Artificial intelligent assistant

meddle

I. ˈmeddle, n. Obs. rare.
    [f. meddle v.]
    The action, or an act, of meddling or interfering.

1600 W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 338 The priests found more fauour at the ciuill magistrates hands, than they [the Jesuits] could find, bicause they had cleered themselues of all state meddles. [1864 Ld. Derby in Hansard Parl. Deb. Ser. iii. CLXXIII. 28 The foreign policy of the noble Earl,..may be summed up in two short homely but expressive words—‘meddle and muddle’.]


II. meddle, v.
    (ˈmɛd(ə)l)
    Forms: 4–7 medle, 4–5 medele, 4–6 medel, 5–6 medell, meddel, medyll(e, medul(l, 5 medill, medyl, 6 meddell, meddyl(l, middle, Sc. mydle, 8 Sc. midle, 4– meddle.
    [a. OF. medler, mesdler, a variant (with euphonic insertion of d between s and a liquid: see the parallel instances cited under isle) of OF. mesler = Pr. mesclar, Sp. mezclar, It. mescolare, meschiare, mischiare:—popular L. *misculāre, f. L. miscēre to mix. Cf. mell v.]
     1. trans. To mix, mingle; to combine, blend, intersperse; esp. to mix (one thing) with (another), or (two or more things) together. Also const. among, in, to. Obs.

a 1325 Prose Psalter lxxiv. (lxxv.) 7 Grace ys in þe honde of our Lord ful of sharpenes medeled wyþ lyþenes. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. x. 3 Of Erþe and Eir hit is mad I-medelet to-gedere. c 1375 ? Hylton Mixed Life (MS. Vernon) in Hampole's Wks. (ed. Horstm.) I. 267 Thow schalt medle þe werkes of actif lyf wiþ gostly werkes of contemplatyf lyf, and þen dost þou wel. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 874 Thisbe (Fairf. MS.), And how she wepe of teres ful his wounde, How medeleth she his blood with her compleynte. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) vii. 76 It is a Roche of white Colour, and a lytille medled with red. 1450–1530 Myrr. our Ladye 22 They are also blamefull that..medel other prayers, or other besynes with these holy houres. 1486 Bk. St. Albans B vj b, Medill the blode of the pecoke among the poudre. 1563 T. Gale Antidot. ii. 86 He shall in his daylye drynke meddle three or foure droppes of the same. 1572 L. Mascall Plant. & Graff. vii. 45 If ye do then meddle about eache tree of good fat earth or dung,..it shall be good. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 438 Take the ashes of 3 frogs..meddle them with hony. 1627 Bp. Hall Heav. upon Earth xi, Thy prosperity is idle and ill spent if it be not medled with such fore-casting..thoughts. 1658 tr. Porta's Nat. Magic i. iii. 4 The Elements..are all changed, every one of them being more or less medled with one another.

     b. To mix (wares) fraudulently. Obs.

1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vii. 260 Ich haue.. Meddled my marchaundise, and mad a good moustre; The werst lay with-ynne. 1463–4 Rolls of Parlt. V. 501/2 That noo persone..medell, or put in or uppon the same Cloth,..eny Lambes wolle. a 1500 in Arnolde Chron. F iij b/1 Where as marchauntis haue vsed moche false pakyng of ther wood medlyng y⊇ better w{supt} y⊇ worse. 1622 Bp. Andrewes Serm. (1629) 231 Thus doth he medle his chaffe; mold in his soure levin into Christ's nova conspersio.

     c. To prepare by mixing. Obs.

c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iv. pr. iv. 95 (Camb. MS.) Cirtes..medleth to hire newe gestes drynkes..maked with enchauntmentz. 1382 Wyclif Rev. xviii. 6 In the drinke that she medlide [Vulg. miscuit] to ȝou, menge ȝe double to hir.

     2. intr. for refl. Of things: To mingle, combine. Also refl. Obs.

c 1315 Shoreham Poems i. 760 [Þat sacrement] ne defiþ nauȝt, ase þy mete Wyþ þyne flesch medlyþ. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame iii. 1012 We [sc. a lesing and a soth-sawe] wil medle us eche with other, That no man..Shal han on (of) two, but bothe At ones. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 138 Whan wordes medlen with the song, It doth plesance wel the more. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 22 More to know Did neuer medle with my thoughts.

