> as lemmas

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xiv. 140 Ða sæde he him, ic hit soðlice eom. Hi ða mid þam worde, wendon underbæc.

OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Deut. (Claud.) iv. 25 Gyf ge þonne minum worde ne gelyfað.., ic hæbbe to dæg gewitnysse heofon & eorðan ðæt ge forwurðað.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 282 Swa wass filledd opennliȝ Þatt word tatt ær wass cwiddedd.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 45 Min word..Maȝȝ hellpenn þa þatt redenn itt. To sen. & tunnderrstanndenn.

a1225 (?OE) MS Vesp. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 235 (MED) He cweð a wunder worder [read worde] to þar sawle bi þa witie ysaiam.

c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 1567 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 151 Þe king makede him wroth i-novȝ for þat word ase he hadde ofte i-beo.

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 541 Suspect his face, suspect his word also Suspect the tyme in which he this bigan.

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xv. 145 With that vorde assemblit thai.

1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) vi. l. 538 Wallace was blyth fra he had hard thar wourd.

1534 J. Fewterer tr. U. Pinder Myrrour Christes Passion 124 This moste comfortable worde of our most swete sauyour Iesu spoken vnto the thefe.

1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 1258/1 At this worde which he coupled with an othe, came I in.

1568 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 87 The wird of Iesew is fulfillit rycht Surrexit sicut dixit.

1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. 11 Then his word were an Oracle, his opinion a decision.

1749 D. Garrick Lethe: Dramatic Satire 13 Old Man. I have, to say the Truth, a little Money—it is that indeed, which causes all my Uneasiness. Æsop. Thou never spok'st a truer Word in thy Life, old Gentleman.

1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 239 He blessed the bread, but vanish'd at the word.

1800 W. Scott Eve St. John 7 Now, trust my word, my noble Lord!

1841 G. P. R. James Brigand xxix My word is said, and it shall be inviolable.

c1889 W. W. Pratt Ten Nights in Bar-Room i. ii. 9 Green. If our excellent friend..is not the richest man in Cedarville in ten years, he will have the satisfaction of knowing that he has made the town richer. Willie. A true word that, as true a word as was ever spoken.

1939 Times 15 July 6/1 Who was it that declared that a man needs a head to play golf? Whoever he was he spoke a true word.

1948 H. Henderson Elegies Dead in Cyrenaica 20 Minding the great word of Glencoe's son, that we should not disfigure ourselves with villainy of hatred.

1986 ELH 53 479 Andrew Aguecheek..probably thinks he never spoke truer word than when he declares his conviction that ‘to be up late is to be up late’.

2003 M. Spindler in I. Daneel et al. Fullness of Life for All viii. 106 The famous word of Jesus: ‘I have come that men may have life, and may have it in all its fullness.’