▪ I. purfle, n.
(ˈpɜːf(ə)l)
Forms: 4 porfyl, -fil, purf(i)el, 4–5 purfil(e, -fyle, 4–6 -fyl, 5–6 -fell, -full, 6 -ful, -fyll, -fele, -phell, 6– purfle. Also (in sense 2) 6 purflue; (in sense 3) 7 porfil(e, -phile, 7–8 pourfil. See also profile.
[a. OF. porfil (c 1215 in Godef.), later pourfil (1316, and 1611 in Cotgr. in sense 2), a border or edge; = Pr. perfil, Sp. perfilo, med.L. perfīlum, It. profilo, profile; prob. verbal n. from profilare, perfīlāre, etc.: see purfle v.]
1. A border; esp. a wrought or decorated border; the embroidered border or edge of a garment.
In ordinary use app. obs. after 1610; revived as an archaism in 19th c. (But cf. quot. c 1758 in purfle v. 1.)
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 216 Of precios perle in porfyl pyȝte. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iv. 102 Til..perneles porfyl [v.rr. purfil, purfyl] be put in heore whucche. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 57 A lewde wretche to were a skarlet gowne, Withe a blac lamb furre without purfile of sable. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 416/2 Purfyle of a clothe, limbus. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1906) 30 This astate that ye use of gret purfiles and slitte cotes. 1530 Palsgr. 259/2 Purfyll or hemme of a gowne, bort. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 2 b, The Trapper of his Horse, Damaske gold, with a depe purfell of Armyns. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. xiv. vi. 10 Inner garments..beset with long jagges and purfles. 1610 ― Camden's Brit. ii. Irel. 148 They cast ouer these their mantells or shagge Rugges..with a deep fringed purfle. 1730 Bailey, Purfile, a Sort of antient Trimming for Womens Gowns, made of Tinsel, Thread, &c., called also Bobbin-Work. 1813 Hogg Queen's Wake 292 Furnaced pillars..upright ranged in horrid array, With purfle of green o'er the darksome gray. 1821 J. Baillie Met. Leg., Lady G. Baillie Concl., Betty's skill Leaves her in purfle, furbelow, or frill, No whit behind. 1894 Athenæum 5 May 571/2 The portrait of the gracious court lady in her ruff and purfles. |
b. = purfling 1 c (as of a violin).
| 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Purfle... Also a kind of Ornamentation about the Edges of Musical Instruments, particularly of Viols, Violins, &c. 1905 Haweis Old Violins 125 He runs his purfle into his monogram with attendant flourishes. |
† 2. Her. A bordering line. Obs.
| 1562 Leigh Armorie (1597) 90 b, This pale was giuen after it had a chiefe; because they were both of one colour, there goeth no purfle betweene. 1572 J. Bossewell Armorie ii. 27 That terme is so frequented, because two colors, or any mettal or colour, be gradately inferred one into the other, that no partition but onely the Purflue maie be seene betwene them. |
† 3. The contour or outline of anything; a representation of the outline; = profile n. 1, 3. Obs.
In this sense app. a new adoption from Fr., and there from It. Soon superseded by profile.
| 1601 Holland Pliny xxxv. x. II. 535 Hee woon the prise and praise from them all in making up the pourfils and extenuities of his lineaments. 1610 J. Guillim Heraldry ii. iii. 42 The naked and bare proportion of the outward lineaments thereof, or the outward Tract, Purfle, or shadow of a thing. Ibid., The Portraicting out of any thing vmbrated, is nothing else but a sleight and single draught or Purfle, traced out with a Pensill. 1669 A. Browne Ars Pict. 83 Draw the lines of porphile (i.e. the outmost stroak) of a Face with lake and white. |
† b. in purfle, as seen from one side; = in profile (profile n. 2). Obs.
| 1605 B. Jonson Masque Blackness, The backs of some were seen; some in purfle, or side; others in face. 1686 W. Aglionby Painting Illustr. 132 Cimabue his Picture is yet to be seen,..made in Porfil. Ibid. 268 All the left Side was seen in Porfile. 1706 Phillips, Pourfil, (a Term in Painting) as A Face drawn in Pourfil, i.e. side-way; a Side-face. |
▪ II. purfle, v.
(ˈpɜːf(ə)l)
Forms: 4–5 purfile, -fyle, 5 -fill, 5–6 -fell, -fyll, 5–7 -fel, 6 -fyl, -fulle, -phle, 6– purfle. Also 7 (sense 5) pourfil(l, pourfle.
[a. OF. porfiler (1371 in Godef.), later porphyler, pourfiler to border, adorn the border of, adorn, = Pr., Sp. perfilar, It. profilare, med.L. perfīlāre (Du Cange), f. L. prō or per + fīlum thread: see profile v.]
