请输入您要查询的英文单词：

　

单词 mickle
释义

mickleadj.pron.n.adv.

Brit. /ˈmɪk(ə)l/, U.S. /ˈmɪk(ə)l/, Scottish English /ˈmɪk(ə)l/
Forms:

α. Old English micil (Northumbrian), Old English micyl, Old English mycil (rare), Old English–early Middle English miccel, Old English–early Middle English micel, Old English–early Middle English myccel, Old English–early Middle English mycel, Old English (chiefly Northumbrian)–Middle English michel, Old English (Northumbrian)–Middle English michil, Middle English mechel, Middle English mechell, Middle English mechil, Middle English michele, Middle English minchel (transmission error), Middle English mychel, Middle English mychell, Middle English mychelle, Middle English mychil.

β. Old English (rare)–early Middle English mucel, Middle English mochel, Middle English mochele, Middle English mochelle, Middle English mochil, Middle English mochill, Middle English mochul, Middle English mochyl, Middle English mochyll, Middle English mouchel, Middle English mucchel, Middle English muchchel, Middle English muchel, Middle English muchele, Middle English muchil, Middle English muchle, Middle English muchul, Middle English muchyl, Middle English mucil (rare), Middle English mvchel, Middle English–1500s mochell, 1500s muchell (archaic).

γ. (for Old English micl-, mycl- see note below) early Middle English miccle ( Ormulum), Middle English mikelle, Middle English mikil, Middle English mikill, Middle English mikille, Middle English mikle, Middle English mikul, Middle English mikyl, Middle English mikylle, Middle English myckyll, Middle English mycul, Middle English mycull, Middle English myculle, Middle English mykele, Middle English mykil, Middle English mykile, Middle English mykill, Middle English mykille, Middle English mykul, Middle English mykull, Middle English mykyle, Middle English–1500s mikell, Middle English–1500s mykel, Middle English–1500s mykell, Middle English–1500s mykelle, Middle English–1500s mykle, Middle English–1500s mykyl, Middle English–1500s mykyll, Middle English–1500s mykylle, Middle English–1500s (1800s– chiefly English regional (northern)) mickel, Middle English–1600s micle, Middle English–1600s mikel, Middle English–1600s mycle, Middle English– mickle (now archaic and regional), 1500s mickell, 1500s mickyll, 1500s myckil, 1500s mykkylle; Scottish pre-1700 micholl, pre-1700 mickall, pre-1700 mickell, pre-1700 mickil, pre-1700 micle, pre-1700 mighel, pre-1700 mikele, pre-1700 mikell, pre-1700 mikil, pre-1700 mikill, pre-1700 mikille, pre-1700 mikyl, pre-1700 mikylle, pre-1700 myckell, pre-1700 mykil, pre-1700 mykl, pre-1700 mykle, pre-1700 mykyl, pre-1700 mykyle, pre-1700 mykyll, pre-1700 1700s mikel, pre-1700 1700s mikle, pre-1700 1700s– mickle, pre-1700 1800s mickel.

δ. Middle English mecul, Middle English mecull, Middle English meculle, Middle English mekel, Middle English mekell, Middle English mekille, Middle English mekle, Middle English mekul, Middle English mekull, Middle English mekyl, Middle English mekyll, Middle English mekylle, Middle English–1500s mekil, Middle English–1500s mekile, Middle English–1500s mekill, 1500s meakle, 1600s meckle, 1800s– meikle (English regional (northern)); Scottish pre-1700 meakell, pre-1700 meakle, pre-1700 meakll, pre-1700 meckill, pre-1700 meckle, pre-1700 meekle, pre-1700 meickil, pre-1700 meikall, pre-1700 meikel, pre-1700 meikil, pre-1700 meikile, pre-1700 meikkill, pre-1700 meikl, pre-1700 meiklle, pre-1700 meikyll, pre-1700 mekele, pre-1700 mekil, pre-1700 mekile, pre-1700 mekill, pre-1700 mekille, pre-1700 mekkle, pre-1700 mekyl, pre-1700 mekyll, pre-1700 meykyll, pre-1700 miekle, pre-1700 1700s meikill, pre-1700 1700s–1800s meickle, pre-1700 1700s–1800s mekle, pre-1700 1700s– meikle /ˈmik(ə)l/, 1700s meeckle, 1700s mekel; Irish English (northern) 1800s– meckle.

