† ˈembe, prep. Obs.
Also 1 emb.
A variant of OE. ymbe, ME. umbe, q.v., about, around, etc.
| a 1000 Athelstan 5 (Gr.) Embe Brunanburh. a 1000 Menolog. (Gr.) 210 Emb eahta niht. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 51 Þe bitacninge þe ic habbe embe ispeken. Ibid. 219 Ne meȝ nan iscefte..understonden embe god. c 1205 Lay. 6563 æuere he þohte embe uuel. c 1315 Shoreham 141 Ine thylke songe That ich was embe oure faye. |
Hence in OE. and early ME. compounds: embhuᵹa [OE. hoᵹa care], anxiety; embsniðe v. [OE. sn{iacu}ðan to cut], to circumcise; embeþonk [OE. þanc thought], anxiety or thought about; embe-uten adv. [OE. {uacu}ton without], round about.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. vi. 34 æghwylc dæᵹ hæfð ᵹenoh on hys aᵹenum ymbhoᵹan [c 1160 Hatton embhuᵹan]. Ibid. Mark xiv. 47 Soðlice an of þam þe ðar embe-uton [c 1160 Hatton embe-uten] stodon his swurde abræd. Ibid. Luke ii. 210 Þe ehta daᵹas ᵹefyllede wæron þæt ðæt cild emsnyden [c 1160 Hatton embsnyðen] wære. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 81 Þet me sculde in þe ehtuþe dei þet knaue child embsniþen. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 87 Þe bileffulle mannes heorte..ben wasshen of þe embeþonke of fleshliche lustes. |