▪ I. maslin1 Now dial.
(ˈmæzlɪn)
Forms: 1 mæstlin(g)c, -ling, Northumb. mæslen(n, 3 me(a)stling, 3–4 mastling, 4 masalyne, messelinge, -lyng, 4–6 maselyn, 5 mastelyn, mascelyne, masselen, messlyng, messelyne, 5–6 maslyn, 6 mastlyn(e, -line, masclyne, mystiltyne, maslyne, -leyn, -lenn, -lyn(n, maseleyn(e, -lyn(n)e, -len, massellen, measelen, meslyn, messilling, messelyng, 6–7 maslen, 7 mastlin, masline, mascellin, 4– maslin.
[OE. mæs(t)ling, mæslen neut., app. formed (? with suffix -ling2) on an unrecorded *mæs (the t being possibly a euphonic insertion) cogn. w. MHG. mess(e neut., brass (early mod.G. mess, möss, mesch, mösch; still dial.), whence (with suffix = -ing3) the synon. MHG., MDu. messinc, missinc masc., neut. (G., Du. messing neut.); adoptions from this or an equivalent LG. form were ON. messing, mersing fem. (OSw. mäsinger, Sw. messing masc., Da. messing com.); LG. has a parallel formation mesken (see -kin).
Most scholars have regarded the OHG. mess(e neut., brass, as identical with MHG. mässe, messe fem., lump (of metal), usually believed to be a derivative of L. massa mass n.2 The supposition involves serious difficulties, and has latterly been questioned (Kluge, Franck), but no plausible alternative has been found. It does not seem possible to connect the words with L. (æs) miscellum mixed brass, or with the popular Lat. word represented in maslin2. The MHG. messinc passed into Slavonic (Czech, Upper Serb. mosaz, Lower Serb. mjesnik, Little Russian mośaž, White Russian mosenz:—*mosengjŭ) and Lith. (masadis). The view of Schrader that the Slav. word is the source of the MHG. is improbable, and leaves the OE. forms and the MHG. messe unexplained. On the other hand, Schrader's comparison of certain oriental words for brass (Kirghiz moes, Kurdish mys, Persian mis, Mazendoran mers, mis) seems worthy of consideration.]
1. A kind of brass. Now only attrib. (see 3).
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark vi. 8, æs, mæslen. a 1000 Colloq. ælfric in Wr.-Wülcker 96/20 Mæstlingc ær and tin, auricalcum, æs, et stagnum. a 1225 Ancr. R. 284 note, Golt, seluer, stel, irn, copper, mestling, breas: al is icleopet or. c 1230 Hali Meid. 9 And is þat tu wendest gold iwurðen to meastling. c 1320 Sir Beues 3998 (Kölbing) Foure hondred copes of gold fyn And ase fele of maslin. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvi. v. (1495) 554 Laton..though it be bras of Messelyng: yet it shyneth as golde wythout. 1403 Nottingham Rec. II. 20, ij. patellarum de maslyn. 1509 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) V. 4 A fore basyn of mystiltyne. 1530 Palsgr. 243/2 Masclyne brasse. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 487 This precious Mascellin, this compound mettall I mean of gold, siluer, and brasse. 1607 Lingua iv. i. G 4 b, It must not be..Brasse, nor Copper, nor Mastlin. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 29/2 An Atchison, is a Mettle peece, neither Silver, Copper, Brass, Lead, or Tin, it is like Masline. |
2. A vessel made of ‘maslin’; now (dial.) = maslin kettle (see 3).
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Mark vii. 4 Calicea frymða & ceaca & arfata & mæstlinga. 1854 N. & Q. 1st Ser. X. 393 An old brazier informs me that three-legged pots made of the same metal as tops, generally called bell-metal, were formerly known as maslin pots, or maslins. 1882 [see 3]. |
3. attrib. or adj. = Made of ‘maslin’. Now chiefly in maslin kettle, a large pan used mostly for boiling fruit for preserve.
| c 1450 ME. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 99 Take a quart of good whit wyn, and do hit in a clene masselen panne. 1492 Nottingham Rec. III. 22 Unum maslyn basyn. 1553 Inv. Ch. Goods, Staffs. in Ann. Lichfield (1863) IV. 76, ij maselen candelstykes. 1555 Richmond Wills (Surtees) 86, ij messilling bassens. 1870 in Miss Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., Maslin kettle. 1882 N. & Q. 6th Ser. VI. 158 Brass vessels for boiling fruits, &c., are called maslin pans in the Birmingham trade; and from this cast iron enamelled goods for the same purpose are also called maslins. 1896 Warwickshire Gloss., Maslin-kettle, a brass preserving-kettle. |
▪ II. maslin2 Now dial.
