1500 – 1599 – Page 9

Word of the Day: POTATIVE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin potat-, past participial stem of potare (to drink) + ‑ive

EXAMPLE
“… desireth to cure these or such like infectious diseases, must chiefly prepare and season the body with waters of cold and naturall hearbes, in the first and second degree, before the disease be possessed: then foorthwith flux the body, by some gentle and potatiue electuarie, in equall and artificial degree, fauourably casting out the infected humours. …”

From: The Flower of Phisicke
VVherein is perfectlie comprehended a true introduction and method for mans assured health
By William Clever, 1590

Word of the Day: NIDDICK

also NEDDICK, NIDDOCK, NODDOCKE, NUDDICK, NUDDOCK

ETYMOLOGY
of unknown origin

EXAMPLE
“… Like Almain rutters, borespeares longe they whirle, or foynyng forks,
Their nuddockes bolstred ben, and skulles of heads with barkes of corks
Thei shine with brasen sheeldes, thei shine with swords, & rapiers bright.
And thée to warres thy countrey Nursa sent, O noble knight,
O Vfens, much renowmed both of déedes, and great good chaunce,
Whose mountayne people strong, with practise longe of sworde & launce,
And huntyng still in woods, and breakyng clottes ben hard of flesh …”

From: The whole .xii. Bookes of the Æneidos of Virgill
Translated by Thomas Phaer, 1558

Word of the Day: LION’S TOOTH

also LION’S TEETH

ETYMOLOGY
from the French Dent de lion (lion’s tooth) (Latin Dens leonis)

EXAMPLE
“… It is temperate, cold, and drye with Roses and Uineger tepered togeather, it helpeth the hed in hotte diseases, the sowthistle called Sonchos hath y^e same vertue & so hath Cicory: if they be sodden, the loose the belly & quencheth heat which burneth in the stomacke and defendeth the head from hot smoking vapoures, and purgeth yellow choller, and rebateth venerous & fleshly heat, & is good to be sodden & dronk in hote burning Agues: though this herbe be commonly knowen and counted of many as a vile wede, yet it is reported of Dioscorides to be an excellent herbe, & is called Lyons teeth. …”

From: Bulleins Bulwarke of Defence against all Sicknesse, Soarenesse, and VVoundes that doe dayly assaulte mankinde
By William Bullein, 1562
“The Booke of Simples”

Word of the Day: EXITIABLE

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin exitiabilis (causing or bringing death or destruction, fatal, deadly),
from exitium (a going out, destruction) + -abilis (-able)

EXAMPLE
“… But this is very necessarye to be knowen, after what sorte he handled themperoure, when he toke thaigle by the throte? In the time of Iohan the .xii. and Otto the firste there was stablyshed a greuouse intollerable, hurtefull and exitiable othe to all thempire, to be sworne of all emperours in this maner. …”

From: The Beginning and Endynge of all Popery, or Popishe Lyngedome
By Walter Lynne, 1548

Word of the Day: DRUMBELO

also DROMMELL, DROMOS (plural), DRUMBLE (Eng. dial.), DRUMMIL (Eng. dial.)

ETYMOLOGY
possibly from dialect drumble (to talk meaninglessly or monotonously, to blather or ramble)

EXAMPLE
“… This before remēbred ſupplicatiō was attentiuely noted & much feared, amongſt ye curſed companie of drouſie dreaming Dromos, I mean Baals Baldons yt mungrel Maſſalians & cruel churchrobbers whome it touched moſt in effect, in ſo muche that the groſſe Goſpeller, Ethnike Epicures, beaſtly bellygods, wicked worldlyngs and ſpirituall ſhauelyngs, were fallen in a pelting chafe, the bloudy Biſhoppes broyled, the cullionly Cardinalles coured, the proude Priours frouned, the fat Abbots ſwet, the pore Friers curſed, the white Chanons chafed, the poore Nunnes puled like Puttockes, in concluſion, all the ſectarie Sathaniſts were ſore diſpleaſed …”

From: Polybius
The Hystories of the most Famous and Worthy Cronographer Polybius discoursing of the Warres betwixt the Romanes and Carthaginenses
Translated by C. Watson, 1568

