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Mervaill, -vell, Marvaill, -vell, n. Also: -vaille, -vail(e, -waill(e, -veill, -weil, -vale, -vall, -wal(e, -wall(e, -waal, -veal, -vel(e, -wel(l. [ME. and e.m.E. mervel(l (Cursor M.), -veyle (1303), -vaile (c 1330), -vayle, etc., marveill(e (14th c.), -vell(e (c 1400), F. merveille.]The appearance of mer- or mar- as the spelling of the first syllable depends largely on more or less arbitrary decisions by the editors of the various texts as to their expansion of the MS. abbreviation.Forms with stress on either the first or the second syllable appear to be indicated among the verse occurrences.Freq. const. without article in the sing.

1. A marvellous act executed by divine or other supernatural means or agency; a wondrous act, a miracle. = Miracle n.Very common in Leg. S. a1400 Legends of the Saints iii. 1036.
The maste merwale that God mad a1400 Ib. xiv. 43.
Fra he becwthe to wirk merwale To the laste end of his trawale a1400 Ib. xv. 216.
God fore it sic merwale kyde That [etc.] a1400 Ib. xvii. 253.
In taknynge Of that marvale a1400 Ib. iv. 384.
Merwaalis a1400 Ib. xxxiii. 853.
Marwel a1400 Ib. xl. 1447.
Merwalle c1400 Troy-bk. i. 473.
All thyre merwalis … Scho will do c1515 Asloan MS I. 153/13.
Merwallis that Crist wrocht in Jowry 1551 Hamilton Catechism 209.
Of all the mervalis that God hes wrocht, he hes maid ane to be ane remembrance of all the laif 1562-3 Winȝet I. 15/9.
Quhair ar ȝour meruellis wrocht be the haly spirit? 1567 Gude and Godlie Ballatis 43. a1605 Montg. Son. ii. 13.
Mervels 1600-1610 Melvill 13.
Thy merveals and thoughts toward us can nocht ordourlie be recompted before Thie 1622-6 Bisset II. 357/5.
Preiching His mervellis and misteries uttered in this warld

b. Applied, more or less hyperbolically, to achievement seemingly beyond normal human power; in plur., ‘miracles’, ‘wonders’. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace iii. 29.
Bot he be cest he sail do gret merwaill [: awaill] a1500 Lancelot of the Laik 892.
For thei supposit, throw marwellis that he vroght, He had hyme-self to his confusioune broght a 1510 Aberd. Univ. Review XXXVI. i. 51.
Woman dois mervellis in certane

2. a. Any event of natural or supernatural origin occasioning wonder or astonishment; a miraculous event, a wonder. a1400 Legends of the Saints xv. 85.
Sik merwal neuir befel As we here ȝow of tel a1400 Ib. 880.
Of hyme … A merwale fel in his days a1400 Ib. xxxvi. 755. 1456 Hay I. 64/35.
[After his ox spoke,] the labourare … passit to the citee and tald this mervaill, quhilk na man coud devis 1490 Irland Mir. I. 159/2.
The sone drew away the licht, the stanis raf, and mony vthire gret merwalis ware schawande a1500 Buke of the Sevyne Sagis 2611. 1531 Bell. Boece I. iv.
Merveillis 1533 Boece ix. i. 286.
The pepill … comptit this mervell amang vthir prodigios thingis a1540 Freiris Berw. 391. 15.. Lord Fergus' Gaist 2.
Listis, lordis, I sall ȝow tell Off ane verry grit marvell a1578 Pitsc. II. 43/32. a1578 Ib. I. 145/14, 233/1; etc.
Thair never was sic ane marvell sene, so few … to defait so money men bot slaughter in thair syde

b. Any thing occasioning wonder or admiration, a wonder. c1515 Asloan MS I. 165/12.
Bot it war to lang to tell … the merwalis of thire iles 1513 Doug. xiii. iv. 108 (R).
And of the wounderus meruellis in that place Quhilk semyt nothing lytyl for to be c 1641–54 J. Gordon in Macfarlane's Geog. Coll. II. 534.
The ruynes and monumentis of a fair kyrk … the marveills of the graves therof ar known

