assoil

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /əˈsɔɪl/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Rhymes: -ɔɪl
• Hyphenation: as‧soil

From Middle English assoilen (“to absolve or release from blame or sin”),^[1] from Anglo-Norman as(s)oiler, as(s)oilier, and Old French as(s)oille , the present subjunctive, and as(s)oil, the present indicative, of as(s)oldre, as(s)oudre (“to absolve from blame”) (modern French absoudre), from Latin absoluere, the present active infinitive of absoluō, a variant of absolvō (“to set free from”), from ab- (prefix meaning ‘away from’) + solvō (“to loosen, set free”) (from sē- (“prefix meaning ‘apart; aside; away’”) + luō (“to let go, set free”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewH- (“to cut off, to free”).^[2] Doublet of absolve and assoilzie.

assoil (third-person singular simple present assoils, present participle assoiling, simple past and past participle assoiled) (transitive)

1. (archaic)
   1. To absolve or release (someone) from blame or sin; to forgive, to pardon.

      Synonym: (Scotland) assoilze

      • 1607, Michael Drayton, “The Legend of Great Cromwell”, in Poems: , London: Willi Stansby for Iohn Smethwicke, published 1630, →OCLC, page 461:

        But ſecretly aſſoyling of his ſin, / No other med'cine vvill he to him lay, / Saying that Heauen his ſiluer him ſhould vvin, / And to giue Friers, vvas better then to pray, / So he vvere ſhrieu'd, vvhat need he care a pin?

      • 1610, William Camden, “Warwick-shire”, in Philémon Holland, transl., Britain, or A Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, , London: Georgii Bishop & Ioannis Norton, →OCLC, page 564:

        Pray deuoutly for the ſoule whom God aſſoile of one of the moſt worſhipfull Knights in his daies of manhood and cunning, Richard Beauchampe late Earle of Warwicke, […] [Inscription on the deceased's tomb.]

      • 1610 October, John Foxe, “An Old Ancient Writing Intituled, The Praier and Complaint of the Ploughman”, in Actes and Monuments of Matters Most Speciall and Memorable, Happening in the Church, with an Vniuersall Historie of the Same. , 6th edition, volume I, London: for the Company of Stationers, →OCLC, book V, page 373, column 2:

        Lord thou ne taughteſt not thy diſciples to aſſoilen men of their ſinne, and ſetten them a penance for their ſinne, in faſting ne in praying, ne other almous deed: […] For Lord, thou forgeue men her ſinnes, and bede him ſinne no more. […] And Lord, thou ne aſſoildeſt no man both of his ſinne and of his peine, that vvas due for his ſinne, ne thou grantedſt no man ſuch povver heere on earth.

      • 1653, Jeremy Taylor, “Twenty-five Sermons Preached at Golden Grove; Being for the Winter Half-year, : Sermon XII. Of Lukewarmness and Zeal; or, Spiritual Fervour. Part I.”, in Reginald Heber, editor, The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor, D.D. , volume V, London: Ogle, Duncan, and Co. ; and Richard Priestley, , published 1822, →OCLC, page 182:

        any persons think themselves fairly assoiled, because they are no adulterers, no rebels, no drunkards, not of scandalous lives; […]

      • 1664, H More, chapter V, in A Modest Enquiry into the Mystery of Iniquity, , London: J Flesher for W Morden , →OCLC, book II, page 112:

        [B]eing juſtified by Faith, in a Forenſal ſenſe, that is, acquitted and aſſoiled from the guilt of all our ſins, as vvell as in ſeveral meaſures, according to our ſeveral ages and grovvths in Chriſtianity; […]

   2. To atone or expiate for (something).
      • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. , part II (books IV–VI), London: [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 25, page 87:

        But Glauce, ſeeing all that chaunced there, / VVell vveeting hovv their errour to aſſoyle, / Full glad of ſo good end, to them drevv nere, / And her ſalevved vvith ſeemly belaccoyle, / Ioyous to ſee her ſafe after long toyle.

      • 1601, C Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “ Of the Lawrell or Bay Tree, Thirteene Kinds thereof.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. , 1st tome, London: Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 453:

        And theſe reaſons verily induce me to beleeve, that in times paſt they choſe the Bay tree for their triumphs, before any other: rather than as Maſſurius vvould have it, becauſe the Lavvrell ſerved for a ſolemne perfume, to expiate and aſſoile the carnage and execution done upon the enemies.

      • 1879, Edwin Arnold, “Book the Eighth”, in The Light of Asia: Or The Great Renunciation (Mahâbhinishkramana). , London: Trübner & Co., , →OCLC, page 228:

        Let each act / Assoil a fault or help a merit grow: / Like threads of silver seen through crystal beads / Let love through good deeds show.

   3. (law) Followed by from or of: to acquit (someone) from a criminal charge; to find (someone) not guilty; to clear.

      Synonym: (Scotland, law) assoilze

      • 1528, Thomas More, “A Dialogue Concernynge Heresyes & Matters of Religion . Chapter IIII.”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, , London: Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, book III, page 211, column 2:

        For if the mater appere vpon his ſyde therby, either clere or doubtefull, than may the iudges acquite and aſſoyle the defendaũt . And better were it the faute to be quytte, than the fautles to be punyſhed.

