Middle English Dictionary Entry
flọ̄r n.
Entry Info
| Forms | flọ̄r n. Also vlor, flour, flur. |
| Etymology | OE flōr. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The floor of a room or building; i(n the ~, on the floor, to the floor; bar ~, paved ~, etc.; bour ~, dortour ~, temple ~, etc.; the bottom of a coffin [quot.: c1250]; (b) ~ nail, nail used for fastening floor boards; ~ til, tile used in flooring; (c) one of several floors in a building, one above the other; a story; (d) ?a corridor or lobby.
Associated quotations
a
- c1225 Body & S.(2) (Wor F.174)5/10 : Nu me wule swopen þine flor ond þet flet clensien.
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)16082 : Crist warrp all ut i þe flor Þe sillferr & te bordess.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)22761 : Water me brohte an uloren [Otho: flore].
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)22809 : His hefued i þene flor hælde to grunde.
- a1275 *Body & S.(4) (Trin-C B.14.39)32a : Wene þe rug is ate flor, þe rof ate nese.
- ?a1300 Sirith (Dgb 86)102 : Þat I shal don selk falsete On bedde ne on flore.
- c1300(?c1225) Horn (Cmb Gg.4.27)529 : Rymenhild on flore stod.
- c1300 Horn (LdMisc 108)730 : Henne, þou foule wendling, Out of boure [Hrl: boures] flore, Fram reymyld, þi hore.
- c1330(?c1300) Guy(1) (Auch)6863 : Tvai men..a bodi bere: Amid þe flore þai it leyden.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)457 : And sithen make the floore..Of boorde other morter planyd.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)4.301 : Cesar fil doun to þe eorþe uppon þe flore of his chambre.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.4148 : Sche let the leste drope of alle Upon the bare flor doun falle.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)8.1855 : Sche..fell aswoune upon the stones, Wherof the temple flor was paved.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.WB.(Manly-Rickert)D.796 : And with his fest he smoot me on the heed, That in the floor I lay as I were deed.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)2820 : Eroud swore To here þat tumbled yn þe flore.
- a1425(c1300) NHom.(1) Alex.(Ashm 42)84 : Gayli was his chaumbir graithid Wiþ riche clothis, in flore laide.
- (1422) Doc.in Sur.Soc.8516 : The glasse wyndows, the bynkes, the paved flore, the herth.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)94/6 : Þe flurez [OF pauement] also of þe hall and þe chaumbres er of gold and siluer.
- c1440 Degrev.(Thrn)1485 : Þe floure was paynted [Cmb: paued] ouer-alle With a clere cristalle.
- a1450 Ben.Rule(2) (Vsp A.25)1807 : And doun scho sal fall in þe flore Opon hir face be-for þe dore.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)1660 : A proude halle..With a flore þat was fret all of fyne stones.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)186/27 : Saynt Nicholas..keste hym apon þe dortur flure.
- a1475 Bk.Courtesy (Sln 1986)29 : Þou stonde In myddys þe halle opon þe flore.
b
- (1334-5) Doc.Manor in MP 3454 : Flornayles.
- (1352) *Acc.Exch.Q.R.Bundle 20 No.27 [OD col.] : Pro DCC florenaill.
- (a1395) Acc.Savoy in Archaeol.24308 : Pro plumbo et pro floretiele.
c
- (1434) Indent.Fotheringhay in Med.Mason247 : In the said stepill shall be two flores, and abof each flore viii clere-storial windows.
- (1445) *Plea & Mem.R.Lond.GildhA 70.3b : Of the which hous the seid Robert occupieth vndre the first flore as it is now edified, And the seid John Derke occupieth of the seid hous from the seid first flore vpward as it is nowe edified.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)103b : A somer castel..haþ in þe neither flore I-heled his mynoures to digge and myne þe wal.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)108b : Make vpon þi walles pentises & schuyres and in þi toures vlorus & rovus, in whiche þi wardeynes and þi wacche men mowen be heled fro wynd & reyn.
