METELINE.
METE.
So Metazo ic a.
1877 HUXLEY Anat.
METAZOAN
Mr. Maxwell of Tcrraughty on
a.
Inv. Anim. i. 47
the metazoic aggregate is that [etc.].
What
:
see
MEAT-BOABD, MATCH, METECORN.
Mete
Also 5 mette, 6 met, 6-7
mett, 7 meate, 7-8 meet. [a. OF. mete, mette,
ad. L. meta goal, boundary.]
1
1.
A
sb?-
(m/~t),
Parlt. I. 434/2)], common in legal use; also _/?.
1471 CAXTON Recityell (Sommer) 363 And fynably they
were brought to so strayte metes and boundes that [etc.].
1525 LD. BKRNF.RS Froiss. II. cci. [cxcvii.] 615 The kynge
hathe clerely gyuen to hym. .the hole duchy of Acquytayne,
soasitextendeth in metes and lymytacyons. 1563 J. DOLMAN
in Mirr. Mag.) Ld. Hastings xcii, Untimely neuer comes
the lines last mett.
1607 NORDEN Snrv. Dial, i. 19 If the
ditches, which are the ordinary meeres, meates and bounds
betweene seueral mens lands, be confounded. 1768 Conn.
Col. Rec. (1885) XIII. 52 To ascertain by meets and bound*
1818 CHUISK
the widtli of said cart-road thro said meadow.
Digest {ed. 2) I. 197 Dower was assigned by metes and
bound-;, because it was a tenancy of the heir.
1878 LAMER
Marshes of Glynn 39 As a belt of the dawn, For a mete
and a mark To the forest-dark. 1894 Q. Rev. Jan. 30 The
introspective genius knows his metes and bounds.
Mete,
To measure distances for shooting at a
hence, to aim at. Obs.
1534 MORE Comf. agst. Trib. i. Wks. 1157/2 We shal nowe
meate for the shoote and consider., how farreof your arrovves
are from the prik. 1588 SHAKS. L. L. L. iv. i. 134 Let the
mark haue a pricke in t to meat at.
f 3. trans. To mark (out) the boundary or
1
Mete
(m/t),
$b?>
[f.
v.
1
;
MET
cf.
;
= MEASURED.
course of;
Obs.
3.
In late use prob. regarded as a derivative of MLTE sb.
^825 Vesj). Psalter Hx. g, 8: semaire jetelda ic nieotu
[Vulg. inctibor\. a 1000 Catamws Exod. 92 ^Gr.) Wicstea]
metan. 1382 WVCLIK Deut, xxi. 2 The spacis of alle the
cytees bi enuyroun shal be meetid from the place of the
careyn. c 1440 Fromp. Parv. 336/1 Meete londe, or set
bowndys, incto. 1513 [see MEASUHE v. 3], 1535 COVEKIJALU
Ps. lix. [lx.] 6, I wil dcuyde Sichem, & mete out the valley
of Suchoth. 1567 UKANT Horace Ef. i. xvi. V, vij, Hebrus
that meteth Thracia.
1568 GRAFTON Chron. I. 96 He met
out a large and gre.tt circuit of ground. 1609 SKESE Reg.
Alaj. 29 Command sail be giuen to the Schiref, to cause
mett, and measure the gamine [sc. a dowry].
1632 HEYWOOD ist Pt. Iron Age i. i. Wks. 1874 III. ^67 Of all your
Not one shal Hue to meate your Sepulchre.
flourishing line
a 1637 Ii. JONSON Sad Shepherd i. ii, And a fair dial to
mete out the day. 1819 W. TF.NNANT Papistry Stornid
(1827) 137 The heralds had the rink-room metit, The barriers
1
1
t
.
j
set,
and
lists
.
completit.
To
estimate the greatness or value of; to
MEASURE v. 6. an/t.
appraise
In OE. also = to compare (const. 7t /?, be}.
i Ne sint hi no wi3 eow to
c 888 K. ALFRED Bocth. xiii.
metanne. 971 Blickl. Horn. 133 Se swe^ wa-s
Hainan
Castes be winde meten.
1382 WYCLIF 2 Cor. x. 12 We
me tinge, or mesuringe, vs in vs silf, and comparisowoynge
vs silf to v..
