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A growing assortment of words and definitions used in the Early Modern era. See the Guide for more information.
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WordDefinition

Baxter

Baker. Originally feminine; from 10th through 15th century used of both sexes; thereafter masculine. In the 16th century, a new feminine form was fashioned: backstress. Sir Walter Scott used the word in THE HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN (1818) : One in appearance a baxter, i.e. a baker's lad, handed her out of her chair. After about 1400, however, baxter was rarely used save in Scotland.

Dariole

A crustade, q.v. From the 14th century; but by 1650 the recipe had changed and a dariole was a cream tart. In that sense Walter Scott revived the word in QUENTIN DURWARD (1823): Ordering confections, darioles, and any other light dainties he could think of.

Dern

Dark, sombre, solitary; hence, secret; hence sly, deceitful, evil. Chaucer in THE MILLER'S TALE (1386) has: Ye must been ful deerne as in this case. The word appears from BEOWULF (10th century) to Walter Scott who in WAVERLEY (1814) speaks of the dern path. Dern is also used as a noun, in the senses: a secret; secrecy; a place of concealment; darkness. The word was common in Old Teutonic; there is also a verb dern, to hide, to keep secret Other early forms are derned, darned, hidden; dernful, dreary; dernly, secretly; dernhede (1300) and dernship (darnscipe, in the ANCREN RIWLE, 1225), secrecy.

Drumble

An inert or sluggish fellow, a 'drone/ Also in the names of insects, drumble-, drummel-, dumble-: a drumble-bee, a humble-bee, bumble-bee; drumble-dore, a clumsy insect; hence, a heavy, sluggish, stupid person. Hence, to drumble, to drone, mumble; to move sluggishly. In this sense, used by Shakespeare (MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR; 1598) ; revived by Walter Scott (THE FORTUNES OF NIGEL; 1822) : Why, how she drumbles -- I warrant she stops to take a sip on the road. There are two other verbs, to drumble: (1) to sound like a drum (the drumbling tabor; 17th century). (2) to trouble, disturb; to make drumly or turbid. Drumly, cloudy (of the sky), turbid (of water) was used from the 16th into the 18th century. And from Dutch drommeler, a boat, a heavy-set man, English in the 16th and 17th centuries used drumbler, drumler, for a small but fast boat, especially used as a privateer or by pirates.

Easement

(1) Relief from pain or annoyance. Chaucer has, in THE REEVE'S TALE (1386) : Some esement has lawe yshapen us. Hence, stool of easement, toilet; dogs of easement, a second string to relieve tired dogs on a hunt. (2) Refreshment, comfortable board and lodging. So revived by Walter Scott in THE MONASTERY (1820). (3) Advantage, comfort, enjoyment. Also revived by Scott, in THE HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN (1818). (4) The right to use something not one's own, as a roadway through a neighbor's ground, or water from his spring -- as a legal term, this is still current.

Ettle

To intend, to purpose; to ordain, destine; to aim, direct; direct one's course; to arrange, set in order, prepare. Also to guess, conjecture. A common word from the 12th century; after the 14th mainly in northern dialects. Among its forms were atlien, attle, ahtil, atthill, eitle, attile, ettelle. Hampole in THE PRICKE OF CONSCIENCE (1340) mentioned a daughter the whilk he luved specialy and eghtild to mak hir qwene of worshepe. Hence ettle, ettling, ettlement, intention; endeavor -- ettle was also used (18th century) to mean opportunity; ettling (13th century) to mean conjecture; withouten eni etlunge, without any guessing, unquestionably. Ettler, a schemer; an aspirant. Walter Scott in THE MONASTERY (1820), reviving the word, said: They that ettle at the top of a ladder will at least get up some rounds.

Gittern

A musical instrument, like the guitar, strung with wire. Also ghittern, getron, gyterne, guthorne, guiterne; guiterre, whence guitar. Also cithern, q.v. Used from the 14th to the 17th century; revived (the word) by Walter Scott in OLD MORTALITY (1816). Hence, to gittern; a gitterner.

Holt

A copse, a grove. Used from the 8th century (BEOWULF), often in the phrase holtis hie, which may have led to the 16th and 17th century use of holt to mean a wooded hill. Walter Scott differentiates, in THE WILD HUNTSMAN (1796) : The timorous prey Scours moss and moor, and holt and hill. Hence holtfelster, holtfeller, a woodcutter.

