A

À outrance. The term used to describe jousting in a hostile manner, when injury or death were expected and even wished for. Jousting could also be à plaisir, for pleasure. [< OFr. outrance = beyond bounds, extreme; Fr. à outrance = to the bitter end] – Cf. À plaisir; Joust of peace; Joust of war

À plaisir. Term used to describe jousting for pleasure, as a test of skill, rather than mortal combat. In such an event points were variously scored. – Cf. previous; Joust of peace; Joust of war

Abacus. Orig. a flat surface or board covered with sand and used as a drawing board by mathematicians; architecturally the top, flat part of a capital (supporting the architrave); latterly the computing device made of rows of beads.

Abaddon [Apollyon]. Angel of the Bottomless Pit; also, hell itself. Hell seemed powerfully real at this time. The terror of spending eternity in hell added greatly to the universal fear of death. The fires were not considered to be metaphorical but to be real: it was the Inferno, the place of punishment.

Abatement [rebatement]. Her. A *charge or mark of disgrace. It was either sanguine or *tenné in colour. An older version of the names of the colours was ‘staynande colours’. Such marks were rarely, if ever, used: no one willingly displayed signs of disgrace. [ME abate = to bring down, curtail] – Cf. Gusset

Abba. Christ used this Aramaic word when speaking of God; from this came the title *abbot. St Benedict determined on the use of abbot in his Rule. A similar title, abuna, was used by Syrian Christians and Ethiopians of a priest. The Arabic abuna = father.

Abbacy. Office of either an *abbot or *abbess; the Latin form is abbatia.

Abbess. The head of a community of nuns; after the Dissolution of the monasteries, the madam of a brothel, a usage which suggests vigorous Protestantism. The Latin form was abbatissa. – Cf. Abbot

Abbey. A community of monks or nuns, governed by an *abbot or *abbess; thus the building of such a community – each was part of one of the monastic orders; after the Dissolution, a church once belonging to such a community. [< OFr. abbeie < L abbatia = abbey, monastery]