▪ I. bield, n. Obs. exc. dial.
(biːld)
Forms: 1 byldo, 4–5 beld(e, 5 beelde, 6 beald, 5–7 beeld, 4–9 beild(e, 5– bield, (6 beill, bele, beale, 8–9 biel).
[Common Teut.: OE. bęldo, in WSax. bięldo, byldo boldness, courage = OHG. baldî, MHG. belde confidence, feeling of security, Goth. balþei boldness, confidence:—OTeut. *balþjôn-, n. of quality from *balþo-z, Goth. balþs, OHG. bald, OE. bald, beald, bold. The evidence appears to show that mod.Sc. bield, beild is the same as the ME. belde, the connexion being through sense 3. But the matter is not without difficulty, and the derivation of Sc. bield has been sought elsewhere, esp. in connexion with build, though without much success.]
† 1. Boldness, courage. Obs.
| c 890 K. ælfred Bæda i. vii, He sceolde ða byldo anescian. a 1300 Cursor M. 12237 A barn wit-uten beild [v.r. beilde, belde]. c 1340 Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 649 Quen he blusched þerto, his belde neuer payred. 1470 Harding Chron. clxxxv. iv, His brother bastard, with strong beeld, Had putte hym out. |
† 2. Confidence, assurance, feeling of security; hence, comfort. Often in alliterative connexion with bliss. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 605 A land o lijf, o beld, and blis, Þe quilk man clepes paradis. c 1325 Metr. Hom. 162 This tronchoun for relic scho held Al hir lif, with worschip and beld. Ibid. 166 Ic haf tinte werdes, mensc, and belde. c 1400 Melayne 324 With mekill blysse & belde. |
† 3. Resource, help; often in alliterative connexion with bote (boot); succour, defence, relief.
| c 1325 Metr. Hom. 7 Mankind in prisoun he held, With outen help, wit outen belde. c 1360 Yesterday in E.E.P. (1862) 136 Vnswere I schal, Whi god sent suche men boote and belde. c 1440 Bone Flor. 1721 A woman dyscownfortyd sare, Wythowten bote or belde. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 549 Mony berne wist nother of bute no beild. 1570–87 Holinshed Scot. Chron. (1806) II. 51 Quhan Kings and princes hes na other beild bot in thair awin folks. |
† b. A means of help or succour. Obs. (Often transferred to a person.)
| a 1300 Cursor M. 20815 Ogain þat fa scho be vr beild. c 1352 Minot Poems vi. 27 Alweldand god..He be his beld. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. vi. 15 He wes þe Beld of all hys kyn. c 1440 Bone Flor. 762 Sche cryed to hym..Thou be my fadurs belde. |
† 4. Resource against hunger; ‘cheer,’ sustenance. (Only Sc.) Obs.
| 1513 Douglas æneis xii. ix. 50 His fader eyrit and sew ane peice of feild, That he in hyregang held to be his beild. 1552 Lyndesay Monarche 1087 For fude thow gettis none uther beild Bot eait the herbis upone the feild. |
5. a. Refuge, shelter. b. A place of shelter. (Only Scotch and north. dial.).
| 1450 Henryson Mor. Fab. 82 He ran restlesse, for hee wist of no bield. 1513 Douglas æneis ii. x. (ix.) 16 Hecuba thidder..for beild Ran all in vane. 1570–87 Holinshed Scot. Chron. (1806) I. 8 The Scotishmen call it [Cromart haven] beill of shipmen. 1594 Scot. Peoms 16th C. II. 352 Argyll..Wpone ane hill had tane beild. 1600 Fairfax Tasso ii. lxxxiv. 36 This is our beild, the blustring windes to shun. 1691 Ray N. Country Wds. 7 Beeld, shelter. 1792 Burns Wks. II. 397 Better a wee bush than nae bield. Ibid. III. 216 Jamaica bodies, use him weel, An' hap him in a cozie biel. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxv, ‘The oppressors that hae driven me to tak the heather-bush for a bield.’ 1822 W. J. Napier Pract. Store-farm. 117 The most valuable..shelter..is derived from the bield of a close, well built, stone dike. 1864 Atkinson Whitby Gloss., Bield, a shelter or shed. ‘A bit of a bield in a field neuk.’ |
c. A lodging, dwelling; a den.
| 1570 Levins Manip. 207 A Beale, den, spelunca. 1585 Abp. Sandys Serm. iii, The fox will not worry near his beeld [v.r. bele]. 1815 Scott Guy M. viii, ‘There's thirty yonder..that ye have turned out o' their bits o' bields.’ |
▪ II. bield, v. Obs. exc. dial.