Word of the Day: MULLIGRUBS

also MA-LE-GRUBBLES, MOULDY-GRUBS, MULLEYGRUBS,
MULLIEGRUMS, MULLIGRUMPHS (Sc.), MULLYGRUBS

ETYMOLOGY
alteration (probably influenced by grub) of earlier mulliegrums, perhaps alteration (perhaps influenced by obsolete English mully (dusty, mouldy), from English mull + -y) of megrims (low spirits)

EXAMPLE (for n. 1.)
“… Hee was as good as his word, and had no sooner spoke the worde, but he did as he spoke. with a heauy heart to the pallace the yeoman of the mouth departed, and rehearsed this second il successe, wherwith Peters successour was so in his mulliegrums that he had thought to haue buffeted him, & cursed him with bell, book, & cndle ; but he ruled his reaso[n], & bad him, thgh it cost a million, to let him haue that third that rested behind, and hie him expeditely thither, lest some other snatched it vp, and as fast from thence againe, for hee swore by his triple crowne, no crumme of refection woulde he gnaw vpon, till he had sweetened his lippes with it. …”

From: Lenten Stuffe
By Thomas Nashe, 1599
“The Praise of the Red Herring”

Word of the Day: PUDIBUND

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin pudibundus (easily ashamed, bashful, modest, also shameful),
from pudere (to make or be ashamed) + -bundus

EXAMPLE (for adj. 1)
“… If any man do vse to drynke water with wyne, let it be purely strayned, & than seth it and after it be cold let hī put it to his wyne, but better it is to drīke with wyne stylled waters, specyally ye water of strawberes or the water of buglos or the water of endyue, or the water of cycory, or ye water of southystel, & dandelyon. And yf any man be cobred with the stone or doth burne in the pudybunde places, vse to drynke with whyte wyne the water of hawes, & the water of mylke, voke for thys mater in a boke of my makynge named the breuyary of health …”

From: A Compendyous Regyment or a Dyetary of Healthe Made in Mountpyllyer,
By Andrewe Boorde, 1542

PRONUNCIATION
PYOO-duh-bund

Word of the Day: BLUE PIPE

EXAMPLE
“…The blew Pipe groweth likewise in manner of a smal hedge tree, with many shootes rising from the roote like the former, as our common Priuet doth, whereof it is a kind. The branches haue some small quantitie of pith in the middle of the wood, and are couered with a darke black greenish barke or rinde. The leaues are exceeding greene and crumpled or turned vp like the brims of an hat, in shape very like vnto the leaues of the Poplar tree: among which come the flowers, of an exceeding faire blewe colour, compact of many small flowers in the forme of a bunch of grapes:…”

From: The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes
By John Gerard, 1597

Word of the Day: MALT-HORSE

ETYMOLOGY
from malt + horse

EXAMPLE
“…And bicause he passeth certain limites of a meane, that Reckelesness of his is curious, and not comly, and is a thing that commeth cleane contrarye to passe from the dryfte, (that is to wit) to cover arte. Therfore I judge it a no lesse vyce of curiositye to be in Reckelesness (which in it selfe is prayse worthye) in lettynge a mans clothes fal of his backe, then in Preciseness (whiche likewise of it self is praise worthy) to carie a mans head so like a malthorse for feare of ruffling his hear, or to keepe in the bottom of his cappe a looking glasse, and a comb in his sleeve, and to have alwayes at his heeles up and down the streetes a page with a spunge and a brushe: …”

From: The First Book of the Courtier
By Baldassare Castiglione
Translated by Thomas Hoby, 1561

Word of the Day: BIRSIE

ETYMOLOGY
adj. 1. from birse (Sc. – a bristle, hair) + -y
n. from birse (Sc. – to push, to press, to squeeze) + -y

EXAMPLE
“…The mekill howke hym bair was Tryton callyt,
For in hir forstam was the monstre stallyt,
With watry trumpe fleyand the fludis gray;
Quhar as scho salyt, men mycht se hym ay
With byrsy body porturyt, and vissage
All rowgh of harys, semyng of cullage
In mannys form fra hys cost to hys crown, …”

From: Virgil’s Aeneid translated into Scottish verse
By Gavin Douglas, a1522