     3. trans. To mix or mingle (persons) with, among (others) or together. Chiefly pass. Also refl. to mix oneself in, among. Obs.

c 1290 St. Brandan 281 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 227 In-to þe freytore he ladde heom þo: and sette heom wel heiȝe, I-medlede with heore owene couent. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 13524 Kynge & prynces of Payen Were medled among Cristen. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) II. 149 Þere þey wonede long tyme afterwarde i-medled wiþ Britouns. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon i. 43 So medled theymself the one partye among the other. 1513 Douglas æneis i. vii. 127 Himself alsua, mydlit, persavit he, Amang princis of Grece. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus Ann. ii. xviii. (1622) 59 By sorting and medling together the runnagates, the new and raw souldier lately taken [etc.]..he marshalled them in forme of a legion. 1600 Holland Livy xxxvii. xxxix. 967 Thus you see all the forces that the Romanes had besides two thousand Thracians and Macedonians medled and blended together.

     4. intr. for refl. To mix or join in company; to mingle, associate with. Obs.

c 1375 ? Hylton Mixed Life (MS. Vernon) in Hampole's Wks. (ed. Horstm.) I. 269 O tyme he [our Lorde] comuned & medled wiþ men. a 1425 Cursor M. 5690 (Trin.) Soone he medeled [Cott menged] hem amonge. 1463 Bury Wills (Camden) 38 Alle the personys, man, woman, or chyld generally that ever I medlyd with. 1513 Douglas æneis iv. iii. 43, I affeir me les the fatis onstable..consent nocht, ne aggre, That [etc.] Or list appreif thai peplis all and summyng Togiddir middle, or jone in lige or band.

     5. To have sexual intercourse (with). Also refl.

1340–70 Alisaunder 964 Dame,..Þou haste medled amis, methynk, by thy chere. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 335 Bothe horse and houndes..Medled nouȝte wyth here makes þat with fole were. c 1400 Destr. Troy 10811 Wemen allone, Withouten mon, owther make, to medill hom with. 1573 L. Lloyd Pilgr. Princes 75 b, Their women [are] commen for all men at al tymes to medle [1583 medle with]. 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. vi. 315 Making her believe that..as ofte as they shold medle together, if she were..confessed by him,..she shold be cleere forgiven of God.

     6. To mingle in fight; to engage in conflict, to contend. Obs.

1340–70 Alisaunder 93 That hee ne myght with þo menne medle no while. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xx. 178 ‘Now I see’, seyde lyf, ‘þat surgerye ne Fisyke May nouȝte a myte auaille to medle aȝein elde’. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ix. xxxv. 395 For and I had sene his black sheld I wold not haue medled with hym. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon iii. 100 Whan Alarde and Guycharde..saw that they myght not passe but that they muste medle they spored theyr horses. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) R v b, They medled so one with an other..that there was slaine .v. capitaynes. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 242 But when the Normans sawe them recule back..some sayde they are afrayde to medle wyth vs. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. iii. iv. 275 Therefore on, or strippe your sword starke naked: for meddle you must that's certain.

     7. refl. To concern or busy oneself. Const. with, of, after. Obs.

c 1350 Will. Palerne 2492 Many man by his miȝt medled him þer-after. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 16 And þow medlest þe with makynges. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 10845 Medle the ryht nouht Tarest pylgrymes by vyolence. 1442 Rolls of Parlt. V. 54/2 Some haven Shippes of here owne, and some medle hem of freight of Shippes. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xx. viii. 809, I wyl not medle me therof. 1530 Palsgr. 634/1 You medyll you with maters that you have naught to do with. a 1553 Udall Royster D. i. iii. (Arb.) 20 Nourse medle you with your spyndle. 1562 Winȝet Wks. (1888) I. 50, I wes almaist astoneist..that sa obscuir men durst presume to medle thame aganis all auctoritie.

