▪ I. assoil, v.
(əˈsɔɪl)
Forms: 3–4 asoyl-en, -y, asoil-en, -y, 3–6 asoyle, -oile, 4 asoyli, -lye, asoilie, assoill-en, -i, assoil-en, 4–6 assoyle, assoille, 4–7 assoile, 5 assole, 5–7 assoyl, 6 asoylle, 5– assoil. Scotch 5 assolyhe (= assolȝe), 6 assolye, assoilȝe, -ye, -ze, 7 assolzie, -oylle, 7– assoilzie. Aphet. 5–6 soile, soyle.
[f. OF. a(s)soille pres. subj., a(s)soil pres. indic. of a(s)soldre, a(s)soudre:—L. absolŭĕre = absolvĕre to absolve, f. ab from + solvĕre to loose. Other forms of the infinitive in OF. (the first two also in AF.) were a(s)soilier, a(s)soiler, a(s)solier, a(s)soillir, a(s)solir, as if:—L. *absoluēre. L. ˈsolŭĕre gave OF. ˈsolre, ˈsoldre, as ˈbatŭĕre, ˈquatŭŏr gave batre, quatre, and voluērunt, *ˈvolŭĕrunt gave volrent, voldrent; with the variants a(s)soilier, a(s)oillir, compare other OF. double forms, as tesir, taire:—L. tacēre, *tacĕre, and plesir, plaire:—L. placēre, *placĕre. Subsequently refashioned in Fr. as absoudre, and in Eng. as absoil, which paved the way for the modern absolve, formed directly from the L. after 1500. The Fr. l mouillé, lost in Eng., was as usual retained in Scotch, and symbolized by lȝ, lyh, ly, now corruptly written lz, whence the current assoilzie (əsˈoɪljɪ, əsˈoɪlɪ).]
I. To assoil a person.
1. To absolve from sin, grant absolution to, pardon, forgive; = absolve 2. ‘Whom God assoil!’ (OF. que Dieu assoille! L. quem Deus absolvat!): an ejaculatory prayer for the departed. arch.
| 1297 R. Glouc. 464 No man, bote þe pope one, hem asoyly ne myȝte. 1340 Ayenb. 172 Þet he habbe power him to asoyli and him penonce to anioyni. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1882 Of absolucioun he on þe segge calles, & he asoyled hym. 1426 Pol. Poems II. 131 As wele on his ffader side, Henry the fifth, whom God assoille, as by Kateryne quene of Englond, his modir, whom God assoile. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 564 Pray devoutly for the soule whom God assoile. 1638 Penit. Conf. vii. (1657) 132 God remitting whomsoever the Priest assoileth. 1816 Scott Antiq. xxvi, ‘God assoilzie her!’ ejaculated old Elspeth..‘His mercy is infinite.’ c 1840 De Quincey Autobiog. Sk. Wks. II. 102 Oxford might avail to assoil me. |
b. of, from the sin. arch.
| 1297 R. Glouc. 501 The pope of alle hor sunnes asoileth alle the Barons & kniȝtes. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxii. 185 To asoylye men of alle manere synnes. 1508 Fisher Wks. i. 44 Be assoyled clene from synne of theyr ghostly fader. 1551 Abp. Hamilton Catech. 151 b (Jam.) The wordis of absolutioun..I assoilye the fra thi synnis. 1596 Drayton Legends iv. 857 Secretly assoyling of his sin. 1664 H. More Myst. Iniq. 112 Acquitted and assoiled from the guilt of all our sins. |
c. from purgatory. (Cf. senses 2 and 5.) arch.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 21/1 And assoylle the synnars whan thou descendest into helle. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth II. 299 He will be freed from purgatory the sooner that good people pray to assoilzie him. |
† 2. To absolve or set free from excommunication or other ecclesiastical sentence. Obs.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 139 Heo þat ben Curset in Constorie counteþ hit not at a Russche..Heo is asoyled as sone as hire-self lykeþ. c 1450 Merlin xxvii. 560 The londe was assoiled by the legat. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. viii. (1632) 578 Vntil he were assoyled of his excommunication. 1660 R. Coke Power & Subj. 206 If any Bishop do excommunicate any person..the King may write to the Bishop, and command him to assoyl, and absolve the party. 1691 Blount Law Dict., Assoile (absolvere) Signifies to deliver, pardon, or set free from an Excommunication. |
† 3. To set free, discharge, or release (of, from obligations, liabilities); = absolve 5. Obs.
| 1366 Mandeville iii. 18 To whom God ȝaf his pleyn Power, for to bynde and to assoille. 1382 Wyclif 1 Macc. x. 29 Now y assoile you, and alle Jewis, of tributis. 1460 J. Capgrave Chron. 143 The same Pope..cursed him, and asoiled al his barones fro that feith whech they had mad to him. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 266/2 She..was assoilled of her vowe. 1650 S. Clarke Eccl. Hist. (1654) I. 507 A lawful oath, from which no man can assoile you. |
4. To acquit (a person) of a criminal charge, to pronounce not guilty, to clear; = absolve 4. Const. of, from. arch. (see b.)
