Mankind: Medieval Morality Plays Glossary

Glossary of Terms

allegory

a form of metaphor in which abstract ideas or principles are represented as concrete - as characters, figures, or events.

alms

good deeds

baleys

whip

convict

(medieval English) conquer

dainty

(medieval English) liking

distemper

to unbalance, to change for the worse

eschew

stay away from, avoid

Evensong

a Christian service, usually a public service performed on a Sunday evening

exegesis

an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible or another religious text - often translating from Latin)

ghostly

(medieval English) spiritual

governance

(medieval English) control, mastery

halter

rope or canvas headgear for a horse, with a rope for leading the horse by. Fits over the horse's head.

hic

(Latin) here

holyke

a perversion of "holy" used in Nought's "Christmas Song", which probably also is meant to sound like "hole-lick"

irk

(medieval English) to irritate

jewels

(medieval English - slang) testicles

Job

a character in the Old Testament who maintained his faith in God even when tested with severe hardship and misfortune

mutable

changeable

obeisanec

(medieval English) reverence, humbleness

pottage

soup

shackles

chains

tapster

an inn keeper, pub owner or tavern keeper

tomorn

(medieval English) tomorrow

trace

(medieval English) to dance

unkind

(medieval English) undutiful