Keep

As a noun. Care, attention; to nim (take, give) keep, to take notice; hence, care in watching. Hence, a place for keeping something, a cupboard, a meat-safe (to keep flies from flesh In summer: 17th century), a reservoir for fish; a clasp, button, or lock. Especially (translating Italian tenazza, hold) , the innermost, strongest, central tower of a castle, which served as the last defence; a stronghold. Thus Burke in a letter of 1796: Like the proud keep of Windsor rising in majesty of proportion, and girt with the double belt of its kindred and coeval towers. Walter Scott gave the word fresh life for historical stories.

Man-milliner

Used figuratively, from the 18th century, to mean one engaged in or fond of trivial occupations or adornments. Hence, man-millinery, apparel (or activity) on which attention is lavished trivially or beyond its desert. Hazlitt in POLITICAL ESSAYS (1814) said: The 'Morning Herald' sheds tears of joy over the fashionable virtues of the rising generation., and finds that we shall make better man-milliners, better lacqueys, better courtiers than ever. Walter Scott in a letter of 22 August, 1819, remarked that there goes as much to the manmillinery of a young officer of hussars as to that of an heiress on her bridal day.

Mensk

Humanity; courtesy; reverence; honor; an honor; an ornament. A common word from the 13th into the 16th century, from Old Norse mennska, humanity, related to English man. As a verb mensk meant to reverence; to dignify; to adorn. Hence menskful, honorable, stately, gracious; menskless, ungracious; mensking (14th century), honor, courtesy. The Scotch form of the word, still in use in the 19th century, was mense; Walter Scott in ROB ROY (1818) says: We hae mense and discretion, and are moderate of our mouths.

Mutchkin

A liquid measure, about three-quarters of an imperial pint (15th century) or one-fourth of the old Scots pint. In THANES OF CAWDOR (1591) we find: Item three muskingis aquavitye. Walter Scott in WAVERLEY (1814) has: He whistled the 'Bob of Dumblain,' under the influence of half a mutchkin of brandy.

Naker

A kettle-drum. From Persian naqara. Naker meant also (1) one that denudes; cp. nake. (2) nacre. The drum occurs only in the 14th and 15th centuries, as in Chaucer's THE KNIGHT'S TALE (1386): pypes, trompes, nakers, and clariounes -- until revived by Walter Scott in IVANHOE (1819): A flourish of the Norman trumpets . . . mingled with the deep and hollow clang of the nakers.

Needfire

Fire produced by the vigorous friction of dry wood (as when the Boy Scouts imitate the Indians). In the 15th and 16th centuries (and later) such a fire was held to possess magical properties, especially for the healing of cattle. Thus an extract from the PRESBYTERY BOOK OF STRATHBOGIE (1644) informs us that It was regraited by Mr. Robert Watsone that ther was neidfire raysed within his parochin . . . for the curing of cattell. Also, to take needfire, to start to burn spontaneously; Stewart in his translation (1535) of THE BUIK OF THE CHRONICLIS OF SCOTLAND wrote: That tyme his stalf, in presens of thame all, it tuik neidfire richt thair into his hand. Walter Scott, in THE LAY OF THE LAST MINSTREL (1805) , used the word to mean bonfire or beacon -- The ready page with hurried hand Awaked the needfire's slumbering brand -- and to some extent that use has persisted.

Nithing

A base coward, a most despicable wretch. A common Teuton word. By misreading of the th (Saxon thorn), the form niddering developed, the O.E.D. says in 1596; Bailey in 1751 gives the forms niderling and niding. Walter Scott, reviving the word in IVANHOE (1819) speaks of threatening to stigmatize those who staid at home as nidering.

Nixie

A water-nymph. See eche. This form, a diminutive of nix, q.v., was first used by Walter Scott, in THE ANTIQUARY (1816) and in THE PIRATE (1821) : She who sits by haunted well Is subject to the nixie's spell.

Ocivity

Sloth. Via French from Latin ocium, otium, ease; whence also otiose; otious (17th century), leisurely, idle, at ease. Cp. otiation. In English, otium is occasionally used; Thackeray in PENDENNIS (1849) says: Mr. Morgan was enjoying his otium in a dignified manner, surveying the evening fog, and enjoying a cigar. Walter Scott (THE MONASTERY; 1820) and others have used the Latin phrase otium cum dignitate, dignified ease. The term otiosity usually puts more emphasis on the idleness, the state of being unemployed. This form was earlier ociositie; Caxton in POLYCRONICON (1482) spoke of alle thoos men whiche thurgh the infyrmyte of our mortal nature hath ledde the moost parte of theyr lyf in ocyosyte, rebukingly; but Thackeray in VANITY FAIR referred with but mild satire to a life of dignified otiosity such as became a person of his eminence.

