▪ I. pease, n.
(piːz)
Forms: 1 pise, (piose), 1, 4–5 pyse, 4 peose, 4–6 pese, peese, pees, 5 pes, Sc. pess, 5 (6 Sc.) peise, 6 Sc. peis, 6–7 peaze, 5–8 (9 arch.) pease; 6 pees, peas (also 7– in comb., and as pl. of pea1). pl. α. 1 pisan, pysan, 2–6 pesen, 4 peosen, -un, 4–5 pesyn, 5 pesone, 5–6 peson, 6 peesen, peasyn, (paysen), 6–8 (9 dial. and arch.) peasen, peason. β. 4 peses, -is, 6 peeses. γ. 5–6 pese, 6– pease (as in sing.).
[OE. pise (piose, pyse) wk. fem., pl. pisan, a. L. pisa (pl. -æ), late collateral form (4th c. in Palladius) of pisum, pl. pisa, a. Gr. πίσον, earlier πίσος, pulse, pease. In ME. pēse, pl. pēsen; 16th c. pease, pl. peasen, peses, pease. Through this reduction of the pl. to pēse, pease (identical with the sing.), which became at length in pronunciation equivalent to pēs, peas, the final sibilant was c 1600 taken for the plural s (z), and a new singular pea1 arose, q.v.]
A. Illustration of Forms.
1. Singular.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (O.E.T.) 1208 Lenticula, piose. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 190 Sum pyse cyn hatte lenticulas. c 1050 Cotton Cleop. Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 432/25 Lenticula, pise. 13.. K. Alis. 5959 A pese nys worth thi riche slaunder. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 155 A wastour..countede pers at a peose [1377 B. vi. 171 pees] and his plouh boþe. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 5847 By Mahoun y nolde ȝyue a pyse, for cryst ne al ys myȝte. 1390, c 1400 Pese [see B. 2]. 1483 Cath. Angl. 273/1 A Peise, pisa. 1530 Palsgr. 158 Vne poyx, a pees. 1580, etc. Pease [see B. 2]. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World i. iv. §2 Of the bigness of a great Peaze. |
2. Plural (and collective).
| α c 725 Corpus Gloss. (O.E.T.) 1586 Pisum, piosan. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 180 Pisan..ᵹesodena on ecede and on wætre. c 1200 Vices & Virt. 43 To eten benen and pesen. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 176 A potful of peosun. Ibid. 285 Poretes, and Peosen. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 648 Cleopatra, He pouryth pesyn vp on the hachis. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 45 Take boyled water..Sethe in þy pesone. 1523 in Visit. Southwell (Camden) 121 My tuffall of paysen. 1533 Elyot Cast. Helthe ii. (1541) 25 b, Peasyn are muche in the nature of beanes. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 90 To take up peasen out of y⊇ potte. 1545 Pesen [see B. 2]. 1553, 1573 Peson [see B. 1]. c 1578 Frobisher in Proc. Rec. Comm. (1833) 561 But one hoggsed of rottyn pesons w{supc}{suph} hogges wolde not eytte. 1777 Poor Robin (N.), Cherries, gooseberries, and green peasen. 1829 Hone Poor Humphrey's Cal. May, This month Mackarel comes in season; And also reckon upon peason. 1880 Browning Pietro of Abano xliii, A taste..which—craving manna—kecks at peason. |
| β 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. vi. 189 A potful of peses. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 71 Pesis ben divers from whete. c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 915 Peeses, pois. |
| γ c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xi. 129 Thare groweth..ne benes, ne pese. Ibid. (Roxb.) xxvi. 123 Þai hafe nowþer peise ne wortes. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 19 Take whyte pese and wasshe hom wele. c 1440 Alph. Tales (E.E.T.S.) 241 If ye fynd þar cale & peas & benys, & no noder meatt. 1479 Acta Dom. Concil. (1839) 46/1, iiij bolle pess. 1508 Dunbar Flyting w. Kennedie 115 Thow lay full prydles in the peise. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §10 Thy beanes..wolde ranker grounde than pease. Ibid. §12 Two busshels of gray pees. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. i. 89 Sum vset breid of ry,..sum of peise or beanes. 1681 [see B. 2]. 1849 H. Stephens Bk. Farm I. 2456 Pease are sown by hand. |
B. Signification. The earlier form of
pea1,
q.v. 1. The plant,
pea1 2. With defining word, applied also to other leguminous plants, as
everlasting pease, etc.: see
pea1 3.
