▪ I. † queme, n. Obs.
Also 2–3 cweme, 5 wheme.
[App. subst. use of next.]
Pleasure, satisfaction. Chiefly in phr. to queme, so as to please or satisfy; also, to take to queme, to accept.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 23 Ne þu ne miᵹt beon wel iscrifen god almihti to cweme. a 1300 Cursor M. 1064 (Gött.) Godd toke to queme his sacrefis. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2018 Of alle scheo was most til his queme. a 1400 Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 624/444, I was cros to monnes quemus. c 1460 Towneley Myst. vii. 62 Thou shall..serue to wheme God with all thi hart. |
▪ II. queme, a. Obs. exc. north. dial.
Forms: α. 3 cweme, 3–5 queme, 4–5 quem, 5 qwem(e, 6 queeme, 7–8 Sc. quim, 9 Sc. queem. β. north. 5 wheme, 7 wheeme, 7–9 wheam, wheem, 8–9 whim, 9 weam, weme.
[ME. cweme, queme, repr. OE. *cwéme (cf. cwéman, cwémnes), or ᵹecwéme i-queme = ON. kvæm-r (MSw. qväm): cf. OHG. piquâmi (MHG. bequæme, G. bequem = MDu. bequame, Du. bekwaam). The stem kwæ̂mi- belongs to the ablaut-series of the vb. come: for the sense cf. Goth. gaqimiþ it is fitting, Eng. become v. 7 ff., and L. convenīre.]
† 1. Pleasing, agreeable, acceptable to a person. (In early use with dat. of person.) Obs.
| c 1200 Ormin 466 He wass..god prest & Godd full cweme. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 63 Þat me is quemere þat unbindeð þe bendes of wiðerfulnesse. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3764 Ðan sulde we..sen Quilc gure sal god quemest ben. a 1300 Cursor M. 26559 To deme quic and ded als him es queme. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints l. (Katharine) 29 Quha sacrifice mad till hym quem. c 1460 Towneley Myst. i. 42 This warke to me is queme. |
b. Of pleasing appearance; specious; beautiful, fair; neat, tidy.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 28128, I..sayd my scryft wit wordes queme Þat my syn þe lesse suld seme. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1178 Me payed ful ille to be outfleme..Fro alle þo syȝtez so quykez & queme. c 1400 Destr. Troy 6203 The whelis full wheme, all of white aumber. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun 2892 A newe grave fulle qweme. 1883 Almondb. & Huddersf. Gloss., Weam, weme,..tidy..‘A nice little weme packet’. |
c. dial. Closed against or protected from the wind, snug; unruffled, smooth.
| 1674–91 Ray N.-C. Words, Wheam, wheem, near, close, so as no wind can enter it. 1820 Marmaiden o' Clyde in Whitelaw Bk. Sc. Ballads (1874) 93/2 Whan the year grown auld brings winter cauld We flee til our ha's sae queem. 1824 Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. (1876) 391 Dream that the ocean's queem. |
2. Fit, fitting, suitable; convenient, handy; near at hand, close. Const. to or dative.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8734 Sai me nu quat yow thinc queme. Ibid. 8809 Þe tre was als mete and quem, Als animan þar-to cuth deme. a 1400–50 Alexander 5078 [A way] þat to þe marche of Messedone was him mast qweme. 1570 Levins Manip. 60/15 Queeme, æquus, compar. 1674–91 Ray N.-C. Words, Wheam, wheem,..very handsome and convenient for one. 1812 T. Wilkinson Death of Roger in Gilpin Poetry Cumberl. 206 How wheem to Matty's elbow draws his chair. 1882 Lancash. Gloss., Wheem, handy, convenient. |
3. Of persons: † a. Friendly or well-disposed (to), intimate (with). Obs.
| c 1325 Metr. Hom. 20 That he be til us quem that day. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1763 To qwit claym all querels, & be qweme fryndes. c 1440 Bone Flor. 145 They lefte a burges feyre and wheme, All ther schyppys for to yeme. a 1687 M{supc}Ward Contend. 262 (Jam.) They shall fall..into an intimacy with the malignant enemies to the work of God, and grow quim and cosh with them. 1731 Plain Reasons Presbyt. Dissent. 53 Quim and cosh with them. |
b. Quiet, still, etc.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints v. (John) 324 Sa þu wil þis folk mak quem..I sal sone consent þar-to. 1873 Swaledale Gloss., Wheem, smooth, demure, still, slyly quiet, mock-modest. 1883 Almondb. & Huddersf. Gloss., Weam or Weme, quiet..‘A weme woman in a house is a jewel’. |
† c. Skilled, clever; smart, active. Obs. rare.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 4202 Who is now so qweme or qwaint of his wit, That couthe mesure our might. 1611 Cotgr., Adroit,..Handsome, nimble, wheeme, readie or quicke [etc.]. |
† 4. As adv. = quemely. Obs. rare.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints vi. (Thomas) 180 And ȝe þe bidding ȝeme of þe apostil wel & queme. 1513 Douglas æneis ix. xii. 6 He thristis to the levys of the ȝet, And closit queym the entre. |
▪ III. † queme, v. Obs.
