imbrue, v.
(ɪmˈbruː)
Forms: 5 enbrewe, en-, imbrowe, 6–7 imbrewe, 6–8 em-, imbrew, 6– em-, imbrue.
[a. OF. embreuver ‘to moisten, bedeaw, soake in, soften with liquor; also, to die, indue, imbue’ (Cotgr.), metathetic form of emb(e)uvrer, embev(e)rer, f. em-:—L. im- + -bevrer (It. -beverare):—*biberāre, f. L. bibĕre to drink.]
† 1. trans. To stain, dirty, defile. Obs.
| 1430 [see imbrued]. c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 331 Enbrewe not youre table..ne þer-vppon ye wipe youre knyffes. c 1475 Babees Bk. 157 Whanne ye shalle drynke, your mouthe clence..Youre handes eke that they in no manere Imbrowe the cuppe. 1555 Eden Decades 100 When their fingers are imbrued with any ounctuous meates. 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 119/2 How can a man touche whot pitche..and be not embrued? 1593 Nashe Christ's T. 13 b, Stayning Berries, which embrued my hands. |
2. To stain, dye (one's hand, sword, etc.)
in or
with (blood, slaughter, etc.).
| 1529 More Dyaloge iv. Wks. 259/1 From howre to howre embruinge theyr handes in bloode. 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 337 Thy right hand is embrued with slaughter and bloodshed. 1649 Cromwell Let. 17 Sept. in Carlyle, These barbarous wretches, who have imbrued their hands in so much innocent blood. 1658 R. White tr. Digby's Powd. Symp. (1660) 138 A clout or rag of cloth embrued with the blood. c 1704 Prior Henry & Emma 273 These hands in murder are imbrued. 1813 Scott Rokeby iv. vi, Who has not heard how brave O'Neale In English blood embrued his steel? 1848 A. Jameson Sacr. & Leg. Art (1850) 335 They started back, unwilling to imbrue their hands in the blood of their host. |
b. Said of blood or bleeding wounds. Now
rare.
| 1597 Daniel Civ. Wars Wks. (1717) 103 A Spring of Blood..embru'd the Face Of that accursed Caitiff. 1636 G. Sandys Paraphr. Ps. cxxxvi. ægyptians..Whose wounds the thirsty Earth imbrew. 1776 Mickle tr. Camoens' Lusiad 459 His son's life-gore his wither'd hands imbrews. 1814 Cary Dante, Inf. xii. 124 Shallow more and more the blood became, So that at last it but imbrued the feet. |
† 3. In pregnant sense (
with blood understood):
a. said of a person; also
absol.;
b. of a weapon piercing a part;
c. with the weapon as object: to thrust, plunge, flesh.
Obs.| a. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 210 What? shall wee haue Incision? Shall wee embrew? 1715–20 Pope Iliad xiv. 602 What chief, what hero, first embru'd the field? |
| b. c 1580 Sidney Ps. xxxvii. x, Their swordes shall their own hartes imbrew. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. v. i. 350 Come trusty sword: Come blade, my brest imbrue. |
| c. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. xii. 32 A murdrous knife..The which he thought..In her tormented bodie to embrew. 1703 Pope Thebais 722 In their hearts embrues her cruel claws. 1749 Smollett Regicide v. vi, And in th' assassin's heart Imbru'd my faithful steel. |
d. Her. To stain with blood: see
imbrued.
† 4. To soak, steep
in, or saturate
with any moisture. Also
absol. Obs.| c 1555 Harpsfield Divorce Hen. VIII (Camden) 200 The stones were imbrued with the tears of her devout eyes. 1590 P. Barrough Meth. Physick viii. (1639) 443 When all these [materials] be bruised, imbrue them in the juyce of Fumitory. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 211 One out of curiositie I tasted of, which..malignantly bit..my mouth and lips, as if Vitrioll and Sulphur had beene imbrued. |
† 5. fig. To steep
in; to imbue
with; to infect.
| 1565 Harding in Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 344 Cornelius Agrippa..was imbrewed with Heresies that sprang vp in his time. 1610 Rowlands Martin Mark-all B iv b, Their mindes were imbrued with such follies. 1639 R. Gentilis Servita's Inquis. (1676) 868 It is done for fear lest they should be embrewed with some false Doctrine. 1674 N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 43 ‘Whereness’ is a word, which..is almost quite embrew'd in Body if not altogether. |
¶ 6. ‘To pour, to emit moisture’ (J.).
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. v. 33 Some bathed kisses, and did soft embrew The sugured licour through his melting lips. |
Hence
imˈbruing vbl. n.| c 1475 Babees Bk. 147 On the borde lenynge be yee nat sene, But from embrowyng the clothe yee kepe clene. 1552 Huloet, Imbruynge, Loke defilynge. |