GLOSSARY

Of obsolete words, or words used in an obsolete sense

Abearing	Behaviour
Abrenounce Abecie	To renounce or repudiateAn ABC i.e. a child's primer for the alphabet
Abrenounce	To renounce or repudiate
Abroach	To set abroach = to start something one cannot or will not stop
Acception	Acceptance
Accombred	Burdened
Accompt	Account
Accustomably	Normally
Acoluthes	Acolytes
Addict	Bound by oath or obligation
Adhibited	Applied
Adjure	To bind under penalty of an oath
Admiration	Astonishment
Advertise	To warn or advise
Advertisement	Formal notification or warning
Advocation	Praying to the saints
Advouterer	Adulterer
Advoutry, advowtry	Adultery
Advowson	The right of appointment to a benefice
Affection	A disposition or emotional attitude towards something
Affiance	Trust
Affray	To frighten
After-clap	A blow struck unexpectedly at an opponent who had thought the fight was over.
Againstond, againstand	Withstand, defeat
Agnize Agamist	To acknowledgeOne who opposes the institution of marriage
Ale-stake Agnize	An alehouse signTo acknowledge
Allegation Agrest	ArgumentRustic, wild
Ale-stake	An alehouse sign
Allegation	Argument
Allege	To cite in argument
Alligation	Attachment
All-to	Very much
Almany	Germany
Almose	Alms
Almous	Of or relating to almsgiving or charity
Ambage	Roundabout or deceitfully ambiguous speech; legal technicalities
Ambassade	Ambassadorship
Amerce Ambassage	To fine or tax heavilyA diplomatic mission
Amerce	To fine or tax heavily
Amice	A shawl of white linen, part of a priest's vestments
Amplect	To embrace
Ampliated	Enlarged or extended
Anences	Relating to; as anences = as regards
Annat	The income of a diocese or benefice for the first year of a new appointee's tenure, which was given to the Pope.
Annealed	Annointed
Annoiling	Anointing with sacred oil
Antelation Annuates	A right of preference or precedence Instructions given by signs or gestures
Antelation	A right of preference or precedence
Apaid	Satisfied
Apertly	Openly
Apostoil	The pope
Apostule	A marginal comment or footnote
Appair	To damage or weaken
Apparitor	An official, or civil or ecclestiacal servant
Appellatores	One who makes a false accusation for a reward
Applausion	Applause, mass shouting or cheering
Appliable to their beck	Ready to obey them
Appone	To make use of
Appose	To examine or question
Appose	To interrogate or question in court
Arectet	Raised up
Arrear	To gather and prepare an army
Articulate	Said, mentioned
Ascited	Summoned
Assay	Formally tasting food before giving it to a king or other important person
Assize	To impose or assess a tax; or, to set the price of a staple foodstuff etc.
Assoil	To pardon, absolve
Assuage	To reduce
Astonied	Astonished
Astonyings	Astonishment, confusion
At jar	Of different opinions
Attainder	Forfeiture of all property rights, which was a penalty for treason or felony;
Attemperate	To adapt
Auditory	Audience
Austin	St. Augustine of Hippo
Auter	Altar
Avoid	1. To depart 2. To discharge or excrete
Avouch	To declare publicly
Avowe	Vow
Awmbry	A storehouse
Ayens	Against
Baily	Bailiff, steward
Ballets	BalladsA ballad, especially a scurrilous or satirical one.
Band Ballets	Agreement, contractBallads
Band	Agreement, contract
Ban-dog	A big savage dog
Barrator	A ruffian or hired bully
Basin	A cymbal
Bassa	A Turkish general or pasha
Bate	Debate, strife
Battledore	A flat wooden club used to beat cloth when washing it
Beadman, Beadsman	A person employed or appointed to pray for others
Beadroll	A list of people to be prayed for.
Bead-roll	A long list of names
Bearing sheet	A winding-sheet or shroud in which a corpse is wrapped for burial
Bearward	A keeper or trainer of performing bears
Beck	Call
Bedlamite	A madman
Beetle	A mallet
Beetle-brow	A person with shaggy eyebrows, a low sullen scoundrel
Beguily	In wily beguily = trying to be clever but only succeeding in deceiving oneself; being "too clever by half"
Behanged	Decorated with hanging tapestries etc.
Behewed	Hacked with an axe
Behight	Gave, given
Belly-cheer -wether	GluttonyThe best sheep in a flock
Bel-wetherBelly-cheer	The best sheep in a flockGluttony
Bene, ben	Are
Benemen, Benomin	Deprive, take away from
Bestead	Beset
Beth	Are, is
Bewray	To betray
Bill	A weapon resembling a pike, with a spear blade, and a hook sharpened on the inside of the curve.
Birth-poison Bird-bolt	Original sin; in Christian theology an inherent inclination to sinfulness which is part of human natureA short arrow with a broad, flat head, used for shooting birds.
Birth-poison	Original sin; in Christian theology an inherent inclination to sinfulness which is part of human nature
Bite-sheep	A bishop who ill-treats his flock
Blaze	To proclaim or declare
Blemished	Disconcerted
Bliue	Believe
Bobbed	Beaten
Bolt	To sift
Bonchief	Good fortune, benefit
Bonhomme	One of an order orof begging friars
Borsholder	A parish constable
Bosom sermon	A sermon learned by heart and recited
Bounce	To thump
Boyly	Boyish
Brabbling	Quarrelling,
Brable	To quarrel loudly
Brary	One who brays or talks nonsense
Brast	Burst
Brenn	Burn
Brennen	Burn
Brent	Burnt
Bribe	To steal
Brickle	Fragile, brittle
Brim	Brightly shining
Bristow	Bristol
Broom-faggot	A bundle of the broom plant (Genista scoparius) used for kindling
Bruit	A noise or rumour. Bruited abroad = rumoured
Brunt	A blow
Buckle	Struggle with
Buckler	A shield
BucklingBug	Struggling withA ghost, monster or other terrifying thing
Bug Bulk	A ghost, monster or other terrifying thingA beam, baulk of timber
Bulk	A beam, baulk of timber
Bushment	An ambush
Buskle	To work busily, bustle about
Butt	An archery range; a target
Buxom	Obedient
Buxumnesse	Obedience
By-cavillation	Legal quibbling or trickery
Byelden	Build
Byhoten	Promised
Byneme, Bynome	Deprive, take away from
Caitiff	A miserable person
Camping cure Callet	A benefice which involves serving God by warfareAn immoral woman
Canicular Camping cure	In canicular days: dog-days, early AugustA benefice which involves serving God by warfare
Canicular	In canicular days: dog-days, early August
Canivise	Apparently a nonce-word invented by Foxe; presumably "To make into a dog"
Canning	Ability
Canning	Memorizing
Canvassed	Beaten, knocked about, defeated
Capernaitical	Believing in the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation; Capernaites = those who believe it
Capper	A cap-maker
Carle Cark	A low churl or villainResponsibility
Casule Carle	A chasubleA low churl or villain
Casule	A chasuble
Catchpole	Contemptuous word for a debt- or tax-collector
Cater-cousin	A very close friend
Caterpillar	A robber or extortionist
Cautel	A quibble or reservation
Cavillations	Legal quibbles or trickery
Cecity	Blindness, poor eyesight
Celsitude	High rank, majesty; your celsitude = your highness
Cense	To bless with incense
Certes	Certainly
Chafe	A fit of temper; fury
Chaffare	Merchandise
Chambering	Sexual sin, lewdness
Channel	Gutter
Chantries, Chantry-masses	Masses performed daily or at set intervals as one of the conditions of a legacy or endowment
Chap-men	Merchants
Chaps	Fissures
Chargeous	Dependent upon
Chart	A charter or official decree. Blank chart = a blank royal decree to be filled in with the names etc. of those it will refer to
Cheeping	Flattering words
Cheer	Facial expression
Chequer	In chequer matters: Lawsuits relating to the collection of royal revenue
Chesille	A chasuble
Chimer, chimere Chevance	A loose gown with red sleeves, worn by a bishopA way of raising money
Chievance	Success, accomplishments
Child-travail	Childbirth, labour
Chimer, chimere	A loose gown with red sleeves, worn by a bishop
Chisil	A chasuble
Chrismatory	1) A sacred anointing2) A jar containing the anointing oil called chrism.
Chrisoms	Chrism, a holy oil used for anointing
Cipher in Agrime Chuff-headed	The zero in the Arabic numeralsHaving a big fat head
Circumscriptible Cipher in Agrime	Capable of being measured; subject to limits of size or spaceThe zero in the Arabic numerals
Civilian Circumscriptible	A lawyer specialising in civil law.Capable of being measured; subject to limits of size or space
Civilian	A lawyer specialising in civil law
Clamper	To botch together
Clanculary	Secret
Clennere	To clean, absolve
Clepe	Call
Cloisterer	A monk or nun who stays in a monastery or convent; opposed to a friar, who wanders around begging.
Closter	An enclosure
Clout	N) A cloth or wrapping V) To wrap up
Coact	To coerce
Coactive	Coercive
Coadjutor	An assistant
Coast	To attack
Coat card	A court or picture card in a pack of playing cards
Cock in the hoop	To set cock in the hoop = to act boastfully or presumptuously
Cockle	A weed of corn fields (Lychnis githago)
Cog	To foist or publish a forged document
Coll	To embrace, cuddle
Collar	To wrestle
Collateral	Of equal rank; one of the joint holders of an office
Collation	1) Appointment of a clergyman to a benefice 2) A commentary on scripture 3) Comparison
Collect	A prayer said before the Epistle reading in the Mass
Colleginer	A fellow of a college
Collyrium	Eye-salve
Colourable	Superficially convincing, but in fact false
Comfortable	Comforting
Commencement	1) A conference2) At a university, the formal conferring of degrees.
Commendations	Prayers for the dead
Comminatory	1) Threatening punishment or revenge 2) A sealed-off place, a cloister
Commissary	The appointed deputy of a bishop
Commixion	Mingling, mixing together; in the Mass, the act of putting a small part of the host into the wine.
