v. Obs. Forms: 3–5 asele, 3–4 acele, 4–5 aseel, 5 assele, -ale. [Later form of as-seele, a-sele, for earlier *ansele (see A- pref. 10), ensele, a OF. enseele-r, -sele-r, anseele-r:—late L. insigillāre, f. in in, upon + sigillum seal (see ENSEAL).

1

  1.  To set one’s seal to (a document).

2

1297.  R. Glouc., 510. He made of the olde lawes is Chartre … and aselede it [printed is] vaste inou.

3

1388.  Wyclif, Esther iii. 12. Lettris aseelid with the ring of the kyng.

4

1492.  Bury Wills (1850), 80. Myn testament … with my sealle asselid.

5

  2.  To seal up.

6

1297.  R. Glouc., 496. Hor bernes dores acelede, and al clene out hom caste.

7

c. 1305.  Pains of Hell, in O. E. Misc., 228. Þe angel him schewed … A put aseled wiþ seuen seles.

8

1388.  Wyclif, Dan. xii. 9. The wordis ben closed and aseelid.

9

  3.  fig.

10

1388.  Wyclif, Wisd. ii. 5. No turnyng aȝen of oure ende is; for it is aseelid, [marg.] by a stoon put on the bodi of the deed man biried.

11

1430.  Lydg., Chron. Troy, III. xxiv. With his worde the sentence was assealed.

12