ε. Middle English mokell (in a late copy), Middle English mokil (in a late copy), Middle English mukel, Middle English mukil, Middle English (1700s archaic) mokel, Middle English (1800s English regional (north)) muckel, 1500s mokyl, 1600s– muckle /ˈmʌk(ə)l/ (now regional); Scottish pre-1700 mokill (see note below), pre-1700 moukill, pre-1700 muckell, pre-1700 muckil, pre-1700 muckill, pre-1700 mukill, pre-1700 1700s (1900s– Shetland) mukle, pre-1700 1700s– muckle, 1700s muckel, 1700s mukell, 1900s– mukkel (Shetland); Irish English (northern) 1800s– muckle.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch mēkel, Old Saxon mikil (Middle Low German (rare) mēkel; the commoner michel is a borrowing < Middle High German), Old High German mihhil, mihhal, mihhel (Middle High German michel, early modern German michel), Old Icelandic mikill, mykill (masculine accusative mikinn, mykinn, neuter nominative and accusative mikit, mykit), Norn (Shetland) mege (neuter), Norwegian (Nynorsk) mykjen, Norwegian (Bokmål) meget (now only as adverb), Old Swedish mykil (Swedish mycken, neuter mycket (also as adverb)), Old Danish megel, møgel (Danish meget (also as adverb), (archaic) megen), Gothic mikils < an extended form (cognate with ancient Greek μεγαλο-, lengthened stem form of μέγας) of the Indo-European base of Hittite mekki- great, numerous, ancient Greek μέγας great, Armenian mec great, Tocharian A māk, Tocharian B māka (adjectives) many, much, (adverbs) very much, Albanian madh great, and a number of Celtic forms (e.g. Early Irish mogaid increases, magdae large, Gaulish personal names Magios, Magiomarus, etc.); compare also (with -w- extension) Old Icelandic miǫk (adverb) very, and (with -n- extension) classical Latin magnus large (compare Old Icelandic mikinn, masculine accusative, which is perhaps from the same extended form of the Indo-European base); the -l- extension in the Germanic and Greek bases has sometimes been seen as an independent development in each language, but this seems unlikely. Sanskrit mah (Rig Veda, also in form maha; mahā- in compounds) and Avestan maz-, mazant-, both in sense ‘great’, are probably also from this Indo-European base, though they are sometimes regarded as representing independent derivations from a closely related base with aspirated consonant.The (chiefly late) Old English form mycel is probably not a mere graphic variant of micel , but may stand for an actual pronunciation, in which the rounding of the stem vowel probably results from the influence of the initial labial (compare the Scandinavian cognates above with rounded vowel). In accordance with normal developments in Middle English the high front rounded vowel (spelt u : compare β. forms) was retained in the south-west and west midlands, but by the end of the 15th cent. had been retracted to /u/ (as is shown by spellings with o ), the normal development in this area of the high front rounded vowel after a labial; in most other places by the end of the Old English period the high front rounded vowel of mycel had been unrounded to i and had merged with the vowel of micel (although still sometimes spelt y : compare α. forms); this i was subsequently sporadically lowered to e , perhaps falling together with forms from the south-east which show normal development of Old English y to e (compare α. forms). The medial consonant in Old English was an affricate (the ancestor of the modern ch forms) that had developed after palatalization and affrication of the original velar /k/; however, the pronunciation with the affricate did not extend to all parts of the paradigm: in syncopated forms, as micla , miclan , miclum , etc., (as opposed to micela , micelan , micelum , etc.) affrication did not take place, and the palatal consonant reverted to velar /k/; compare the consistent variation between the graphs ch and c for, respectively, full and syncopated forms in the Caligula manuscript of Laȝamon's Brut:c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 3688 Heo scall mid mochelere ferde farnen mid þe.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 7642 Þa sweord..hauede muchele mahte.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 12692 Hit weoren men..mid mucle wiaxen.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14099 Hu Arður wes on uore mid muclere ferde.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14848 And mid wurð-scipe mucle haldeð his wike. The γ, δ, and ε forms have /k/ throughout the paradigm, and are chiefly northern and north- and east-midland; they are probably due to Scandinavian influence, but may also have developed by analogy from unaffricated syncopated Old English and early Middle English forms, although there is little evident continuity. An isolated example of an apparent unsyncopated γ form in a late 9th-cent. manuscript which otherwise has the standard form micel (see quot.) is probably best explained as a scribal error:eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lii. 405 Sio Godes miltsung is swa micul ofer ða dysegan, ðæt hiene na ne aðriet ðæt he hi to him ne laðige. The δ. forms reflect sporadic Middle English lowering (very common in Scots) of stem vowel i to e (compare α. forms) and, in many cases, subsequent lengthening (in an open syllable) to long close ē before the operation of the great vowel shift (compare such forms as meikle ). The stem vowel u of the ε. forms has a twofold origin: (i) Middle English forms chiefly from the south-west and west midlands show the same development from an original high front rounded vowel as the β. forms (see note above; forms with this origin had become virtually obsolete by the end of the 15th cent.); (ii) forms from Scotland and the north of England reflect a later change: lowering and retraction of i or e (both of which probably already represented a centralized /ə/ in many dialects) to u ( /ʌ/ in Scotland, /ʊ/ in the north of England) as a result of the combined influence of a preceding labial and a velarized ‘dark’ l in the next syllable; spellings indicating the latter development first occur in Scots texts of the 16th cent. (but not in any great numbers until the beginning of the 17th cent.), although the earliest evidence is provided by the following quot., from a collection of Scots proverbs made by an Englishman, in which the form mokill is probably meant to represent a Scots pronunciation:1532 A. Fortescue MS Coll. Sc. Proverbs in Ld. Clermont Hist. Family Fortescue (1869) 178 Men of mokill speche mon som tyme lye. In present regional use mickle is the prevailing form in the north of England, and muckle in Scotland (although meikle is frequently met with as a place-name element); in Northern Ireland meckle (now rare or obsolete elsewhere) is common alongside mickle and muckle ; an isolated 20th-cent. instance of muckle in New England is recorded by Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. s.v. The archaic use in non-regional poetry is rare, and almost confined to the form mickle . From early times sense A. 1a was used to designate a particular place, building, etc.; this use now survives only in place names, e.g. Michelmersh, Hampshire, Mickleover, Derbyshire (compare Magna Oufra (c1100)), Meikle Black Law, Berwickshire, Muckle Flugga, Shetland (in this example probably a partial anglicization of a Norn name), etc. Compare:eOE Bounds (Sawyer 512) in W. de G. Birch Cartularium Saxonicum (1887) II. 520 Þis is þara VI sulunga boc æt Miclangrafe.c1275 in W. A. Hulton Coucher Bk. Whalley Abbey (1848) 688 Partem cujusdam terræ..quod vocatur Mikel pughull et Litel pughull.1379 Rolls of Parl. III. 69/1 Son College appellez Mokel Universite Halle en Oxenford.c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 50 Aurilambros & Vter..assemblede a..hoste forto come into michel Britaigne.?1459 Will of John Fastolf in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 90 Castre faste by Mikel Yermuth in the shire of Norffolk.a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 287 j other half acre..vppon mochel~forlonge. In Old English several oblique cases of the adjective were commonly used with adverbial force, as micel (neuter accusative singular), micles (neuter genitive singular; compare mickles adv.), micle (neuter instrumental singular), miclum (dative plural); sense C. originates in this use of micel, micle.
Now regional (chiefly Scottish and English regional (northern)) and archaic.
A. adj.
I. = great adj. in various applications. Cf. much adj. 1.
1.
a. Great or large in size, bulk, or stature; = much adj. 1a.Also designating a particular place, building, etc. (now only in place names: see etymological note).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > largeness > [adjective]
unlittleeOE
mickleeOE
greateOE
mucha1154
mainc1275
boldc1300
fadec1330
largec1392
tallc1430
big1444
masterfula1450
grand1452
largy1558
fine1590
bonnya1600
large-sized1628
roomly1682
lumping?1706
maun1743
strapping1827
