† Avale v.

Obs. Forms: 4–8 au- avale, 4–6 auaile, 5–6 au- avayle, 6 advale, auayl, aueyle, 7 avail. North. 4–5 awale, 6 awail. See also aphet. VALE v. [a. OF. avaler, f. phr. à val:—L. ad vallem to the valley; = Pr. avalar, It. avallare; cf. AMOUNT v., F. amonter, f. à mont, L. ad montem. For the spelling advale, see AD- pref. 2.]

  1.  intr. Of persons: To descend; to come, go, or get down; to dismount, alight. (Often with redundant down; cf. ascend up.)

c. 1400.  Maundev., xxvi. 266. Summe of the Jewes han … avaled down to the Valeyes.

c. 1425.  Wyntoun, Cron., IX. viii. 140. Owre a bra down awaland.

1483.  Caxton, Gold. Leg., 160/3. A corde by which he aualed doun and was saued.

1509.  Hawes, Past. Pleas., 6. When Phebus in the west Gan to avayle.

1596.  Spenser, F. Q., II. ix. 10. They … from their sweaty coursers did avale. Ibid., IV. iii. 46. Out of her coch she gan availe.

  2.  trans. To descend, come down (a hill, etc.).

1494.  Fabyan, VII. 489. The sayd hoost of Flemynges aualyd y^e mount in a secret wyse.

  3.  intr. Of things: To sink, flow, or drop down.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Boeth., IV. vi. 143. Þe heuy erþes aualen by her weyȝtes.

1483.  Caxton, Gold. Leg., 144/2. The precious blood aualed by the shafte of the spere upon hys hondes.

1509.  Hawes, Past. Pleas., 92. The droppes … Whiche from her eyen began to advale.

1596.  Spenser, F. Q., I. i. 21. But when his later spring gins to avale, Huge heapes of mudd he [Nilus] leaves.

  b.  To sail down stream, or away on an ebb tide.

a. 1547.  Earl Surrey, Æneid, IV. 387. To flight Was armde the fleet all redy to avale.

1552.  Bodenham, Voy. Scio, in Arb., Garner, I. 33. I vailed down that night ten miles, to take the tide in the morning.

  4.  transf. and fig. To lower oneself, submit, yield.

1484.  Caxton, Chyualry, 78. Auaryce … maketh noble courage to descende and auale.

1525.  Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. xxix. 84. Whiche castell after aueyled to me.

  5.  trans. To cause to descend, fall or sink; to let down, lower; to send or direct downwards.

c. 1314.  Guy Warw., 80. His hauberk was al to tore And his nasel avaled bifore.

c. 1400.  Rom. Rose, 1803. The thridde arowe … Into myn herte he dide avale.

a. 1450.  Knt. de la Tour (1868), 113. [Rahab] aualed hem by a corde from … the toune walles.

1523.  Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. ccclxxiv. 619. Drawe vp your ankers and aueyle your sayles.

1579.  Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Jan., 73, Phœbus gan auaile His weary waine.

1770.  Langhorne, Plutarch (1879), I. 118/2. He ordered that the rods should be avaled in respect to the citizens.

  6.  To lower (the visor of a helmet), to uncover; hence, to take off, doff (hat, cap, etc.).

c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron., 97. Ilk auailed his helme, & to conseile drowe.

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Miller’s Prol., 14. He wold avale nowther hood ne hat.

c. 1420.  Anturs of Arth., xxxii. He auaylet vppe his viserne.

1544.  Bale, Sir J. Oldcastell, in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), I. 272. All the clergye … avayling their bonnettes.

1557.  K. Arthur (Copland), V. xii. Y^e kyng aualed his vyser with a meke and noble countenance.

  7.  fig. To degrade, abase, humble; to lower.

c. 1430.  Lydg., Bochas, II. i. (1554), 41 a. Fortune … Auailed hym from his royall see.

1551–6.  Robinson, trans. More’s Utop., 146. One that hath aualed the heighe nature of hys soule to the vielnes of brute beastes bodies.

a. 1639.  Wotton, in Reliq. (1651). It pleased him to … avale his goodness, even to the giving of his friend secret directions.