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white

.
Searchable Lemmata: hwit (OE), whit (ME), quhite (OScots), white (MdE).
Alternate Forms: white, witte, whigt, whight, whighthe, whi3t, whi3te, whiht, whie3tte, wheight, wit, wite, wight, wighte, wi3t, with, qwit, qwite, qwight, quitte, quiht, hwite, hwita, huit, 3wit, 3wite, whitee, whites, white, withtis.

    Definitions and Defining Citations:

1(adj.) Utilisation; colour term; as a noun: white (colour of snow or milk); as adj: white in colour or hue (of the colour of snow or milk); whitish; pale- or light-coloured; often describing undyed or bleached cloth. Of embroidery: worked in white thread. In heraldry, having the colour of silver or argent.( still in current use)
1. neque per caput tuum iuraueris quia non potes unum capillum album facere aut nigrum ne ðerh heafod ðin suere ðu forðon ne mæhtu enne her huit geuirce ł blaec. [DOE MtGl (Li) (012800 (5.36))]
2. Ðe chire[che] cloðes ben to brokene ... Ðe corporeals sole and unshapliche; hire handcloðes and hire bord cloðes makede wite ... Ðe meshakele of medeme fustane ... Hire chemise smal and hwit ... and hire smoc hwit ... and hire winpel wit oðer maked geleu mid saffran(work: a1200?) (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Trin.Hom. ((Trin-C B.14.52) 163) ante 1225]
3. Water me brohte an uloren mid guldene læflen, seoððen claðes soften, al of white seolke Historic. [MED Lay.Brut ((Clg A.9) 11359) ante 1225]
4. [228] ... O tocne þet me wyle kueme þe wordle is þe agrayþinge aboute þet body ... [228/15] ... Maydenhod is þe huite robe huerinne þe spot is uouler and more yzyenne þanne in anoþer cloþ ... [229/5] ... Hi ham cloþeþ ... mid pourpre [Vices & V.(2): in purpre] and mid uayre robes and costuolle Poetic. [MED Ayenb. ((Arun 57) 228-229) 1340]
5. Item, a sewte of Vestmentes ... with oone cope of Blewe velvett powdered with flowres of gold, and the orffras of stoole worke ... Item, a payr of Whyte Vestymentes for lent, that is to sey one whyte chesyple, awbe, amys, stool, and the phanol; Item, the veyl, other wyse called the lent cloth, of whyte lynen cloth with a cross of blue Accounts. (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Acc.St.Ewen in BGAS 15 (150) 1454/1455]
6. [2a] ... The lord howard ... Whytt lyon on his sheulde [a] Cressant azur. ... [2v] ... The lord Gray Rythyn ... Blak Ragyd staffe. ... [3v] ... Sir John harlwyn ... Blake sarezyn hede, Cope. ... [4r] ... Mr Smyrte, gartier, A Brode Arowe hed, Blake, Armyned. [MED Exped.Edw.IV ((Arms 2M.16) 2a-4r) circa 1475]
ME, MdE, OE, OScots; Primarily N/A.
Sex: Male, Female    Use: n/a    Status: n/a    Rank: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
2(n.) Other; white cloth or fabric; white clothing. Occasional, more specific uses: a white habit or religious garment; white bedclothes or hangings; white thread (see quote below from MS Harley 2320 [a1425]) .(ante 1200 ?)
1. [10/19] ... Her in is religiun, nawt i þe wide hod ne in þe blake cape, ne i þe hwite rochet ne i þe greie cuuel ... [10/28] ... Þus þe apostle sein iame þe descriueð religiun nowðer hwit ne blac ne nempneð he in his ordre Ecclesiastic/Regula. (work: a1200?) [MED Ancr. ((Corp-C 402) 10/19-28) circa 1230]
2. [100] ... To make a lace round party: Set 7 bowes departed on þyne hond ... so þat þe o colour be aboue and þe oþer beneþe ... [102] ... A brode lace wt cros and olyet ... A round lace wyþ cros and olyet: Set 12 bowes ... And yf þu wolt þat þe lace be grete, take a whyp-corde and knyt þt o ende wt þy bowes ... A lace ounde brode of 16 bowes ... A lace ounde rounde of 16 bowys ... Set ... iiij whyte oþer blew on C, D on 3ouur ferþer hondys ... & yf þu wol make þe lace round, do in þe maner as aforand ...(citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Direct.Laces in Studies Robbins ((Hrl 2320) 100-102) ante 1425]
3. Hit is my will that ... þer be xiij pore men clothid in white ... at the masse yn the day of my obyte Wills. [MED EEWills (129/15) 1438/1439]
4. Þe iiij dowterys schul be clad in mentelys, Mercy in wyth, rythwysnesse in red altogedyr, Trewthe in sad grene, and Pes al in blake. Drama, Poetic. [MED Castle Persev. ((Folg V.a.354) p.1) 1450]
ME, MdE; Primarily N/A.
Sex: Male, Female, Infant    Use: n/a    Status: n/a    Rank: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.

    Etymological Evidence:

Definite, OE hwit; common Germanic.
WF:
Etym Cog: white, hwit.
References:
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