▪ I. portcullis, n.
(pɔətˈkʌlɪs)
(Formerly often written as two words or hyphened.) Forms: 4 portecules, portcoles, port colice, 4–5 portecolys, 5 porte-colis, portecoles, -koles, portcolys, -isse, (-culer), porte colisse, porte colyse, poortcolys, -colyce, portculis, Sc. -culys, 5–6 Sc. portculȝeis, -cules, 5–7 portcullise, 6 portcolyse, -ece, -ice, -is, porte coullys, -colice, portcullesse, -ize, port collice, port-cullies, (portculiouse); 6– portcullis, (6–8 -cullice, 7 -culleis). β. 4 porcules, (5 -culier), 6 purcoloys, -cholis, -ious, percollice, -ois, -cullyze, 6–7 percullis, -ice, 7 purculleis, -ess, percullas, par-cullis, porculace. γ. 6–7 portclose, 6–8 portcluse.
[ME. a. OF. porte coleïce (c 1200 in Godef.) lit. sliding door or gate, f. porte door, gate + col(e)ïce, couleïce (mod.F. coulisse), fem. of couleïs adj. flowing, gliding, sliding:—L. type *cōlātīcius, f. L. cōlāt-us, pa. pple. of cōlāre to strain, filter, in Romanic (F. couler), to flow; see coulisse. The γ forms simulate F. close, fem. pa. pple., closed, shut. The forms portculeres, etc. (in sense 2) are app. erroneous with r for s. (The plural was in early use the same as the sing.)]
1. A strong and heavy frame or grating, formed of vertical and horizontal bars of wood or iron (the vertical ones being pointed at the lower end), suspended by chains, and made to slide up and down in vertical grooves at the sides of the gateway of a fortress or fortified town, so as to be capable of being quickly let down as a defence against assault.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 8320 Alle the gates thai schetten fast. And lete falle port colice on hast. a 1400 Sir Beues (E.E.T.S.) 67 note (MS. S.), With brugges and portecules. Ibid. 210 Þe portcoles weren draw. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 674 At aither entre was, i-wys, Straytly wroght, a port⁓culis, Shod wele with yren and stele. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 410/1 Poort colyce, antephalarica. c 1450 Merlin 254 At eche entre two porte colyses and stronge yates covered with Iren nailed. c 1470 Henry Wallace ix. 506 A cruell portar gat apon the wall, Powit out a pyn, the portculys leit fall. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxiv. 518 He sholde put it vnder the porte colisse that it sholde not be shet lightly agen. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) II. 13 Drew draw briggis, and lute portculȝeis fall. a 1552 Leland Itin. I. 107 The which Ward in the Entering is exceding stronge with Toures and Portcoleces. 1563 Golding Cæsar (1565) 132 b, Towres were plauncherd, and battlements and portcolyses of timber set vp. 1600 Heywood 1st Pt. Edw. IV, Wks. 1874 I. 15 And tear in pieces your port⁓cullises. 1600 Holland Livy xxvii. xxviii. 650 The rope was let goe, at which the port⁓cullies hung, and it fell downe with a mightie noise. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 874 And towards the Gate rouling her bestial train, Forthwith the huge Portcullis high up drew. 1808 Scott Marm. vi. xiv, Up drawbridge, grooms—what, Warder, ho! Let the portcullis fall. 1843 Lytton Last Bar. ii. i, Under the portal as he entered, hung the grate of the portcullis. |
| β 13.. Coer de L. 1929 Porcules and gates up he won, And let come in every man. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon ci. 335 For hast they cut a sonder the corde that helde vp the purcoloys. 1560 Whitehorne Arte Warre (1573) 96 b, Also they fortifie the gate with a Percullis. 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. i. 125 A Portall, with a Percollois annexed to it, the which Percollois by the cutting of a small cord, was a present defence to the gate. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 160 In those trees they hang up a great par-cullis gate. a 1634 Chapman Alphonsus iii. Plays 1873 III. 249 Some speedily let the Purculless down. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iv. ix. (Roxb.) 399/1 The Earle of Worcester..used for his badge a paire of stocks, or close Porculace. |
| γ 1585 Higins Junius' Nomencl. 395/2 Cataracta, a port-cluse or percullice. 1598 Stow Surv. vii. (1603) 29 There hath beene two Portcloses. 1640 Somner Antiq. Canterb. 14 The Waterlocke, through which in Arches, with a Portclose, the Riuer now passeth. 1773 Gentl. Mag. XLIII. 536 The gate-house is still standing which is fortified with a port-cluse or port-cullis. |
b. fig.
| c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 237 For upon Jhesu al parfitnesse is foundid,..Our poortcolys, our bolewerk, and our wal. c 1510 More Picus Wks. 8/2 A sure port⁓culiouse against wicked spirites. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. xxv. viii. 277 That the Emperour..would in the same state keepe this citie, the strongest port-cluse and key of all the East. 1635 Quarles Embl. ii. ix. 97 Ah, where's that pearle Percullis [i.e. teeth], that adorn'd Those dainty two-leav'd Ruby gates [i.e. lips]? |
2. A figure of a portcullis, as an ornament or a heraldic charge. In Her. also applied to a design formed of a number of vertical and horizontal strips crossing each other over the field; also lattice.