Forms: 1 cwéman, 3 cweme(n, -enn; 2–3 quemen, (4–5 -yn), 3–6, 8 queme, (4 quem, quime, kueme), 5–6 queeme, (5 qw-); 3–5 qweme, (5 qwh-, wh-). pa. tense 1 quemde, 1–3 cwemde, 3 cwemmde, quem-, quamede, 4 quemed, (5 -et, 6 Sc. -it). pa. pple. 3 cwemedd, cwemmd, 3–5 quemed, (5 -yd).
[OE. cwéman (= ᵹecwéman i-queme v.) f. (ᵹe)cwéme adj.; see prec. and cf. MSw. qvämma, qvemma, G. bequemen (f. bequem adj.).]
1. Of persons: To please, gratify (another, esp. a superior); to act so as to please (one). Orig. const. with dat. or to, later with objective case.
| a 750 Blickl. Glosses 13 in O.E. Texts 123 Conplacebam, quemde. c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. xix. 146 Ðæt ic monnum cweme & liciᵹe. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 67 Ȝef þu þus dost..þu quemest god. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1380 Him..Wið watres drinc ghe quemede wel. 1340 Ayenb. 26 To..do þet kuead, uor to kueme kuead-liche to þe wordle. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 695 My fader nyl..do me grace..for ought I kan hym queme. 1496 Dives & Paup. (W. de W.) viii. xiv. 342/1 We haue not gyuen hym ne wherwith to queme hym but that we take of hym. [1530 Palsgr. 676/2, I queme,..This worde is nowe out of use.] |
| absol. c 1275 Moral Ode 96 in O.E. Misc., Hwat schulle we beren vs bi-voren; Mid hwan schulle we queme. a 1300 E.E. Psalter lii. 6 God skatered banes of þa Unto men þat qwemes swa. |
2. Of things: a. To please, to be acceptable or agreeable to (a person). Const. as prec.
| a 1000 Sal. & Sat. (Gr.) 165 Næniᵹ man scile oft orðances ut abredan wæpnes ecᵹᵹe, ðeah ðe him se wlite cweme. a 1225 Ancr. R. 338 Seruises inedde ne cwemeð nout ure Louerde. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 578 Þy dom vs alle quemes. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 273 Every newe love quemeth To him which newefongel is. 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb.) 196 Tyl it hym queme To returnyn ageyn. a 1500 How the good wife etc. in Hazlitt E.P.P. I. 188 A dede wele done herte it whemyth. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. May 15 Such merimake holy Saints doth queme [gloss. please]. 1602 Davison Rhapsody (1611) 53 Like peerlesse pleasures wont us for to queeme. |
b. To be suitable or fitting for. rare—1.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 3404 Paris..Worshippit þat worthy in wedys full riche As qwemet for a qwene. |
3. trans. To satisfy, appease, mitigate. rare.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 408 Swilc tiding ðhugte adam god, And sumdel quemeð it his seri mod. Ibid. 978 At a welle quemede hire list. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas (1494) i. xxiii. 125 All the worlde outcrieth of vs tweyn Whos hatful ire by vs may nat be quemyd. |
4. To join or fit closely. Sc. rare.
| 1501 Douglas Pal. Hon. iii. lxvii, And thame [the stones] coniunctlie jonit fast and quemit. 1808–80 Jamieson, To Queem, to fit exactly; as, to queem the mortice, or joint in wood. Upp. Lanarks. |
5. To slip in. rare—0.
| 1727 Bailey vol. II, To Queme, as to queme a Thing into one's Hand, to put it in privately. |
Hence † quemed ppl. a.; † ˈqueming vbl. n.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 86 Til ihesus crist fro helle nam His quemed wid eue and adam. a 1300 E.E. Psalter cxlvi. 10 Noght..in schines of man queming bes him tille. 1340 Ayenb. 26 Þe ilke ssame comþ of kueade kuemynge. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 420/1 Qwemynge, or peesynge, pacificacio. |