a. (adv.) Obs. Forms: 4–6 -ouse, 5 surf(f)etus, 6 surfettouse. [a. AF. surfetous, f. surfet SURFEIT sb.: see -OUS.] Immoderate, intemperate; surfeited with food or drink.
a. 1400. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS., xlix. 382. Large table and plentyuouse Makeþ men of Ianglyng surfetouse.
1422. Yonge, trans. Secr. Secr., lxv. 242. To kepe covstoume is moche wourth to mayntene hele, so that hit be not surfetouse.
1552. Huloet, Surfetouse, crapulosus.
b. adv. Excessively, superabundantly.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 4219. Hyt semys not surfetus harde No vnpossibill. Ibid., 9352. Surffetus mony, Bothe of kynges, & knightes & kid men of armes.
So † Surfetry (also 5 serfetrie) [after surquidry], (a) presumption, (b) surfeit; † Surfeture [cf. OF. surfeiture arrogance]; † Surfety, surfeiting.
c. 1400. Laud Troy Bk., 13133. Hit was open *surfetrie, And on gret pride & folye.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 389. Sum men dremyn for *surfeture Þat etyn or drynkyn ouer mesure.
a. 1450. Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1903), 286. So þe seek wol do wysely, And kepe him-self fro *surfety [v.r. serfetrie].
1561. Hollybush, Hom. Apoth., 20 b. Then must the harte nedes waxe faynte, as well as of excesse of fyllinge or surffetty.
