mountance

Middle English

Etymology

Old French montance.

Noun

mountance

1. amount; quantity; extent
   • 1357, John Mandeville, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville‎^[1]:

     And from thence go men to the city of Hebron, that is the mountance of twelve good mile.

   • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Pardoner's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 861-864:

     [...] ‘In al this world ther nis no creature,
     That ete or dronke hath of this confiture
     Noght but the mountance of a corn of whete,
     That he ne shal his lyf anon forlete;’ [...]

     [...] ‘In all this world there is no creature,
     That has eaten or drunk of this concoction
     Only so much as the amount of a seed of wheat,
     That he shall not immediately lose his life;’ [...]

   • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Manciple's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 252-256:

     [...] ‘For al thy waiting, blered is thyn yë
     With oon of litel reputacioun,
     Noght worth to thee, as in comparisoun,
     The mountance of a gnat; so mote I thryve!
     For on thy bed thy wyf I saugh him swyve.’

     [...] For all thy watching, thou hast been tricked
     By one of little reputation,
     Not worth, compared to thee,
     The value of a gnat; as I may thrive!
     For on thy bed I saw him copulate with thy wife.

References

• “mountance”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.