cruelte
Middle English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkriu̯ɛlteː/, /ˈkriu̯alteː/, /ˈkriu̯əlteː/
Noun
cruelte (plural crueltes)
- The state of being cruel; cruelness, cruelty, ruthlessness.
- a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, line 1543-1544:
- How longe Juno thurgh thy crueltee, / Woltow werreyen Thebes the citee?.
- For how long, Juno, with your cruelty, / Will you assail the city of Thebes?
-
- Viciousness, ferociousness; the state of being fierce.
- (rare) Strictness, unforgivingness.
- (rare) Injuriousness, painfulness.
Usage notes
This word, as in modern English, is more common than its synonym cruelnesse.
References
- “crūeltẹ̄ (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-09-12.
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