▪ I. morel, n.1
(mɒˈrɛl)
Forms: 3–5 morele, 6 morrell, 5 moreole, 5–9 morelle, 6–8 morell, 5– morel.
[a. OF. morele (mod F. morelle) = Pr., It., med.L. morella; prob. the fem. of morel (= It. morello): see morel a. Cf. MDu., Du. moreel.]
1. A name applied to various plants also known as nightshade; chiefly the Black Nightshade (= petty morel: see 2).
| c 1265 Voc. Plants in Wr.-Wülcker 558/25 Morella, morele, atterloþe. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 55 Putte to þis medicyn þe ius of sum cold erbe: as morel, penywort, virge pastoris. 14.. MS. Linc. Med. lf. 295 (Halliw.) Tak moreoles, and the rute of everferne that waxes on the ake. 1483 Cath. Angl. 243/2 Morelle, quedam herba est, solatrum. 1519 W. Horman Vulg. 110 Purple veluette of Ynde: that hath the coloure of morelle, or vyolette, or rousty yron: is mooste of pryce. 1546 T. Phaer Bk. Childr. (1553) S vj, The iuyce of morel, otherwyse called nightshade. 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. ii. Imposture 580 Thou seest, no wheat Helleborus can bring; Nor barley, from the madding Morrell spring. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 58 Morel or Night⁓shade. 1707 Curios. in Husb. & Gard. 256 If we make use of the Juice of Poppy, of Morel,..or of Hen-bane, we shall have Fruits of a Narcotick and Soporative Virtue. 1836 J. M. Gully Magendie's Formul. (ed. 2) 144 Solania..may be employed in all cases where the extract of the morel or the bitter-sweet is indicated. |
| attrib. 1544 T. Phaer Regim. Lyfe (1553) C ij b, Seeth it in nightshade or morell water. |
2. petty morel Also 6 petermorell, petimorel, petiemorel. a. The black nightshade (Solanum nigrum).
| c 1450 ME. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 85 Take groundeswele, lemke, chiken mete, daysyes, reubarbe, petit morel, & herbe benet. 1548 Turner Names Herbes (1881) 75 Solanum hortense..is called in Englishe Nyghtshade, or pety morel..in frenche Morel. 1578 Lyte Dodoens iii. lxxxix. 444 The greene leaves of Petiemorel, or Nightshade, pounde with parched barley meale, is maruelous profitable..layd to Saint Antonies fire. 1611 Cotgr., Morelle, the hearbe Morell, pettie Morell, garden Nightshade. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Headache, Dissolve four or five Grains of Camphire, in either Lettice, Petty-Morel, or Purslain-Water. 1879 Prior Plant-n. s.v. Morel, Petty-Morel, the garden nightshade, Solanum nigrum, L. |
b. U.S. American spikenard, Aralia racemosa.
| 1846–50 A. Wood Class-bk. Bot. 294 Aralia racemosa. Pettymorrel. Spikenard. 1890 in Century Dict. |
3. great morel, Atropa Belladonna (Treas. Bot. 1866).
▪ II. morel, n.2
(mɒˈrɛl)
Also 7–8 morell, 9 morelle.
[app. a. F. morelle (Cotgr. 1611; not in recent Dicts.): see morello.]
A morello cherry. Also morel cherry.
| 1611 Cotgr., Morelles, Morell Cherries; late-ripe Cherries, dryed for Winter prouision. 1813 Hogg Queen's Wake iii. xvii. (1814) 293 His lip like the morel when glossed with dew. 1819 Pantologia VIII, Morel, or Morella Cherry. |
▪ III. morel, n.3
(mɒˈrɛl)
Forms: 7–9 morille, 8 murrel(l, 8–9 morell(e, morrell(e, moril, 8– morel. See also moriglio.
[a. F. morille (16th c. in Hatz.-Darm.); the history of the word is obscure, but it is certainly a. some form of the Teut. word represented by OHG. morhila (MHG. morchel, morel, mod.G. morchel, whence the botanical L. morchella), dim. of morha more n.1
In OHG. the dim., like the primary word, occurs only for ‘carrot’ or ‘parsnip’; in MHG. both were applied also to the fungus; mod.G. morchel means only this.]
An edible fungus of the genus Morchella, esp. Morchella esculenta.
| 1672 Evelyn Fr. Gard. (1675) 260 Concerning Morilles and Truffs: (the first whereof is a certain delicate red Mushroom..). 1716 Gay Trivia iii. 203 Spongy morells in strong ragousts are found, And in the soup the slimy snail is drown'd. 1761 Ann. Reg. IV. i. 242/2 Third service. Consisting of vegetable and made dishes..green morrelles, green truffles. 1791 H. Walpole Let. to Lady Ossory 29 Aug., Queen Elizabeth, when shrivelled like a morel, listened with complacency to encomiums on her beauty. 1856 Griffith & Henfrey Microgr. Dict., Morels, species of Morchella. 1884 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 76 Morel. This delicious edible fungus, Morchella esculenta (Pers.), is more common in Britain than is generally supposed. |
▪ IV. † morel, a. and n.4 Obs.
Also 5 morrel, 6 morrell(e, morrell.
[a. OF. morel (early mod.F. moreau) = It. morello, perh. f. L. mōrum mulberry. Some scholars refer the word to late Gr. µαῦρος black: see Moor n.2 Sp. and Pg. have moreno dark complexioned, ‘brunette’. The Fr. n. appears in MDu. as moreel black horse.]
A. adj. † Of a horse: Dark-coloured. Obs.
| c 1530 Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 293 He was well mounted vpon a good black morell horse. |
B. n. A dark-coloured horse; hence, a proper name for such a horse.
| c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. iv. vii. 729 Þar morel, bayerde, don and gray, Withe wondis flyngande ran away. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 343/1 Morel, horse, morellus. 1466 Plumpton Corr. (Camden) 17, I have sold both my horse, good morrel & his felow. a 1529 Skelton Agst. Garnesche iii. 13 Gup, marmeset, jast ye, morelle! c 1550 (title) The Wife lapped in Morels Skin. 1587 M. Grove Pelops & Hipp. (1878) 120 For such was Morrell slayne and layde in saltish bryne. |