Notes

 (1) In both sequences the first two words show what is endured; the last word is the action of the supposed god.

vengeful /ven(d)fl, -f()l/ a. L16. [f. VENGE + -FUL, after revengeful.] 1 Of a person: wanting or inclined to take vengeance; vindictive. L16. b Of a weapon, hand, etc.: used to inflict vengeance. poet. L16. 2 Of an action etc.: characterized or prompted by vengeance.

ecstasy /ekstsi/ n. & v. Also ex(s)t-, -acy. LME. [OFr. extasie f. late L extasis f. Gk ekstasis, f. eksta- stem of existanai put out of place, f. as EX-2 + histanai to place: see -Y3.] A n. 1 The state of being distracted by some emotion; a frenzy, a stupor; (now the usual sense) an exalted state of feeling (freq. in pl.), rapture (esp. of delight). LME. 2 Orig., a swoon, a trance. Later (Med.), a pathological state of absorption and unresponsiveness. L16-L19. 3 A state of trance or rapture such as is supposed to accompany religious, prophetic, or mystical inspiration; poetic frenzy. M17. 4 (Freq. E-.) A hallucinogenic drug, = MDMA s.v. M, M. L20.B v.t. Send into a state of ecstasy; enrapture. Now rare. E17.

loss /ls/ n. [OE los corresp. to ON los breaking up of the ranks of an army, f. Gmc f. base also of LESE, LEASE a., LOOSE a.; later back-form. f. lost pa. pple of LOSE v.] 1 Perdition, ruin, destruction; the state or fact of being destroyed or ruined. obs. exc. as passing into later senses. OE. 2 a Orig., the state of being a loser, defeat. Later, the losing of, or defeat in, a battle, game, or contest. ME. b The fact of losing someone or something, deprivation of or failure to keep a possession, attribute, faculty, etc. Also, the fact of being deprived of a person by death, estrangement, etc.; the death of a person regretted; spec. miscarriage of a child. LME. c Failure to take advantage or make good use of time, opportunities, etc. LME. d Failure to gain or obtain something sought. E17. 3 Mil. The losing (by an army commander etc.) of troops by death, capture, etc.; sing. & in pl., the number of troops so lost. ME. 4 A cause or occasion of ruin or deprivation. rare. LME-M16. 5 A particular instance of losing; a person, thing, or amount lost; spec. an instance of losing blood. LME. 6 Diminution of one's possessions or advantages; detriment or disadvantage involved in being deprived of something, or resulting from a change of conditions; an instance of this. (Opp. gain.) LME. 7 Real Tennis. A lost chase. L16-E17. 8 Lack, default, want. E-M17.

profit /prft/ n. ME. [(O)Fr. f. L profectus progress, profit, f. profect- pa. ppl stem of proficere: see PROFICIENT.] 1 Advantage or benefit to a person or group; (one's) good. Also, advantage or benefit residing in a thing, use. ME. b That which is to the advantage or benefit of someone or something. rare (Shakes.). Only in E17. 2 a Income from an estate, position, etc; revenue, proceeds. Usu. in pl. ME. b The financial gain in a transaction or enterprise; the excess of returns over outlay; the surplus of a company or business after deducting wages, cost of raw materials, interest, and other expenses. Also, the state of being profitable. L15. c sing. & in pl. Interest on capital. Sc. M16-M17. 3 Respect, honour; reputation. Only in LME. 4 = PROFICIENCY 1. LME-E17.

profit /prft/ v. ME. [(O)Fr. profiter, f. as prec.] I 1 v.t. & i. Be of advantage or benefit (to). ME. b Of a person: bring profit or benefit to or to someone. LME-M17. 2 v.i. Derive a benefit. Usu. foll. by by, from, of. LME. II 3 v.i. Make progress, improve, prosper. ME-L17. III 4 Bring forward, present. rare. LME-E17.

