▪ I. missel
(ˈmɪsəl)
Forms: 1, 5 mistel, (1, 3 -il), 6 mistle, miscel, 6–7 missel(l, 7 mis(c)le, missle.
[OE. mistel, (1) basil, (2) mistletoe, distinguished in the Leechdoms as eorþmistel and ácmistel respectively: corresp. to OHG. mistil (MHG., G. mistel) mistletoe, early mod.Du. mistel ‘viscum’ (Kilian), ‘glew’ (Hexham), ON. only in comb. mistilteinn mistletoe (the Sw. and Da. mistel are prob. from LG.): of unascertained origin.]
† 1. Mistletoe. Obs.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) V 185 Viscus, mistel. c 825 Epinal Gloss. 1083 Viscus, mistil. c 1450 Alphita (Anecd. Oxon.) 192/1 [Viscus] g⊇. wy de chene, a. mistel. 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 164 b, Of the Missel or Misselto tre. 1566 Withals Dict. 22 b, Mistle, whiche groweth vpon aple trees and crabbe trees in a great numbre of white or yelow beries. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 33 Giue sheepe to their fees the mistle of trees. 1610 P. Barrough Meth. Physick i. xxiv. (1639) 41 Miscle of the Oke. 1670 Swan Spec. M. 246 Missel or Misselto, groweth.. upon trees. |
† b. attrib., as missel-berry, missel-birdlime, missel-child.
| 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 165 The thurse..shiteth out the *miscel berries. 1658 Sir T. Browne Gard. Cyrus iii. 123 The Quincunciall Specks on the top of the Miscle-berry. |
| 1562 Turner Herbal ii. 164 b, The best *missel byrde lyme is freshe resemblinge a leke in Color within. 1579 Langham Gard. Health (1633) 40 Missel birdlime, hath power to soften and ripen apostumes with rosin and wax. |
| 1608 Sir H. Platt Gard. Eden (1653) 86 There you shall finde an Oake with Mistletoe therein, at the root whereof there is a *missell⁓child, whereof many strange things are conceived. |
† 2. Basil, Calamintha Clinopodium. Obs.
| c 1000 Sax. Lechd. I. 232 Ᵹenim þas wyrte þe man ocimum & oðrum naman mistel nemneþ. Ibid. II. 86 Eorð mistel. 12.. MS. Bodl. 130 lf. 54 b, Mistil. Ocimum. |
3. Short for missel-bird, missel-thrush.
| 1845 New Statist. Acc. Scotl. XIV. (Ross & Cromarty) 189 The missel, blackbird,..and throstle are common. 1882 Proc. Berw. Nat. Club IX. No. 3. 554 The Missels were fewer than usual. |
▪ II. missel
variant of mesel a.
| ? 14.. Iter Camerar. xx. in Balfour's Practicks (1754) 582 Quhen thay opin fish, thay luke not gif thay be missel fish, or not [cf. mesel a. b, quot. a 1400]. |
▪ III. missel
obs. Sc. form of mizzle.