    8. intr. To concern or busy oneself, to deal with, of; to interpose, take part in. Now always expressive of disapprobation, to concern oneself or take part interferingly.

1415 Hoccleve To Sir J. Oldcastle 137 Lete holy chirche medle of the doctryne Of Crystes lawes. c 1430 Freemasonry 220 Yn suche a case but hyt do falle, Ther schal no mason medul withalle. c 1483 Caxton Dialogues 18/6 Ony ware Of whiche I medle with, Or that I haue under hande. 1526 Tindale 1 Thess iv. 11 We beseche you..that ye studdy to be quyet and to medle with your owne busynes. 1528 Gardiner in Pocock Rec. Ref. I. 123 It should be well done your grace meddled not as judge in the matter. 1545 in Vicary's Anat. (1888) App. xv. 288 The Bochers..haue..inhaunsed the prices of all kyndes of vytales that they medle withall & putt to sale. 1574 tr. Littleton's Tenures 107 A perpetual chauntry wherof the ordinary hathe nothinge to medle nor to do. 1622 R. Harris Serm. 8 Happie that State wherein the Cobler meddles with his last, the Tradesman with his shop. 1638 Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. II) 154 He meddles in an infinite number of things with equal capacitie. 1694 Ray in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 200 The slender-bill'd [birds]..seldome meddle with dry seeds unlesse driven by hunger. 1774 Franklin Ess. Wks. 1840 II. 401 It would be better if government meddled no farther with trade than to protect it. 1790 Burke Fr. Rev. Sel. Wks. II. 13 Wholly unacquainted with the world in which they are so fond of meddling. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 462 It [the statute] does not meddle with wills. 1852 Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xvii. 161 Some evil persons..might be disposed to meddle with us if they saw our wagon. 1853 J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. (1876) II. iii. v. 328 His enemies accused him..of..meddling in matters which did not belong to him. 1865 Grote Plato I. ii. 95 Philosophers who meddled less with debate and more with facts.

    b. without const.

1555 Eden Decades 9 They shuld meddle no further than their commission. 1686 F. Spence tr. Varillas' Ho. Medicis 22 There are Connexions..in point of Traffick, which are only well known by those that meddle that way. 1711 Swift Jrnl. to Stella 28 Aug., I was advising him to use his interest to prevent any misunderstanding between our ministers; but he is too wise to meddle. 1859 A. Cary Country Life (1876) 303 She had better attend her own affairs, and I will tell her so if she comes here meddling. 1860 Emerson Cond. Life iii. (1861) 65 Do not legislate. Meddle, and you snap the sinews with your sumptuary laws.

    c. Phrases and proverbial sayings. neither make nor meddle, etc.: see make v. 71.

1562 Heywood Prov. ii. iii. G, Who medleth in all thyng, maie shooe the goslyng. 1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. iii. ii, Nay, he will not meddle with his match, I warrant you. 1721 Kelly Sc. Prov. 200 It is ill medling between the Bark and the Rind. Ibid. 246 Meddle with your Match... You dare not meddle with your Match.

     d. trans. (with omission of preposition). To deal with; interfere with. Obs. rare.

1461 Paston Lett. II. 51, I der say I shuld have had as speciall and as gode a maister of you, as any pour man..yf ye had never medulled the godes of my maister F. 1523 in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 400 No town dweller shall meddell nor interrupte nor occupie no mans occupacion or sience..but only his own sienc. 1573 [see 5].


    Hence ˈmeddled ppl. a., mixed.

c 1375 ? Hylton Mixed Life (MS. Vernon) in Hampole's Wks. (ed. Horstm.) I. 268 To þise also longeþ þis medled lyf, þat is boþe actyf & contemplatyf. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 625/14 Mixtilioque, medylde corne. 1573 T. Cartwright Repl. Answ. Whitgift i. 131 A medled & mingled estate of the order of the gospell & the ceremonies of popery. a 1641 Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 88 A medled company of all the Tribes of Israel. 1736 W. Thompson Epithalamium [An imitation of Spenser] xv. 1 And lo! what medled passions in him move.

III. meddle
    obs. form of medley.

Oxford English Dictionary

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