1398 T REV ISA Bartk. DC P. R. \\. iv. (1495)31
They [aungelsl deuyde mete and waye all niennes werkes
good and euyll. .1440 York Myst. xxiii. 116 pat goddis
sone is ^is, Euyn with hym mette and all myghty. 1595
SPENSER Col. Clout 365 For not by measure of her ownc
great mynd, And wondrous worth, she mott my simple
song. 1597 SIIAKS. 2 Hen, /F, iv. iv. 77 A Patterns, or a
Measure.. By which his Grace must mete the Hues of
others. 1702 JEFFERSON Writ. (1830) III. 489 A simple mea
1866
sure by which every one could mete their merit.
3 Spirits and men by different
J. H. NEWMAN Gerontins
standards mete The less and greater in the flow of time.
4.
t
METE
This day
(-b.
mark
i
sb
anglicized form of MEATUS.
1460-70 Bk. Quintessence 16 pe palesye vniuersel comejj of
hahoundaunce of viscous humouris closynge be metis of
vertu animale, sen.sityue, and motyue.
t
ii,
withal.
goal. Obs.
II.
1402 Repl. Friar Daw Tofiias in Pol. Poems (Rolls)
S6 Thou concludist thi silf, and bryngest thee to the mete
there I wolde have thee.
1480 CAXTON Ovufs Met. x. viii,
He passed her and cam to the mette to fore her.
2. A boundary or limit (material or immaterial);
a boundary stone or mark ; esp. in phrase metes and
AF. metes et boundes (1325 in Rolls
bounds [
Birthday
thou metes threescore eleven.
f 2. absol. or intr. To take measurements ;
= MEASURE v. i h. Obs.
1388 WYCLIF Exod. xvi. 18 Thci metiden [1382 mesurden]
c 1483 CAXTON Dialogues 16 Dame,
at the mesure gomor.
mete well. 1530 PALSGR. 635/2, I wyll nat mete by your
busshell.
1649 K. HoDGBS/^wM Direct. 13 A yard to mete
distinguishes
Metbord, -buird, Metch^e, Metcorn
his
;
sb.]
^>a;s
Measure.
1768 J. Ross Ode loss Friend Wks. 224 (MS.) The pow r
Of solemn Young or softer Thomson s mete
1834 HOGG
Mora Campbell 30 Noted for heroes tall and fair Of manly
mete and noble mien, a 1871 Miss GARY Nobility ii. (Funk),
We get back our mete as we measure.
i
!
Inflected meted, meting.
Mete (rmt),
Forms: Inf. i metan, (meotan), 3, 6 mette, 4-6
meet(e, 6-7 meat(e, mett, 8 met, 3- mete.
Pa. t. i maet, 4-6 mett(e, 4-7 met, (4 mat^te,
maat, mete, me(e)tid, 4-5 metede, 6 mott),
7- meted. Pa. pple. 1-2 semeten, 1-6 meten,
2-3 imeten, 3-6 mett(e, (4 ymeten, metuu, 5
metyii, 6 mstten, -on, mottun, meated, 7 mete,
dial. 9 metit), 4-6 moten, metid, 4-8 (9 dial.)
met, 7- meted. [A Com. Teut originally str. vb.
OE. metan (m&t, mxton, gemefeti) corresponds to
OFris. meta, OS. metan (Du. meten} OHG.
meta
mezzan (MHG. mezten, mod.G. messen},
to value (Sw. mdta to measure), Goth, mitaii
OTeut. *met- (: matpre-Teut. *med-
;
f6. To
Also
j
ON",
:
:
//</-)
mod- med-) cogn. w. Gr. ntStftvos MEDIMN", L.
modius bushel
other cognates are L. meditari
and the words cited s.v. MEDITATE.
1
(:
6. (Often with out*} To apportion by measure ;
to assign in portions; to portion or deal out; esp.
to allot (punishment, praise, reward, etc.).
The Teut. *met- lias no direct connexion with the synony
mous L. ntetlri but many scholars regard the W._Indo;
Uncommon
j
i4th c. J the original strong inflexions did not entirely dis
appear until late in the i6th c.]
1. trans.
To ascertain or determine the dimen
sions or quantity of; = MEASURE v. 2. Also with
dimensions as obj.
Now
only poet, and dial.)
exc. in allusions to Matt. vii. 2.
^975
Gosp. Matt. vii. 2 In 5a;in gemete |?e &e
metajj biS eow meten, ciooo /ELFRIC Gram. xiii. (Z.) 84
./Elc bxra Singa, be man wihS on waegan o55e met on fate.
c 1200 Trin. Coll.
Hjom. 213 Gif hit chepinge be be me
shule meten oSer weien be [etc.].