3. Predicatively: (It is) (grete, na, na grete, nocht, etc.) mervel, (grete, na, quhat) mervel(is), = (it is) (a great, no) wonder, what wonder.Variously const.(1) 1456 Hay I. 47/30. 1456 Ib. 49/31.
And was sa mony bataillis betuix thame that it was grete mervaill a1538 Abell 57¹ b.
Sche bure this rycht hewy as na merwell wes a1568 Bannatyne MS 272 a/253. 1571 Satirical Poems xxix. 4.
Than fand I it no grett mervall(2) ?a1500 Dewoit Exerc. 231.
Ȝe begouth to worth richt … waik. Allace, sueit Lord, na marwall a1538 Abell 572 a.
Quhat sorow cummys of adultre and na merwell for adultre is aganis all law 1562-3 Winȝet II. 66/9.
And na meruel, says he, for [etc.] 1572 Satirical Poems xxxiii. 276.
My torment sair constrynis me this to speik, Na merweil quhy, for I am wondrous seik(3) 1456 Hay I. 44/15.
This king … gert mak at Rome the foussis grete and large that mervaill was to see 1456 Ib. 54/11.
It war mervaile to here and our lang to declare 1460 Hay I. 61/30. Alex. (Taym.) 1879.
Quhen the bataillis had sa lang lestit that it was grete mervaill till endure 15.. Clariodus v. 2013.
It war mervell for to be rehearsit 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 1791. 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 23.
How fynelie scho playit hir part (as scho thocht) it is merwell to tellplur. 1456 Hay I. 7/2.
It suld nocht be grete mervaillis to se grete weris and bataillis in this warid here(4) 1456 Hay I. 77/29.
That is grete mervaille how the barnis that ȝit was unborne suld mak a bataill 1456 Ib. 107/29.
It is na mervail that the King of Fraunce be nocht subject to the Empire 1456 Ib. 78/36, 79/4. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace ii. 156.
Gret merwaille was lang tyme gif he mycht leyff 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 1783.
Thir twa to fecht began Sa cruellie that it was greit meruaill Quhilk of the twa … suld preuaill ?c1675 J. Gordon Hist. II. 42.
Nor is it any mervaille that … they did … declare against … the highe comissione(b) a1500 Henr. Fab. 50 (Makc.).
No merwell is a man be lik a best, Quhilk [etc.] 1490 Irland Mir. I. 24/10. 1492 Myll Spectakle of Luf 287/27.
The quhilk gyf a man fal tharein it is mervell except the grace of God & he part h[ym] thairfra a1500 Buke of the Sevyne Sagis 535. c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 549.
Grit meruell is, of yow that gettis this muk [sc. riches], Bot ye suld haue aboundance with gude luk 1563 Misc. Wodrow Soc. 209.
For it is no mervall, bot ane man sall beleve that thing rather quhilk [etc.] ? c 1570 Satirical Poems xiv. 9.
Na merwell albeit my hart claif 1573 Criminal Trials I. i. 513.
For its not mervell that I have bein wickit for [etc.] 1573 Davidson Satirical Poems xl. 193.
This is merwell … How he suld fend from furie and thair fead a1585 Polwart Flyt. 717 (T).
Na mervell that ill wyn ill wairit be c1590 Fowler II. 56/32. 1629 Justiciary Cases I. 104.
And na mervell it is that thais effectis brek out in her face(5) 1456 Hay I. 298/29.
And now quhat mervaill is that [etc.] 1456 Ib. II. 17/23.
Sen thare is na sculis of chevalrye, quhat marvaill is thouche thare be mony knychtis unwytty c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 106 (M).
Quhat marvele is thocht thow reiose to flyte 1562-3 Winȝet I. 5/35. 1562-3 Ib. 9/7.
Quhate maruell is it that materis of les pryce … to be at this tyme corruptit a1570-86 Arbuthnot Maitland Folio MS xxix. 14.
Quhat mervell is thocht I murne and lament 1596 Dalr. I. 143/24.
Quhat meruel is it that quha ar of sindrie tounes … be of sindrie maneris? — 1571 Satirical Poems xxix. 14.
Quhat mervell than thochte chaist Forett [etc.] a1605 Montg. Son. xi. 7. 1615 Criminal Trials III. 351.
What maruaile that [etc.] — 1613 Calderwood VII. 184.
And for the omission of my subscription, what mervaile, seing I wrott not the bodie?

4. Astonishment, amazement, wonder, admiration.Chiefly to have, think (grete) mervel (of something, that, how etc.), = Mervaill v.(1) 1456 Hay II. 7/17.
The ȝong squyer had … grete marvaill how he was hapnyt thare and of the grete marvailous maner of the worthy man c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 52.
Sa com the dragoun … Of quhilk sic mervell haid the lordis all a1500 Henr. Fab. 2805 (Bann.). a1500 Id. Test. Cress. 362.
He hes merwell sa lang on grouf ȝe ly a1500 Taill of Rauf Coilȝear 514. 1525 Douglas Corr. 98.
I haif gottyne na word fra ȝow, of the quhilk I haif gret mervell a1540 Freiris Berw. 446.
Thairof haif ȝe no mervell, quod the freir 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 444. 1560 Ib. 2917. 1577 Laing MSS. I. 27.
I haif greit mervaill in respect thair is na place left [etc.](2) 1511 Antiq. Aberd. & B. III. 108.
Gif ȝour lordschipe thinkis mervaile that I send na ansuer a1538 Abell 14 b.
The senaturis thocht marwell of the petitioun(3) 1490 Irland Mir. I. 5/10.
And of this js na marwell a1500 Buke of the Sevyne Sagis 925.
In the caldron fand he than Ane hedles body … Of that thocht he a merwale huge a1578 Pitsc. I. 107/24.
To no les schame and mervell of his adwersaris than great laude … of this our natiue countrie(4) 1513 Doug. ii. xi. 4.
A feirful takyn … of gret marvell 1531 Vaus 2.
Ane interiectione … of marweil c1590 Fowler II. 20/12.
Not samekil the occasioun of lauchter … then … the mater of meruel

b. Followed by an interrogative, passes into: Curiosity accompanied by surprise or amazement. To haif or think mervell, to feel curiosity accompanied by surprise or amazement, to wonder (who, what, why etc.). a1500 Henr. III. 91/27.
Bot I haif mervell incertane Quhat makis thé this wanrufe c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace v. 573.
Merwell he thocht quha durst his peple sla a1500 Lancelot of the Laik 1392.
I have merwell qwhy Thow askith consail and wil in non affy