      • 1549 February 10 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1548), Erasmus, “The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Gospell of Saincte Matthew. The .xviii. Chapter.”, in Nicolas Udall [i.e., Nicholas Udall], transl., The First Tome or Volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente, London: Edwarde Whitchurche, →OCLC, folio xciii, recto:

        Whom Ceſar doth condemne, god ſumtime doeth aſſoyle: and whom the prince doth aſſoyle, he leaueth in the cumpany of mẽ , to make other like himſelf: […]

      • 1601, C Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “ The Iland Taprobane.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. , 1st tome, London: Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 131:

        Then are there 70 judges deputed to ſit upon his cauſe; and if it happen that they aſſoile and quit this partie condemned: then thoſe 30 vvho condemned him, are diſplaced from their ſtate and dignitie, vvith a moſt bitter and greevous rebuke, and for ever after, as diſgraced perſons live in ſhame and infamie.

2. (archaic or obsolete) Followed by from or of: to release or set free (someone) from a liability, an obligation, etc.; to discharge.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. , London: [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 52, page 150:

     But firſt thou muſt a ſeaſon faſt and pray, / Till from her bands the ſpright aſſoiled is, / And haue her ſtrength recur'd from fraile infirmitis.

   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. , part II (books IV–VI), London: [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 13, page 40:

     His vvearie ghoſt aſſoyld from fleſhly band, / Did not as others vvont, directly fly / Vnto her reſt in Plutoes grieſly land, / Ne into ayre did vaniſh preſently, / Ne chaunged vvas into a ſtarre in sky: […]

   • 1844, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Work”, in Poems. , volume I, London: Edward Moxon, , →OCLC, page 133:

     What are we set on earth for? Say, to toil— / Nor seek to leave thy tending of the vines, / For all the heat o' the day, till it declines, / And Death's mild curfew shall from work assoil.

3. (obsolete)
   1. To clear up or resolve (a difficulty, doubt, problem, etc.); to absolve, to solve.

      Synonyms: (obsolete) soil, (obsolete) soyle

      • 1565, Thomas Stapleton, chapter 14, in A Fortresse of the Faith , Antwerp: Ihon Laet, , →OCLC, folio 65, verso:

        I ſaie, aſſoyleth this doubt and queſtion, by the only argument and aſſuraunce of the knovven Catholik church of Chriſt.

      • 1567 November 6 (Gregorian calendar), Iohn Iewel [i.e. John Jewel], “The Apologie, Cap. 13, Diuision. 1.”, in A Defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande, Conteininge an Answeare to a Certaine Booke Lately Set Foorthe by M. Hardinge, and Entituled, A Confutation of &c., London: Henry Wykes, →OCLC, 2nd part, page 235:

        Here M. Harding once againe moueth a very néedeleſſe queſtion. VVe demaunde, ſaithe he, vvhether vvee receiue the ſame Body of Chriſte by Faithe onely, vvithout our Body, or vvith the office of our Body. Any childe might ſoone be hable to aſſoile this reddle.

      • 1647, Theodore de la Guard [pseudonym; Nathaniel Ward], The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America. , London: J D & R I for Stephen Bowtell, , →OCLC, page 18:

        thers, held very good men, are at a dead ſtand, not knovving vvhat to doe or ſay; and are therefore called Seekers, looking for nevv Nuntio's from Chriſt, to aſſoil theſe benighted queſtions, and to give nevv Orders for nevv Churches.

   2. To refute (an argument, an objection, etc.).
   3. (rare) To discharge (a liability, an obligation, etc.).
      • 1591, Ed Sp, Daphnaïda. An Elegy upon the Death of the Noble and Vertuous Douglas Howard,Daughter and Heire of Henry Lord Howard, Viscount Byndon, and Wife of Arthure Gorges Esquier. , London: for William Ponsonby, , →OCLC, signature , recto:

        And ye poore Pilgrimes, that vvith reſtleſſe toyle / VVearie your ſelues in vvandring deſert vvayes, / Till that you come, vvhere ye your vovves aſſoyle, / VVhen paſsing by ye read theſe vvofull layes / On my graue vvritten, […]

   4. (rare) To get rid of, put off, or remove (something).
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. , London: [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 58, page 407:

        She ſoundly ſlept, & carefull thoughts did quite aſſoile.

   5. (Christianity) To absolve or release (someone) from excommunication or some other religious offence.
      • 1611, Iohn Speed [i.e., John Speed], “Iohn, Duke of Normandie, Guyen, and Aquitaine, &c. ”, in The History of Great Britaine under the Conquests of yͤ Romans, Saxons, Danes and Normans. , London: William Hall and John Beale, for John Sudbury and George Humble, , →OCLC, book IX ( ), paragraph 51, page 501, column 1:

        is Barons […] flatly oppoſe themſelues both to his commaund and their Countries good, denying him (vntill he vvere aſſoyled of his excommunication,) their attendance in ſo behouefull a ſeruice.

• assoyle (obsolete)

• assoiler (obsolete, rare)
• assoiling (noun)
• assoilment
• unassoiled

• assoilzie

Possibly from a- (intensifying prefix) or ad- (prefix meaning ‘to, toward’, or indicating an addition or tendency) +‎ soil (“to make dirty”), perhaps influenced by assoil (etymology 1).

assoil (third-person singular simple present assoils, present participle assoiling, simple past and past participle assoiled)

1. (transitive, archaic or obsolete) To make (something) dirty or soiled; to soil; to stain; to sully.
   • 1845, B Disraeli, chapter V, in Sybil; or The Two Nations. , volume III, London: Henry Colburn, , →OCLC, book VI, page 192:

     Is it that the world has assoiled my soul? Yet I have not tasted of worldly joys; all that I have known of it has been suffering and tears.

• Isolas, loasis