▪ I. sele, n. Obs. exc. dial.
(siːl)
Forms: 1 sǽl (dat. pl. sǽlum, sálum), seel, 3 sæl, seale, sil, 3–5 sel, 4 sell, 4–5 cele, seele, 4–8 seel, 4, 9 seyle, 5 ceele, ceyl(l)e, 5–6 seill, seyll(e, 5, 9 sale, 7 ceile, 7–9 seal, seil, 3– sele.
[OE. sǽl masc. and fem.:—OTeut. type *sǣli-z, app. a subst. use of the adj. found in Goth. sêl-s good (whence sêlei goodness), ON. sǽll happy (whence sǽla wk. fem., sǽld str. fem., happiness); in WGer. outside Eng. preserved only in derivatives, OS. sâlig, OHG. sâlîg (see seely a.), MHG. sâllîche fortunately, OS. sâlda, OHG. sâlida happiness (see selth). An ablaut-variant *sōl- occurs in OE. sél adv.: see etymological note to sele a.]
1. Happiness, prosperity, good fortune. on sele, a sele (OE. on sǽlum, on sálum): happy.
| Beowulf 607 Þa wæs on salum sinces brytta. Ibid. 1170 Þu on sælum wes. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 183 Þu ware a sele gief ich was wroð. c 1200 Ormin 14304 All middellærdess sellþe & sel. c 1205 Lay. 10040 Bruttes heo gretten.. beden heom beon on sele [c 1275 seale]. a 1240 Ureisun in Cott. Hom. 183 Ihesu min heorte Mi sel mi saule hele. a 1300 Cursor M. 2905 Þar neuer man sank þat was o sele. Ibid. 3962 He is vm-sett all wit sell. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2409 Sele yow bytyde. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xl. (Ninian) 1117 Lord, sa haf I sele, in galouay we haf don rycht wele. c 1485 Digby Myst. iv. 72 How rewfully he hinges here, That set you first in ceile! 1513 Douglas æneis v. i. 46 So haif I seill. 1668 R. B. Adagia Scot. 47 Seil comes not while sorrow be gone. 1875 W. Alexander Sk. Ain Folk 82 Seil upo' them, they're a winsome pair. |
2. Favourable or proper time, opportune moment; occasion, opportunity; season, time of day. Cf. barley-sele, haysel.
With OE. sǽl and mǽl (Beowulf) cf. quot. a 1825. to give the sele of the day: ‘to pass the time of day,’ to give a friendly greeting in passing.
| Beowulf 1008 Þa wæs sæl and mæl, þæt to healle gang Healfdenes sunu. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 112 Þas wyrte man mæᵹ niman on ælcne sæl. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 185 Ðos feawe word seide ure drihten..at sume sele, þo þe he wunede licamliche on eorðe. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1095 Loth and his doȝtres two Ledden ðis angeles ut in sel. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 5779 Now whom Myȝt y fynde, þys yche sele, To whom y myȝt selle Pers wele. 1375 Creation 770 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1878) 133 Þo wente he aȝen in þat sel And tolde Miȝhel his cas. c 1440 J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. 682 Þat alle þese þingys at euery tyme & seele schuld be redressed. a 1450 Mankind (Brandl 1898) 354 He hath mett wyth the goode man mercy in a schroude sell. 1662 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. iii. verse 18. i. xxx. §1. 385 At what ceile of the day or night soever it be. 1674 Ray S. & E.C. Words 76 It is a fair seel for you to come at, i.e. a fair season or time; spoken ironically to them that come late... What Seel of day? What time of day. 1787 W. H. Marshall Norfolk (1795) II. 387 Seel, or Seal, time or season; as, ‘hay-seel’, hay-time; ‘barley-seel’, barley seed-time; ‘wheat-seel’, wheat seed-time; ‘bark-seel’, the barking season. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia s.v. Seal, Of an idle and dissipated fellow, we say that he ‘keeps bad seals’;..of a sober, regular, and industrious man..that he ‘keeps good seals and meals’. 1857 Borrow Romany Rye I. xxi. 249 As I passed.., I gave the man the sele of the day. |
b. A period of time.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. 953 He mihte bet speken a sele. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 7005 Ȝyf Constant had lyued ani sel He schuld haue mended þe lond ful wel. 1338 ― Chron. (1810) 80 Þer duelled þei non seel. 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys, Mary Magd. 1026 In ful short seel. |
▪ II. † sele, a. Obs.
Forms: compar. 1 sélra, séllra, sélla, 2–3 selre, 3 selere; superl. 1 sélest, 3 selest; Positive 3 sæl, sel, seal, acc. seolne.
[The OE. sélra, sélla, better, sélest best, represent OTeut. types *sōlizon-, *sōlisto- (cf. OE. sél, older sœ́l adv. better:—*sōliz), f. *sōl-, ablaut-variant of *sœ́l-: see sele n. The positive sel(e in early ME. is a back-formation from the other degrees; whether there is mixture of an adoption of ON. sǽll happy is uncertain.]
Good.
| Beowulf 2890 Deað bið sella eorla ᵹehwylcum þonne edwitlif! c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. x. 31 Sellra [L. meliores]. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. ibid., Ᵹe synt selran. Ibid. Luke x. 42 Maria ᵹeces þæne selestan dæl. c 1205 Lay. 3955 He ferde awi ouer sæ Þat him þuhte selest. Ibid. 17679 Þæt vther his broðer hæfde him þider i-send seolne læche. Ibid. 21166 Ne isæh næuere na man selere cniht nenne. Ibid. 24954 Þus andswærede Walwain þe sele. c 1230 Hali Meid. 67 In al þat euer sel is. 13.. K. Alis. 7430 For ben yee sele, ben ye wrothe, Ynde and Perce buth myn bothe. |
▪ III. sele
obs. form of ceil v.
| a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 1519 Sylours of sendale to sele ouire þe gatis. |
▪ IV. sele
see seal ns., seel v.2, seely a., sell v.