lemman – Middle English noun declension

Noun: lemman

Sg.	lemman
Pl.	lemmans

There is but litel difference truely
Betwyxt a wyfe, that is of hye degre
If of her body dishoneſt ſhe be
And a poore wenche, other than this
If it ſo be they werke bothe amys
But for the gentyl is in eſtate aboue
She ſhal be called his lady and his loue
And for that tother is a poore woman
She ſhal be called his wench, or his lemmã [...] (There truly is very little difference between a wife of honourable rank if she is faithless in how she deals with her body,

and a penniless woman without rank, except that if they both behave badly then, because of the gentlewoman's rank,

people call her his lady love, but call the poor woman his slut or his leman.) [1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Manciples Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, →OCLC, folio xcix, recto:]
Thenne within an houre there came the knyghte to whome the pauelione ought
And he wende that his lemā had layne in that bedde
and soo he laid hym doune besyde syr Launcelot
and toke hym in his armes and beganne to kysse hym
And whanne syre launcelot felte a rough berd kyssyng hym
he starte oute of the bedde lyghtely
and the other knyȝt after hym
and eyther of hem gate their swerdes in theire handes [1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter V, in Le Morte Darthur, book VI:]

Middle English noun forms of lemman