▪ I. † medle Obs.
Forms: 4–5 medle, meyle, 5 mele, mel, merle, 6 marle.
[ME. medle, mele, merle, a. OF. *medle, meele, merle, mesle (Godefr. Compl. s.v. Nesple):—L. mespila, -us, -um, a. Gr. µεσπίλη, µέσπιλον.
A late L. altered form *nespila is represented by OF. nesple (mod.F. nèfle), Sp. néspera, Pg. nespera, It. nespola (cf. also Sp. n{iacu}spero, It. nespolo medlar-tree). The L. word passed into Teut. as OHG. mespila, nespila (MHG. mespel, mispel, nespel, mod.G. mispel), MDu. mispele (mod.Du. mispel), Sw., Da. mispel; the Slavonic and other eastern European langs. have forms chiefly adopted from Ger.]
The fruit of the medlar-tree, a medlar. Also attrib. in medle-tree.
| 13.. Sir Beues (A.) 1287 A sat and dinede in a wede Vnder a faire medle tre. a 1387 Sinon. Barthol. (Anecd. Oxon.) 29/2 Mespyla sunt fructus, meyles. c 1425 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 646/28 Hec mesculus, meletre. 14.. Nom. ibid. 716/37 Hec mespulus, a meltre. a 1500 Flower & Leaf 86, I was ware of the fairest medle-tree That ever yet in al my lyf I sy. a 1500 in Arnolde's Chron. 64 b/2 Chese a graf of a good merle tree. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 76 Medlars or marles. |
▪ II. medle
obs. form of meddle; var. mell v.1
▪ III. medle(e, medler
obs. ff. medley, medlar.