Part XXV

behest v. t.

To vow. Paston.

wielder n.

One who wields or employs; a manager; a controller.

wealth n.

Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]

forebear n.

An ancestor. See Forbear.

erelong adv.

Before the ere long.

shall v. i.

To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]

minish v. t.

To diminish; to lessen. [OE. menusen, F. menuiser to make small, cut small, fr. (assumed) LL. minutiare, for minutare, fr. L. minutus small. See Minute, a., and cf. Diminish, Minge.]

fang v. t.

To catch; to seize, as with the teeth; to lay hold of; to gripe; to clutch. [OE. fangen, fongen, fon (g orig. only in p.p. and imp. tense), AS. f; akin to D. vangen, OHG. fahan, G. fahen, fangen, Isel. fa, Sw. f, f, Dan. fange, faae, Got]

flooding n.

The filling or covering with water or other fluid; overflow; inundation; the filling anything to excess.

billow n.

A great wave or surge of the sea or other water, caused usually by violent wind. [Cf. Icel. bylgja billow, Dan. bölge, Sw. bölja; akin to MHG. bulge billow, bag, and to E. bulge. See Bulge.]

welkin n.

The visible regions of the air; the vault of heaven; the sky. [OE. welken, welkene, welkne, wolcne, weolcne, AS. wolcen, pl. wolcnu, a cloud; akin to D. wolk, OFries. wolken, OS. wolkan, G. wolke, OHG. wolchan, and probably]

bravely adv.

In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly; nobly.

harry v. i.

To make a predatory incursion; to plunder or lay waste.

ruthless a.

Having no ruth; cruel; pitiless.

betimes adv.

In good season or time; before it is late; seasonably; early. [Pref. be- (for by) + time; that is, by the proper time. The -s is an adverbial ending.]

afresh adv.

Anew; again; once more; newly. [Pref. a- + fresh.]

dight v. t.

To prepare; to put in order; hence, to dress, or put on; to array; to adorn. [OF. dihten, AS. dihtan to dictate, command, dispose, arrange, fr. L. dictare to say often, dictate, order; cf. G. dichten to write poetry, fr. L. dictare. See D]

nobly adv.

Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.

doughty a.

Able; strong; valiant; redoubtable; as, a doughty hero.

hoary a.

White or whitish."The hoary willows."

geat n.

The channel or spout through which molten metal runs into a mold in casting. [See Gate a door.]

courtly a.

Relating or belonging to a court. [From Court.]

needs adv.

Of necessity; necessarily; indispensably; -- often with must, and equivalent to of need. [Orig. gen. of need, used as an adverb. Cf. - wards.]

blithe a.

Gay; merry; sprightly; joyous; glad; cheerful; as, a blithe spirit. [AS. bli blithe, kind; akin to Goth. blei kind, Icel. bli mild, gentle, Dan. & Sw. blid gentle, D. blijd blithe, OHG. blidi kind, blithe.]

homeward a.

Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.

bade

A form of the pat tense of Bid.

quoth v. t.

Said; spoke; uttered; -- used only in the first and third persons in the past tenses, and always followed by its nominative, the word or words said being the object; as, quoth I. quoth he. [AS.cweedhan, imp cwæedh, pl. cwædon; akin to OS. queedhan, OHG. quethan, quedan, Icel. kveedha, Goth. qiþan. sq. root22. Cf. Bequeath.]

winsome a.

Cheerful; merry; gay; light-hearted. [AS. wynsum, fr. wynn joy; akin to OS. wunnia, OHG. wunna, wunni, G. wonne, Goth. wunan to rejoice (in unwunands sad), AS. wunian to dwell. Win, v. t., Wont, a.]

went n.

Course; way; path; journey; direction.

atheling n.

An Anglo-Saxon prince or nobleman; esp., the heir apparent or a prince of the royal family. [Written also Adeling and Ætheling.] [AS. æ noble, fr. æ noble, akin to G. adel nobility, edel noble. The word æ, E. ethel, is in many AS. proper names, as Ethelwolf, noble wolf; Ethelbald, noble bo]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.