barn door1829
serious1843
jumboesque1893
jumbo1897
economy-sized1930
L1942
jumbo-size1949
economy size1950
α.
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxi. 320 Elia lond is æghwonan mid wætrum & mid fennum ymbseald, ne hit micele stanas hafað.
OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) i. 16 God geworhte twa micele leoht.
OE Ælfric Homily (Cambr. Ii.4.6) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1967) I. 483 Hi ne beoð na cild soðlice on Domes-dæg, ac beoð swa micele menn.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 1070 Hi namen fiftene mycele roden, ge of golde ge of seolfre.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 951 A michel fier he sag.
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 142 Ȝef þe falleþ to be eyr Of a regne mechel and fayr, More hys þy prou.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) 1320 A mychel tre.
β. c1175 ( Homily: Hist. Holy Rood-tree (Bodl. 343) (1894) 22 He þa..timbriæn het þæt mucele tempel þæt mon a syððan het salomones temple.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1411 Þat an muchel ærn spec a þon castle þer he set.c1400 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. ix. 61 (MED) A muchel man..callide me be my kynde name.a1500 Mandeville's Trav. (Rawl.) (1953) 459 (MED) Therinne arn ratons as mochel as our doggis arn hire.γ. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 16183 Teȝȝ alle þrenngdenn ut. Off all þatt miccle temmple.c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2243 (MED) Ne haues he per; Non so fayr, ne non so long, Ne non so mikel, ne non so strong.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 1320 (MED) He..sagh þar stand a mikel tree.?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 12037 Be a mykille fire he sat.c1480 (a1400) St. Machor 874 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 25 A man þat mykill vas.1560 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Stirling (1887) I. 72 Ane mykle pot, ane les pot, ane tyn pynt [etc.].a1657 W. Mure Hist. Rowallane in Wks. (1898) II. 254 She bure vnto him..Ard. called mickle Archibald.a1796 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 791 I cast the wee stools owre the meikle.1821 W. Scott Pirate III. ix. 200 The mickle bicker of Scapa..was always offered to the Bishop of Orkney brimful of the best bummock.δ. c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) 15819 (MED) A mekyll fysch..þat rose vp owt of þat ryuer.c1480 (a1400) St. Matthew 43 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 191 A citte, þat mekile wes & of gret fame.1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xviii. 308 His mekill hude helit haly The armyng that he on hym had.a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 113 My ladye with the mekle lippis.1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 14 Thay mekle gret horse quhilkes..beiris armed men of weir.1677 Brechin Test. VII. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue f. 4 Tuo meickle chists and ane litle one.1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd ii. i. 21 Set the meiklest Peet-stack in a Low.1863 R. Quinn Heather Lintie (ed. 2) 249 Glib cantin' Bauldy S—— now lies 'Neath this rouch meickle stane.1932 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Sunset Song 28 He had meikle feet that aye seemed in his way.ε. c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) 366 (MED) Þe mukel lavande loghe to þe lyfte rered.1568 Wyf of Auchtirmwchty 113 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 324 Vp scho gat ane mekle rung.1651 in W. Fraser Memorials Montgomeries (1859) II. 314 Fayue [i.e. five] mounters littill and moukill.1718 A. Ramsay Christ's-kirk on Green iii. 27 A Creel Bowt fow of muckle Stains, They clinked on his Back.1748 J. Thomson Castle of Indolence ii. vii [He] grew at last a knight of muckel frame.1814 W. Scott Waverley II. xix. 290 Mr. Waverley's wearied wi' majoring yonder afore the muckle pier-glass. View more context for this quotation1866 J. B. Rose tr. Ovid Metamorphoses 337 The cormorant short-legged, with muckle throat.1889 J. M. Barrie Window in Thrums xi. 98 He was a terrible invalid, an' for the hinmost years o' his life he sat in a muckle chair nicht an' day.1916 R. W. Service Rhymes Red Cross Man 29 Oh I ken it's a terrible thing tae be blind: And yet it's no that that embitters ma lot—It's missin' that braw muckle haggis ye've got.1933 J. Gray Lowrie 14 I boucht a iron bed, twa muckle pots, an' some lame.1976 R. Bulter Shaela 1 Sometimes I saa a muckle ship.1985 B. Oreström Corpus Shetland English 48 The first that they saw was a great muckle eagle coming swooping down.1992 F. Kippax Butcher's Bill (BNC) The Home Guard barged in and waved a muckle pistol in his face.
†b. Of a company of people: large, great, numerous, composed of many individuals. Similarly of things. Cf. much adj. 1b. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > plurality > great number, numerousness > [adjective] > abundant, numerous > of individuals, people
mickleeOE
numerous?a1475
strong1533
populous1548
multitudinous1603
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Tiber.) (Junius transcript) (1871) Pref. 4 Þa cirican geond eall Angelkynn stodon maðma & boca gefylda & eac micel menigu Godes ðeowa & þa swiðe lytle feorme ðara boca wiston.
OE Ælfric Homily: Sermo ad Populum (Corpus Cambr. 188) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1967) I. 445 He habban wile micel werod mid him.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1121 He heold mycelne hired on Westmynstre.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 169 He shall turrnenn mikell flocc..Till..crist.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1746 Þa Corineus of wode com mid michelene ferde.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 15692 Mucchel del heo sloȝen of þan mon-weorede.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 13458 (MED) Þis folk was mikel, all for to tell.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 69 (MED) Slik was þe multitude of mast so mekil & so thike.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 927 Þe multitude sa mekill of men.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xvii. 183 He had A mekill rout of worthy men.
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1960) xiii. viii. 48 Al the chymmys riall rownd abowt Was fyllyt with thar tryne and mekill rowt.
c. Modifying an abstract noun (esp. a quality): great in amount or degree; = much adj. 1d. Now rare.In later use merged in sense A. 2a, from which, esp. when the noun has no article, it is often hardly distinguishable.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective]
mickleeOE
wideOE
largec1300
greata1325
muchc1330
mightyc1390
millionc1390
dreicha1400
rudea1450
massive1581
massy1588
heavy1728
magnitudinous1777
powerful1800
almighty1824
tall1842
hefty1930
honking1943
mondo1968
α.
eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 664 Þy ilcan geare wæs micel mancuealm.
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) xxxviii. 117 Swiðe oft se micla anwald ðara yflena gehrist swiðe færlice.
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) v. 221 Him wæs metes micel lust, ac swa þeah mid nanum ætum his gifernysse gefyllan ne mihte.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 5 (MED) He [sc. the proud man] michel fast..doð..ðat he herienge ðar of hafð.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1209 Michel gestninge made abraham.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) viii. 3046 Mechil grace ther uppon Unto the Citees schulde falle.
a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) 8445 Than had the Soudon michel care.