1. trans. To border; to decorate with a wrought or ornamental border; esp. to adorn (a robe) with a border of thread work or embroidery; to trim with gold or silver lace, pearls, fur, etc. arch.
| c 1325 in Rel. Ant. II. 19 Hir wede, Purfiled with pellour doun to the teon. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 193, I seigh his sleues ypurfiled at the hond With grys. c 1460 Wisdom Stage Dir., in Macro Plays 36 A mayde, in a wyght clothe of golde..purfyled with menyver. 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. xxvii. 74 Kyng Ryons had purfyled a mantel with kynges berdes. c 1500 Melusine xxxv. 240 Robes of cloth of gold, & fourred with Ermynes, & purfylled all with precyous stones. 1502 Privy Purse Exp. Eliz. of York (1830) 83 Item for blake crewle to purfulle the rosys vjd. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 214 The knightes of the bath in uiolet gounes with hoddes purfeled with Miniuer lyke doctors. 1611 Cotgr., Pourfiler d'or, to purfle, tinsell, or ouercast with gold thread, etc. a 1625 Fletcher Woman's Prize iii. ii, Line the gown through with plush perfumed, and purfle All the sleeves down with pearl! c 1758 W. Thompson Hymn to May ix, A silken camus,..Purfled by Nature's hand! 1803 W. Taylor in Ann. Rev. I. 332 Like a garment embroidered in chenille, and purfled with beads, and spangles, and foil. 1840 H. Ainsworth Tower of Lond. (1864) 4 The Bishop of Ely, who, in his character of lord high chancellor, wore a robe of scarlet, open before, and purfled with minever. |
| fig. 1607 Lingua iv. ii. in Hazl. Dodsley IX. 417 This [Tragedus] gorgeous-broider'd with rich sentences, That [Comedus] fair and purfled round with merriments. |
† b. To work (a design) in embroidery. Obs.
| 1601 Holland Pliny xiii. xi. I. 392 To weave and purfle letters in their cloths, after the manner of embroiderie. |
c. intr. or absol. To do purfling; ‘to hem a border’ (Cent. Dict.).
† 2. trans. To give to (leaves, flowers, etc.) a border or edge of a particular kind; to ornament with such a border; in pa. pple., denoting the outline, contour, or distinctive colouring of the edge.
| 1562 W. Bullein Bulwark, Bk. Simples 49 b, Leaues..purfled aboute with iagges, or small teeth like a sawe. 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. lii. 212 The great Tulpia, or rather Tulipa..of colour very diuers.. and purfled about the edges or brimmes with yellowe, white, or red. 1640 Parkinson Theat. Bot. iv. v. 428 Flower..consisting of five small pure white leaves, pointed at the ends, and sometimes a little purfled about the brims, and with a wash of purple. |
3. In technical applications. † a. Her., etc. To border or edge with a line of a different colour or tincture. (See also purfled ppl. a.1 2.) Obs.
| 1634 Peacham Gentl. Exerc. i. xxvi. 91 A faire blew deepned with lake, and purfled with liquid gold. |
b. Arch., etc. To ornament (the edge or ridge of any structure) with crockets, etc.: cf. purfled 3.
| 1849 Rock Ch. of Fathers II. vi. 108 All the edges [of the mitre] were purfled with a border of exquisitely-wrought crockets in silver gilt. 1852 Ibid. III. i. 390 To this chest [shrine] the goldsmith..gave an architectural form: it had..its tall crest purfled with knobs of sparkling jewels to run along the ridge of its steeply-pitched roof. |
c. To adorn (the back or belly of a violin or other instrument) with a border of inlaid work: see purfler, purfling 1 c.
4. In vague or extended sense: To adorn, ornament, beautify.
| c 1470 Henryson Mor. Fab. viii., Preach. Swallow ix, Flouris..Quhilk..Phebus with his goldin bemis gent Hes purfellit and payntit plesandly. 1592 Greene Upst. Courtier D ij, A nose, Autem nose, purphled pretiouslie with pearle and stone like a counterfait worke. 1615 Crooke Body of Man 94 The close Meshes whereof, are purfled with curled veines. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus i. 2 Who shall take thee, the new, the dainty volume, Purfled glossily, fresh with ashy pumice [arida modo pumice expolitum]? |
† 5. trans. To draw in profile, to outline; to draw. Also absol. or intr. Obs.
| 1601 Holland Pliny xxxv. x. (1634) II. 539 Apelles..had no sooner pourfiled a little about the visage, but the king presently tooke knowledge there by of the partie that had played this pranke by him. Ibid. xii. 551 [She] used ordinarily to marke upon the wall the shaddow of her lovers face by candle light and to pourfill the same afterwards deeper, that so shee might enjoy his visage yet in his absence. |