Forms: 3–4 asoyl-en, -y, asoil-en, -y, 3–6 asoyle, -oile, 4 asoyli, -lye, asoilie, assoill-en, -i, assoil-en, 4–6 assoyle, assoille, 4–7 assoile, 5 assole, 5–7 assoyl, 6 asoylle, 5– assoil. Scotch 5 assolyhe (= assolȝe), 6 assolye, assoilȝe, -ye, -ze, 7 assolzie, -oylle, 7– assoilzie. Aphet. 5–6 soile, soyle. [f. OF. a(s)soille pres. subj., a(s)soil pres. indic. of a(s)soldre, a(s)soudre:—L. absolŭĕre = absolvĕre to absolve, f. ab from + solvĕre to loose. Other forms of the infinitive in OF. (the first two also in AF.) were a(s)soilier, a(s)soiler, a(s)solier, a(s)soillir, a(s)solir, as if:—L. *absoluēre. L. so·lŭĕre gave OF. so·lre, so·ldre, as ba·tŭĕre, qua·tŭŏr gave batre, quatre, and voluērunt, *vo·lŭĕrunt gave volrent, voldrent; with the variants a(s)soilier, a(s)oillir, compare other OF. double forms, as tesir, taire:—L. tacēre, *tacĕre, and plesir, plaire:—L. placēre, *placĕre. Subsequently refashioned in Fr. as absoudre, and in Eng. as ABSOIL, which paved the way for the modern ABSOLVE, formed directly from the L. after 1500. The Fr. l mouillé, lost in Eng., was as usual retained in Scotch, and symbolized by lȝ, lyh, ly, now corruptly written lz, whence the current assoilzie (ăsoi·lyi, ăsoi·li).]
I. To assoil a person.
1. To absolve from sin, grant absolution to, pardon, forgive; = ABSOLVE 2. ‘Whom God assoil!’ (OF. que Dieu assoille! L. quem Deus absolvat!): an ejaculatory prayer for the departed. arch.
1297. R. Glouc., 464. No man, bote þe pope one, hem asoyly ne myȝte.
1340. Ayenb., 172. Þet he habbe power him to asoyli and him penonce to anioyni.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1882. Or absolucioun he on þe segge calles, & he asoyled hym.
1426. Pol. Poems, II. 131. As wele on his ffader side, Henry the fifth, whom God assoille, as by Kateryne quene of Englond, his modir, whom God assoile.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 564. Pray devoutly for the soule whom God assoile.
1638. Penit. Conf., vii. (1657), 132. God remitting whomsoever the Priest assoileth.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxvi. ‘God assoilzie her!’ ejaculated old Elspeth … ‘His mercy is infinite.’
c. 1840. De Quincey, Autobiog. Sk., Wks. II. 102. Oxford might avail to assoil me.
b. of, from the sin. arch.
1297. R. Glouc., 501. The pope of alle hor sunnes asoileth alle the Barons & kniȝtes.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XXII. 185. To asoylye men of alle manere synnes.
1508. Fisher, Wks., I. 44. Be assoyled clene from synne of theyr ghostly fader.
1551. Abp. Hamilton, Catech., 151 b (Jam.). The wordis of absolutioun … I assoilye the fra thi synnis.
1596. Drayton, Legends, iv. 857. Secretly assoyling of his sin.
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., 112. Acquitted and assoiled from the guilt of all our sins.
c. from purgatory. (Cf. senses 2 and 5.) arch.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 21/1. And assoylle the synnars whan thou descendest into helle.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, II. 299. He will be freed from purgatory the sooner that good people pray to assoilzie him.
† 2. To absolve or set free from excommunication or other ecclesiastical sentence. Obs.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. III. 139. Heo þat ben Curset in Constorie counteþ hit not at a Russche … Heo is asoyled as sone as hire-self lykeþ.
c. 1450. Merlin, xxvii. 560. The londe was assoiled by the legat.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. viii. (1632), 578. Vntil he were assoyled of his excommunication.
1660. R. Coke, Power & Subj., 206. If any Bishop do excommunicate any person … the King may write to the Bishop, and command him to assoyl, and absolve the party.
1691. Blount, Law Dict., Assoile (absolvere) Signifies to deliver, pardon, or set free from an Excommunication.
† 3. To set free, discharge or release (of, from obligations, liabilities); = ABSOLVE 5. Obs.
1366. Maundev., iii. 18. To whom God ȝaf his pleyn Power, for to bynde and to assoille.
1382. Wyclif, 1 Macc. x. 29. Now y assoile you, and alle Jewis, of tributis.
1460. Capgrave, Chron., 143. The same Pope … cursed him, and asoiled al his barones fro that feith whech they had mad to him.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 266/2. She … was assoilled of her vowe.
