† ˈbrotel, brotle, a. Obs.
Forms: 4 brotel(l, brotil, (brutel, brutil(e), 5 brotill(e, brottyl, (brutyll), 6 brotle.
[ME. brotil, brutil, f. broten broken, pa. pple. of bréotan. In use brotel appears as one of the various forms of britil, bretil, brittle, and it may have been of later analogical formation: cf. brickle, brockle.]
1. Liable to break, easily broken; fragile, brittle.
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Cor. iv. 7 We han this tresour in brotil [1388 britil] vesselis. c 1430 Lydg. Bochas v. vii. (1554) 127 a, Fortunes fauors be made..Of brotell glasse rather than of stele. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 324/4 Kepte in a fraylle and brutyll vessell. |
b. Frail, perishable, easily destroyed, mortal.
| 1340 Ayenb. 129 Ysy hou þou art fyeble and brotel. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. ix. 37 Þe Bodi þat Brutel is of kuynde. 1413 Lydg. Pylgr. Sowle v. xiv. (1483) 109. 1529 More Comf. agst. Trib. iii. Wks. 1226/1 A brotle man lately made of earthe. |
2. fig. Unstable; inconstant, fickle.
| c 1315 Shoreham 5 Man is so brotel Ine his owene kende. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶473 The commendacion of the peple is somtyme ful fals and ful brotel [v.r. brotil, brethil, brutile, brutel]. a 1420 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 3861 His welthe hathe but a brotille stablenesse. |
Hence † ˈbrotelhede, frailty. Obs.
| 1340 Ayenb. 130 Huanne þe man..knauþ his pourhede, þe vilhede, þe brotelhede of his beringe. |