Commodity	Advantage
Commonly	A public meeting
Commorant	Officially resident
Communed	Discussed
Companied	Associated with
Compass	A circle, hence: roundabout way; circular or other enclosure; boundaries or limits
Compline	A church service held in the evening
Compter	A lock-up
Con	To study
Con-captives	Fellow-prisoners
Concion	A public speech
Concomitation	Consubstantiation, i.e. the co-existence of bread and wine, and the body and blood of Christ, in the Eucharist
Concupiscence	Overpowering desire (not necessarily sexual)
Concupiscentious	Lustful, unchaste
Conduct	A chaplain
Confer	To compare
Confute	To prove wrong
Congrue, Congruent	Appropriate, suitable
Conject	To conjecture or suppose
Conjunction adversative	A phrase (beginning with e.g. but or however) qualifying or contradicting the one before
Conning	Wisdom
Consistory	A court presided over by a bishop, for trying religious or ecclesiastical cases
Conspurcate	Filthy, defiled
Constitute proctors	To appoint lawyers to represent oneself in court
Contemn	To despise
Contentation	Contentment, satisfaction
Continue	Contents
Control	To contradict or object to some statement
Contumacy	Contemptuous refusal to obey
Contumelious	Degrading or insulting
Contumely, Contumelies	Insults
Convent	(V) To summon before a court
Conventicle	A clandestine or illegal religious meeting
Cope Conveyance	1) A long silken cloak worn as an ecclesiastical vestment 2) A senior churchman, such as might wear one.A cunning deceitful action
Cope	1) A long silken cloak worn as an ecclesiastical vestment 2) A senior churchman, such as might wear one.
Coping tank	A tall narrow conical hat
Copulative	Forming a connected whole
Cormorant	A greedy or rapacious person
Cornleader	A carter of grain
Corporace, corporas	A cloth laid on the altar on which the chalice and paten are placed
Corporal	N) A cloth on which consecrated hosts are laid or which is used to wrap them A) -- 1) of the body, physical; Corporally = physically. 2) in Corporal oath, one taken while holding a physical object, such as a Bible, relic, or consecrated host.
Coste	Breast
Couetice	Covetousness
Courser	A war-horse
Courtesan	A member of the Papal Curia
Cousin-germain, Cousin-german	A first cousin
Cousin-germanCovetise	A first cousinCovetousness
Cowcher	A very large book, which can only be read on a table or lectern
Craker	A blowhard or boaster
Cramp-ring	A ring blessed by the King on Good Friday, believed to be a protection against cramps, fits etc.
Crayer	A small trading ship
Criminous	Criminal; relating to crime
Croised	Marked with a cross; having take the cross as a crusader
Croisy	To bestow the cross upon someone, i.e. to declare him a crusader
Croysies	Crusaders
Crudelity	Cruelty
Cullen	Cologne, in Germany
Cumber	Burden
Currier	One whose trade is the preparation and dyeing of leather
Customable	Customary or habitual
Dag Customer	A pistolA customs officer or collector of customs duties
Dag	A pistol
Damnified	Damaged or injured
Damp	A state of stupefaction
Darnel	A weed of cornfields, (Lolium temulentum), also known as cockle or tares, and referred to by Jesus in Matthew c. 13 v.24-30.
Dastard	A coward
Decretal Datary	Originally, a letter written by a Pope in response to a query; later, any papal decree or documentA papal officer; originally one whose function was to register and date Papal documents
Decretal	Originally, a letter written by a Pope in response to a query; later, any papal decree or document
Deduce	1) To declare or describe 2) To bring
Deface Deducted	To abashTraced or described from a date.
Defension Deface	The formal public defence of his dissertation by a candidate for a university degreeTo abash, humiliate, put out of countenance.
Dehort Defension	To advise or exhort against somethingThe formal public defence of his dissertation by a candidate for a university degree
Deject Dehort	To throw down. Deject oneself = humble oneselfTo advise or exhort against something
Delated Deject	Denounced to the authorities, informed againstTo throw down. Deject oneself = humble oneself
Deme, Demen Delated	JudgeDenounced to the authorities, informed against
Deme, Demen	Judge
Demi-lance	A short-shafted lance
Demurrer	In law, a plea that the facts alleged do not amount to a tort or crime; loosely, any legal objection
Denizen	A naturalized citizen
Depeach	To despatch a messenger
Descant	In shift of descant = changing the argument
Detour	Debtor
Detour	Debtor
Deturbate	To cast down or thrust out
Deyeden Devotion	DiedAt his devotion = at his command, free for his use.
Dial Deyeden	A watchDied
Dignation Dial	The act of a superior honouring or recognizing an inferiorA watch
Didrachma	A two-drachma coin
Dignation	The act of a superior honouring or recognizing an inferior
Dimissory	A letter from a bishop recommending someone as fit for ordination or ecclesiastical office
Ding	To strike, beat
Dirige	The matins of the Service for the dead, beginning Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam.
Dirt-dauber	A plasterer esp. one who uses mud to make wattle-and-daub walls
Disceptation	Debate
Discommodity	Disadvantage
Disgarnish	To deprive of
Dishonest	To defile
Disme	A 10% tax or charge
Disparkle, disperkle	To scatter or disperse