"jewels" as "family jewels" (genitals) in 1450?

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Mon Mar 2 22:18:22 UTC 2009


Under "jewel, n.", sense "3. fig. Applied to a thing or person of
great worth, or highly prized; a 'treasure', 'gem'", the OED (1989)
has the following quotation:

a1450 Mankind (Brandl) 426 {Ygh}e xall not choppe my Iewellys [---my
privyte (cf. 414)] and I may.

Noting "my privyte", is this an early -- perhaps the earliest? -- use
of "jewels" to mean "male genitals"?

(The OED does not have this sense under "jewel".)

Joel

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