< University of Manchester, Lexis of Cloth & Clothing Project, Search Result For: 'yellow'
| Skip to main content | Skip to navigation | Skip to Search |

[University home]

The Lexis of Cloth and Clothing Project
    Expand All     Collapse All     Print Page

yellow

.
Searchable Lemmata: geaelwe (OE), yelwe (ME), gule (OScots), yellow (MdE).
Alternate Forms: geleu, Ȝalow, Ȝelow, Ȝelu, Ȝelugh, Ȝeolewe, Ȝhalowe, yalow, yelow, ylwe, yolow, yollow, yoloe, yolw.

    Definitions and Defining Citations:

1(adj.) Dye; the colour yellow, ranging from various shades of modern yellow, gold, saffron, yellowish-brown or brownish, yellow-red or reddish, and amber; yellow metal; the heraldic tincture or (etc.); also as an adjective: 'of yellow (colour)'; yellowish; coloured with a yellow dye. On some occasions referred to a grey or yellowish grey or leaden colour (glossed with L cerulus, ceruleus). Only a limited sample of attestations are provided. Variant ('unsearchable') forms have only been provided from attestations appearing in with cloth or clothing contexts.(ante 1225 still in current use)
1. 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]
2. [7.17] ... Two heuyd coueryngis he made ... in maner of a nett [L retis] & of cheynes weuyn to gidere to hemselue in oon werk ... [10.18] ... He cloþede it with ful myche 3elw3 gold Biblical/Hagiographic. [MED WBible(1) ((Bod 959) 3 Kings 7.17-10.18) ante 1382]
3. [A.2141] ... In stede of cotearmure ouer his harnays, With nayles yelwe and brighte as any gold, He hadde a beres skyn colblak for old ... [A.2163] ... The kyng of Inde ... Cam ridynge ... A mantelet [vr. mantel] vpon his shulder hangynge, Bret ful of rubies rede as fyr sparklynge Poetic, Romance. [MED Chaucer CT.Kn. ((Manly-Rickert) A.2141-63) circa 1385]
c.f.: lutus, glaucus
ME, MdE, OE, OScots; Primarily N/A.
Sex: N/A    Use: n/a    Status: n/a    Rank: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
2(n.) Other; cloth, clothing or thread dyed yellow or of a yellow colour.(ante 1370 - circa 1455)
1. Hangings, etc., cum nodis et capitibus leopardorum, cum circulis de blodio, cum avibus de yalow Accounts. [MED Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.99 (214) 1396/1397]
2. [116] ... ij custos of Sylk wt blew Ray ... Item, A purse of gold with ymages for a corpas; Item, iiij corpas with vi pursys pertenyng to the hye Auter ... ij Reredose of Sylk for an Autern palyd wt yelow & grene ... [117] ... Item, a white weyle for the croce in lent tyme And a noyr white weyle to be hongyng in the Chauncell be for the hye autr in lentyn tyme. Accounts. (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Acc.St.Mary Thame in BBOAJ 11 (116-117) 1447]
3. [149] ... A rede chesyble with a patyble stool and fanol of the same sute ... One chesyple of gold, poudred of yelowe and blue ... A nother coope of dyuers workes of yelowe and braunche with a tuft of blue and grene silke be hynd ... [150] ... A cope of grene bawdakyn with Red Orffrai ... Item, the veyl, other wyse called the lent cloth, of whyte lynen cloth with a cross of blue, and the lyne thereto ... The apparail ... longyng to Seynt Margaret is auter, with hyr figur steyned ... and ij bosces of copper and ouer gylt Accounts. (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Acc.St.Ewen in BGAS 15 (149-150) 1454/1455]
ME, MdE; Primarily Accounts.
Sex: N/A    Use: n/a    Status: n/a    Rank: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.

    Etymological Evidence:

Definite, OE; Old High German gelo; Old Norse gel-; etc. (Cf. Indo-European ghol-; ghel-; etc./ whench Old Irish gel = 'white'; etc.).
WF:
Etym Cog:
References:

    Art and Illustration:

Monnas (forthcoming 2014) notes that a dossal for an altar, described in 1341, in Latin as giallo, still survives in the treasury of the basilica of San Francisco in Assisi.
Skip to main content Skip to navigation