β. OE Stowe Psalter lxxxv. 15 Et tu domine deus miserator et misericors patiens et multae misericordiae et uerax : & ðu drihten god gemildsiend & mildheort geþyldig & mucel mildheortnysse & soþfæst.c1175 ( Homily: Hist. Holy Rood-tree (Bodl. 343) (1894) 16 He mid mucele blisse, & glædnesse ham wende.?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 33 Hit cym him to mucele and stranga adle, forþan þa æddra and þa lime beoþ ȝefullede myd mucellere fulnesse.c1200 Nativity Sermon in Eng. & Germanic Stud. (1961) 7 63 Heo veren of drede for þet muchele licth þet heo iseȝen.a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 211 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 173 (MED) Godes wisdom is wel muchel and alswa is his mihte.a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 47 Hit is me to muchel iswinch ðar embe to þennken [emended in ed. to þenken].c1385 G. Chaucer Knight's Tale 1359 So muchel sorwe had neuere creature.a1425 (c1300) Assumption of Virgin (BL Add.) (1901) l. 747 And ihesu, þorw his mochil myȝt, Here feet and handes gan to ryȝt.a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 45 [And that is she that hath, ywis,] So mochel prys.c1450 (?a1400) T. Chestre Sir Launfal (1930) 282 A man of mochell myghte.1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) (1859) v. xiv. 110 I was ful sory that I was so soone departid fro so mochel ioye.γ. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 788 Forr þatt wass to þatt gode preost. Well swiþe mikell blisse.a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 200 He lepeð ðanne wið mikel list.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 18123 (MED) Eft þar come a mikel steuen Als it a thoner war of heuen.?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 2 (MED) Þe Bretons, men of mykelle myght.c1450 (c1375) G. Chaucer Anelida & Arcite 99 Ful mykel besynesse Had he, er that he myghte his lady wynne.c1475 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 20 (MED) He wulle stond the, in stoure, in-toe so mycul styd.1522 Worlde & Chylde (de Worde) (1909) sig. A.iv Mykyll is his myght.1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. iv. sig. P6v He was a man of mickle might.1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. iv. sig. Ff2 He..mickle fame Did get through great aduentures by him donne.a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) iv. vi. 35 To morrow I shall dye with mickle Age. View more context for this quotation1627 M. Drayton Nimphidia in Battaile Agincourt 134 To the Fayrie Court they went, With mickle ioy and merriment.a1693 M. Bruce Soul-confirmation (1709) 4 There is mickle word and Dinn about our trouble.1820 J. Keats Eve of St. Agnes in Lamia & Other Poems 90 But let me laugh awhile, I've mickle time to grieve.1850 J. S. Blackie tr. Æschylus Lyrical Dramas II. 269 The riches stored by me with mickle care.1887 W. S. Gilbert Ruddigore ii. 44 His gallantries were mickle.1891 E. Field Death Robin Hood in Bk. Western Verse 24 With mickle woe His heart was like to break.a1920 A. H. Bullen Weeping-cross (1921) 18 For two score years with mickle praise He at the Games presided.δ. c1450 (?a1400) Duke Rowland & Sir Otuell (1880) 484 (MED) Þe Sarazene cryed with mekill myghte.c1475 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 18 (MED) The kinge commawundet..the Erle..For his meculle curtasy to kepe the tother knyȝte.c1480 (a1400) St. Peter 537 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 22 He had þerof rycht mekil wondir.a1500 (a1400) Sir Eglamour (Cambr.) (1844) l. 567 Fulle mekylle ys Goddys myght!1557 Digest Decisions Justiciary Court in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue B. 139 at Mekil(l Quhilk wer the mekle doun setteng of all regaliteis.1616 Barbour's Actes & Life Bruce (Hart) 43 Men of meekle might.1681 in P. Walker Six Saints (1901) II. 44 Lads, ye had meikle need to pray in earnest.a1774 R. Fergusson Poems (1785) ii. 191 I hae nae meikle skill..In what you ca' philosophy.1917 J. L. Robertson Petition 52 The sang set oot wi' meikle force, An' sank in mournfu' strain.ε. c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) 1164 (MED) He hem..help at her nede In mukel meschefes mony.a1425 (?a1350) Seege Troye (Linc. Inn) (1927) 218 (MED) Priamus..was a mon of mukil myȝte.1721 A. Ramsay Poems I. i. 208 Contrair to just Rights and Laws I've suffer'd muckle Wrang.1816 W. Scott Old Mortality xxviii, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. III. 314 They are fear'd for want o' quarter to themsels, having done sae muckle mischief.1891 J. J. H. Burgess Rasmie's Büddie 70 We fann no muckle need o shün.1922 J. Inkster Mansie's Röd 8 Dat's a muckle lee, daa, aless doo 'at's sayin' hit.
d. Esp. of a person or supernatural being: great, powerful, or important; influential; = much adj. 1c. Now somewhat rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > of high or great importance
worthlyeOE
mickleeOE
greatc1225
right hand?c1225
solemna1387
materialc1475
superior1526
grand1542
weighty1558
main1581
pregnant1591
pregnate1598
materious1611
moliminous1642
momentous1656
magic1696
all-important1748
big1748
eventful1756
colossal1775
bread and butter1822
bada1825
key1832
all-absorbing1834
earth-moving?1834
earth-shaking1835
earth-shatteringa1859
high-ranking1874
beaucoup1917
major league1951
earth-stopping1956
crucial1957
α.
eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. lxxxvii. 154 Plinius se micla læce segþ þisne læcedom.
OE Old Eng. Martyrol. (Julius) 28 Apr. 68 On ðone ylcan dæg bið Sancte Cristofores ðrowung þæs miclan martyres.
lOE tr. Trinubium Sanctae Annae in W. Keller Probleme der Englischen Sprache u. Kultur (1925) 116 Seo wæs bewedded Zebedeo. Of þære wæron geborene Jacob se mycele and Johannes se godspellere.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xlvii. 1 (MED) Ou[r] Lord is michel.
β. OE Stowe Psalter lxxv. 2 Notus in iudea deus in israhel magnum nomen eius : cuð on iudeum god on israhela mucel nama his.a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 92 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 165 (MED) Hwet scule we..don et þe muchele dome??a1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iv. Pr. i. 46 In the..hous of so mochel a fadir.c1540 A. Boorde Merie Tales Gotam xviii. sig. Bviiiv I say sayde the skotyshman, the mokyl deuill, is this a bare head?γ. a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 377 Ðis deuel is mikel wið wil & maȝt.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 17827 (MED) Thoru..þair mikel god of israel þai coniured þaim na soth to hele.a1586 Peblis to Play in W. A. Craigie Maitland Folio MS (1919) I. 182 The meikill deuill gang with ȝow.1614 J. Selden Titles of Honor 226 Their Wittenagemots or Mikel Synods.a1658 J. Durham Law Unsealed (1676) 83 How sound these words? What devil now? The meckle devil.δ. c1440 (a1350) Sir Isumbras (Thornton) (1844) 467 (MED) The kyng thane askede after that mekille knyght That hase done so doghetyly.1572 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xxxviii. 39 Solyman, Tamerlan, nor yit the mekle Deill..was neuer sa wickit.1692 ‘J. Curate’ Sc. Presbyterian Eloquence iii. 98 Woman, if you take not Christ, take the meikle Devil then.1795 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 804 Alake! alake! the meikle Deil Wi' a' his witches Are at it.1800 R. Tannahill Poems (1900) 120 Yon meikle folk Think siller stands for sense.1863 R. Quinn Heather Lintie (ed. 2) 34 Obser' some fowls how weel protecket, Because by meikle fouk respecket.ε. 1602 W. Watson Decacordon Ten Quodlibeticall Questions 144 Great rich farmers or muckle carles of the countrey.c1700 in D. Laing Var. Pieces Fugitive Sc. Poetry (1853) 2nd Ser. xli. 109 For her nain shell coult wish Te muckle Teil had tene tem all.1827 W. Tennant Papistry Storm'd iii. 97 Our anchor's lost,..We're perish'd a', baith sma' and muckle!1896 ‘L. Keith’ Indian Uncle i. 4 There's nae gainsaying that oor Adam's the muckle man o' the family noo.1900 C. Murray Hamewith 30 The Muckle Deil lay at the mirk pit mou'.1936 D. Bruce Cried on Sunday 27 Yer muckle gentry's aye philarge wi' their siller.1975 A. Deyell My Shetland 82 Does du tink if da muckle deevil o' Hell wantid a man he widna ging ta da breek baand for him?
†e. Of a person, deity, etc.: great in, or well-endowed with, a specified attribute. Usually with of (occasionally at). Frequently used in alliteration with might. Cf. much adj. 1f. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective] > having some attribute in a great degree
micklec1330
violenta1393
mucha1400
intense1653
α.
c1330 Roland & Vernagu (Auch.) (1882) 853 (MED) Iubiter..Þat beþ so michel of mounde.
β. c1450 Mandeville's Trav. (Coventry) (1973) 2633 (MED) That bridde ys so mochil of myȝte That he wille bere an armed knyȝte.a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) 1496 (MED) Launcelot, that was mochelle of myght, A-bydys in the forest grene.γ. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 283 Þis lauerd þat is so mikul o might.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 15124 (MED) O þis iesu þat es..Sa mikel..o lare.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 17969 Þat goddes sone so mychel of myȝt, Among monkynde shal he liȝt.a1530 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Royal) i. 341 Amang [thame] wes ane mykyll of mycht.δ. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) 17969 Þat goddes sun, sua mekil of might.a1450 York Plays (1885) 98 Mekill of myght þan sall he bee, He sall be God and called God sonne.a1450 York Plays (1885) 187 And thanke oure maistir, mekill of mayne.a1525 Crying ane Playe 42 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 150 Bot eftir he grewe mekle at fouth.1568 (?a1513) W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 250 Than swoir ane courtyour mekle of pryd.1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 340 Thankand greit God that mekill was of micht.ε. 1858 W. Morris Defence of Guenevere 109 To his death from his birth He was muckle of worth.