(biːld)
Forms: 1 bieldan, byldan, beldan, 2–5 belden, Orm. beoldenn, 3–5 beld(e, 5 bylde, beilde, beelde, beled, beyld, bild, 6 beald, 7–9 beal, 4– beild, bield. pa. pple. beld, beild, bealed, bield.
[Com. Teut.: OE. (Anglian) bęldan, (WSax.) bięldan, byldan = OS. beldjan, OHG. baldên, MHG. belden, Goth. balþjan ‘to make bold,’ f. OTeut. *balþ-oz bold. The sense-development in ME. was evidently influenced by that of the cognate n. (see prec.), which it closely follows. In senses 1 and 2, ME. had another vb. of precisely the same meaning, bealden, balden, bolden:—OE. bealdian (see bold v.); but the latter never got the senses of ‘protect, shelter.’]
† 1. trans. To make bold, encourage; to confirm.
| c 897 K. ælfred Past. Care xviii. 128 Ne tyht nan man his hieremonna mod ne ne bielt [v.r. bilt] to gastlicum weorcum. 993 Byrhtnoð 209 Swa hi bylde forð bearn ælfrices. c 1200 Ormin 2614 Wiþþ iwhillc mahht To beoldenn itt and strengenn. Ibid. 2745 Þurrh Godess millce beldedd. a 1225 Ancr. R. 162 Ure Louerd sulf stont þer bi þe uihte, and beldeð [v.r. bealdeð] ham. c 1330 Lai Le Freine 231 The abbesse her gan teche & beld. c 1400 Destr. Troy x. 4541 Of the Bisshop þo buernes beldid were þen. |
† 2. intr. To grow bold or strong; to be bold, have confidence. Obs.
| 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 135 Long myght he not regne, ne on his lif belde. a 1400 St. Alexius (Laud) 29 As he bigon to Belde And was i-come to monnes elde. a 1500 MS. Harl. 1701, lf. 64 (Halliw.) Thys mayde wax and bygan to belde Weyl ynto womans elde. |
3. trans. To defend, protect, shelter. Sc. and north. dial.
| c 1300 in Wright Lyric P. iv. 24 He shal him birewen that he hire belde. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 1220 None es so wight wapins to welde, Ne that so boldly mai us belde. c 1440 York Myst. i. 35, I beelde þe here baynely in blys for to be. Ibid. 107 We þat ware beelded in blys, in bale are we nowe. 1470 Harding Chron. cxl. vii, Kyng Philip cowardly with royall hoste hym beld. 1570 Levins Manip. 208 To Beald, succour, adumbrare, protegere. ? a 1600 Felon Sow of Rokeby, The fryar leaped..And bealed him with a tree. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xii, That..bielded me as if I had been a sister. |
4. intr. (for refl.) To find refuge, protection, or shelter; to shelter oneself; to lodge, dwell. (In this sense possibly confused with build, q.v.)
| c 1400 Destr. Troy xiv. 5864 And bowet fro the batell..ffor to beld hym on þe bent, & his brethe take. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 8 Ewyre to belde and to byde in blysse with hyme selvene. Ibid. 1242 Thi baronage, that bieldez thare-in. c 1400 Melayne 1496 Under the cante of a hille Oure Bretons beldis & bydis stille. c 1440 York Myst. i. 61 All blys es here beeldande a-boute vs. Ibid. xxxii. 1 Pees, bewscheres, I bidde you, þat beldis here aboute me. c 1460 Towneley Myst. 135 Alas! Where may we beyld? |
† 5. transf. To cover, cover over. (Only Sc.)
| a 1455 Holland Houlat xix. 9 Braid burdis & benkis, ourbeld with bancouris of gold. c 1495 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 164 Now sall the byle all out brist, that beild has bein so lang. c 1550 Sir J. Balfour Practicks 618 To see the ship tyit and beiled. |
† 6. To sustain, nourish, feed. Obs.
| c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 43 This land is purd off fud that suld ws beild. 1513 Douglas æneis i. xi. 21 Fyfty damicellis..To graith the chalmeris, and the fyris beild. |
▪ III. bield, ppl. a. Sc.
Also biel.
[f. prec. verb.]
Sheltered, comfortable, cosy.
| 1792 Burns Bessie & Spin. Wheel i, And haps me biel and warm at e'en. 1795 Macneill Will & Jean 92 Neat and bield, a cot-house stood. |