1290 S. Eng. Leg. I.
244/142 pe schipmen. .token |?e bischope wel i-metene Ane
houndred quarteres 3\vete. 1382 WYCLIF Ezek. xl. 5 He
metid [1388 mat] the breede of the beeldyng with oo ^erd.
Ruth iii. 15 He mete [1533 COVEBDALE meet] sixe
1388
buyschels of barly. (1420 Ckton. ]/ilod. 4620 And w hurre
fote he metede pe lengthe of bat space.
1483 CAXTON
Dialogues 44 Paulyn-.Hath so moche moten Of corne..
That he may no more for age. 1556 J. HEY WOOD Spider ff
F. xcii. 49 Our mesurs mette to other, shal to vs be mottun.
:
R"shu>.
<;
;
I
,
1. impcrs.
dream;
i
__
[>e
.
To
complete the
full
measure
*
or
|
;
1
amount
Also withyivM, out. Obs.
1600 FAIRFAX Tasso xv, xxxix. 274 Nor yet the time hath
Titans gliding fire Met forth. 1698 FHYEK Ace. E. India
P. 12 Their Wings, .mete out twice their
Ihid. 240
length.
of.
1
\
;
<y
To Bury metes
out Twelve Miles more.
1791
BURNS To
the chief current sense,
Me
mette
:
it
occurred to
Also with
dreamt a dream.
I dreamt.
sb. t
as
me
me
I
a
something
etc.).
he fcla
c looo Sa.r. Leechd. III. 176 Gyf mart mete
1290 S. Eng. Ltg, I. 281/104 Scint Dogosa hasbbe.
menic matte .. bat seint petur him bi-tok Ane staf. 13..
\>&\
<:
Scuyn Sag. (W.) 2063 Ich mot mete a sweuen tu-night.
t
1381 CHAUCEK Parl. Foitles 104 The louere met he hath
c 1430 Hymns Virg. 81 Al bat we haue
his lady wonne.
lyued heere, It is but as a dreem y-met. 1513 DOUGLAS
sErteis n. v. 36 The first t^uict Of naturiile sleip.. Stehs on
fordoverit niortale creatuns,
quent figuris. c 1570 **ride
these matters that I mett.
To dream
3. intr.
a 1300
And
4-
in thair
Low/.
^wewynnis metis
I ..mused of
(1841) 65,
(#/").
Horn 1522 (Camb. MS,) pat ni^t horn gan iswete,
heuie for to mete Of Rymenhila his make. 1393 LANGL.
/ / /. C. xn, 167 In a wynkynge ich worth and wonderliclie ich metie.
r 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 6567 Al night
I haue of him met.
A".
And
.
Hence I-met///.
a
1225 Juliana
74
a.
Ant
bwcuen aswindeS
as imet
hire
murhSen.
tMete,
"
:i
Obs. [OK. Mtftatt; not found out
trans, and intr. To paint, design.
.
side Kng.]
t
&
pe^
1047
1230 Gen.
meten
Gram,
xxviii, (Z.) 174 1 ingo ic melc. c 1200
haffdenn liccness mctedd
Cherubyn.
E.\\ 2701 He carf..T\\o likenesbe>, so gruucn
c looo J-ELFKIC
OKMIN
fy
Oft"
[etc.].
Mete see MATE a., MEAT,
t MeteCOru. Obs. Also
:
[Oli.,
f.
m$tt
MEAT
MEET, MET.
4 mette-, 5 met-.
+ Coitx i.] An allowance
made to servants, to inmates
j^.
(properly, of corn)
of a hospital, etc.
1050 in Thorpe Charters
(1865) 580 Ilk habbe his..metecu
his metecorn.
1320 Rolls cf Parii. I. 367/1 Stipcndia ^:
metecorn, ac cetera debiu scrvicntutn in monasterio predicto. 1385-6 Durham Ace. A"i7//i-(Surtees) 391 Tribus servientibus apud Ic Hough pro lu mettecorn. 1402-3 Ibid. 218
Pro frumento et pecnnia datis pro metkorn hominibus de
ho^pitalibus de Wilton et de Maudelens. (.-1440 Promp.
Parv. 335/2 Mete corne, panicium. 1522-3 Durham Act.
Rolls (Surtees 255 Pro le metcorn sowlsilvcr et aliis neces^;uii-.
[1706 PHILLIPS ted. Kersey).]
&
Also -cousti.
ff.
t Mete-custi, a. Obs.