| c 1000 [see A. 1]. c 1380 [see A. 2 β]. 14.. Metr. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 625/13 Ordium, faba, pisa, [glossed] barlyche, beene, pyse. c 1425 Voc. ibid. 664/22 Hec pisa, pese. Hec faba, bene. 1481 Caxton Myrr. ii. viii. 80 In this contree [Perse] groweth a pese which is so hoot that it skaldeth the handes of them that holde it. 1551 Turner Herbal i. P iij b, The herbe whiche groweth in woddes..with floures lyke vnto a pease. 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 54 It yeldeth nothing els but Wheate, Barley, Beanes, and Peason. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 182 Carauances or Indian Pease. 1676 Grew Anat. Leaves ii. §9 The Leaves of Beans and Peasen. 1678 Phillips (ed. 4) s.v., That sort called Pease Everlasting, hath a very fine flower or blossom. 1795 Burke Th. Scarcity Wks. VII. 408 My ground under pease did not exceed an acre..but the crop was great. |
2. a. A single seed, a pea (
pea1 1).
Obs. or
arch. Often used as a standard in comparison of size.
| c 1000, c 1200, 1362, c 1385 [see A. 2 α]. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 275 He wol ayeinward take a bene, Ther he hath lent the smale pese. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xiv. 158 Men fynden summe [Dyamandes] as grete as a pese. 1545 T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde 69 Make pylles of them to the byggenesse of pesen. 1580 Lyly Euphues Ep. Ded. (Arb.) 215 As lyke as one pease is to an other. 1632 B. Jonson Magn. Lady v. v, I'll cleanse him with a pill, as small as a pease. 1649 A. Ross Alcoran 406 A Pigeon being by him taught to come and pick a Pease out of his ear. 1678 J. Phillips Tavernier's Trav. ii. xv. 183 A few flat Peason, bruis'd, and steep'd half an hour in water. 1681 T. Flatman Heraclitus Ridens No. 37 (1713) I. 240 Rebellion and Witchcraft are as like as two Pease. 1713 Derham Phys.-Theol. viii. vi. (1727) 387 note, It grows bigger, to the size of a large white Pease. 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche Sept. ix, A little bleb, no bigger than a pease. |
† b. As a type of something of very small value or importance.
Obs.| 13.., 1362, c 1380 [see A. 1]. a 1400–50 Alexander 2370 Loke quare it profet þam a peese, all þaire proud strenth. 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. 11, Al our penaunce without Christes passion wer not worth a pease. c 1550 R. Bieston Bayte Fortune A iv, Not worthy two peason. 1598 T. Bastard Chrestoleros (1880) 52 He learned Logicke and Arithmetique. Yet neither brauls nor ciphers worth a peaze. |
c. green pease,
† peasen = green peas: see
pea1 1 b. Also the name of a variety green when ripe.
| c 1440 Anc. Cookery in Househ. Ord. (1790) 426 Take yonge grene pesen, and sethe hom. 1496 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 166 Green pesyn at viij{supd} the bussell. 1620 Venner Via Recta vii. 133 There are three sorts of Pease.. the white-Pease, the gray-Pease, and the greene-Pease. The two first are vsually eaten greene before they be ripe. 1651–7 T. Barker Art of Angling (1820) 4 About the bigness of a green pease. 1789 Mrs. Piozzi Journ. France II. 191 Scarce have you tasted green pease or strawberries, before they are out of season. 1833 H. Martineau Berkeley the Banker i. v. 98 They were quite used to pluck green pease. |
† 3. pl. The eggs or spawn of fishes: see
pea1 4.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xiii. xxvi. (Bodl. MS.), Þe female leyeþ egges oþer pesen. Ibid., Alle þe egges oþer pesen [that] beþ itouched wiþ þe mylke of þe male schal be fisch. |
† 4. = issue-pea: see
issue n. 16.
