| 释义 |
† meschant, a. and n. Obs.
Forms: 5 meschaunt(e, mysch(e)aunt(e, 5, 7 mischaunt, 6 mischand, -eant, mechient, meschante, mysch(e)ant, mechant, 6–7 mischant, mishant, meschant.
[a. OF. mescheant unlucky, wicked (mod.F. méchant wicked), orig. pr. pple. of mescheoir to be unlucky + mes- mis- + cheoir to fall:—popular L. *cadēre for class. L. cadĕre. Frequent in Caxton; in the 16th c. mainly Sc.]
A. adj.
1. Wicked, bad, base.
a1450Knt. de la Tour 126 It is a myschaunt thinge for any gentille woman, other to striue or to chide in ani manere. c1570Satir. Poems Reform. xx. 146 All thay yat dois..With mischant mynde maling Aganis the treuth. 1629Reg. Privy Council Scot. Ser. ii. III. 4 The..purging of the land frome suche a mischaunt persoun. 1649Bp. Guthrie Mem. (1702) 6 This Meschant Business..gave the Ministers Affairs such a Blow, that..they were never able to make it up again.
2. Miserable, wretched.
1471Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 48 Than he retorned poure and myschant vnto his fader Tytan. 1530Palsgr. 318/2 Meschante myserable, meschant.
B. n. A wretch, a villain.
c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iv. 125 Thenne he sayd to his children ‘Myschaunt, your ledernes and slouth hath overcomen you’. 1570in Spottiswood Hist. Ch. Scot. v. (1677) 238 They..had unworthily cut off his Uncle and Regent, by suborning a mischant to kill him treacherously. a1585Polwart Flyting w. Montgomerie 131 Mischiewous mishant. 1664Pepys Diary 6 Sept., Cromwell, notwithstanding the meschants in his time, which were the Cavaliers, did [etc.].
Hence † meschantly adv., † meschantness.
1491Caxton Vitas Patr. (W. de W. 1495) ii. 256/2 The tyme that he had lost & wasted in lyuyng myschauntly. 1573Satir. Poems Reform. xl. 205 Upricht men ar murtherit mischantlie. 1623in Pitcairn Crim. Trials III. 549 How mischantlie and barbaruslie the innocent Gentillman was murdreist. 1644D. Hume Hist. Doug. 153 Which I confesse is so profound and deep a folly, and mischantnesse, that I can by no means sound it. 1661R. Baillie Lett. & Jrnls. (1842) III. 468 Mr. Blair, Mr. Dickson, and Mr. Hutcheson, were, without all cause, mischantly abused by his pen. |