manquellern.
/ˈmankwɛlə/, U.S. /ˈmænˌkwɛlər/ 1. A murderer, a manslaughterer. Also figurative. Now rare (archaic).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > killing > man-killer or homicide > [noun]
manslagheOE
manquellera1250
men-quellerc1325
manslayera1382
men-slayera1400
homicide1421
man-killera1500
dead-slayer1535
kill-man1598
man-slaughterer?1611
a1250 Wohunge ure Lauerd in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 279 (MED) Þer þu, bote of mon kin, schomeliche was demed, and te monquellere fra deðes dom was lesed.
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) 436 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 119 A luþer þef, a manquellare, hadde a so liȝt dom.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 2205 And þer-wit was he..Reuer and man-queller.
c1400 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 459 (MED) Þese popis..ben cursid heretikis, manquellars bodily and gostly.
c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 2379 Semey [= Shimei] callid Dauid ‘man of Belial’ and ‘manquhellere’.
1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes iii, in Wks. 244/1 No wise manne wer there that woulde put al weapons away because manquellers misuse them.
1572 R. Harrison tr. L. Lavater Of Ghostes i. iii. 15 The king..punished him as a manquiller of his owne father.
1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) sig. Lii v If wordes should way the will, or speech direct the disposition, Atreus for playing a tyrants part in a Tragedie, might well bee demed a manquailer.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. i. 54 Thou art a honiseed, a man queller, and a woman queller. View more context for this quotation
1632 T. E. Lawes Womens Rights 343 If a man were slaine..and another man receiued the man-queller.
1681 W. Robertson Phraseologia Generalis 863/2 A man-queller; Homicida.
1870 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Iliad I. i. 14 While multitudes are perishing by the hand Of Hector, the man-queller.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > [noun] > executioner
manquellera1275
officer?1387
smiterc1390
manslayera1425
man's quellerc1429
baserc1480
butcher1483
executora1513
slaughter-slave1556
carnifex1561
executioner1561
deathsman1589
verdugo1616
hals-mana1658
a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 254 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 91 E clepede ford malcus, is mon quellere.
a1325 St. Juliana (Corpus Cambr.) 185 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 68 Com vorþ..mi manquellare..And smite of hure heued.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) Mark vi. 27 A manquellere sent [L. misso spiculatore].
a1425 Celestine 606 in Anglia (1878) 1 82 (MED) Þe pope calde forþ þe manquellere.
c1500 (?a1475) St. Margaret (Ashm.) l. 489 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Legenden (1881) 2nd Ser. 240 (MED) He callyd to Malcus, þat was Hys man-quellere in euery place.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.a1250