| 释义 |
▪ I. leal, a. and adv.|liːl|
Forms: 3–5 lel, 3–6 lele, 4 liale, 4–5 lell(e, Sc. leile, leyll, 4–5 (7–8 Sc.) leel, 4–6 leale, 4–7 Sc. leill, 4–8 Sc. leil, 5 leell, 6 Sc. laill, 8– leal.
[a. OF. leel, usually in semi-learned form leial, leal (= Pr. leyal, lial, Cat. lleal, Sp. leal, It. leale), mod.F. loyal (see loyal) :—L. lēgāl-is legal.]
A. adj. Now Sc. (and north. dial.) and in literary use derived from Scottish.
1. Loyal, faithful, honest, true.
a. Of persons, etc. land of the leal: see land n.1 3 c.
a1300Cursor M. 4891 Yon er theues we lelmen wend. Ibid. 27847 Lele of hert and fre of gyft. c1350Will. Palerne 4809 Þe grettest lordes of þat land þat lellest were hold. 1375Barbour Bruce iv. 576 He that worthy wes and leill. a1400–50Alexander 2877 Lede lelist to his lord leuand of lyue. c1460Launfal 326, I yeve the Blaunchard my stede lel. 1513Douglas æneis i. Prol. 482 Thocht I be lawit, my leil hart can nocht fenȝe. c1560A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) x. 28 Scho wat wtouttin faill I am hir luvar laill. 1609Skene Reg. Maj. 82 The eath of ellevin leill and vnsuspected men. 1721Ramsay Prospect of Plenty vi, Friendship makes us leal To truth and right. a1776Cruel Mother iii. in Child Ballads (1882) I. 220/2 She's counted the leelest maid o them a'. 1826Scott Jrnl. 14 Nov., Honest Allan Cunningham..a leal and true Scotsman. a1839Praed Poems (1864) I. 391 Leal subject, honest patriot, cordial friend. 1876Blackie Songs Relig. & Life 119 Thou, Scotland's son, that wouldst be leal and true.
b. Of things, qualities, etc.
(In ME. poetry sometimes a more or less conventional laudatory epithet = ‘noble’, ‘fair’.)
a1300Cursor M. 8294 For wit þat flur sa fress and neu, þair stode a selcut lele [Fairf. etc. lou(e)ly] heu. 13..Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. (E.E.T.S.) 498/204 Þen maiȝt þou synge of loue lele. c1350Parlt. thre Ages (text A) 115 Longe legges and large and lele for to schewe. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxx. (Theodera) 154 Consele kane I kene þe gad & leile. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. i. 146 With leel labour to lyue whyl lif and londe lasteth. c1400Destr. Troy 8800 [It] sanke..to the leell theghes, Passond by poris into þe pure legges. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 604 To se gif the Coilȝearis lawtie was leill. 1500–20Dunbar Poems lxvi. 13 The leill laubour lost, and leill seruice. a1605Montgomerie Sonn. lxx. 2 Blind brutal Boy, that with thy bou abuses Leill leisome love by lechery and lust. 1721Ramsay Katy's Answer iv, There's my leal hand Win them, I'll be at your devotion. 1884Pall Mall G. 25 Apr. 5/1 No man ever did more leal service than did Mackenzie during the bad days of the miserable Cabul business.
2. True, genuine; real, actual; exact, accurate; very (truth). Of a blow or shot: Well-aimed, hitting the mark. ? Obs.
a1300Cursor M. 6478 Ne ber þou witnes nan bot lele. Ibid. 7798, I come to tell þe tiþand lel. 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 35 Þis laye..is stad and stoken, In stori stif & stronge With lel letteres loken. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 425 Of þe lenþe of Noe lyf to lay a lel date, Þe sex hundreth of his age & none odde ȝerez. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 69 Þerof he mad me skrite, his hote to mak leale. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. xi. 210 Men that buth bygetyn Out of matrimonie mowe nat haue the grace That leelle legitime by lawe may cleyme. c1400Melayne 8 The ryghte lele trouthe. 1560Rolland Crt. Venus Prol. 35 The Planeitis..The quhilks are in leill number thir seuin. 1597Skene De Verb. Sign. s.v. Bona patria, We sall leill suith say, and na suith conceale. 1752J. Louthian Form of Process (ed. 2) 83 The said Witnesses to bear leal and soothfast Witnessing. 1789D. Davidson Seasons 167 With that stepp'd forward Tullochfern, An'..A leal shot ettled at the cock.
†3. Lawful; also, just, fair. Obs.
c1350Will. Palerne 1312 Whanne..alle lele lawes [were] in þat lond sette. 1352Minot Poems iii. 9 His mone that was gude and lele, Left in Braband full mekill dele. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xl. (Ninian) 1050 Condemnyt be leile syse. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) viii. 28 Wheder þai be geten in leel spousage or noght. c1425Wyntoun Cron. vii. x. 3186 Oure Kyng Alysawndyr tuk Margret, The dowchtyr of this Kyng Henry, Into lele matrimony. c1460Towneley Myst. xxiv. 296 To draw cutt is the lelyst, and long cut, lo, this wede shall wyn. 1513Douglas æneis iii. viii. 81 Obseruyng weill..the seremonyis lele. 1727Walker Life Peden 134 (Jam.), I have had my leal share of wrongs this way.
4. Comb., as leal-hearted adj.
1721Ramsay Prospect of Plenty xi, The North Sea skippers are leal-hearted men. 1859Masson Brit. Novelists 107 The leal-hearted Scot's last visit to his native land.
B. adv. Now only Sc.
1. Loyally, faithfully.
a1300Cursor M. 6857, I..sal hald yow lel mi hight. a1450Le Morte Arth. 1066, I trewly many a day Haue lovid lelyest in londe. c1450Holland Howlat 750 Luke to the leid that the so leile lufis. a1605Montgomerie Sonn. xlv. 3 Look ony one before me loved so leill. 17..in Herd Sc. Songs (1776) I. 160 Had me fast, let me not gang, If you do love me leel.
2. Honestly, lawfully. Comb. leal-come adj., honestly come by.
a1300Cursor M. 4913 Of our lele bi-geten thing. 1500–20Dunbar Poems lxvi. 46 Bot beneficis ar nocht leill devydit. 1637Rutherford Lett. (1862) I. 443 Let us claim our leel⁓come and lawfully conquessed joy. 1693Sc. Presbyt. Eloquence (1738) 98 Every Man hath Conversion and the New Birth, but it's not leel come by.
3. Truly, exactly, accurately; perfectly, thoroughly.
c1400Destr. Troy 3029 Nouþer lynes ne lerkes but full lell streght. a1400–50Alexander 5020 Sire, þou ert lele of ilk lede þe lorde and þe fadire. c1460Towneley Myst. iii. 446 This forty dayes has rayn beyn, It will therfor abate Fulle lele. 1513Douglas æneis (ad fin.), Redis leill, and tak gud tent in tyme. 1637–50Row Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.) 285 Therby giving Mr. Andro Melvill a faire opportunitie to light leill upon Bishop Bancroft. 1720Ramsay Wealth 51 The dawted petts of fate..By pure instinct sae leal the mark have hit. 1790D. Morison Poems 15 [She] swore she'd be..Kiss'd leal frae lug to lug Fu' sweet that day.
▪ II. † leal, v. Obs. rare—1.
In 4 lelen.
[f. leal a.]
trans. To legalize, authorize.
c1350Will. Palerne 5284 Whan..þe menskfull messangeres here message wisten & hade letteres of here lord to lelen here sawes.
▪ III. leal
dial. form of little. |