menske

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.

Alternative forms

• menk, mensc, mensca, mensce, mensk, meske

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛnsk(ə)/, /ˈmɛnk(ə)/

Noun

menske (plural menskes or mensken)

1. 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, January 2018:

     […] 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 150454844, 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 […]

2. kindness, dignity, humanity
3. (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, January 2018:

     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 […]

Related terms

• mensken
• menskful
• menskly

Descendants

• English: mense (dialectal)
• Scots: mense

References

• “mensk(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Adjective

menske

1. Alternative form of mensk

Verb

menske

1. Alternative form of mensken