a. (sb.) Also 4–5 -uel. [In form textuel, app. a. AF. (F. textuel only 15th c. in Godef.), ad. L. type *textuāl-is, f. textu-s: see TEXT sb.1 and -AL. So Sp., Pg. textual, It. -ale. The later Eng. spelling is conformed to the L. type (as in other adjs. orig. in -el).]
† 1. Of a person: Well acquainted with ‘texts’ or authors; well-read; literally exact in giving the text. [So F. textuel ‘qui connait les textes,’ 1571 in Godef., Compl., also in Cotgr.] Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Manciple’s T., 131 (Ellesm.). But for I am a man not textueel I wol noght telle of textes neuer a deel. Ibid., 212. But as I seyde I am noght textueel. Ibid., Pars. Prol., 57. This meditacion I putte it ay vnder correccion Of Clerkes for I am nat textueel [so Harl. & Hengwrt; 4 MSS. text wel. Textuel was prob. Chaucer’s word, which being app. unknown to some scribes was altered to text wel and texted wel: cf. TEXTED 1].
1613. R. Cawdrey, Table Alph. (ed. 3), Textuall, cunning in the text.
2. Of, pertaining to, or contained in the (or a) text, esp. of the Scriptures.
c. 1470. Henryson, Mor. Fab., III. Cock & Fox, xxviii. (Charteris). Ȝit may ȝe find ane sentence richt agreabill, Vnder thir fenȝeit termis textuall.
1570. Levins, Manip., 15/26. Textuall, textualis.
a. 1638. Mede, Wks. (1672), 347. So the Cethib or Textual reading hath it.
1731. Waterland, Script. Vind., II. 125. So stands the case, upon the foot of the Textual Reading.
1859. I. Taylor, Logic in Theol., vii. 309. The admitted principles of textual criticism.
1872. Minto, Eng Prose Lit., II. vi. 468. His sagacity in textual emendations.
b. Of or belonging to the text-books.
1863. Emerson, Misc. Papers, Thoreau, Wks. (Bohn), III. 324. Though very studious of natural facts, he was incurious or technical and textual science.
† 3. Recognizing only the text of Scripture as authoritative. Also as sb. one that does this. Obs.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage, II. viii. 123. They are called Karraim, because they would seeme Textuall, and Scripture-men, disallowing Traditions [ed. 1614, p. 143 Karaim, that is, Bible-men, or Textualls, and in the Roman tongue they call them Saduces].
4. Based on, following, or conforming to the text, esp. of the Scriptures.
1614. Bp. Hall, Recoll. Treat., Ded. A ij b. Speculation interchanged with experience, positiue theologie with polemicall, textuall with discursorie.
1670. Walton, Life Donne, 34. Incessant study of textual divinity.
1863. Robinson, in Macm. Mag., March, 415. The textual system … has tended to establish a persuasion that Christian doctrines can be … proved by detached quotations.
1908. Sat. Rev., 11 July, 39/2. Possibly we have not got the quotation exactly textual.