bear /be/ v.1 Pa. t. bore /b/, (arch.) bare /be/. Pa. pple & ppl a. borne /bn/, BORN. See also YBORN. [OE beran = OS, OHG beran, ON bera, Goth. bairan, f. Gmc f. IE base also of Skt bharati, Armenian berem, Gk pherein, L ferre.] I v.t. Carry, hold, possess. 1 Carry (esp. something weighty), transport; bring or take by carrying; fig. have, possess. Now literary or formal. OE. b Backgammon. Remove (a piece) from the board at the end of a game. Also foll. by off. M16. c Take along as a companion; carry as a consequence. L16-E17. 2 Carry about with or upon one, esp. visibly; show, display; be known or recognized by (a name, device, etc.); have (a character, reputation, value, etc.) attached to or associated with one. OE. b Wear (clothes, ornaments). OE-L16. 3 refl. Carry or conduct oneself; behave or acquit oneself. ME. 4 Wield, exercise, (power etc.); hold (an office). arch. ME. 5 Entertain, harbour, (a feeling etc. towards someone or something; foll. by indirect obj., for, towards). ME. 6 Hold or possess (a relation etc.) to something else. ME. II Support, sustain, endure. 7 v.t. Sustain, support (a weight, strain, or burden). OE. b v.t. Sustain successfully, withstand; admit of, be fit for. E16. c v.i. Support a load. L17. 8 v.t. Sustain (something painful); (usu. in neg. or interrog. contexts) endure, tolerate, reconcile oneself to, bring oneself to do something. OE. b v.i. Foll. by with: be patient or put up with, make allowance for. M16. 9 a v.t. Hold, keep, or lift up; prevent from falling or sinking; hold aloft, hold in position on the top etc. ME. b v.t. Keep going (the refrain or a part of a song). arch. LME. c v.i. Keep one's spirits or courage up; cheer up. M17. 10 v.t. Have written, inscribed, etc., on it; (in pass.) be registered or enrolled in a book etc. thus. ME. 11 v.t. Have or convey the meaning that, purport to be. arch. ME. III v.t. Produce, give birth to. 12 Bring forth, produce, yield (fruit, crops, minerals, etc.). OE. 13 Of a woman or (less commonly) any female mammal: give birth to (a child, children, young); provide (offspring, w. the father as indirect obj. or w. to). See also BORN pple & a. OE. IV Push, move, apply. 14 v.t. Move onward by pressure; force, drive. ME. 15 v.t. Pierce, stab (through). ME-L15. 16 a v.i. Press or come (up)on or at with (esp. downward) force; exert or transmit mechanical pressure (up)on or against; apply weight, thrust. LME. b v.t. Bring down or tend to force down with pressure. L17. 17 v.i. (Try to) move in a certain direction, esp. deliberately or persistently; diverge, turn; (of a vessel) sail in a given direction. Freq. w. advs. L16. b Extend or stretch away in a given direction. E17. 18 v.i. Lie off or be situated in a certain direction from a given point. Cf. BEARING 5. L16. 19 v.i. Foll. by (up)on: exert a practical effect on; have relevance to. L17. 20 v.i. Of a gun: have the intended target in its line of fire, be aimed at the target. L17. V Special uses of borne pa. pple & ppl a. 21 As 2nd elem. of a comb.: carried or transported by, as airborne etc. E17.

clench /klen(t)/ v.t. See also CLINCH v., CLINK v.2 [OE -clencan = OHG klenken, f. Gmc, f. base parallel to that of CLING v.] 1 = CLINCH v. 1a. OE. 2 Set firmly together, close (the fingers, fist, teeth, etc.) tightly.

steel /stil/ v.t. ME. [f. STEEL n.1] 1 a Overlay, point, or edge with steel. Freq. in pass. Now chiefly Hist. ME. b Back (a mirror) with steel. E-M17. c Cover (an engraved metal plate) with a film of protective iron by electrolysis. L19. 2 a fig. Make hard, unbending, or strong as steel, make determined or obdurate; nerve or strengthen (to do something, for something); fortify against. L16. b Make like steel in appearance. rare. E19. 3 Iron (clothes). dial. M18. 4 Convert (iron) into steel. M19. 5 Sharpen (a knife) with a steel. L19.

ire // n. Now chiefly rhet. ME. [(O)Fr. f. L ira anger.] Anger; wrath.ireful a. ( a ) angry; ( b ) irascible: ME. irefully adv. angrily L15. irefulness n. (rare) wrathfulness LME. ireless a.

unmerited /nmertd/ a. E17. [f. UN-1 + merited pa. pple of MERIT v.] Not merited, undeserved.

merit /mert/ v. L15. [(O)Fr. meriter, f. as prec.] 1 v.t. Reward, recompense. rare. L15-E17. 2 v.t. Be or become entitled to or worthy of, deserve, (a thing, to do); earn by merit. E16. 3 v.i. Acquire merit; become entitled to reward, gratitude, or commendation. Now rare. E16. 4 v.i. Deserve, esp. well (of a person).