II. = much adj. 2.In later use, like much, limited to attributive position and taking on the characteristics of a determiner.
2.
a. A great quantity or amount of; = much adj. 2b.Frequently in comparative, and now, in Scottish, chiefly in negative and interrogative context.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > much/a great amount/quantity of
mickleeOE
muchc1200
greata1325
felea1400
muchee1722
queer1865
lotta1870
mucho1870
lotsa1890
α.
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) xiv. 33 Gif þu nu wære wegferend & hæfd[est] micel gold on ðe, [etc.].
OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Deut. (Claud.) xxviii. 38 Ge sawað micel sæd & ripað litel.
OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarium (Vitell.) (1984) i. 34 Gif mon on mycelre rade..weorðe geteorad nime þonne betonican..ane trymessan fulle.
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 Micel hadde Henri king gadered gold & syluer.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 41 (MED) Ðu..was wuniȝende on ðare woreld..mid michelere heihte.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 928 Ðin swinc ðe sal ben gulden wel Wið michel welðe.
a1500 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Wellcome) f. 25 (MED) Vnder stond þat blode whan it is to mechell in þe body..it makythe feuer continue.
β. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 7283 Heo nomen of Romanisce londe muchel seoluer & gold.c1390 G. Chaucer Melibeus 2601 Thow hast ydronke so muchel hony of swete temporel richesses..that thow..hast forgeten Iesu Crist.?c1430 (c1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 92 (MED) Prelatis..robben oure lond of mochil tresour.1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Feb. 109 A goodly Oake sometime had it bene..And mochell mast to the husband did yielde.γ. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 30 (MED) Mykelle was þe richesse.?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 4 Þe kyng..haldes grete and mykill land.?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 13 Scho had mykill tresoure.c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 3437 (MED) The Jewes..gaf thaym mykel monee.c1450 Med. Recipes (BL Add. 33996) in F. Heinrich Mittelengl. Medizinbuch (1896) 68 (MED) Take as mykel salt as þow hast pouder.a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Diiii By me is conueyed mykyll praty ware.c1570 J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1830) 24 The effusion of micle bludde.1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre v. i. 69 in Wks. II Little-wit? I say, Mickle-wit! if not too mickle!1808 E. Hamilton Cottagers of Glenburnie viii. 181 If it's but a wee clarted, there's no sae mickle ill done.1989 Scots Mag. Apr. 20/1 ‘Nae mickle room,’ smiled Joe, as he squeezed me into his miniature workshop.δ. c1450 Erthe upon Erthe (Cambr.) (1911) 33 (MED) Swyche fowle erth mekyl may we fynde That wyl speke fayre before vs.c1480 (a1400) St. Matthew 464 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 203 He gert Inwirone al hyre In with mekil fuel, It to bryne.a1513 W. Dunbar Flyting in Poems (1998) I. 206 Thow pure, hippit, vgly averill..Quhilk brewis mekle barret to thy bryd.1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 26 He gathiris mekle money.a1698 W. Row Suppl. in R. Blair Life (1848) (modernized text) xii. 439 The honest Earl of Crawford feared mickle evil from this Session of Parliament.1794 Har'st Rig xii. 8 Duncan brags how meikle meal She's eaten here.1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward III. viii. 206 You have had as meikle good fortune as if you had been born with a lucky-hood on your head.ε. 1686 G. Stuart Joco-serious Disc. 60 This hath won me muckle gear.1720 A. Ramsay Edinb.'s Salut. to Ld. Carnarvon iv I'll no make muckle vaunting.1816 W. Scott Old Mortality i, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. III. 7 Neither of our sorrows will do muckle gude that I can see.a1859 in J. Watson Living Bards of Border 8 They were nae folk o' muckle gear.1872 C. Gibbon For King xxii Madam, your father has not brought you muckle comfort.1929 M. Mulcaghey Rhymes of Besom Man 85 I hae na muckle warly gear.1976 R. Bulter Shaela 51 Hit wis no muckle fun for me.1987 J. J. Graham Shadowed Valley i. 4 Der no muckle boady i yun gaer you git i da Lerook ludgin-hooses.
†b. Modifying folk, people: a great number of, many; = much adj. 2e. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
α.
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iii. xv. 222 He ða in medmicelre tiide micel folc Drihtne begeat & gestrynde þurh his lare.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1128 Þa for mid him..swa micel folc swa næfre ær ne dide.
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) 1030 (MED) So mychel poeple wiþ hir was.
a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) 6794 (MED) Mychel folkes he with him nam.
β. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 1998 Wes þat folc swa muchel þat þer nas nan ende of folke.a1300 Passion our Lord 49 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 38 Mvchel volk hym vulede.c1395 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale 673 To muchel folk we doon illusioun.a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xli. 8 As they wenten, Mochel folk they fownde that hem Arested.γ. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15748 He full wel wisste. Þatt tær wass sammnedd mikell follc. Þatt heȝhe daȝȝ to frellsenn.?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 12955 Þei moued fro Langres tille Hoscum with mykille [a1450 Lamb. mikel] folk & grete route.δ. c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 60 Mekle peple..war sparrid in with þe watir.a1500 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Lamb.) (1969) 1133 (MED) Lybeus ayene be-helde Howe full was the felde, So mekyll folke that ther was.c1520 M. Nisbet New Test. in Scots (1901) I. Matt. xiii. 2 And mekile pepile was gaderit to him.
B. pron. (and n.)
I. As pronoun.
1.
a. A great quantity or amount; a great deal; = much pron. and n. 1a. to make mickle of: to make much of, cherish.
ΚΠ
α.
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iv. i. 84 He ofslog micel þæs folces.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1101 His men mycel to hearme æfre gedydon.
c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 200 Þam ðe Drihten mycel sylþ, myceles he him eft æt biddæþ.
c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 175 Michel he couþe of hauk & hounde.
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) 138 For of astronomye and nygromaunce Couþe non so mychel.
β. c1175 ( Ælfric's Homily on Nativity of Christ (Bodl. 343) in A. O. Belfour 12th Cent. Homilies in MS Bodl. 343 (1909) 78 He wyle mucel habbæn of þissen middenearde, of al moncynne, to his..blisse.a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 185 Her nabbe ich nout mucheles to ȝelden ðe.c1330 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Auch.) (1966) 289 (MED) Þer man mai sen on þe ston Mochel of þis werldes wisdom.c1450 Mandeville's Trav. (Coventry) (1973) 2458 (MED) Myse..mochil of thaire corne..distroy.γ. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 16838 Godess laȝhe. & godess rihht. Þeȝȝ didenn mikell fallenn dun.c1450 (c1400) Sowdon of Babylon (1881) 1016 (MED) Mikille of my people have thay slayn.c1480 (a1400) St. Theodora 350 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 109 Hyme þat mykil of hyre mad.a1529 J. Skelton Colyn Cloute (?1545) sig. B.viv Ye church hath to mykel And they haue to lytell.1650 in W. G. Robertson Church Ann. Cullen (1938) 34 She had kent ten tymes that mickle done in the countrey.a1701 C. Sedley Poet. Pieces in Wks. (1722) II. 9 Hold, there's enough; nay, 'tis o'er mickle.1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 291 Seek mickle, and get something; seek little, and get nothing.1792 R. Burns in J. Johnson Scots Musical Museum IV. 392 Hey, ca' thro', ca' thro', For we hae mickle ado!δ. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 4397 (MED) Bot ay mekill wald haue mare, as many man spellis.c1480 (a1400) Prol. Evangelists 10 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 236 Sanct Ione þe ewangeliste, þat of cristis priwete mekil wyste.a1513 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen in Poems (1998) I. 42 Birdis hes ane better law na bernis be meikill.a1598 D. Fergusson Sc. Prov. (1641) sig. E4v There is meikle between word and deed.a1668 J. Renwick Choice Coll. Serm. (1776) 249 Ye talk meikle of your fasting.1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd i. ii. 11 He may indeed for Ten or Fifeteen Days Mak meikle o'ye, with an unko Fraise.1856 J. Collie Poems 40 For meikle he read, and meikle he thought.1930 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ To Circumjack Cencrastus 57 But while we're here it's life itsel', And meikle o't we need.ε. 1617 in J. Davidson Inverurie & Earldom of Garioch (1878) 203 That he suld giff me as mukle as my nybour had gotten.1772 Lady A. Lindsay Auld Robin Gray viii O sair did we greet, and muckle did we say.1865 G. MacDonald Alec Forbes I. i. 3 There'll no be muckle o' him to rise again.1871 C. Gibbon For Lack of Gold i How muckle will this be worth, think ye.1916 R. W. Service Rhymes Red Cross Man 29 And leave ye I canna, for though I micht run, It's not faur I would gang, it's no muckle I'd see: I'm blindit, and that's whit's the matter wit me.1952 T. A. Robertson & J. J. Graham Gram. & Usage Shetland Dial. (1991) 3 Hit's no muckle at da laeks o is'll git.1985 J. T. Low in M. Görlach Focus on: Scotl. 186 Gaelic is winnan back muckle o its wecht in the life o the Hielans.
