A growing assortment of words and definitions used in the Early Modern era. See the Guide for more information.
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10
Word
Definition
Fescue
A twig, a small piece of straw -- sometimes used in allusion to the Biblical mote in one's neighbor's eys. Hence, a small stick or pointer used to help children learn. Common 14th through 17th century. Also as a verb, fescue, to guide in reading, with a stick (which may be a pointer or used to rap one over the knuckles) ; John Milton in ANIMADVERSIONS . . . SMECTYMNUS (1641) speaks of a child fescu'd to a formal injunction of his rote-lesson.
Kickshaw
(1) A fancy dish; not a substantial English recipe, but one of those 'somethings' the frivolous French concoct. From French quelque chose, something; hence kick-choses, kickshaws; this was later treated as a plural, whence 17th century kickshaw. Shakespeare in HENRY IV, PART TWO (1597) calls for a joint of mutton, and any pretty little tiny kickshawes. (2) By extension, anything elegant but trifling or unsubstantial; in Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT (1601) we hear Sir Andrew Aguecheek: I delight in masks and revels sometimes altogether, and Sir Toby Belch: Art thou good at these kickshawses, knight?John Milton, in his essay on EDUCATION (1644) applies the word to persons: The Monsieurs of Paris to take our hopeful youth . . . and send them over back again transformed into mimicks, apes, and kickshoes. As early as 1658 we find protest against the kickshaw language, which these chameleon times love to feede on -- a pattern of speech and writing never since wholly set aside.
Magnific
Eminent; glorious; munificent Imposing, exalted; highly eulogistic. In later use, occasionally suggesting the pompous, grandiloquent. Latin magnus, great + fic; facere, to make. Also magnifical. John Milton in PARADISE LOST (1667) speaks of Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vertues, Powers, If these magnific titles yet remain Not meerly titular. Gaxton (ENEYDOS; 1490) : This gentylman ... of name magnyfyque.
Nocent
Cp. couth. Nocent was used from the 15th into the 18th century, rather rarely later. Also nocence, nocency. From Latin nocentem, harmful; nocere, to hurt, whence not only innocent but innocuous. There was no English form nocuous, but harmful was represented by nocible (15th century, Caxton), nociferous (18th century, Evelyn), and nocive, nocivous (16th and 17th centuries) T. Adams in THE FATAL BANQUET (1620) has: I would iniquity was not bolder than honesty, or that innocence might speed no worse than nocence. John Milton in PARADISE LOST (1667) speaks of Adam before the fall: Nor nocent yet, but on the grassy herb Fearless, unfeared, he slept.
Obstringe
To put under obligation. Latin ob, upon, over + stringere, strictum (whence also strict, constrict, etc.), to bind. Hence obstrictive, obstriction. John Milton in SAMSON AGONISTES (1671) tells that God hath full right to exempt Whomso it pleases Him by choice From national obstriction. The translation (1660) of Amyraldus' TREATISE CONCERNING RELIGION shows the background of a later Soviet practice: It was never lookt upon as unjust or strange, for those who are obstringed one to another by those bonds to partake in the punishment of their relatives.
Quair
An early (mainly Scotch) form of (1) where. (2) quire. This may be a variant of choir, as in Shakespeare's SONNET 73 (1592): Bare ruin'd quires, where late the sweet birds sang and in John Milton's IL PENSOROSO (1632): There let the pealing organ blow To the full-voiced quire below. Choir is roundabout from Greek choros, company of singers or dancers. More often (from the 13th century) quire, quair (Old French caier, French cahier; Latin quaterni, set of four; quattuor, four) was a set of four sheets of parchment or paper, folded to form eight leaves; by extension, a pamphlet or booklet; then, a poem or prose piece short enough to fit in a quire. The best known work of this sort is The Kingis Quair (1423), by James I of Scotland.
Quibble
As a noun. A play upon words. From this sense of quibble came the second sense, as still in the verb, to quibble, to indulge in purely verbal argument, to avoid the issue by a turn of phrases. A quip was originally a sharp or sarcastic remark; later, any clever turn of words, as in John Milton's L'ALLEGRO (1632): Quips and cranks and wanton wiles. Both quip and quibble are probably from quib, which is a shortening of Latin quibus, 'from which things' (it can be seen, etc.). The word quibus occurred frequently in legal documents, hence came to be used of the verbal aspects of the legal mind. (In French, quibus was used to mean money, 'the wherewithal'; in Dutch, kwibus, a fool.) Johnson, in his Preface to Shakespeare (1765) said: A quibble is to Shakespeare what luminous vapour is to the traveller; he follows it at all adventures; it is sure to lead him out of the way and sure to engulf him in the mire.
Quiver
Nimble, quick. Shakespeare in HENRY IV, PART TWO (1597) says: There was a little quiver fellow, and a' would manage his piece thus. From the noun quiver, a case for arrows, came a verbal form, as in John Milton's COMUS (1654): Like a quiver'd nymph with arrows keen. The form quiverful was often used figuratively, meaning many, echoing the BIBLE: PSALM 127: As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.
Whist
Silent, hushed; free from noise or disturbance. Also a verb, to be silent; to hush. Used by Chaucer (1400), John Milton (1629), Bridges (1890; SHORTER POEMS). Shakespeare uses it in one of his most delightful songs (THE TEMPEST; 1611): Come unto these yellow sands And then take hands. Curtsied when you have, and kist The wild waves whist, Foot it featly here and there And, sweet sprites, the burden bear. Also whister, to whisper; whisterer, a whisperer. The card game whist is said to have come from the demand for silence; but at first (17th century) the game was called whisk; from to whisk, to move lightly and rapidly, as with a whiskbroom. Hence whisker, a whist-player. Lady Bristol wrote in a letter of 1723: The wiskers have promised me some diversion.
Wrack
(1) A variant form of wreak, q.v. Hence, wrackful, vengeful, angry; wracksome, destructive. (2) An error for rack, as in rack and ruin. Hence, the wracking of criminals; thus also Shakespeare in HENRY VI, PART ONE (1591): like a man new haled from the wrack; wracking whirlwinds (John Milton, PARADISE LOST, 1663). (3) A variant form of wreck. Wreck is from a common Norse form, wrekan, to drive; originally, wreck meant to cast on shore, or anything (not necessarily goods from a ship) cast upon the shore; the North Riding records of 1666 report a warrant against 11 Britton men for riotously taking a whale and other wreck.
