Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. Archaic To absolve; pardon.
- v. Archaic To atone for.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To solve; clear up.
- To release; set free; acquit; pardon; absolve.
- To remove; dispel.
- To soil; stain.
Wiktionary
- v. transitive, archaic To absolve, acquit; to release from blame or sin.
- v. archaic To set free, release.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. Archaic To set free; to release.
- v. obsolete To solve; to clear up.
- v. Archaic To set free from guilt; to absolve.
- v. Archaic To expiate; to atone for.
- v. obsolete To remove; to put off.
- v. Obs. or Poet. To soil; to stain.
WordNet 3.0
- v. pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
Etymologies
- Anglo-Norman assoiler, from the tonic stem of Old French asoldre (modern absoudre), from Latin absolvere, present active infinitive of absolvō ("absolve"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English assoilen, from Old French assoldre, assoil-, from Latin absolvere, to set free : ab-, away; see ab-1 + solvere, to loosen; see leu- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Then said Sir Reginald: But if thou assoil the king and all other standing in the curse, it shall cost thee thy life.”
“And these four knights aforesaid came to Canterbury on the Tuesday in Christmas week about Evensong time, and came to S. Thomas and said that the king commanded him to make amends for the wrongs that he had done, and also that he should assoil all them that he had accursed anon, or else they should slay him.”
“She had declared that she was incapable of further jealousy — and yet she now told him of daily sin of which her conscience could not assoil itself.”
“God gave his plein power for to bind and to assoil, and therefore they should be obedient to him.”
“And then he kneeled down on his knee, and prayed the Bishop to shrive him and assoil him.”
“Some things of this nature, especially such as relate unto chronological computations, I acknowledge are attended with great and apparently inextricable difficulties; but the skill and knowledge mentioned will guide humble and modest inquirers into so sufficient a satisfaction in general, and as unto all things which are really useful, that they shall have no temptation to question the verity of what in particular they cannot assoil.”
“But the sense of the word is, to assoil, to acquit, to declare and pronounce righteous upon a trial; which, in this case, the pardon of sin does necessarily accompany.”
“She is a jolly _compagnon de voyage_, had been thrice to Jerusalem, and is now seeking assoil for some little sins at Canterbury.”
“Then did Sir Lancelot's heart almost burst with sorrow; and when he had finished praying and weeping, he kneeled unto the bishop and prayed him to shrive him and assoil him.”
“And thy great oath, to assoil thee of this charge,”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘assoil’.
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Rare Words - A
Not just rare words, but thousands of RARE WORDS WITH DEFINITIONS.
If you want to see the definitions, too, go to
http://phrontistery.i...aba, abacinate, abactor, abaculus, abaft, abampere, abapical, abarticular, abasement, abasia, abask, abatis and 1214 more...
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phrontistery - a
from phrontistery.info
aba, abacinate, abactor, abaculus, abaft, abampere, abapical, abarticular, abasement, abasia, abask, abatis and 1214 more...
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Ecology
apishamore, argonaut, latent, unbacked, dichotomy, noctilucent, assoil, animalcule, succinct, vespertine, crozzle, vermilion and 15 more...
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Quaintnesses
For those who wish no words were ever forgotten
opprobrium, tedium, encomium, odium, ire, enmity, beguile, wile, brazen, popinjay, squit, hoity-toity and 1161 more...
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discoveries
These are lexical items new to me that I've discovered in actual use (i.e. not in dictionaries, lists, or this site).
Looking back over this list, I haven't the slightest idea what mos...haymow, hawsepipe, stridor, bariatric, autotelic, apotropaic, cyanotype, tourelle, autobody, zudecca, stifado, corbeille and 1073 more...
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traipsin' 'long through dis 'ear book...
Words which are either entirely new to me or;
Words which I comprehend generally but would prefer a more precise definition.
venality, seigneurial, mendicant, perforce, manse, glebe, trenchant, saw, obstreperous, profligate, dissipation, galliard and 176 more...
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Archaic
Because they just don't make 'em like they used to.
comeling, circuition, assentment, advisement, accompts, apertness, larum, soothfastness, deperdition, marish, covin, tinct and 166 more...
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fitting words
a list of words from the indo european root ar- and variations : to fit together
ambry, rede, coarctate, anarthrous, artiodactyl, exordium, harmony, army, armoire, arm, armada, armadillo and 349 more...
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jmjarmstrong's list
Words that I used to know.
geloscopy, hunker, willy nilly, harum scarum, whacko, meh, nork, misunderestimate, atrabiliousness, luftmensch, auxanometer, hyperhedonia and 1948 more...
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Words to memorize
Tweets
Looking for tweets for assoil.
jmjarmstrong JM has put his assoil papers in the compost. Jul 31, 2010
bilby "Then the good man enjoined Sir Launcelot such penance as he might do and to pursue knighthood, and so assoiled him, and prayed Sir Launcelot to abide with him all that day."
- Thomas Malory, 'The Holy Grail'. Sep 8, 2009