b. so mickle (in Scottish also written as one word from the 15th to the 17th cent.): so much; that same amount.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > [adjective] > so many or much
so mickleeOE
such much1832
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. ix. 68 Þæt he [sc. Alexander] mid swa lytle weorode swa micel anginnan dorste.
OE Blickling Homilies 25 Nu he swa mycel for ure lufan geþrowode.
c1175 ( Ælfric Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 42 Hundteontiȝ peneȝæ bið tyn siðes tene: swa mycel sceolde þe mon þam þeȝene.
c1275 ( Will of Bp. Þeodred (Sawyer 1526) in D. Whitelock Anglo-Saxon Wills (1930) 4 And ic wille þat men lete stonden at Lundenebyri so mikel so ic þeron fond.
1437 Rolls of Parl. IV. 503/2 Yef so mekill be necessarie yerto.
c1450 MS Marquis of Bute f. 141, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Mikil(l, -le To the valu of swamykyl reft fra J. de L.
a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) 6451 Ye will doo so mekill as take ye payn To come..hir fader for to se.
1529 in J. Imrie et al. Burgh Court Bk. Selkirk (1960) 100 And, failȝeand herof that thair be nocht sameikyll contenit in that croft, to pay [etc.].
1609 J. Skene tr. Regiam Majestatem i. f. 39v Ilke ane of them sall haue sameikill, as is within his awin lordship and dominion.
1609 J. Skene tr. Statute Alexander II in Regiam Majestatem f. 15v Quhat he hes taken fra anie man, he sall restore sameikill to him.
a1722 J. Lauder Hist. Observes (1840) App. iv. 305 He was ou'r malapert to take so mikel upon him.
1723 in C. A. Malcolm Minutes Justices of Peace Lanarkshire (1931) 216 Every man..haveing ane hundred pound land of new extent be year, may expend so meikle to plant woods and forrests.
1933 ‘H. MacDiarmid’ On Island of Little Linga in Broughton Mag. Summer in Compl. Poems (1994) II. 1457 It's a' vera weel On an island like this, To lack for a while Sae muckle, and no' miss.
†c. In adverbial phrases, as: for as mickle as; in as (also †so) mickle (as); unto so mickle; as mickle to say as. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > causation > effect, result, or consequence > consequently or as a result [phrase]
unto so micklec1390
per consequencec1395
by suing?a1425
by consequent1489
by relation1565
of consequence1573
by consequence1581
occasion1634
in suit ofa1652
in consequence of1683
owing to1744
in consequence1775
in the wake of1866
the world > existence and causation > causation > cause or reason > [phrase] > for that reason or because of that or inasmuch as
in thatc1175
for as mickle asc1390
in as (also so) mickle (as)c1390
in that thatc1450
by (the) means (also mean) (that)1549
by and by1565
in regard1600
in that (also this) view1688
c1390 G. Chaucer Shipman's Tale 1223 For as muchel as this goode man And..this monk..Were..yborn in o village.
c1390 G. Chaucer Melibeus 2644 Where as ye seyn that fortune hath norisshed yow fro youre childhode, I seye that in so muchel shal ye the lasse truste in hire.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 19596 (MED) Sua aght all priestes..In als mikel als in þaim es.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 2 For als mykill as it es lang tyme passed sen þare was any general passage ouer þe see.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 145 (MED) Hur moder..blamyd hur & reprovid hur þerfor, vnto so mekle, sho slew hur moder.
c1450 tr. Jan van Ruusbroec Treat. Perfection Sons of God (BL Add.) (1957) 252 Owre schadowe ȝit in so mykylle of the lyght of the sonne is schyned that we maye lere discernynge of vertues.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (BL Add. 9066) (1879) 197 He was taken in her love in so mekell that he laye in his bedde.
c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) 92 In as mekyll as hit ys now soo That ye hym here haue as your prysonere, I shall you shew my compleynt loo.
1530 Thorpe's Examinacion sig. Dii For as mekell [1583 mikle] as your asking passeth myne vnderstonding I dare nother denye it nor graunte it.
1563 J. Davidson Answer to Tractiue Kennedy in D. Laing Misc. Wodrow Soc. (1844) I. 192 For that war als mekle to say as God had appointit the Kirk to be judge betuix the thing that is and is not.
a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in Wks. (1846) I. 283 Never twa of thame universallie aggreing in all pointis, in samekle as thei ar of men.
1699 in D. Littlejohn Rec. Sheriff Court Aberdeenshire (1907) III. 106 For so meikle as I am of considerable age.
1862 G. Henderson St. Matthew vii. 24 There rase up an unco tempest insaemeikle that the ship was cover't wi' the waves.
1891 J. J. H. Burgess Rasmie's Büddie 33 Du sat on dy tronn awa in Lundin, An never sae muckle as said, ‘Rasmus, yun's you.’
†d. Most, the greatest part (of something). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 324 Quhene George Douglas come to Sanctandrois and remanitt thair mekill of ane day in dressing of his bussieness.
1578 J. Rolland Seuin Seages 71 Mekill of the nicht thair sat he at the wait.
1615 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. (1833) III. 292 The procedingis and ceremoneis tuik mekle of aucht dayes.
II. As noun.
†2. With plural agreement. Important people as a class. Chiefly in mickle and little, little and mickle: persons high and low, everyone without exception. Cf. much pron. and n. 3. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > one who is important > others
micklea1300
personagec1485
Triton1589
Jovian1598
gallimaufry1600
lords of creation1649
man of destiny1827
mugwump1828
man of the moment1837
history-maker1848
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 384 Ðe mikle ne maiȝ he to him draȝen—Ðe mikle, I mene ðe stedefast.
c1440 (c1350) Octovian (Thornton) 1 (MED) Mekylle and littille [a1500 Cambr. Lytylle and mykille], olde and ȝynge, Herkyns..to my talkynge.
†3. Size, stature; bigness. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > [noun]
greatness1381
measurea1382
quantitya1387
muchnessa1398
sizea1400
largec1400
micklec1400
moisonc1400
of suingc1400
bignessc1475
assize1481
proportions1481
bodya1500
dimension1529
measuring1529
wideness1535
bind1551
corporance1570
magnitude1570
mickledom1596
amplitude1599
breadth1609
extendure1613
extension1614
extent1623
extensure1631
dimense1632
dimensity1655
bulkiness1674
bulksomeness1674
admeasurement1754
calliper1819
acreage1846
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) 142 (MED) Bot mon most I algate mynn hym to bene, & þat þe myriest in his muckel þat myȝt ride.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvi. 182 (MED) Þre leodes in o lith, non lenger þan other; Of one mochel and myȝte in mesure and in lengthe.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 96 Þe mykill of a mannes thee.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 103 Þai er riȝt faire and wele proporciound of þaire mykill.
c1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess 454 A wonder wel-farynge knyght..Of good mochel, and ryght yong therto.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 6246 Þat Galathe..Of whose mykill & might & mayn strenght Dares..me tellus.
1622 M. Drayton 2nd Pt. Poly-olbion xxviii. 146 Stones of a Spherick forme of sundry Mickles fram'd.
1826 R. Wilbraham Attempt Gloss. Cheshire (ed. 2) He is of no mickles.
1851 O. Ormerod Full True un Pertikler Okeawnt Greyte Eggshibishun ii O deyle o bronze figgurs ov o mickels un shaps.
1874 J. P. Kay-Shuttleworth Ribblesdale I. 21 Her meikle is not to be found.
4. A large sum or amount. Chiefly in proverb: many a little (also pickle) makes a mickle (now frequently in the garbled form many a mickle makes a muckle).The form many a mickle makes a muckle (earliest recorded in quot. 1793) arises from a misapprehension that, rather than being variants of the same word, mickle and muckle have opposite meanings, the former representing ‘a small amount’ and the latter ‘a large amount’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > (a) great quantity or amount
felec825
muchc1230
good wone1297
plentyc1300
bushelc1374
sight1390
mickle-whata1393
forcea1400
