| 释义 |
▪ I. sele, n. Obs. exc. dial.|siːl|
Forms: 1 sǽl (dat. pl. sǽlum, sálum), seel, 3 sæl, seale, sil, 3–5 sel, 4 sell, 4–5 cele, seele, 4–8 seel, 4, 9 seyle, 5 ceele, ceyl(l)e, 5–6 seill, seyll(e, 5, 9 sale, 7 ceile, 7–9 seal, seil, 3– sele.
[OE. sǽl masc. and fem.:—OTeut. type *sǣli-z, app. a subst. use of the adj. found in Goth. sêl-s good (whence sêlei goodness), ON. sǽll happy (whence sǽla wk. fem., sǽld str. fem., happiness); in WGer. outside Eng. preserved only in derivatives, OS. sâlig, OHG. sâlîg (see seely a.), MHG. sâllîche fortunately, OS. sâlda, OHG. sâlida happiness (see selth). An ablaut-variant *sōl- occurs in OE. sél adv.: see etymological note to sele a.]
1. Happiness, prosperity, good fortune. on sele, a sele (OE. on sǽlum, on sálum): happy.
Beowulf 607 Þa wæs on salum sinces brytta. Ibid. 1170 Þu on sælum wes. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 183 Þu ware a sele gief ich was wroð. c1200Ormin 14304 All middellærdess sellþe & sel. c1205Lay. 10040 Bruttes heo gretten.. beden heom beon on sele [c 1275 seale]. a1240Ureisun in Cott. Hom. 183 Ihesu min heorte Mi sel mi saule hele. a1300Cursor M. 2905 Þar neuer man sank þat was o sele. Ibid. 3962 He is vm-sett all wit sell. 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2409 Sele yow bytyde. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xl. (Ninian) 1117 Lord, sa haf I sele, in galouay we haf don rycht wele. c1485Digby Myst. iv. 72 How rewfully he hinges here, That set you first in ceile! 1513Douglas æneis v. i. 46 So haif I seill. 1668R. B. Adagia Scot. 47 Seil comes not while sorrow be gone. 1875W. Alexander Sk. Ain Folk 82 Seil upo' them, they're a winsome pair.
2. Favourable or proper time, opportune moment; occasion, opportunity; season, time of day. Cf. barley-sele, haysel.
With OE. sǽl and mǽl (Beowulf) cf. quot. a 1825. to give the sele of the day: ‘to pass the time of day,’ to give a friendly greeting in passing.
Beowulf 1008 Þa wæs sæl and mæl, þæt to healle gang Healfdenes sunu. c1000Sax. Leechd. I. 112 Þas wyrte man mæᵹ niman on ælcne sæl. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 185 Ðos feawe word seide ure drihten..at sume sele, þo þe he wunede licamliche on eorðe. c1250Gen. & Ex. 1095 Loth and his doȝtres two Ledden ðis angeles ut in sel. 1303R. Brunne Handl. Synne 5779 Now whom Myȝt y fynde, þys yche sele, To whom y myȝt selle Pers wele. 1375Creation 770 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1878) 133 Þo wente he aȝen in þat sel And tolde Miȝhel his cas. c1440J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. 682 Þat alle þese þingys at euery tyme & seele schuld be redressed. a1450Mankind (Brandl 1898) 354 He hath mett wyth the goode man mercy in a schroude sell. 1662W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. iii. verse 18. i. xxx. §1. 385 At what ceile of the day or night soever it be. 1674Ray S. & E.C. Words 76 It is a fair seel for you to come at, i.e. a fair season or time; spoken ironically to them that come late... What Seel of day? What time of day. 1787W. H. Marshall Norfolk (1795) II. 387 Seel, or Seal, time or season; as, ‘hay-seel’, hay-time; ‘barley-seel’, barley seed-time; ‘wheat-seel’, wheat seed-time; ‘bark-seel’, the barking season. a1825Forby Voc. E. Anglia s.v. Seal, Of an idle and dissipated fellow, we say that he ‘keeps bad seals’;..of a sober, regular, and industrious man..that he ‘keeps good seals and meals’. 1857Borrow Romany Rye I. xxi. 249 As I passed.., I gave the man the sele of the day.
b. A period of time.
a1250Owl & Night. 953 He mihte bet speken a sele. c1330R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 7005 Ȝyf Constant had lyued ani sel He schuld haue mended þe lond ful wel. 1338― Chron. (1810) 80 Þer duelled þei non seel. 1447O. Bokenham Seyntys, Mary Magd. 1026 In ful short seel.
▪ II. † sele, a. Obs.
Forms: compar. 1 sélra, séllra, sélla, 2–3 selre, 3 selere; superl. 1 sélest, 3 selest; Positive 3 sæl, sel, seal, acc. seolne.
[The OE. sélra, sélla, better, sélest best, represent OTeut. types *sōlizon-, *sōlisto- (cf. OE. sél, older sœ́l adv. better:—*sōliz), f. *sōl-, ablaut-variant of *sœ́l-: see sele n. The positive sel(e in early ME. is a back-formation from the other degrees; whether there is mixture of an adoption of ON. sǽll happy is uncertain.]
Good.
Beowulf 2890 Deað bið sella eorla ᵹehwylcum þonne edwitlif! c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. x. 31 Sellra [L. meliores]. c1000Ags. Gosp. ibid., Ᵹe synt selran. Ibid. Luke x. 42 Maria ᵹeces þæne selestan dæl. c1205Lay. 3955 He ferde awi ouer sæ Þat him þuhte selest. Ibid. 17679 Þæt vther his broðer hæfde him þider i-send seolne læche. Ibid. 21166 Ne isæh næuere na man selere cniht nenne. Ibid. 24954 Þus andswærede Walwain þe sele. c1230Hali Meid. 67 In al þat euer sel is. 13..K. Alis. 7430 For ben yee sele, ben ye wrothe, Ynde and Perce buth myn bothe.
▪ III. sele
obs. form of ceil v.
a1400–50Wars Alex. 1519 Sylours of sendale to sele ouire þe gatis.
▪ IV. sele
see seal ns., seel v.2, seely a., sell v. |