Outrecuidance

Excessive self-esteem or self-confidence; arrogance; presumptuousness. Via 12th century French outrecuider from Latin ultra, beyond + cogitare, to think. Walter Scott revived the word; in IVANHOE (1819) he has: It is full time . . . that the outrecuidance of these peasants should be restrained. See also surquedry.

Pottingar

(1) An apothecary. The form is a 15th to 17th century corruption (revived by Walter Scott in THE FAIR MAID OF PERTH, 1828) of pothecar, pothecary. Also potingair, pottinger. Apothecary is via Late Latin from Greek apotheke, storehouse; pithenai, to put. The form pottinger was also another word, related to pottage and porringer, meaning (2) a vessel for holding liquid food, a small basin. Used from the 15th century. Also (B) a pottage maker, a cook. This was, earlier, potager.

Scroyle

A scoundrel, wretch. A common word among 16th and 17th century dramatists; revived by Walter Scott in KENILWORTH (1821). Shakespeare exclaims in KING JOHN (1595): By heaven! these scroyles of Angiers flout you, kings!

Spae

A prediction; an omen. Also to spae, to prophesy. Used from the 13th century; frequent in Walter Scott (GUY MANNERING; 1815). Also in various combinations: spaedom, spaecraft, spaework, prophecy, prophesying, spaeman, spaewoman, spaewife, fortune-teller; then witch; spaewright, spaer. The spaewoman often was, or pretended to be, dumb, as deprivation of this sense reputedly endowed one with second sight. The words, if not the beliefs, have persisted in Scotland.

Totty

Unsteady, shaky, tottery; dizzy; fuddled. Formed after totter, tottle. Chaucer in THE REEVE'S TALE (1386) has: Myn hed is toty of my swynk tonyght. For another quotation, see noll. Used into the 17th century, the word was revived by Walter Scott in the 19th, in IVANHOE (1819): I was somewhat totty when I received the good knight's blow, or I had kept my ground.

Vair

A fur, very popular in the 13th and 14th centuries, used for trimming or lining garments, also for slippers. It was then the fur of a squirrel with gray back and white belly. Old French vair; Latin varius, parti-colored. The fur was later replaced by miniver and ermine; the word vair (though retained in heraldry, and revived in the 19th century by Walter Scott, Swinburne, and more) dropped from the common speech. The same lapse occurred in French; hence, in the Cinderella story, the fairy slippers of Cinderella, made of vair, made sense to the people listening as verre, and became, in English translation, not fur but glass slippers.

Vilipend

(1) To regard as of little value, to despise; hence, to treat slightingly. Latin vilis, worthless, vile + pendere, to weigh, estimate, consider. This sense was very common in the 16th and 17th centuries, revived by Walter Scott in WAVERLEY (1814): a youth devoid of that petulant volatility which is impatient of, or vilipends, the conversation and advice of his seniors. (2) Confused with this, especially in the 19th century, to vilipend, to vilify, to speak of with contempt, to represent as bad or worthless. Thackeray in VANITY FAIR (1848) says: Menacing the youth with maledictions . . . and vilipending the poor innocent girl as the basest and most artful of vixens. Also vilipender; vilipenditory, abusive; vilipendious, contemptible; vilipendency, the expression of contempt; vilipension, the act of despising.

Viznomy

A variant of visnomy (vysenamy, visenomy), early forms of physiognomy. The form (from the 16th and early 17th centuries) was revived by Walter Scott in THE BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR (1818): The loon has woodie written on his very visnomy, and in KENILWORTH; Lamb and others continued its use.

Waniand

Used in the phrase in the (wild) waniand -- short for in the waniand [waning] moon, supposed to be an unlucky period: an exclamatory term or imprecation, like "with a plague." Used in the 14th and 15th centuries; about 1550, replaced by wanion (wannion, wenyon, wenian); later, with a (wild) wanion. Shakespeare in PERICLES (1607) has: Come away, or Ile fetch'th with a wanion. A (wild) wanion on, with a wanion to, May a curse light upon --. Walter Scott revived the phrases, as in WOODSTOCK (1826): He would have battered the presbyterian spirit out of him with a wanion.

Yestreen

Yesterday evening. Corrupted into such forms as the strene, the straine, ystrewine, yhistrewyn, yistrevyn. The ballad FAIR ELLEN (in Child's collection, 1800) has: I dreamed a dream san the straine. Walter Scott revived yestreen, which had never been wholly abandoned by nostalgic poets.

Yode

Went. The old past tense of go. Also yead, yede. Cp. sigalder. The word was mistakenly used as a present -- yode, yede, to go, in the 16th century. Walter Scott revived the form, in MARMION (1808): In other pace than forth he yode, Returned Lord Marmion.
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