Obs.| 1694 Salmon Bate's Dispens. iii. (1713) 718/2 Pisa Rubra, Red Pease... These are stronger than the former, and attract Humors more powerfully. |
5. attrib. and
Comb., as
pease-bannock,
pease-bloom,
pease-blossom (also
attrib.),
pease-cart,
pease-earth,
pease-field,
pease-haulm,
pease-hull (
pease-hole,
pease-hele,
pease-hule,
hull n.1 1),
pease-porridge,
pease-pottage (also
attrib.),
pease-pudding,
pease-rick,
pease-stack,
pease-swad;
pease-fed,
pease-like adjs.;
pease-bolt = pease-straw (
obs. or
dial.);
† pease-bread, bread made of pease-meal;
pease-brose: see
brose b;
† pease-earthnut, the
heath-pea;
† pease-eddish,
pease-etch, pea-stubble: see
eddish 2,
etch n.1;
pease-hook = pea-hook (
pea1 7);
† pease-hooker = prec. (
obs.);
† pease-loaf, a loaf of pease-bread (
obs.);
pease-make, -meak (
dial.), an implement with a long handle and a crooked iron at the end, used to pull up peas,
= meak n.;
pease-meal, meal made by grinding peas; also
fig. a medley, ‘mess’ (
quot. 1820);
† pease-rise,
-straw,
-stubble = pea-rise, etc.:
pea1 7. Also
peasecod.
| 1824 Scott St. Ronan's xvii, Breaking them [long fasts] with sour milk and *pease bannock. |
| 1675 Lister in Phil. Trans. X. 391 They call the second sort the *Pease-bloom Damp, because, as they say, it smells like Pease-bloom. |
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iii. i. 189 Bot. Your name honest Gentleman? Peas. *Pease blossome. [1774: see pea-blossom s.v. pea1 7]. 1807 W. Irving Salmag. (1824) 355 Airing their..pease-blossom breeches. |
| 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 45 With strawisp and *peasebolt, with ferne and the brake, For sparing of fewel, some brewe and do bake. 1674 Ray S. & E.C. Words 74 Pease-bolt, i.e. Pease-straw, Ess. |
| c 1425 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 657/28 Panis pisacius, *pesbred. 1601 Dent Pathw. Heaven 91 Hee [the covetous man] will eat pease bread, and drinke small drinke. |
| 1811 W. Aiton Gen. View Agric. Ayr 271 A few [late peas] are thrown in among the beans when sown broad⁓cast. They are..made into meal for a species of pottage called ‘*pease-brose’. 1861 R. Leighton Rhymes & Poems (ed. 2) 12 ‘Pease Brose to dinner! brose alone! With neither boil nor stew! But say, what did you breakfast on?’ They answer ‘Pease Brose too.’ 1922 R. Thomas Sandie McWhustler's Waddin' v. 52 He was sittin' in his sark sleeves an' suppin' his pease-brose. c 1965 Rebels Ceilidh Song Bk. No. 2. 15 It'll be pease brose again. |
| 1593 Nashe Four Lett. Confut. Wks. (Grosart) II. 232 They mounted into the *pease-cart in Cheape-side and preacht. |
| 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farme 550 Neither is it ever sown upon the fallowes, but upon the *Pease-earth. |
| 1548 Turner Names of Herbes 18 Astragalus..may be called in english *peaserthnut. 1693 Robinson in Phil. Trans. XVII. 826 Lathyrus tuberosus, call'd..Pease-Earthnut, digg'd up and eaten by the poor People. |
| 1804 Duncumb Herefordsh. Gloss., *Peas-eddis, peas-stubble. 1886 Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk., Pease-errish. |
| 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 47 White wheat vpon *peaseetch doth grow as he wold, But fallow is best. |
| Ibid. 45 Fat *peasefed swine. |
| 1716 B. Church Hist. Philip's War (1865) I. 31 They..got..unto the Fence of Capt. Almy's *Pease-field. |
