lewed

English

Verb

lewed

1. simple past and past participle of lew

Middle English

Alternative forms

• lewd, leud, leued, lewde, leude, lewede, lewide, lewyd, lewid, lewide, lowed
• læwede, leawede, læuued, læwedd, læwæde, leawde (Early Middle English)

Etymology

From Old English lǣwede. According to the OED, of uncertain origin, but probably from Vulgar Latin *laigo-, from Late Latin laicus (“of the people”) + Old English -ede.

Otherwise, formally resembling a derivative of the past participle of Old English lǣwan (“to reveal, betray”) in the sense of "exposed as being unlearned" or "easily betrayed, clueless", from Proto-West Germanic *lāwijan (“to betray”), influenced in meaning by Latin laicus. If so, related to Middle English lewe (“treacherous”), belewen (“to hand over, betray”).

Pronunciation

• (Early ME) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛːwɛdə/
• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛu̯(i)d(ə)/

Adjective

lewed (comparative lewder, superlative lewedeste)

1. Unrelated to the church; non-priestly; lay.
2. Unschooled, not learned or educated; lacking in knowledge.
   • c. 1370–1390, [William Langland], “[Passus 12]”, in The Vision of Pierce Plowman [...], London: […] Roberte Crowley, […], published 1550, →OCLC:

     Although men made bokes, God was the maister,
     And Seint Spirit the samplarie, and seide what men sholde write.
     And right as sight serveth a man to se the heighe strete,
     Right so lereth scripture lewed men to reason.

     Although men made books, God was the master,
     And the Holy Spirit the example, and said what men should write.
     And just as sight serves a man to see the high street,
     So unschooled men learn scripture to reason.

3. Simple-minded, dumb, or unintelligent; lacking in brainpower.
4. Unmannered, rude, or disrespectful.
5. Low-quality; crude, feeble; of meagre workmanship.
6. Lowborn or lowly; not of noble lineage.
7. Ordinary, unsophisticated or simple; typifying one of non-noble lineage.
8. (Late ME) Lewd, immoral, sinful, or malicious.

Related terms

• lewedly
• lewed man
• lewednesse
• lewidhed

Descendants

• English: lewd

References

• “leued, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-30.

Noun

lewed

1. An ignorant or simple-minded individual.
2. Someone who is not involved in a clerical position.

References

• “leued, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-30.
• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.