A growing assortment of words and definitions used in the Early Modern era. See the Guide for more information.
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Word
Definition
Allect
To allure. After the Latin allectare, frequentative form of allicere, from ad, to + lacere, to entice, laqueus, a noose, a snare. Sir Thomas More in HERESYES (1528): To allect the people by preaching. Allectation, found only in old dictionaries, and the once-used (1640) allection were formed from allect, to mean an alluring, enticement. Allective, as adjective and noun, was more frequent in the 16th and 17th centuries; Elyot in THE GOVERNOUR (1531): There is no better alective to noble wits; Gabriel Harvey in PIERCES SUPEREROGATION (1592): Her beautiful and allective style as ingenious as elegant. THE REMEDY OF LOVE (1532) speaks of most allective bait, which has its place and allective power in our time. The same meaning appears with the forms alliciate and allicit. See illect.
Infund
To pour in; to infuse, steep. Latin in + fundere, fudi, fusum. A primer of 1559 said: By infunding thy precious oil of comfort into my wounds. Also infude, infound, the latter usually in figurative use, as when Thomas More in RICHARD III (1513) wrote of the great grace that God giveth and secretly infowndeth in right generacion after the lawes of matrimony. To some extent these forms have been supplanted by the current infuse. Hence, an infundible, a funnel; infundibular, funnel- shaped.
Luskin
A sluggard, a lazy or idle fellow. Also lusk. There was also a verb, to lusk, to lie hid; to skulk; to lie idly or lazily; used from the 14th into the 17th century. Hence lusking, skulking; idling; luskish, lusk, sluggish, lazy. It does seem a bit like old-time slander for Sir Thomas More to have said, in THE CONFUTACYON OF TYNDALES ANSWERS (1532) : Frere Luther and Gate Calate hys nonnc lye luskynge togyther in lechery. Well may they bee cowards, said Holland in his version (1600) of Livy, and play the idle luskes.