| 1432 in Gross Gild Merch. II. 233 *Pesehalme 1d. 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 197 Cover with dry Straw, or Pease-hame. 1858 Glenny Gard. Every-day Bk. 223/2 Peas-haulm makes an excellent litter. |
| 1674–91 Ray S. & E.C. Words, Meag, or Meak, a *pease-hook. 1769 De Foe's Tour Gt. Brit. II. 209 They are now lost, or converted to other Uses, even literally to Plough-shares and Peas-hooks. [1833: see pea-hook s.v. pea1 7.] |
| 1641 Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 57 Then doe wee seeke out our *pease-hookers, grinde them [etc.]. |
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. vii. 194, I sette ȝowre patentes and ȝowre pardounz at one *pies hele! [v.rr. pese hule, peese hole]. 1664 J. Wilson Projectors 111, From the Pease-Hulls in the Kennel, the Invention of Shiping. [1717–: see pea-hull s.v. pea1 7.] |
| 1629 Parkinson Parad. in Sole 338 Purplish *pease-like blossomes. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Lupin, The Pease-like Sort of Seeds. [1774–: see pea-like s.v. pea1 7.] |
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 166 Hongur..beot so þe boyes, he barst neih heore ribbes, Nedde Pers wiþ a *peose lof I-preyed him to leue. |
| 1765 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 117/1 They fell upon [them] with such arms as they had, *pease-makes, hedge-stakes, etc. [1834: see pea-make s.v. pea1 7.] |
| 1820 Blackw. Mag. VII. 469 Nothing but a *peasemeal of clishmaclavers. [1830: see pea-meal s.v. pea1 7.] 1842 J. Aiton Domest. Econ. (1857) 235 Give barley-meal or pease-meal, but not bean-meal. |
| 1538 Bale Thre Lawes 1566 They loue no *pese porrege, nor yet reade hearynges in lent. 1587 Harrison England ii. vii. (1877) i. 172 Hewes..as..pease porrige tawnie. 1669 Pepys Diary 7 Apr., This house being famous for good meat, and particularly pease⁓porridge. |
| 1605 R. Armin Foole upon F. (1880) 38 In Lent, when *pease pottage bare great sway. Ibid., Thus simple Iohn..dyed the inside of his pocket, pease pottage tawny. 1670 Eachard Cont. Clergy 20 [He] had much better chuse to live with nothing but beans and pease-pottage. |
| 1758 Johnson Idler No. 33 ¶20 *Pease-pudding not boiled enough. 1841 J. T. J. Hewlett Parish Clerk I. 165 The roads were better, and not so much like peas-pudding. |
| 1530 Palsgr. 252/2 *Pease reke, pesiere. [1766: see pea-rick s.v. pea1 7.] |
| c 1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesw. in Wright Voc. 154 Un warrok de peys, a *pese rys. [1780: see pea-rise s.v. pea1 7.] |
| 1546–7 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) VI. 254 The *pese stacke that I have bought. |
| c 1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesw. in Wright Voc. 156 De pessas, *pese stree. 1580 Tusser Husb. (1878) 134 Choose skilfullie Saltfish..goe stack it vp drie, With peasestrawe betweene it, the safer to lie. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 375 An ox will eat pease-straw as greedily as he will hay. |
| 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §34 In some places they sowe theyr wheate vppon theyr *pees stubble. [1807: see pea-stubble s.v. pea1 7.] |
▪ II. † pease, v. Obs. Forms: 3–5
paise(n,
payse(n, 3–6
peyse(n, 4–5
pese(n,
pees, 5
peese, (
pesse), 5–6
pease, 6–7
peaze, (7
peece).