The portcullis was the badge of the Beauforts, and hence of their descendants the Tudor sovereigns.
| [c 1449 in Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 221 The castelle is wonne where care begowne, The Portecolys [= Edmund Beaufort] is leyde adowne.] 1485 in Mat. illustr. Reign Hen. VII (Rolls) II. 16 To Mathew Hoberd, Goldsmythe, for making of cv. porculiers of siluer and gilte. Ibid. 18 For setting of a trappour of purpulle veluet w{supt} cii. portculeres therein. 1513 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 347 All the Wyndowes..also with Rosez and purcholious. 1563–4 Ibid. 571 A greate Rose A flowerdelice and a purcholis..in the weste wyndowe. 1523 Act 14 & 15 Hen. VIII, c. 12 All suche farthinges.. shall haue vppon the one side thereof the printe of the port collice. 1565 Act 8 Eliz. c. 12 §2 The Queenes Highnes Seale of Leade, having the Portecullies crowned, ingraved on the one syde thereof. 1697 Evelyn Numism. iii. 87 A pensile Cataracta or Portcluse and Coronet between the Chains. 1711 Hickes Two Treat. Chr. Priesth. (1847) II. 361 The rose, portcluse, fleur-de-lis, and harp, are crowned. 1864 Boutell Her. Hist. & Pop. ix. 50 In Heraldry, a Portcullis is always represented as having rings at its uppermost angles. |
3. † a. A popular name for the silver halfpenny of Queen Elizabeth (the smallest silver coin issued by her), which bore on the obverse a portcullis and a mint-mark. Obs. b. portcullis coins, portcullis money, a name given by numismatists to the coins (crown, half-crown, shilling, and sixpence) struck by Queen Elizabeth in 1600–2 for the East India Company, having the figure of a portcullis on the reverse. (Cf. quot. 1523 in sense 2.)
| [Cf. 1597 Bacon Ess. Ded., The late new halfe-pence, which though the Siluer were good, yet the peeces were small.] |
| 1599 B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. iii. vi, I had not so much as the least Portcullice of Coyn before. 1600 Rowlands Lett. Humours Blood xix. 25 Then doth he diue into his sloppes profound, Where not a poore port-cullice can be found. 1784 Pinkerton Ess. Medals 168 The Port⁓cullis coins of Elizabeth, coined in rivalship of the Spanish king..of different sizes from the crown downwards. 1898 G. B. Rawlings Story Brit. Coinage 196 They [coins for use of the E.I.C.] are called the ‘portcullis-money’ from their reverse type. |
4. Title of one of the Pursuivants of the English College of Arms, from his badge.
| 1616 Bullokar Eng. Expos., Percullis, the name of an office of one of the Pursiuants at armes. 1631 Weever Anc. Fun. Mon. 682 Segar being Portcullis Pursuiuant of Armes in the yeare 1586. 1656 Blount Glossogr. s.v. Harold, There be four others called Marshals or Pursuivants at Arms,..those are Blew-mantle, Rouge-cross, Rouge-dragon, and Percullis. 1722 Lond. Gaz. No. 6084/5 Port⁓cullis, Pursuivant of Arms. 1905 Whitaker's Alm. 157/1 Arms, College of, or Heralds' College... Four Pursuivants... Portcullis, Thomas Morgan Joseph-Watkin. |
† 5. (?) Name of some room in an inn. Obs.
| 1631 Heywood Fair Maid of West i. Wks. 1874 II. 268 Besse, you must fill some wine into the Portcullis, the Gentlemen there will drink none but your drawing. Ibid. iii. 293 Enter the Kitchin-maid. Maid. I pray forsooth, what shall I reckon for the Iolle of Ling in the Port-cullis? |
▪ II. portˈcullis, v.
In 7 portcullice, percullis, purcullise.
[f. prec. n.]
trans. To furnish with a portcullis; to close with or as with a portcullis.
| 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, i. iii. 167 Within my mouth you haue engaol'd my tongue, Doubly percullist with my teeth and lippes. 1611 Florio, Rastellare..to purcullise. a 1640 Day Parl. Bees (1881) 25 note, Portcullice up the gates; hees poore and base. |