Le Morte d'Arthur

Le Morte d'Arthur Glossary

abbey

a monastery or convent

anon

soon

bain

a bath

barge

a large, flat boat

betwixt

between

brachet

a female hunting dog or hound

brethren

brothers

Candlemass

an annual feast held for the Virgin Mary, celebrating her purification

certes

certainly

defect

to desert from a cause or country

engender

to procreate or to create

fealty

sworn allegiance or faithfulness to a lord, master or king

fountain

a source of water, such as a spring or stream

gentlewoman

a woman whose family has a high social position

girdle

a belt

gramercy

"thank you"

griffin

a mystical beast which has the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion

hart

a red male deer

helm

a helmet

hermitage

the dwelling place of a hermit

Holy Ghost

third deity of the Holy Trinity; also called the Holy Spirit

host

a vast army

kin

family

maidenhead

virginity

mantle

a sleeveless clock or cape

necromancy

the art of divination by communicating with the dead

paramour

a lover

pavilion

a large and elaborate tent

Pentecost

a Christian celebration held after Easter, commemorating the moment when the Holy Spirit descended onto the Apostles

pommel

the hilt of a sword

samite

heavy silk worn during the Middle Ages

Sangreal

the bowl or cup Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper, brought to England by Joseph of Aramathie; more commonly known as "the Holy Grail"

scabbard

a sword’s sheath, or holder

smite / smote

to hit hard with a hand or weapon; "smote" is the past tense of the verb

squire

a young noble who serves and is trained by a knight

swoon

to faint

tarry

to delay or to wait

truage

a pledge of peace made by paying a tax or tribute to a higher secular authority (i.e. king or emperor)

truncheon

the broken shaft of a spear

twelevemonth

a year

usurp

to seize power without proper claim

vessel

in the context of the epic, a cup or bowl

void

a vacancy

yield

to surrender oneself