ease /iz/ v. ME. [Orig. f. OFr. aisier, aaisier, f. phr. a aise at ease; later directly f. the n.] I v.t. 1 Make more comfortable, relieve from physical pain or discomfort. ME. b Refresh with rest or food; show hospitality to. ME-L17. 2 Relieve (a person who is oppressed, troubled, etc.) of a burden, pain, or anxiety; give relief to; help, assist. Also foll. by of, from. ME. b Rob, deprive of. joc. E17. 3 Give mental relief to; comfort, relieve (the mind or heart). LME. 4 Relieve (pain, distress, etc.); lighten (a burden etc.). LME. 5 Make easy or easier, facilitate. LME. 6 Slacken, make less tight; cause to work more freely, esp. by altering or loosening. Freq. Naut., slacken (a rope, sail, etc.). E17. b Reduce the engine speed of (a ship etc.). M19. 7 Move gently or gradually down, into, out of, etc., L17. b Dressmaking. Join by edges of unequal length, distributing the excess of one evenly along the join. Also foll. by in. M20. II v.i. 8 Take one's ease, rest. Only in LME. 9 Slacken, cease; become less burdensome; relax or cease one's efforts, spec. in rowing. Freq. w. advs. L16. b Of shares: become easier, fall a little in value. E20. 10 a Move oneself gently or effortlessly. Chiefly N. Amer. E20. b Pass gently or easily, drift; seep. L20. easer n. L16.

mete /mit/ v. [OE metan = OFris. meta, OS metan, OHG mean (Du. meten, G messen), ON meta, Goth. mitan, f. Gmc, f. IE base repr. also by L meditari MEDITATE, Gk medesthai care for.] 1 v.t. Ascertain or determine the dimensions or quantity of, measure. Now poet. & dial. exc. in allus. to Matt. 7:2. Cf. MEASURE v. 3. OE. b Complete the full measure or amount of. Also foll. by forth, out. E17-L18. 2 v.t. Mark (out) the boundary or course of; = MEASURE v. 7. OE-E19. 3 v.t. Estimate the greatness or value of. Cf. MEASURE v. 4. arch. OE. 4 v.t. & i. Travel or go (a distance). Cf. MEASURE v. 5. OE-L17. 5 v.t. Apportion by measure, allot; esp. allot (punishment, praise, reward, etc.). Usu. foll. by out. Now literary. OE. 6 v.i. Take measurements; measure distances for shooting at a mark; aim at. LME-M17.

slain /slen/ ppl a. & n. ME. [pa. pple of SLAY v.1] A ppl a. 1 Killed, slaughtered. arch. ME. 2 Of grain: blighted. dial. M17. B absol. as n. A person who has been killed; the slain, those who have been killed, esp. in battle. arch.

bloom /blum/ v.1 ME. [f. BLOOM n.1] I v.i. 1 Bear flowers, come into flower. ME. 2 Come into or be in full beauty or vigour; flourish; culminate. ME. 3 Glow with warm colour. M19. II v.t. 4 Bring into bloom; cause to flourish. arch. L16. 5 Colour with a soft warm tint. E19. 6 Cloud (a shiny surface). M19. 7 Photogr. Coat (a lens) so as to reduce reflection from its surfaces.

sown /sn/ n. Chiefly literary. M19. [f. pa. pple of SOW v.1] The cultivated land or grassland as opp. to the desert.

sow /s/ v.1 Pa. t. sowed /sd/; pa. pple sowed, sown /sn/. [OE sawan corresp. to OS saian, OHG sawen, sajen, sa(h)en (Du. zaaien, G saen), ON sa, Goth. saian, f. Gmc, f. IE base repr. also by L serere (pa. t. sevi): cf. SEED n., SEMEN.] 1 v.i. & t. Scatter, sprinkle, or deposit (seed) on or in the ground so that it may grow; plant (a crop) in this way. OE. b v.t. Mil. Lay or plant (an explosive mine); spec. drop (mines etc.) esp. by aircraft into the sea. M20. 2 v.t. a Scatter seed on (land etc.) in order that it may grow; supply with seed. (Foll. by to, with.) OE. b Of seed: be sufficient for (a certain area). LME. 3 v.t. Disseminate, spread, propagate; initiate, introduce, arouse. OE. 4 v.t. Cover or strew (a place etc.) with something, esp. thickly; sprinkle, dot. Chiefly as sown ppl a. OE. 5 Beget (a child). rare. Only in ME.

crass /kras/ a. L15. [L crassus solid, thick, fat.] 1 Coarse, thick, dense, gross, (in physical constitution or texture). Now rare. L15. 2 Grossly stupid, dull, or insensitive.

casualty /kajlti, -zj-/ n. LME. [Alt. of med.L casualitas (see prec.) after penalty, royalty, etc.: see -TY1.] 1 Chance. Now rare. LME. 2 A chance occurrence; an accident, a mishap, a disaster. LME. b A person killed or injured in war or an accident; a thing lost or destroyed. M19. 3 An incidental charge or payment; spec. (Sc. Law, now Hist.) a payment due from a vassal in certain contingencies. LME. 4 Subjection to chance, uncertainty. E16-E19. 5 In full casualty department, casualty ward. The part of a hospital where casualties are attended to.

