thimble
.
Searchable Lemmata: þymel (OE), thimel (ME), thimble (MdE).
Alternate Forms: themel, themelis, themyl, thymbyl, thymbyll.
Definitions and Defining Citations:
1(n.)
Accessory;
a thimble; a protective sheath worn on the thumb, especially to enable the thumb to push needles through fabric or leather. In the earlier medieval period, thimbles were made of perishable materials, and it is only from the fourteenth century onwards that we have archaeological evidence of metal thimbles; however, the earlier kind were still used into the fifteenth century, as may be seen from citation 2 below.(ante 1100 still in current use)
1. Wiþ scurfedum nægle nim gecyrnadne sticcan, sete on þone nægl wið þa wearta, sleah þonne þæt þæt blod springe ut, wyrc þonne þymel to & lege eald spic on ufan þone nægl, heald þritig nihta wiþ wætan, nim þonne hwæten corn & hunig, meng tosomne, lege on, do þæt to oþ þæt hal sie.
[DOE Lch II (1) (0718 (75.1.1))]
Sex: Male, Female Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
Etymological Evidence:
Definite, OE þymel, consisting of þuma 'thumb' + the instrument suffix -el seen in many words denoting tools (e.g. handle, spindle, treadle). The equivalent Old Norse term þumall meant 'thumb part of a glove'; in the present citation of the word in the Old English corpus, the meaning of the word is apparently 'finger-stall' (q.v.) in the general sense of a (medical) protective covering for a thumb. There is no archaeological evidence for thimbles as sewing equipment in the Anglo-Saxon period, and if they existed they must have been made of perishable materials, and indeed for some time afterwards: although metal thimbles are known from ancient China, the earliest such examples from Britain date to the fourteenth century.
WF: Derivation
Etym Cog:
References:
Archaeological Evidence:
For images and commentary on a number of metal thimbles, found in Britain and dating from the 14th century onwards (with comparable examples from elsewhere), see the samples at: http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/thimble.html
