prep. Obs. Also 1 emb. A variant of OE. ymbe, ME. UMBE, q.v., about, around, etc.
a. 1000. Athelstan, 5 (Gr.). Embe Brunanburh.
a. 1000. Menolog. (Gr.), 210. Emb eahta niht.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 51. Þe bitacninge þe ic habbe embe ispeken. Ibid., 219. Ne meȝ nan iscefte … understonden embe god.
c. 1205. Lay., 6563. Æuere he þohte embe uuel.
c. 1315. Shoreham, 141. Ine thylke songe That ich was embe oure faye.
Hence in OE. and early ME. compounds: embhuʓa [OE. hoʓa care], anxiety; embsniðe v. [OE. sníðan to cut], to circumcise; embeþonk [OE. þanc thought], anxiety or thought about; embe-uten adv. [OE. úton without], round about.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. vi. 34. Æghwylc dæʓ hæfð ʓenoh on hys aʓenum ymbhoʓan [c. 1160 Hatton embhuʓan]. Ibid., Mark. xiv. 47. Soðlice an of þam þe ðar embe-uton [c. 1160 Hatton embe-uten] stodon his swurde abræd. Ibid., Luke ii. 210. Þe ehta daʓas ʓefyllede wæron þæt ðæt cild emsnyden [c. 1160 Hatton embsnyðen] wære.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 81. Þet me sculde in þe ehtuþe dei þet knaue child embsniþen.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 87. Þe bileffulle mannes heorte … ben wasshen of þe embeþonke of fleshliche lustes.
