Talk:alength

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Latest comment: 3 years ago by Winthrop23
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Leaving a note here--though Webster 1913 and several other (likely piggybacking) sources cite Chaucer as using this word, it does not appear outside one idiomatic use in any of his major works. Nor do 'alengthe,' 'o length,' 'o lengthe,' or the older 'on length.' The confusion may come from the presence of 'on legth' in Thomas Usk's The Testament of Love, which was initially (mistakenly) ascribed to Chaucer. At least one other source cites Douglas, but I am too unfamiliar with his work to verify this claim. I am unable to find an instance of 'alength;' every quote I have found uses 'alengthe.' Also note that Kurath's Middle English Dictionary simply has an entry under 'alengthe' but not under 'alength.' Winthrop23 (talk) 09:15, 25 September 2020 (UTC)Reply