(ˈmæzlɪn)
Forms: α. 4 mastlyoun, 5 mestylyon, -ilione, mystelon, mystlyone, mastilȝon, 5–6 mestlyon(e, mestelyn. β. 5 mastcleyne, 5–6 mestlyn, 6 mastlin (also 9), -linge, mestlen, -lin. γ. 6 masclyne, maskeline, myskelen, 7 mesclin. δ. 6 mascelyn, miscelin, -yne, mescelline, masseling, misseling, miscelling, 6–8 mescelin(e, 7 mascelline, masolin, mis(s)elin(e, miscel(l)an(e, -el(l)ine, misciline, messeline, -ling, missellan(e, misceling, 8 measeline, massellin. ε. 6 masclechon, masseljon, -jen, maseljohn, misleden, 7 massledine, masslegen, 8 mesledine, 9 machelson, maslegin, masselgem, mashelton. ζ. 6 mislin, myslen, 6–7 meslen, mesline, -lyne, 7 maslen, -land, -lyne, mislane, -leyne, mesling, -lyn, -lon, 7, 9 mashlin, 8 masling, mislen, (Sc. 8–9 mashlum, 9 -lam), 7– meslin, 6– maslin. (See also E.D.D. s.vv. Mashelton, Maslin1.)
[a. OF. mesteillon (for the many varieties of form see Godefr.):—late L. mistiliōnem, extended form of *mistilium (whence OF. mesteil, mod.F. méteil), f. L. mist-us, pa. pple. of miscēre to mix. Cf. MDu. masteluun (Du. masteluin).
Of the many Eng. forms, some represent dialectal varieties in OF.; others are due to popular etymology (the word having esp. been often associated with Eng. mash n. or vb.); others again to learned pseudo-etymology, the spelling being assimilated to that of L. miscellānea ‘hodge-podge’, neut. pl. of miscellāneus (see miscellaneous, miscellane).]
Mixed grain, esp. rye mixed with wheat. Also, bread made of mixed corn.
| α 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 10125 Þe paste..Shal nat be of no medel corne,..Þe mastlyoun shul men lete. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 334/2 Mestlyone, or monge corne (..K. mestilione). 1466 Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.) 211 A combe mystelon for the kervelle. 1482 Marg. Paston in P. Lett. III. 295 [They] lodyn bothe cartes with mestlyon and whete. 1483 Cath. Angl. 230/1 Mastilȝon, bigermen, mixtilio. 1530 Palsgr. 244/2 Mestlyon corne. |
| β 14.. Harl. MS. 1587 in Promp. Parv. 335 note, Mastcleyne, mixtilio. 1466 Paston Lett. II. 269, ii bushel of mestlyn, xvd. 1573 Tusser Husb. xxxvii. (1878) 90 If worke for the thresher ye mind for to haue, Of wheat and of mestlen vnthreshed go saue. 1616 Surfl. & Markh. Country Farm 501 Sow it..with mastling and wheat. 1815 Pocklington Canal Act 52 Rye, Mastlin, Pease. |
| γ 1530 Palsgr. 244/1 Masclyne corne. 1538 Inv. Merevale Abbey in Promp. Parv. 335 note, Grayne at the monastery, myskelen, xij strykes. 1558 Will of Wylde (Somerset Ho.), A quarter of maskeline. 1635 Mesclin [see c]. |
| δ 1534 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 121 Mascelyn, benes, and pesen. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. (1586) 32 b, Amongst the sommer seedes is miscelin to be reckoned. 1619 W. Sclater Exp. 1 Thess. (1630) 426 The Lord to Israel permitted no medleyes:..his people might not..sow their field with Miscellane. 1631 Celestina Ep. Ded., It is good plaine houshold-bread, honest messeline. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 459 You may know..who eateth Masolin, who pure Wheat. 1665 Phil. Trans. I. 93 The Kinds of Grain or Seed usual in England, being supposed to be either Wheat, Miscelane, Rye, Barley. 1677 Plot Oxfordsh. 244 Its most agreeable grains are..miscellan, i.e. wheat and rye together. 1741 Compl. Fam.-Piece iii. 422 Rye is a Grain used next to Wheat for Bread, and sometimes both are mixed together in the sowing, which is called Measeline. 1745 tr. Columella's Husb. xi. ii, One modius of..mescelin. 1789 Madan tr. Persius (1795) 133 note, Farrago is a mixture of several grains—mesceline. |