1650. S. Clarke, Eccl. Hist. (1654), I. 507. A lawful oath, from which no man can assoile you.
4. To acquit (a person) of a criminal charge, to pronounce not guilty, to clear; = ABSOLVE 4. Const. of, from. arch. (see b.)
1528. More, Heresyes, III. Wks. 211/2. Than may the iudges acquite and assoyle the defendaunt.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Matt. xviii. 92. Whom Cesar doth condemne, God sumtime doth assoyle.
1647. (11 March) Cromwell, Lett., xxv. (Carl.). The houses did assoil the army from all suspicion.
a. 1667. Jer. Taylor, Serm. (1678), 88. Many persons think themselves fairly assoiled, because they are … not of scandalous Lives.
1832. Lamb, Lett., II. (1841), 82. If the candlestick be not removed, I assoil myself.
b. esp. in Sc. Law, where assoilzie (i.e., assoilȝie, assoilyie) is still the proper term for: To acquit by sentence of court.
1603–5. Sir J. Melvil, Mem. (1735), 155. Being assoilzied he continued the greatest Favourite at Court.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., IV. xxviii. (Jam.). The malefactour assoilyied at the instance of the partie.
a. 1691. Sir G. Mackenzie, in Stewart’s Trial (1753), 143. The chief actor must be first discussed, and either found guilty or assoilzied.
1800. A. Carlyle, Autobiog., 235. Clear in their judgement that the panel should be assoilzied and the Presbytery taken to task.
1865. Morn. Star, 5 Dec. The action could not be maintained, and the defendants were entitled to be assoillzied.
5. To release, deliver, set free; to discharge. Const. of, from. arch.
1401. Pol. Poems (1859), II. 38. When ye han assoiled me … In truth I shall soile thee of thine orders.
1502. Arnold, Chron., 280. The sayd bysshop now beyng cardynal, was assoiled of his bisshoprich of Wynchester.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., I. x. 52. Till from her bands the spright assoiled is.
1658. Ussher, Ann., VI. 400. To assoile all the sea craft of Thracia from the power and jurisdiction of Philippus.
a. 1845. Hood, Open Quest., xv. What harm if men who burn the midnight-oil … Seek once a week their spirits to assoil?
1850. Mrs. Browning, Wks., I. 330. Death’s mild curfew shall from work assoil.
II. To assoil a thing.
† 6. To unloose the knot of (difficulty or doubt); to clear up, solve or resolve; = ABSOLVE 6. Obs. (In this sense freq. soyle, soil in 16th c. Cf. SOIL v.)
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., V. iii. 154. Þat þei mowen assoilen and vnknytten þe knot of þis questioun.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. III. 236. Þis asketh dauid; And dauyd assoileth it hymself.
1485. Caxton, Trevisa’s Higden (1527), 1. This questyon and doubte is easy to assoyle.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VII. ii. 138. The pepill … thar petitiouns gettis assolȝeit heir.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Mark xi. 28. Soyle me this question.
a. 1593. H. Smith, Serm., 259. Nebuchadnezzar cannot assoile his owne dreame.
1602. Warner, Alb. Eng., XIII. lxxvii. 318. Sybil assoiling Oracles in Caue.
1696. Whiston, Th. Earth (1722), 65. Fewer difficulties in the … Books themselves, than in the … very Comments which ought to assoil ’em.
† 7. To refute (an objection or argument). Obs.
c. 1370. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 388. Argumentis þat may not be asoylid.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., I. xix. 78. A good clerk couthe not assoile the firste obieccioun.
1655. Gurnall, Chr. in Arm., II. 587. For the fuller assoyling this objection.
1721. Strype, Eccl. Mem., I. xxxviii. 300. To confute the pope’s primacy … and to assoyl Pole’s arguments.
8. To purge oneself from, purge, expiate, atone for. (From 1, 2.) arch.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. vi. 25. Well weeting how their errour to assoyle.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 453. To expiate and assoile the carnage and execution don vpon the enemies.
1693. W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen., 162. To assoil crimes or accusations—i.e. to free himself from them.
1879. E. Arnold, Lt. Asia, VIII. (1881), 228. Let each act Assoil a fault or help a merit grow.
† 9. To acquit oneself of, or discharge (an obligation). (From 3.) Obs. rare.
1596. Spenser, Daphn., lxxvii. Till that you come where ye your vowes assoyle.
† 10. To discharge, get rid of, dispel (a thing). (From 5.) Obs. rare.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. v. 30. In seeking him that should her payn assoyle. Ibid., III. i. 58. She soundly slept, and carefull thoughts did quite assoile.
¶ Catachr. for SOIL, sully.
1845. Disraeli, Sybil, 290. Is it that the world has assoiled my soul? Yet I have not tasted of worldly joys.