manynessa1400
multitudea1400
packc1400
a good dealc1430
greata1450
sackful1484
power1489
horseloadc1500
mile1508
lump1523
a deal?1532
peckc1535
heapa1547
mass1566
mass1569
gallon1575
armful1579
cart-load1587
mickle1599
bushelful1600–12
a load1609
wreck1612
parisha1616
herd1618
fair share1650
heapa1661
muchness1674
reams1681
hantle1693
mort1694
doll?1719
lift1755
acre1759
beaucoup1760
ton1770
boxload1795
boatload1807
lot1811
dollop1819
swag1819
faggald1824
screed1826
Niagara1828
wad1828
lashings1829
butt1831
slew1839
ocean1840
any amount (of)1848
rake1851
slather1857
horde1860
torrent1864
sheaf1865
oodlesa1867
dead load1869
scad1869
stack1870
jorum1872
a heap sight1874
firlot1883
oodlings1886
chunka1889
whips1888
God's quantity1895
streetful1901
bag1917
fid1920
fleetful1923
mob1927
bucketload1930
pisspot1944
shitload1954
megaton1957
mob-o-ton1975
gazillion1978
buttload1988
shit ton1991
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > a great quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > proverb
many a little (also pickle) makes a mickle1599
1599 T. M. Micro-cynicon iii. sig. B8 Some little durty spot..Nothing in manies view, in hers a mickle.
1614 W. Camden Remaines (rev. ed.) 310 Many a little makes a micle.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 509. ¶6 But, I think, a Speculation upon Many a Little makes a Mickle..would be very useful to the World.
1793 G. Washington Writings (1939) XXXII. 423 A Scotch addage, than which nothing in nature is more true ‘that many mickles make a muckle’.
1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 20 Still retained in the common adage, ‘Many littles make a mickle.’
1905 Westm. Gaz. 29 Apr. 3/1 There's the Tithe Relief... In the case of London, the deduction amounts to £19,000... Mony a pickle maks a muckle.
1940 Huntly Express 19 Jan. 3 He said..‘As the Scots say..mony a mickle mak's a muckle.’.. I took the liberty of telling him..that the proverb is ‘Mony a little mak's a muckle.’
1982 S. Scott Local Lads x. 106 Though you can perform a minor task easily yourself, command that a minion do it. It emphasizes your eminence, many a mickle making a muckle.
C. adv.
To a great extent or degree; greatly; by far.Esp. in relative sense with as, how, so (cf. the corresponding use of much adv.). In Scots so mickle was often written as one word from the 15th to the 17th cent. Cf. sense B. 1b.In Old English originally an absolute use of the adjective with adverbial force (see etymological note).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > by or to a great degree or extent
mickleseOE
mickleeOE
sevensitheOE
highOE
muchc1225
wellc1300
fara1400
goodlya1450
long?a1475
farlya1500
largea1522
muchly1621
very1641
heartily1727
lot1839
lot1855
big time1957
batshit1993
α.
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxiv. 332 Þæt mynster wæs geworden & getimbred noht micle ær.
OE Genesis A (1931) 2714 Forþon ic þegnum þinum dyrnde and sylfum þe swiðost micle soðan spræce.
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) iv. 39 Hi tocnawað..hu micel tostent seo godspellice soðfæstnyss, fram sceade ðære ealdan æ.
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1140 Te king ferde agenes him mid micel mare ferd.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 147 (MED) Þu scalt ȝiet libben fiftene ȝear; swa michel ich habbe ieiht þi lif.
c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 215 Herodes..was michel anud.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1861 Oc michil he frigtede for-ði Boðen symeon and leui.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) li. 7 (MED) He was michel worþ in his vanite.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 451 (MED) Noght pere allan, bot mikul mare.
?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 155 (MED) For euerye newe wounde..schulde blede litil oþer michil.
a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) 841 Kynge Edgar was so mechel adredde.
β. c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 169 Þa tunglæn, sunne & monæ hæfdæn mucele mare beorhtnesse þenne heo nu habbeð.a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 258 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 175 (MED) Þo þe sungede muchel a drunke and an ete.c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 151 Muchel he luuede us.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) 3201 He mochul a þa wodeloker wilnede þeos mæidenes.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 57 (MED) Mochel hi wolden ham wreþi.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) 10981 Muchel for riȝte shal he swynke.a1425 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (1987) i. 386 Yet muchel more he thoughte What for to speke.a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) 3442 Thy request Is not to mochel dishonest.c1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess 1102 So mochel hyt amended me That..I was warished of al my sorwe.1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. x. sig. Mm5 But minds of mortal men are muchell mard, And mou'd amisse with massy mucks vnmeet regard.γ. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2953 Þatt ȝiff þatt icc..mikell ummbeþennke. Whillc gate icc muȝhe cwemenn godd.a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 153 Ðe mire is maȝti: mikel ȝe swinkeð.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 4082 It bitidd mikel in þaa dauus.?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 1693 He trost hym mykelle [a1450 Lamb. to mykel] on his myght.a1425 Rule St. Benet (Lansd.) (1902) 11 (MED) Mikyl walde he fle pride.a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 590 Kynge Marke rode aftir hym praysynge hym mykell.c1475 (a1400) Sir Amadace (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 35 (MED) On the dede cors..Ful myculle his thoȝte was on.a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) Prol. 4 In the translacioun i folow the lettere als mykyll as i may.a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Diii He wyll make it mykyll worse than it is.c1620 A. Hume Of Orthogr. Britan Tongue (1870) i. iv. §11 They usurped y, a voual not mikle different from i.a1722 J. Lauder Hist. Observes (1840) App. iv. 304 This was mikel worse.1859 T. Moore Song. Sol., Durham Dial. iv. 10 How mickle better's the luv then weyne!1908 J. White Pen Sketches 3 An' ferlie mickle I hoo some o' them hae thriven.δ. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) 6565 Mekil haue i trauayled for ȝou.c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 897 (MED) Þen merualid þam þe messangirs mekill [a1500 Trin. Dub. mykyll] of his speche.1533 J. Gau in tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay To Rdr. sig. Aiii I traistit mekil of siclik orisons.c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 213 Mekyll comfordes me the crowne of this kyde realme.1573 J. Tyrie Refut. Ansuer Knox To Rdr. 1 Thair is within his buke..sum thinges nocht meakle appertenand to the caus.1588 A. King tr. P. Canisius Cathechisme or Schort Instr. 66 Thay ar mair..to be lamentit, yat thay traist samekle in yair auin blinde iudgment.?a1610 A. Montgomerie Poems (1887) 129 Sho is mair mobile mekle nor the mone.1616 J. Maitland Apol. W. Maitland in Misc. Sc. Hist. Soc. (1904) II. 166 Abot of Londores he never wes, nor zit President of the Session, mekle les of the Privie Councell.1681 S. Colvil Mock Poem i. 94 Meikle better.1722 A. Ramsay Poems iii. ii That gars me ergh to trust ye meikle, For fear you shou'd prove fause and fikle.1813 E. Picken Misc. Poems II. 80 He reek'dna meikle on their trim.1839 W. M'Dowall Poems 39 Meikle wish'd the coming light Might be fu' clear an' sinny.1897 T. Murray Frae Heather 22 At length refreshed and very meikle Pleased wi' the grace of Willie Little.ε. 1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer ii. f. cccxlii Certes to the occupier is mokel appeyred.1600 in M. E. Cumming Bruce Family Rec. Bruces & Cumyns 615 This piece of cros..will nocht..put you mukle by dyatt.1692 ‘J. Curate’ Sc. Presbyterian Eloquence iv. 114 In England, that stands muckle in mister of a Reformation.1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherdess 137 Her lady mither o'er an' o'er again In face an' feature, an' muckle about her eild.1787 R. Burns Poems (new ed.) 79 Ye've said enough, And muckle mair than ye can mak to through.1830 J. Banim Denounced I. 67 Notwithstanding it is so muckle the less harmful.1893 S. R. Crockett Stickit Minister viii. 104 I would be muckle the better o't.1929 R. Crawford In Quiet Fields 31 There wis a wee man that wis muckle surprised.1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick vii. 82 He clartit ower 'e pob as muckle mair roset as 'e cud get sclairit on't.1976 R. Bulter Shaela 44 Wis da happiness hit could gie Dat muckle mair dan I git fae dee?1986 R. A. Jamieson Thin Wealth 47 Nobody ever uses it muckle.