MEAT J^. + CUSTI a., liberal.] Liberal with food,
hospitable.
cizos LAY. 19932
He
\ves mete-custi [^1275 mete-coubti].
Ibid. 23257.
Meted
(mrted), ///.
a.
METK
[f.
+ -ED
v. 1
I.]
Measured; apportioned.
1775 ASH, Meted, measured, reduced to a measure. 1887
MOKKIS Ottyss. xi. 185 In pu-ace Telemachus dwellcih, and
meted feasts doth he share.
Meteer, obs. form of METRE.
Metefetill. Obs. [OE. mtfefxtels
sb.
A
and FETLES.]
cupboard
:
see
MEAT
fur food.
ciooo ^Eu- Kic Gloss, in Wr.-Wiilcker 107/5 Sitar<.kia
metefetels, KiVsceatcod. c 1440 Promp. Pan. 335/2 Metefytel [printed metesytel], to keep in mele [Pynson mete
fetyll or almery], cibnlum.
a.
mete
sb. +
Obs.
t
[f.
t
.
MEAT
Metegift,
(The formation of the second element is
Cf. MEAT-GIVER.]
Hospitable.
obscure.)
a 1400 R BritnnSs Chron. Wace (Rolls 4076 (Petyt
& metegift man viandoure [Lamb. MS. & lyberal man,
GIFT.
?
)
.
&
MS.>,
vyaundourj.
t IVEetekin. Obs. Also 3 maetecun.
Kind of food
sb. + Kix sb. 1 ]
MEAT
[f.
;
mete
provi
sion.
(i2oo OKMIN 8645 pin Laferrd Godd Allmahhti; wat..patt
nafe ice nohht off metekinn Till me. c 1205 LAV. 941 pat.,
he us jeue al his beste msete cun.
.
Metel
.
Also 6 methel.
(mrtel).
Arab.
[a.
inod.L.
methelj
a.
means
thornCf. F. mix met(K\efle
nut*).
= sense b (Littre).] fa.
(Cotgr.), mttel
a narcotic fruit or seed
nttt, nut methel
apple
Methel
JjU J\a. jauz ma}il (where jauz
\
described by Avicenna as resembling a nut covered
with small spines, and also as similar to nux
vomica ; probably the Thorn-apple, Datura Stra
monium. Obs. b. In the form Metel) applied by
Linnaeus as the specific name of the Hairy Thornapple, Datura Metel and hence sometimes used
as the Eng. name of that plant.
>
1528 PAVNEL Salerne Rjeghn. (1541) 63 The nutte methel
which, as Auicen saythe, is venomous, wherfore bit sleeth.
1568 TURNER Herbal \\\. 49 Of the nutte called the vomitinge
nutt, and of the nut of Methel. The vomitinge nut and the
Matthiolus writeth
Methel are not in al poyntes vnlyke.
that the flat nuttes like lltle cheses which haue ben solde
hytherto for vomitinge nuttes are nuttes methel, and they
that haue bene hytherto vsed for methel nuttes are the righte
nuces uomicse. 1597 GERARDE Herbal \\. Ivii. 278 The first
of these Thome apples may be called in Latin Stramonia.
and Pomum or A/alum spinosnm .. of Serapio and others
it is thought to be Nux methel
Serapio in his 375. chapter
1753
saith, that Nux methel is like vnto Nitx i-oxima.
the name of a sort of nux
CHAMBERS Cycl. Sitpp.^ Metel^
vomica, of the same shape with the common kind, but
somewhat larger. 1887 MOLONEV Forestry IV. Afr. 395
Metel or Hairy Thorn Apple.
s
.
sweveti, I
The analogy of ON. drawn dreyindi mik (see DREAM z/. 2
3) suggests taking sveven (or equivalent sb.) as accus. and
the vb. as impers.
on the other hand, the sb. may be the
uom. and the vb. may have the meaning to occur to (a
person) in a dream
c xooo &LFRIC Gen. xxxvii. 5 Wilodlice hit gelamp baet hine
msette. r 1000
Deut. xiii. i Gifamifc witeja .. secge ba;t
him matte swefen. 1297 R. GLOUC. (Rolls) 4140 At tyme of
midni^t of J?e ni^t him mette a greuous cas. ? a 1366 CHAUCEK
Rom. Rose 26 Me mette swiche a swevening, That lykede
me wonders wel. c 1385
L. G. W. Prol. 210 Me mette
how I lay in the medewe thoo. 1393 LANGL. P. PL C.
vi. 109 Thenne mette [u.r. mete] me moche more ban ich
by-fore tolde Of be mater bat ich mette fyrst on maluerne
hulles.
a 1400-50 Alexander 422 Quen he wrogt had his
will ben witrely him metis, pat lie bowes to hire belecbiste.
a 1643 W. CARTWRIGHT Ordinary n. ii. (1651) 26 All night
me met eke that I was at Kirke. [The speaker is Robert
Moth, an Antiquary .)