| ε 1572 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees) I. 387 One pecke of wheat and one pecke of masclechon. 1599 A. M. tr. Gabelhouer's Bk. Physicke 360/2 Take vnpeeled Barlye, M.iiij. & Misleden. 1631 in J. J. Cartwright Chapters Hist. Yorks. (1872) 316 Masslegen under 19tene shillings the load. 1727 Beverley Beck Act 2 Every quarter of wheat, rye, mesledine. 1819 Rees' Cycl. XXII, Mashelson, a term used to signify a mixture of wheat and rye, or what is sometimes called meslin. 1829 J. Hunter Hallamsh. Gloss. App., Maslegin, bread made of wheat and rye mixed. 1829 Brockett N.C. Words, Masselgem. 1855 [see b]. |
| ζ 1561 [see c]. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 35 b, Tares and Oates make a good meslyne sowed together. 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. iv. vi. §3 Charging them withall not to sow their fields with mesline [cf. Lev. xix. 19]. 1600 Surflet Countrie Farme v. xvii. 684 Maslin..is not one kind of corne but a mixture of wheate and rie. 1652 Inv. in Gentl. Mag. (1861) II. 506, 2 quart{supr}s of mashlin. 1653 Gauden Hierasp. 30 When they sow that forbidden mislane, the Tares and Cockle of passionate novelties. 1765 Museum Rusticum IV. 225 They who like meslin..may mix them to their mind when carried to the mill. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayrshire 270 The late pease were frequently sown with oats which in Ayrshire was denominated mashlum. 1864 Sat. Rev. 478/2 Maslin..is..used [in the Northern counties] as a somewhat cheaper food than wheaten flour. |
† b. fig. A mixture, medley. (See also miscellane n. and a.)
| 1574 Whitgift Def. Aunsw. ii, You haue made very euill meslyn, and you haue put in one, things which are not payres nor matches. 1668 Kirkman Eng. Rogue ii. xviii. (1671) 162 Having his pockets well lined with Maslin of Gold and Silver. 1674 N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 102 They were neither Hogs nor Devils..but a mesling of two. 1855 Robinson Whitby Gloss., Mashelton or Machelson, a mixture of wheat and rye in a mash. A person is said to make mashelton of his discourse, who puts fine and coarse words together with an affected pronunciation. |
c. attrib., as maslin bread, maslin corn, maslin seed; also as adj. (fig.), mixed, mingled.
| 1544 Will Dando of Littleton (MS.), j bushell of mastlinge corne. 1561 in Leland's Itin. (1769) VI. Pref. 17, 3 Loves Mislin Bread. 1575 Durham Depos. (Surtees) 305 Masseljon corne, being most part benes. 1584 Cogan Haven Health iv. (1636) 29 A kind of bread named misseling or masseling bread. 1590 Barrow & Greenwood in Confer. 45 This prophane miscelyne people. 1597 J. King On Jonas (1618) 59 Such meslen seed [cf. Lev. xix. 19] light vpon that ground which I wish no prosperity vnto. 1607 B. Jonson Volpone Ded., The present trade of the Stage, in all their misc'line Enterludes. 1626 Bp. Hall Contempl. O.T. xxi. i, These mesline Jewes. 1635 J. Taylor (Water P.) Old Parr C 2 b, Course Mesclin bread. 1649 W. Blithe Eng. Improv. Impr. (1653) 109 Wheat, Rye, or Meslin Stubble. a 1659 Bp. Brownrig Serm. (1674) I. iv. 61 God abhors a misceling Religion. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict., Masling-far, Food made of Wheat and Rye by putting them to steep in Water. 1786 Burns Earnest Cry xx, I'll be his debt twa mashlum bonnocks. 1844 Ayrshire Wreath 154 There was a big bing o' mashlam scones. |