milds, miles dial.
Forms: 1 melde, 5 mielde, medles, 7 meedles, 8 mails, 9 melgs, meals, meols, myl(i)es, miles, milds.
[OE. melde wk. fem., cogn. w. OHG. melda, melde (MHG., mod.G. melde), also with different ablaut-grades malta, molto, MLG., Du. melde. Some scholars suggest that the Teut. word may be cogn. w. Gr. βλίτον (? = *µλίτον) blite.]
A name for various species of Atriplex and Chenopodium.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 6 Mugwyrt, organa, melde, quinque folium. Ibid. 54 Nim eac meldon ða wyrt. c 1350 Med. MS. in Archæologia XXX. 410 Medles. c 1450 Alphita (Anecd. Oxon.) 16 Attriplex agrestis,..ang. mielde. 1633 Gerarde's Herbal Suppl. to Gen. Table, Meedles, Arage. 1808 Jamieson, Middenmylies... Chenopodium viride, et album, Linn.; thus denominated, as growing on dunghills. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Surv. Ayrs. 675 (Jam.) Chenopodium several species, Goosefoot; wild spinage, or mails. 1839 Mag. Dom. Econ. IV. 248 The mild succulent weeds, such as chick-weed, and miles or fat-hen. 1853 G. Johnston Bot. E. Bord. 171 Chenopodium album. Myles. 1878 Cumberld. Gloss. Introd. 19 Chenopodium album. Meols, Fat hen. |