obstruct /bstrkt/ v.t. L16. [L obstruct- pa. ppl stem of obstruere build against, block up, f. ob- OB- + struere pile, build.] 1 Place or be an obstacle in (a passageway, opening, etc.); make difficult or impossible to pass through. L16. 2 Retard the passage or progress of; impede, hinder the motion of; Sport impede (a player) in a manner which constitutes an offence. M17. 3 fig. Stand in the way of, oppose, retard the course of, (proceedings, a proposed action, etc.); frustrate (a person, intention, etc.). M17. 4 Get in the way of, shut out, (a sight or view).

dice /ds/ v. LME. [f. prec.] I 1 v.t. Cookery. Cut into small cubes. LME. 2 v.t. Chequer, mark with squares. M17. II 3 v.i. Play or gamble with dice. LME. 4 v.t. Gamble away at dice. M16. 5 v.t. Reject, throw away; leave alone. Austral. slang. M20. 6 v.i. Drive (as if) in a race (with).

cast /kst/ v. Pa. t. & pple cast. See also KEST. ME. [ON kasta.] I Throw; throw down, defeat; put forcibly: generally replaced by THROW v. 1 v.t. Throw, move (as) by throwing, fling, hurl, toss. ME. b v.i. Aim, throw; esp. ( a ) shoot projectiles; ( b ) throw dice.

moan /mn/ n. ME. [Ult. f. Gmc base (perh. repr. in OE) whence also MEAN v.2 Cf. MEAN n.2] 1 Complaint, lamentation; a complaint, a lament. ME. b A state of grief or lamentation. E16-M17. 2 a A long low mournful sound indicative of physical or mental suffering or physical pleasure. L17. b A low plaintive sound made by wind, water, etc. E19. 3 A grievance, a grumble; an airing of complaints.

purblind /pblnd/ a. Orig. two wds. ME. [f. PURE adv. (w. assim. to PUR-) + BLIND a.] 1 Orig. (rare), completely blind. Now, having impaired or defective vision; dim-sighted; partially-sighted. ME. b fig. Of a thing: dimly lit. E18. 2 fig. Having imperfect perception or discernment; obtuse, dull, dim-witted.

doomster /dumst/ n. LME. [Var. of DEEMSTER after DOOM n.1, v.] 1 = DEEMSTER 1. arch. LME. 2 Sc. = DEMPSTER 2. obs. exc. Hist. E17. 3 A person who predicts disaster, esp. of a political or economic nature; a doomsayer.

readily /redli/ adv. ME. [f. READY a. + -LY2.] 1 Without reluctance; with alacrity or willingness. ME. 2 Without delay; without difficulty. LME. 3 As may easily happen; probably. Sc.

strew /stru/ v.t. Pa. pple strewn /strun/, strewed. Also (arch.) strow /str/; pa. pple strowed, (arch.) strown /strn/. [OE stre(o)wian corresp. to OFris. strewa, OS stroian, OHG strewen (Du. strooien, G streuen), ON stra, ult. f. IE base repr. by L sternere. Cf. STRAW n. & a., v.] 1 Spread loosely or scatter on the ground, a floor, or some other surface; sprinkle (something granulated or powdery) over a surface. Freq. foll. by about, around, on, over. OE. 2 Cover or spread (a surface) with or with loosely scattered or sprinkled things or material. Also foll. by over. Usu. in pass. ME. 3 a Level to the ground; lay low, throw down. Also foll. by down. Chiefly poet. LME. b Calm (waves or a storm). poet. L16. 4 Be spread or scattered on (a surface).

bliss /bls/ v. [OE blissian, blipsian = OS blidsean, blizzen, f. as prec.] 1 v.i. Be glad, rejoice. OE-LME. 2 v.t. Give joy to, gladden. OE-M17. 3 v.t. Foll. by out: cause to reach ecstasy.

pilgrimage /plgrmd/ n. & v. ME. [Prov. pelegrinatge, f. as prec.: see -AGE.] A n. 1 A journey made by a pilgrim; a journey made to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion. ME. b fig. Life regarded as a journey, esp. to a future state of rest or blessedness. ME. 2 gen. Any journey. Now (w. allus. to sense 1), a journey made for respectful, nostalgic, or sentimental reasons. LME. 3 transf. A sacred place to which pilgrims journey. Now rare. LME.Phrases: Pilgrimage of Grace Hist. the movement in 1536 in northern England opposing the dissolution of the monasteries etc. during the Reformation. B v.i. 1 Live among strangers. LME-M17. 2 Orig. gen., travel. Later spec., make a (holy) pilgrimage.