Compounds

mickle-hammer n. now rare (perh. Obsolete) a heavy hammer used in quarrying and mining.
ΚΠ
1843 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. I. 171 The spallers employ heavy axe-formed or muckle-hammers, for spalling or scaling off smaller flakes [of granite].
1920 A. H. Fay Gloss. Mining & Mineral Industry 453/1 Muckle hammer, a scaling or spalling hammer.
† mickle-what n. Obsolete a great deal, many things; something consisting of many or varied components (cf. muchwhat n.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [noun] > (a) great quantity or amount
felec825
muchc1230
good wone1297
plentyc1300
bushelc1374
sight1390
mickle-whata1393
forcea1400
manynessa1400
multitudea1400
packc1400
a good dealc1430
greata1450
sackful1484
power1489
horseloadc1500
mile1508
lump1523
a deal?1532
peckc1535
heapa1547
mass1566
mass1569
gallon1575
armful1579
cart-load1587
mickle1599
bushelful1600–12
a load1609
wreck1612
parisha1616
herd1618
fair share1650
heapa1661
muchness1674
reams1681
hantle1693
mort1694
doll?1719
lift1755
acre1759
beaucoup1760
ton1770
boxload1795
boatload1807
lot1811
dollop1819
swag1819
faggald1824
screed1826
Niagara1828
wad1828
lashings1829
butt1831
slew1839
ocean1840
any amount (of)1848
rake1851
slather1857
horde1860
torrent1864
sheaf1865
oodlesa1867
dead load1869
scad1869
stack1870
jorum1872
a heap sight1874
firlot1883
oodlings1886
chunka1889
whips1888
God's quantity1895
streetful1901
bag1917
fid1920
fleetful1923
mob1927
bucketload1930
pisspot1944
shitload1954
megaton1957
mob-o-ton1975
gazillion1978
buttload1988
shit ton1991
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. 1217 As he which cowthe mochel what.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 130 In adrentes [read Quadrentis]..Mustours & mekil quat mare þen a littill.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 5468 (MED) Þai perid to him with presands..sum spends on him..Of mirre & of mekill quat.
mickle wheel n. now historical a simple form of spinning wheel having a large, hand-turned wheel.
ΚΠ
1702 Session Bk. Glasserton MS 20 Sept. in Sc. National Dict. (at cited word) Margret Milmyn..confest her spinning a while upon the mikle wheel.
1762 R. Forbes Jrnl. in J. G. Fyfe Sc. Diaries & Mem. (1942) 13 We found a Woman..Spinning at the Mickle Wheel, and another Woman carding the Wool for her.
1821 J. Galt Ann. Parish xii. 119 Both little wheel and meickle wheel.
1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well II. iii. 74 She..talked something of matrimony, and the mysteries of the muckle wheel.
1929 J. M. McPherson Primitive Beliefs 28 Dr. Gregor describes a simpler method of kindling the fire... The ‘muckle wheel’ was set in motion. Soon there was a spark.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

† micklev.

Forms: Old English micclian, Old English micelian, Old English miclian, Old English mycclian, Old English mycelian, Old English myclian, early Middle English muccli, early Middle English mucheli, early Middle English muchli, early Middle English mucli, early Middle English mudli (transmission error), early Middle English mutli (transmission error), Middle English mekill, Middle English mikel, Middle English mikil, Middle English mykel.
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Old High German mihhilōn (Middle High German michelen ), Old Icelandic mikla , Gothic mikiljan < a Germanic weak verb derived from the base of mickle adj.For the variation in forms see discussion s.v. mickle adj. In Old English the prefixed form gemiclian (also gemicclian, gemicelian, gemuclian, gemycclian, gemyclian, gemycelian) is more commonly attested; compare Old Dutch gemikilōn, gemikolōn, and, with different prefix, Swedish †förmyckla.
Obsolete.
1.
a. intransitive. To increase, become great.
ΚΠ
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) ii. i. 37 Þy ilcan geare..Romana rice weaxan ongann ond miclian.
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iii. vii. 178 Þæt unmæte saar weox & miclade.
OE Andreas (1932) 1526 Famige walcan mid ærdæge eorðan þehton, myclade mereflod.
c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Bodl.) (1934) 34 (MED) Lutle [sin] ich mei makien to muclin [c1225 Royal muchelin] unmeaðliche ȝef me hut & heleð hit.
b. transitive. To increase, enlarge.
ΚΠ
OE Genesis A (1931) 2223 Þæt ic mægburge moste þinre rim miclian.
lOE Laws: Blaseras (Rochester) i. 388 We cwædon be þam blaserum..þæt man..myclade þæt ordalysen, þæt hit gewege þry pund.
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 95 Secnesse..deð þeose..þinges: wescheð þe sunnen..Muchleð [a1250 Nero mucheleð] þe mede.
a1425 Daily Work (Arun.) in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1895) I. 135 (MED) Goddis grace..waxand ai mare & mare til mikel þe mede.
2. transitive. To magnify, extol.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > commend or praise [verb (transitive)]
heryc735
mickleeOE
loveOE
praise?c1225
upraisea1300
alosec1300
commenda1340
allow1340
laud1377
lose1377
avauntc1380
magnifya1382
enhancea1400
roosea1400
recommendc1400
recommanda1413
to bear up?a1425
exalt1430
to say well (also evil, ill, etc.) of (also by)1445
laudifyc1470
gloryc1475
advance1483
to bear out1485
prizec1485
to be or to have in laudationa1500
joya1500
extol1509
collaud1512
concend?1521
solemnize?1521
celebrate1522
stellify1523
to set up1535
well-word1547
predicate1552
glorify1557
to set forth1565
admire1566
to be up with1592
voice1594
magnificate1598
plaud1598
concelebrate1599
encomionize1599
to con laud1602
applauda1616
panegyrize1617
acclamate1624
to set offa1625
acclaim1626
raise1645
complement1649
encomiate1651
voguec1661
phrase1675
to set out1688
Alexander1700
talk1723
panegyricize1777
bemouth1799
eulogizea1810
rhapsodize1819
crack up1829
rhapsody1847
eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxi. 21 (24) Qui timetis dominum laudate eum, uniuersum semen iacob magnificate eum : ða ðe ondreðað dryhten hergað hine all sed iacobes micliað hine.
OE Blickling Homilies 13 Lufian we hine nu & his noman mycclian.
a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) lxxi. 18 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 203 (MED) Alle genge mykel him þai salle.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
<
adj.pron.n.adv.eOEv.eOE
随便看

　

英语词典包含1132095条英英释义在线翻译词条，基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。

　

Copyright © 2004-2022 Newdu.com All Rights Reserved
更新时间：2025/1/12 5:30:08