*
i
in
mette
.
.
C.
now
;
is
f
;
:
Lament. 23
.
c.
t Mete, ^. 2 Obs. Forms Inf. i mffitan, 3-6
mete, 4 meete;n, 6 meit. Pa. t. i msette, 1-5
mete, 3 matte, 3-5 mette, 3-6 mett, 3-7 met.
Pa. pple. 3 imet, 3-4 met, 4 mete, 4-5 ymet.
[OE. m&tan wk. vb.; not found outside English.]
We
No hand has meted his path.
with clause, a 1225 After. R. 232 He bet meteS hu heih
eor6e. c 1391 CHAUCER Astral.
be heouene & hu deope is
ii.
42 a, Mete how many foot ben be-twen be too prikkis.
fig- * 1556 LD. VAUX in Parad. Dainty Dez (1578) 7 b,
When I mette in mind cache steppe youth strayed a wry.
1876 BLACKIE Songs Relig. fy Life 48 All men Who. .mete
with kingly ken The starry-peopled sky.
*
b. To be the measure of. poet. rare.
1844 MRS. BROWNING Drama of Exile Poems 1850 I. 52
Cast out, cast down What word metes absolute loss?
the igth
thief?
l
1607 TOURNEUR Rev. Trag. it. i, Lands that were mete by
the Rod.
1781 CKABBE Library 302 She. .Metes the thin
air and weighs the flying sound.
1805 in Chambers Pop.
Poems Scot. (1862) 152 Says Tain,
ll hae them met;*
They measured just eight score o pecks. 1865 SWINBURNE
till
but only in literary use.
a 1300 Cursor M. 26529 [Christ] bat metes ilk man his
mede. a 1600 MONTGOMEKIE Misc. Poems Si. 23 Thou.,
mett thame moonshyn ay for meill. 1676 TOWEKSON Deca
logue 463 Our recreations should be meted by smaller por
tions.
1721 RAMSAY Tartana 263 When beauty s to be
judg d without a vail, And not its powers met out as by
retail, But wholesale.
1798 MALTHUS PopttL (1817) I. 278
The food of the country would be meted out. .in the smallest
shares that could support life. 1842 TENNYSON Ulysses 3,
I mete and dole Unequal laws unto a savage race.
1858
CARLYLU Fredk. Gt. iv. viii. (1872) II. 17 His very sleep was
1878 H. M. STANLEY Dark
stingily meted out to him.
Cont. II. xiii. 382 What punishment shall I mete to this
(a dream, that
happened,
;
re/I.}
f>e
;
germanic *med- and met- as parallel extensions of mi-.
The verb was frequently conjugated weak as early as the
(and
Beowulf 1633 Ferdon for..foldweg mseton. 1340 HAMPOLE Pr. Consc. 7695 Himself fra erih, upward met bat way,
When he stey tylle heven. a 1400-50 Alexander 455 pail
metis he him to Messadone. Ibid, 4803 pan metis he doun
of be mounte in-to a mirk vale. 1621 QuARLKS Feast for
Worms viii. G 3, A Citty.. whose ample wall, Who vodertakes to mete with paces, shall (etc.]. 1697 CREECH tr.
Manilins m. 107 Take all that space the Sun Meets out,
when every daily Round is Run.
iinpers. Pass, a 1400-50 Alexander 374 Qwen it was
merke J?at men ware to ryst. Ibid. 564 Fra be
metyn to
none tyme Till it to mydday was meten on be morne efter.
:
:
= MEASURE v. ii.
To go, proceed. Obs.
traverse (a distance)
absol. or intr.
To dream
2. trans.
.
:
\
. .
Meteles
:
see
tMeteliue.
Cf.
Du.
METELS and MEATLESS.
Obs.
meetlijn.]
A
[f.
METE
measuring
v.i
+ LINE sbl
line.
1535 COVERDALE 2 Chron. iv. 2 A mctelyiie of thirtie
cubites.
1583 GOLDING Calvin on Deut. xi. 63 Hee..hath
stretched out his meeteline to appoint euery people their
countrey to dwell in.
.