Verse > Harvard Classics > Dante Alighieri > The Divine Comedy
Dante Alighieri (1265–1321).  The Divine Comedy.
The Harvard Classics.  1909–14.
Adveur, opposite.
Afflation, the act of blowing upon, or the state of being blown upon.
Agnized, acknowledged; recognized; learnt.
Backening, hindering.
Besteads, profits.
Bewraying, discovering, betraying.
Brachs, female hounds; dogs that pursue their prey by the scent.
Burgein, bud, put forth branches.
Champain, flat, open country.
Charlemain, Charlemagne: Charles the Great.
Chuses, chooses.
Cirque, a circle; an encircling cliff.
Cittern, a musical instrument, like a guitar, but strung with wire instead of gut.
Cloked, concealed; disguised; contradicted.
Cope, head-covering; summit; canopy.
Curule-chair, among the Romans a chair of state reserved under the Republic for officers of high dignity, hence called “curule magistrates.”
Cyon, scion.
Doddered, overgrown with dodder, or slender, twining, leafless parasites, involving and destroying the whole plant on which they grow.
Dispred, expanded.
Empery, empire, sovereignty, dominion.
Emprize, undertaking of great import and risk.
Erst, formerly.
Featly, dexterously; nimbly.
Fardel, burden.
Foison, outpouring; abundance.
Foss, moat; ditch; depression; chasm.
Frore, frozen; frosty.
Germain, related.
Gleed, spark.
Governance, the art of governing.
Grot, grotto; crypt; hidden chamber.
Gyres, circles.
Hight, called; named.
Holm, holly; oak-holm.
Indurated, hardened; obdurate.
Jocund, cheerful; care-free.
Ken, sub. attention, understanding; v. recognize, apprehend.
Lea, meadow.
Limn’d, painted; drawn; illuminated.
List, Purg., c. 18, 1. 59, please; Purg., c. 23, 1. 48, listen to.
Losel, a lazy vagabond; a scoundrel.
Meed, reward, in both bad and good sense.
Mickle, much; great.
Nathless, none the less.
Omnific, all-creating.
Pallet, couch; resting place.
Practic, practical skill; i. e., proof.
Primy, flourishing; in its prime.
Proem, preface; introduction.
Propension, inclination.
Quaternion, composed of four, as in Purg., c. 33, l. 3, the four virgins.
Quatre, four.
Quire, choir; company.
Quiresters, choristers; singing birds.
Ramp, leap; spring; bound.
Reaves, bereaves.
Rere, rear; backward.
Rereward, to the rear.
Rivage, river bank; shore; coast.
Sempiternal, having beginning, but no end; everlasting.
Septentrion, northern.
Sheret, hurt; damaged.
Sicklies, makes sick.
Sigil-mark, seal; signature; an occult sign, mark, or character.
Sith, since; afterwards.
Sithence, since; seeing that.
Swerd, sword.
Tent, prove; sound; tempt; try.
Tetchy, peevish; irritable.
Tilth, that which is tilled; or the act of tilling.
Tinct, tinged; colored.
Tourneying, competing (or turning, varying?).
Transpicuous, transparent.
Trinal, threefold.
Trine, threefold.
Twyfold, twofold.
Unweeting, unwitting; unconscious.
Vaward, vanward; to the front.
Vermeil dyed the mulberry, etc., the story as told by Ovid in his Metamorphoses, the blood of Pyramis dyed the white mulberry a dark tint or purple hue.
Vermeil-tinctured, vermilion-tinged or rosy colored.
Verrey, verry, same as vaire, a term in heraldry denoting green-tinctured.
Visive, visual.
Wain, sub. Charles’ wain-churl’s or farmer’s wagon, the seven brightest stars of the constellation Great Bear, which has been called a wagon or “wain” since the time of Homer; v., to carry.
Waymenting, bewailing; lamentation.
Whenas, when; whereas; while.
Whilom, once; formerly.
Wons, lives; dwells.

