Medieval Wordbook

This workbook defines some 4000 medieval terms and expressions from art and architecture, sex and science, costume and cookery, literature and magic, liturgy and astrology, and warfare and ceremony. A companion to medieval culture; the book also included geneal concepts central to medieval thinking, such as allegory, polyphony, and numerology. Entries include: blackmail: Scottish for rent or tribute paid in grain or meat, as opposed to "white mail" paid in sliver or coin; corduroy: from the French corde du roi, "cloth of the king," is a ridged silk or cotton fabric; gossip: from the Anglo-Saxon god sib, "sister in God," a friendly woman companion; and upper crust: the top crust cut from round loaves of bread presented to the noble guest at feasts.