[ME. paise-n, a. OF. paise-r, paisie-r, f. pais, peace n.] 1. trans. To make peace between, reconcile (two persons, or one person
with another).
| c 1275 Lay. 8783 Þenche of mine neode And paise [c 1205 sæhtne] me wiþ Romleode. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 12029 Vor þis trespas He ȝef þe king tuelf hundred marc & ipaised was. a 1300 Cursor M. 17083 Ur blisced leuedi nu be And pais us wit þi suet sun. a 1400–50 Alexander 5362, I prai þe..pesse now my childire. Ibid. 5379 Þus ware þai bath pesed. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 215 He peased them & accorded. a 1652 Brome Mad Couple i. i. Wks. 1873 I. 2 He has..peec'd me with my Unkle. |
b. intr. To make peace, be reconciled.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3371 Þo he adde diȝt al þat he wolde & ypaised [v.r. paysed] wiþ is fon. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. vii. §17 The two Kings peaced againe, and setled a new..league. |
2. trans. To quell the wrath or hostility of, to appease (a person); to satisfy, content. Also, to calm the feelings of, quiet, pacify.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 12060 Shryfte..peseth God whan he ys wroþe. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 395/1 Peesyn, or styllyn of wrethe. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. vii. (1520) 157/1 For to peas the comyns the Duke of Suffolke was exyled. 1526 Tindale Matt. xxviii. 14 And yf this come to the rulers eares, we wyll pease him, and make you safe. 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. John Pref. 5 Whiche doeth so peyse the minde that it be not tossed. 1561 Norton & Sackv. Gorboduc iii. i, Their death and myne must peaze the angrie Gods. |
3. To make satisfaction or amends for.
rare.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 5570 And þey mowe peyse here dedys ylle. |
4. To reduce to peace, set at rest, still, quell, appease (strife, wrath, etc.). Also, to quiet, calm, still, pacify (sorrow or violent feeling).
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 97 Þus gate was þat werre pesed. c 1386 Chaucer Manciple's Prol. 98 (Harl. MS.) For þat wol torne rancour and desese To accord and loue and many rancour pese [so Corp., Lansd.; Ellesm. etc. apese]. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 427 b/2 To pease alle dyscordaunce and stryf. 1541 Becon News out of Heaven Early Wks. (Parker Soc.) 49 Able to pease the divine wrath. |
5. To reduce (a country or community) to a state of peace or tranquillity; to pacify.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 8372 (Gött.) Þe kingriche..þu had gret malese For to stabil it and to pese [other MSS. in þin pes]. 1497 Bp. Alcock Mons Perfect. C iij b, Obedyence..peasith all y⊇ worlde. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. V 70 (Art. Peace c. 7) That realme..to be defended, peased and gouerned after right and equitie. |
6. To reduce to stillness or silence; to quiet.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 11549 When þe noyse was wel pesed. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 4320 He sal trobel the se..And pees it and make it be stille. c 1450 Ihesu, Mercy 113 in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 106 Ful gret clamour þan gon þou pese. 1526 Tindale Acts xv. 12 The multitude was peased and gaue audience. |
b. intr. (for
refl.) To become still.
| a 1400–50 Alexander 4159 Sone as þe wedire wex wele & þe wynde pesid. |
Hence
† ˈpeasing vbl. n. Obs.| c 1275 Lay. 11664 Þe wise of þisse londe Makede paisinge [c 1205 hustinge]. 1425 Rolls of Parlt. IV. 268/2 For þe pesinge of diverse cleymes. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 395/1 Peesynge, or qwemynge, pacificacio. 1629 Wotton Let. to Sir E. Bacon in Reliq. (1672) 445 The King of Spain, upon the peazing of his affairs in Italy..was resolved [etc.]. |
▪ III. pease obs. f. peace,
peise v.
and n.,
piece.