kirtle.

Searchable Lemmata: kyrtel (OE), cyrtel (OE), kirtel (ME), kertel (AF), kirtella (L), kirtellum (L), kirtil (OScots), kirtle (MdE). Alternate Forms: kirtelle, cirtil, kiertel, curtel, curtell, cuertel, kurtel, cuirtel, cortel, kurdyll, kertell, kirtela, cyrtlas.

Literary Evidence:
1a. (n.) Garment; general term for an upper-body garment of various descriptions: a man or boy's tunic, (later) a woman's gown; originally short but with varying lengths; on occasion described as made of wool or fur. The term kirtle could be used to describe a simple tunic with a belt gathering (found, for example, in Biblical translations). Kirtles were worn by both sexes and were valued sufficiently to be bequeathed by women in the tenth century and were also worn by nuns (cf. sense 1b). In the fourteenth century, the term typically applied to a tunic (or a longer gown) worn alone by working men and women, or under a surcoat, cote-hardie or gown; also carried figurative, abstract and anatomical senses: a covering or protection; etc. (circa 890 still in current use) 1. Se byrdesta sceall gyldan fiftyne meares fell [et] fif hranes [et] an beran fel [et] tyn ambra fera [et] berenne kyrtel oe yterenne [et] twegen sciprapas; ger sy syxtig elna lang: oer sy of hwles hyde geworht, oer of sioles. [DOE Or 1 (0105 (1.15.17))] 2. Toi t s leahter syndrie hte mid ealle gewanod beo & <adilegod> sy fram heom ealle, syn gesealde fram ere abbodesse ealle neodbehefe ing, t is mentel, cyrtel, meon hose, gyrdel, seax, greffe, nedle, sceat, weaxbrede, t lcere neode beladung sy adilegod, t hi urh neode nane tale to syndre hte nabban. [DOE BenRW (0508 (55.113.13))] 3. And selle mon Beornwynne minne blwenan cyrtel is neaene unrenod, & hire betstan heafodgewdo. [DOE Ch 1497 (Whitelock-Ker) (0059 (47))] 4. & hio an Ceoldrye hyre blacena tunecena swa er hyre leofre beo & hyre bets haliryft & hyre betsan bindan & <elflde> isse Hwitan hyre cincdaenan cyrtel & cuffian & bindan & finde elfld syan an hyre nunscrude loce hwt hio bets mge Wulfflde & elgife & ice mid golde t hyra ger hyru hbbe LX penenga <wyr> & Ceolwynne & Edburge t sy XXX penega wyr. [DOE Ch 1539 (Whitelock 3) (0031 (75)) 900/1100] 5. Dicit ergo discipulus ille quem diligebat iesus petro dominus est simon petrus itaque cum audisset quia dominus est tunica praecincxit se erat enim nudus et misit se in mare cw fore e egn he onne lufa one hlend drihten is simon petrus miy giherde tte hlafard is one cyrtel ymbsalde hine ws foron nacod & sende hine on s. [DOE JnGl (Ru) (085900 (21.7))]

simple tunic with a belt gathering

6. [57] ... cote, purpoint et kertel ... laynes sengles, furrez et doublez ... [58] ... et la ventaille, plates, pesynes et habergeons [AND Rom 32 (57-58) circa 1240]

7. Arur e stronge warp he an his rugge a rf swie deore, nne cheisil [Otho: cheiselne] scurte & nne pallene curtel, nne burne swie deore [MED Lay.Brut ((Clg A.9) 23761-2) circa 1275] Heroic, Historic. (work: a1200?); 'a jacket or tunic worn under armor' [MED] 8. Hail seint Michel ... ou hast a rede kirtil anon to i fote [MED Heil seint Michel ((Hrl 913) p.154) ante 1325] Poetic. 9. Abowte at tyme tunica Domini inconsutulis, at is, our Lordes kirtel [vr. cortel; Higd.(2): coote] wioute semes, was i-fownde [MED Trev.Higd. ((StJ-C H.1) 5.419) ante 1387] Biblical/Hagiographic, Historic. the seamless robe of Christ 10. item in furrura duarum curtell' pro domino cum furr[a] agu[i] x s. [DMLBS Ac. Dom. (Ep. Wint.) 1393] Accounts. 11. vne toge de colo[ur] de blue furrez kerti de russet pric de xij d. vn smok pc de vj. d. vn broche dargent dorez pc de xij d. vne burse pric' pc ij d. deux kercheves pric xij d. vn chaperon pric xij d. [LexP NA MS SC 8/255/12724 (ll. 3-6) circa 1403] Legal.

transcribed by Mark Chambers, 11/06/2011

12. lego Beatrici filie Margarete sororis mee c s., unam camisiam, unum kirtellum ... togam, capicium, caligas et sotilares de novo [DMLBS Reg. Cant. (II 219) 1420] Accounts. (and cf. the

following sense)

13. A surcott vuerte e knyght tase ... To vnarme hym e kny3t gose -- Kyrtels [vr. cortyls] and surcotis and oer close [MED Eglam. ((Clg A.2) 1283) circa 1430/1440] Heroic, Poetic, Romance. 'a jacket or tunic worn under armor' [MED] 14. unum kertell' panni lanei rubei coloris precii xij s. ... furata fuit [DMLBS Pat (484) 1457]

c.f.:
AF, L, ME, MdE, OE, OScots; Primarily N/A.

Sex: Male, Female / Use: n/a / Status: n/a / Rank: n/a / Ceremonial: No Body Parts: Back, Chest, Entire Body.
References: 1b. (n.) Garment; specifically, a woman's body garment: often an outer garment worn over a smock or under a mantle, gown or pilch (MED; cf. the previous sense). (circa 995 - circa 1870 ?) 1. Heo nom hire on anne curtel [Otho: cuertel] e wes swie to-toren; hire hem heo up i-th, hire cneon he wes swie nehi [MED Lay.Brut ((Clg A.9) 4993) circa 1275] Heroic, Historic. 2. [1831] ... Ho la3t a lace ly3tly, at ... leke vmbe hir sydez, Knit vpon hir kyrtel vnder e clere mantyle ... [1833] ... Gered hit [the girdle] watz with grene sylke ... around brayden ... [1846] ... 'Now forsake 3e is silke?' sayde e burde enne [MED Gawain ((Nero A.10) 1831-1846) circa 1400] Arthurian, Heroic, Poetic, Romance.

3. We enioyne yowe ... that none of yow, the prioresse ne none of the couente, were no vayles of sylke ... herneysed ... ne that none of yow vse no lased kyrtels [MED Visit.Alnwick (8b) 1441] Ecclesiastic/Regula.

c.f.:
ME, MdE; Primarily Romance.

Sex: Female / Use: n/a / Status: / Rank: / Ceremonial: No Body Parts: Back, Chest.
References:

Etymological Evidence:
Definite, OE cyrtel = ON kyrtill. Commonly thought to have been adopted from L curtus (short, etc.).
The DMLBS records 'Latin' variants only from 1393 and following. The OED adds: 'The sense 'short coat', as opposed to 'long gown', would suit the ordinary meaning of the ON. ['tunic'] word, but does not apply to the use in Eng.' [OED, 2nd ed., 'kirtle, n.1']. This is probably not the case (see sense 1a).

WF:
Etym Cog: kyrtill (ON). References:

Archaeological Evidence:
References:

Art and Illustration:

References: