Define:Byspel
English eedit
Alternative forms eedit
Etymology eedit
From Middle Inglis
,
, from Old English,
,
, from
+
, equivalent to by- + spell. Cognate with Middle Dutch
, German
Noun eedit
Byspel (plural Byspels)
- Template:Obsolete A proverb.
- 1845, Henry Hammond, A paraphrase and annotations upon all the books of the New :
- [...] signifies a byword or proverb, or, as it is still used in the north, byspell.
- 1845, Henry Hammond, A paraphrase and annotations upon all the books of the New :
- Template:Obsolete An example.
- 2011, Michael Everson, The Oxford English Dictionary on eð:
- I don't like using ð for most words at the beginning of the word simply because ð looks like a d and huru Ð looks like a D and would encourage people using the “d” instead of “th” for byspel: “dat” instead of “that” … and others.
- 2011, EnglishGBTranslation
- As byspel, encyclopædia instead of encyclopaedia; ... As byspel, færie is actually wrong, thus faerie should be used.
- 2011, Michael Everson, The Oxford English Dictionary on eð:
- Template:Obsolete A person used as an example, either positively or negatively; one who has become a byword for any remarkable quality.
- Template:Obsolete An exceptional or wonderful character.
- Template:Obsolete A family outcast; bastard.
- 2001, Peter Novobatzky, Ammon Shea, Depraved and Insulting English:
- "The byspel of his rich and landed clan, young Norton lived alone in a shed, by the woods on the edge of the estate. [...]"
- 2001, Peter Novobatzky, Ammon Shea, Depraved and Insulting English:
- Template:Obsolete An accidental piece of good fortune; a wonderful stroke of luck or dexterity.
- Template:Obsolete A mischievous person (usually applied to youngsters); an awkward figure.
- Template:Obsolete A natural child.
Usage notes eedit
- Neither this term nor any of its alternative forms can be found in COCA or BNC, two of the largest corpora of contemporary usage, American and British respectively.
Derived terms eedit
Related terms eedit
References eedit
- Wright, The English dialect dictionary, Byspel(l).
Anagrams eedit
Scots eedit
Alternative forms eedit
Etymology eedit
From Old English
,
, from
+
, compare Old High German bīspel (German Beispiel)
Noun eedit
byspel
- a rarety, someone or something of rare, unique, or exceptional qualities (often used ironically)
- She's just a byspale.
- a 1811, reported in Jameson.
- He's nae byspel mair than me.
- He's no better than me.
- He's nae byspel mair than me.
Adverb eedit
byspel
- very, extraordinarily, exceedingly, exceptionally
- byspel weel ("very well")