Define:Byspel
English[eedit soorce]
Alternative forms[eedit soorce]
Etymology[eedit soorce]
From Middle Inglis
,
, from Old English,
,
, from
+
, equivalent to by- + spell. Cognate with Middle Dutch
, German
Noun[eedit soorce]
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 soorce]
- 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 soorce]
Related terms[eedit soorce]
References[eedit soorce]
- Wright, The English dialect dictionary, Byspel(l).
Anagrams[eedit soorce]
Scots[eedit soorce]
Alternative forms[eedit soorce]
Etymology[eedit soorce]
From Old English
,
, from
+
, compare Old High German bīspel (German Beispiel)
Noun[eedit soorce]
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 soorce]
byspel
- very, extraordinarily, exceedingly, exceptionally
- byspel weel ("very well")