† embeprep.
Obsolete.
A variant of Old English ymbe, Middle English umbe prep. and adv. about, around, etc.
ΚΠ
a1000 Athelstan (Gr.) 5 Embe Brunanburh.
a1000 Menolog. (Gr.) 210 Emb eahta niht.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 51 Þe bitacninge þe ic habbe embe ispeken.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 219 Ne meȝ nan iscefte..understonden embe god.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 3272 Æuere he þohte embe uuel.
c1315 Shoreham 141 Ine thylke songe That ich was embe oure faye.
Derivatives
Hence in Old English and early Middle English compounds:
embhuga n. anxiety. [ < embe prep. + how n.1]
ΚΠ
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 34 Æghwylc dæg hæfð genoh on hys agenum ymbhogan [c1160 Hatton embhugan].
embsniðe v. to circumcise. [ < embe prep. + snithe v.]
ΚΠ
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) ii. 210 Þe ehta dagas gefyllede wæron þæt ðæt cild emsnyden [c1160 Hatton embsnyðen] wære.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 81 Þet me sculde in þe ehtuþe dei þet knaue child embsniþen.
embeþonk n. anxiety or thought about. [ < embe prep. + thank n. (see thank n. 1).]
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > anxiety > [noun]
mourningeOE
businessOE
busyOE
carefulnessa1000
carec1000
howc1000
embeþonkc1200
thought?c1250
cark1330
curea1340
exercisec1386
solicitude?a1412
pensienessc1450
anxietya1475
fear1490
thought-taking1508
pensement1516
carp1548
caring1556
hoe1567
thoughtfulness1569
carking1583
caretaking1625
anxiousness1636
solicitousness1636
concern1692
solicitation1693
anxietude1709
twitchiness1834
uptightness1969
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 87 Þe bileffulle mannes heorte..ben wasshen of þe embeþonke of fleshliche lustes.
embe-uten adv. round about. [ < embe prep. + outen adv.]
ΚΠ
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) xiv. 47 Soðlice an of þam þe ðar embe-uton [c1160 Hatton embe-uten] stodon his swurde abræd.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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prep.a1000