menske
Middle English
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Old Norse mennska (“humanity”), a substantivisation of mennskr (“human”), ultimately reflecting the weak inflection of Proto-Germanic *manniskaz; compare the development of modern English mensch.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmɛnsk(ə)/, /ˈmɛnk(ə)/
Noun
menske (plural menskes or mensken)
- honor, repute
- c. 1225, “Feorðe dale: fondunges”, in Ancrene Ƿiſſe (MS. Corpus Christi 402), Herefordshire, published c. 1235, folio 64, recto; republished at Cambridge: Parker Library on the Web, 2018 January:
- […] ah aſe feole ſiðen aſ þu ouerkimeſt him · aſe feole crunen · þet iſ to ſeggen · aſe feole menſken of miſliche murhðen ·
- […] but as many crowns as there are times you overcame him, that is to say, many honors in the form of various joys.
- c. 1335-1361, William of Palerne (MS. King's College 13), folio 34, recto, lines 2028-2029; republished as W. W. Skeat, editor, The Romance of William of Palerne, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1867, →OCLC, page 70:
- foꝛ ſoþe ſire quaþ aliſaundrine ⁊ · to ſaue ȝour mensk / i wol ȝou telle tiȝtly · what turn ſche as wꝛouȝt […]
- "Truthfully, sir" said Alexandrine, "to save your honour, I'll tell you all about the thing she's done […]
- kindness, dignity, humanity
- (rare) beauty, attractiveness
- c. 1225, “Feorðe dale: fondunges”, in Ancrene Ƿiſſe (MS. Corpus Christi 402), Herefordshire, published c. 1235, folio 75, verso; republished at Cambridge: Parker Library on the Web, 2018 January:
- amid te menſke of þi neb þet iſ þe fehereſte deal · bitƿeonen muðeſ ſmech ⁊ neaſeſ ſmeal […]
- Amidst the beauty of your face, which is the nicest part [of the body], between the mouth's taste and the nose's smell […]
References
- “mensk(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
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