tenebra

tenebra, s. tenebrae ➳ .

tenebra [CL usu. pl.] 1 darkness, absence of light; b (of night, also transf. w. ref. to night-time). c dark conditions. d (liturg., pl.) Tenebrae, office sung on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Holy Week during which candles lit at the start of the service are extinguished one after each psalm. e (fig.) spiritual or mental darkness. vidi ‥ ~is omnia repleri Bede HE V 12; sol terram circuiens ‥ umbram relinquit ~arum Id. Cant. 1135C; nunc ego verba tenens nunc sepe repello tenebras Hwætberht Aen. 31 (Cera) 4; quid ~as in luce querimus? Ailr. Spec. Car. II 35. 612; multa sunt que posita in ~a videntur Peckham Persp. I 1 f. 3v. b garrulus in tenebris rutilos cecinisse solebam / augustae lucis radios et lumina Phoebi Aldh. Aen. 26 (Gallus) 1; sicque meo noctis tetras depello tenebras / lumine, clarifica perfundens luce sacellum Aen. Laur. 10 (Luminare) 7; mater ‥ ancillam adjuta noctis ~is cubili apposuit W. Malm. GR II 159; nicticorax ‥ in ~is alimenta perquirit AncrR 46. c ut solveretur a vinculis ferreis et carcerum ~is Gir. PI II 1. d per triduum illud ante Pascha quod appellamus ~as Beleth RDO 61. 67B; 1201 tribus noctibus ~arum CurR I 459; precedunt Pascha tenebre Garl. Myst. Eccl. 303; in tribus noctibus ante Pascha (que noctes ~arum sunt vocate quia in Passione Domini sunt tenebre facte) Obed. Abingd. 354; 13‥ candelabrum pro cereo paschali; item cratis ~arum Fabr. York 164. e 625 si a vestrae fidei splendore interpositis detestabilis erroris ~is ille remanserit alienus (Lit. Papae) CS 17; si nunc adversus ‥ potestates ~arum ‥ pertinaciter pertinacibus repugnantes ‥ fortiter dimicemus Aldh. VirgP 11; qui longis peccatorum ~is involutus semel de luce desperat Bede Prov. 991A; quod in ~is oblivionis erravit, et speratae jam lucis rememoratione correxit ‥ Id. Mark 283A; caelitus lumen rutilum refunde, / et fuga mentis tepidae tenebras Alcuin Carm. 121. 7. 1; scio qua ~a teneris, que universos qui de rerum ordine dubitant involvit, in errorem inducit Adel. QN 64; crassas ignorantie ~as palpo W. Malm. GP I prol.; prudentia Ithaci et Pelide virtus sub ~is ignorantie usque hodie latuissent P. Blois Ep. 77; Brandanus ‥ qui tanquam aurora rutilans peccatorum ~as a multorum cordibus fugavit (Brendanus 1) VSH I 98; de corde meo omnis dubitationis deterserant ~as Mir. Wulfst. II 16 p. 171; preclara nobilitas quam nulla infidelitatis ~a eclipsare ‥ valebat Ps.-Elmh. Hen. V 73. 2 blindness, impairment or loss of vision. magis magisque crassescentibus ~is veram cecitatem intelligens W. Malm. GP V 266; [femina] spectabilis sed ~is oculorum deformis Ib. V 278; virum pluribus annis luce privatum ‥ consolatur ‥ et longam ~arum mesticiam mutat in ‥ restitute lucis leticiam Brev. Hyda f. 294ra. 3 dark or gloomy times. relictis idolatriae ~is, Christianus integro ex corde factus est Bede HE I 7; annus ‥ nubileus a nubilo dicendus, tam nubilo temporis quam ~is infelicitatis Map NC I 15 f. 12; mortis et crucis ~as sustinendo pro filiis hominum J. Ford Serm. 80. 8. 4 dark colouring. 1581 Colob' de Chamblet de serico virid' de ~e colore [Eng.: of sadd grene silke chamblet] Ac. LChamb. 72 f. 15.

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