit.

acopus, a restorative plant, mentioned by Pliny. Middleton, The Witch, v. 2 (Hecate). L. acopus, Gk. ???p??; ?, not + ??p??, weariness.

acquest, an acquisition, gain. Bacon, Hist. Hen. VII (ed. Lumby, pp. 90, 172). OF. aquest, Med. L. acquistum (Ducange), L. acquisitum, a thing acquired.

acquist, Milton, Samson Ag. 1755. Directly from the Latin, or from the Ital. acquisto.

acroche, to grasp, try to acquire. 'I acroche, as a man dothe that wynneth goodes or landes off another by sleyght, Iaccroche', Palsgrave.

acton; see haqueton.

actuate, to act. Massinger, Roman Actor, iv. 2 (Paris). Med. L. actuare, 'perficere' (Ducange).

aculeate, pointed. Bacon, Essay 57, § 5. L. aculeus, a sting, sharp point. L. acus, a needle.

adamant, a load-stone, magnet. Mids. Night's D. ii. 1. 195; Marlowe, Edw. II, ii. 5 (Arundel). ME. adamaunt, the loadstone or magnet (Chaucer, Rom. Rose, 1182).

Adamite, a member of a sect that dispensed with clothes at their meetings. Shirley, Hyde Park, ii. 4 (Mis. Car.). Cp. The Guardian, no. 134 (Aug. 14, 1713), § last.

adaunt, to quell, subdue. Caxton, Hist. Troye, leaf 8. 11; leaf 79, back, l. 5. OF. adonter, donter, L. domitare, to tame (Virgil).

adauntreley, error for ad[u]aunt-relay, lit. a relay in front; a laying on of fresh hounds to take up a chase. Return from Parnassus, ii. 5 (Amoretto). From aduaunt (avaunt) and relay; see Avant-lay in NED.

adaw, to daunt, suppress, confound. Spenser, F. Q. iii. 7. 13; iv. 6. 26; v. 9. 35; Shep. Kal., Feb., 141. A word due to the ME. adv. adawe, in phr. do adawe, to put out of life (lit. day), to quell. The ME. adawe = OE. of dagum, out of days.

addulce, to sweeten, render palatable. Bacon, Henry VII (ed. Lumby, p. 84).

adelantado, a Spanish grandee, a lord-lieutenant. Spelt adalantado; B. Jonson, Ev. Man out of Humour, v. 4 (Puntarvolo); Alchemist, iii. 2 (Face); Fletcher, Love's Cure, ii. 1 (Lazarillo). Span. adelantado, promoted, advanced, pp. of adelantar, to advance. See lantedo.

adjection, addition. B. Jonson, Every Man, iv. 6. 5. L. adjectio.

adjouste, to add, give; lit. to adjust. Caxton, Hist. Troye, leaf 43. 2; lf. 141, back,...