| 1528 More Heresyes iii. Wks. 211/2 Than may the iudges acquite and assoyle the defendaunt. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Matt. xviii. 92 Whom Cesar doth condemne, God sumtime doth assoyle. 1647 Cromwell Let. 11 Mar. xxv. (Carl.) The houses did assoil the army from all suspicion. a 1667 Jer. Taylor Serm. (1678) 88 Many persons think themselves fairly assoiled, because they are..not of scandalous Lives. 1832 Lamb Lett. ii. (1841) 82 If the candlestick be not removed, I assoil myself. |
b. esp. in Sc. Law, where assoilzie (i.e. assoilȝie, assoilyie) is still the proper term for: To acquit by sentence of court.
| 1603–5 Sir J. Melvil Mem. (1735) 155 Being assoilzied he continued the greatest Favourite at Court. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. iv. xxviii. (Jam.) The malefactour assoilyied at the instance of the partie. a 1691 Sir G. Mackenzie in Stewart's Trial (1753) 143 The chief actor must be first discussed, and either found guilty or assoilzied. 1800 A. Carlyle Autobiog. 235 Clear in their judgement that the panel should be assoilzied and the Presbytery taken to task. 1865 Morn. Star 5 Dec., The action could not be maintained, and the defendants were entitled to be assoillzied. |
5. To release, deliver, set free; to discharge. Const. of, from. arch.
| 1401 Pol. Poems (1859) II. 38 When ye han assoiled me..In truth I shall soile thee of thine orders. 1502 Arnold Chron. 280 The sayd bysshop now beyng cardynal, was assoiled of his bisshoprich of Wynchester. 1596 Spenser F.Q. i. x. 52 Till from her bands the spright assoiled is. 1658 Ussher Ann. vi. 400 To assoile all the sea craft of Thracia from the power and jurisdiction of Philippus. a 1845 Hood Open Quest. xv, What harm if men who burn the midnight-oil..Seek once a week their spirits to assoil? 1850 Mrs. Browning Wks. I. 330 Death's mild curfew shall from work assoil. |
II. To assoil a thing.
† 6. To unloose the knot of (difficulty or doubt); to clear up, solve, or resolve; = absolve 6. Obs. (In this sense freq. soyle, soil in 16th c. Cf. soil v.)
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. v. iii. 154 Þat þei mowen assoilen and vnknytten þe knot of þis questioun. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. iii. 236 Þis asketh dauid; And dauyd assoileth it hymself. 1485 Caxton Trevisa's Higden (1527) 1 This questyon and doubte is easy to assoyle. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. ii. 138 The pepill..thar petitiouns gettis assolȝeit heir. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Mark xi. 28 Soyle me this question. a 1593 H. Smith Serm. 259 Nebuchadnezzar cannot assoile his owne dreame. 1602 Warner Alb. Eng. xiii. lxxvii. 318 Sybil assoiling Oracles in Caue. 1696 Whiston Th. Earth (1722) 65 Fewer difficulties in the..Books themselves, than in the..very Comments which ought to assoil 'em. |
† 7. To refute (an objection or argument). Obs.
| c 1370 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 388 Argumentis þat may not be asoylid. c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xix. 78 A good clerk couthe not assoile the firste obieccioun. 1655 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. ii. 587 For the fuller assoyling this objection. 1721 Strype Eccl. Mem. I. xxxviii. 300 To confute the pope's primacy..and to assoyl Pole's arguments. |
8. To purge oneself from, purge, expiate, atone for. (From 1, 2.) arch.
| 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. vi. 25 Well weeting how their errour to assoyle. 1601 Holland Pliny I. 453 To expiate and assoile the carnage and execution don vpon the enemies. 1693 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. 162 To assoil crimes or accusations—i.e. to free himself from them. 1879 E. Arnold Lt. Asia viii. (1881) 228 Let each act Assoil a fault or help a merit grow. |
† 9. To acquit oneself of, or discharge (an obligation). (From 3.) Obs. rare.
| 1596 Spenser Daphn. lxxvii, Till that you come where ye your vowes assoyle. |
† 10. To discharge, get rid of, dispel (a thing). (From 5.) Obs. rare.
| 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. v. 30 In seeking him that should her payn assoyle. Ibid. iii. i. 58 She soundly slept, and carefull thoughts did quite assoile. |
¶ Catachr. for soil, sully.
| 1845 Disraeli Sybil 290 Is it that the world has assoiled my soul? Yet I have not tasted of worldly joys. |
▪ II. † aˈssoil, n. Obs. rare.
[f. prec. vb.]
Solution, explanation.
| 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie (Arb.) 198 By way of riddle (Enigma) of which the sence can hardly be picked out, but by the parties owne assoile. |