- a1500(1396) Indent.Francisc.in RS 4.1 (Vit F.12)525 : A boue euery flowyre of the solars a foresayd.
d
- a1325(?a1300) Interl.CG (Add 23986)10 : No wily lufe, na clerc fayllard Na kepi herbherg, clerc, in huse no y flore, Bot his hers ly wit uten dore.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)15.256 : Thanne Owt Of the Chambre sche com gon, There As I Abod withOwten the dore, And Al Owre Meyne In the Flore.
2.
The base or foundation of a building.
Associated quotations
- c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)546 : Pauimentum, uel solum: flor.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mil.(Manly-Rickert)A.3823 : He fond neither to selle Ne breed ne ale til he cam to the celle Vpon the floor, and there aswoune he lay.
- (1417) Doc.in Sur.Soc.8511 : We fynde well that the mynster beres the ta syde of Seynt Leonard flore.
- a1400 Siege Jerus.(1) (LdMisc 656)831 : Frosletes fro þe ferst to þe flor þrylled.
3.
(a) A level, floorlike structure, such as a threshing floor, a salt pan; corn ~, threshing floor; (b) a scaffold or platform for treating malt, drying fruit or meat, etc.
Associated quotations
a
- (1307) Chart.R.PRO3.85 : Areis salinariis que a vulgo flores dicuntur.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))3.17 : He schal purge his corn floor [vr. floore of corne; L aream] and schal gedere the whete in to his berne.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Ruth 3.2 : This nyȝt he wynnewith the flore of his barli [WB(2): the corn floor of barli; L aream hordei].
- ?a1450 Arderne LW (Em 69)111 : I hette a floour of ane house made with feere above therone, & whanne it was wele hote I lete leye theruppone horsdunge.
b
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)83/17 : Þai gader þe fruyt and..layez it apon a flure [Tit: an owven; OF vne four] til it becom blakk and runklid.
- (a1440) Let.Coventry in EHR 55644 : Defautes of the malt flores for the gistes ben in point to falle doun.
- a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sln 1986)p.33 : Take venesone..lay hit in water..take hit oute on flore to drye.
4.
(a) The ground; solid ground (to walk on); (b) a level piece of land, such as a valley bottom, a meadow; (c) flor of Fortune, Fortune's domain.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 SLeg.Cuth.(LdMisc 108)77 : Þicke snovȝ was þare-oute..he wende a-wei, in snowe, ne in þe flore.
- c1400(?a1300) *KAlex.(LdMisc 622)6088 : Of hirdles & brigges hij maden flores, And so hij wenten in to þe mores.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)216 : Grownde, or flore: Area.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4168 : [Alexander] made his folk with þaire feete as flores it [snow] to trede.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)167a/a : Aftir warde þe temple was y bilte in þe floure of Ornan of Jebus in mounte moria.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)2694 : He lordely lyghttes..And lete his burlyche blonke baite on þe flores.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)3249 : With þe drowghte of þe daye, all drye ware þe flores.
c
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)2.pr.1.103 : It byhoveth the to suffren..al that is doon inwith the floor of Fortune (that is to seyn, in this world).
5.
Phys. (a) The inner end (of an eyelid); (b) ~ of the heres, the base of the eyelashes, i.e. the edge of the eyelid.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)89b/b : Somtyme þe opnyng of lacrimali is so nere þat þe flure or grounde [*Ch.(2): flore of the eyȝe lidde] of þe palpebre is rupt, & þe flesh of it is consumed wher þe terez floweþ or renneþ euermore.
b
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)73b/b : Of a wonde of þe palpebres..if þe suture war made with cauillis for mouyng of þe palpebrez it war more siker, speciali when þe grounde or flore of þe herez [L area pilorum; *Ch.(2): the creste of þe heres] is kutted.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)129b/b : Þan be þai lengthed as is possible fro þe area .i. flore of þe herez [L ara pilorum; *Ch.(2): þe coste of the heres].
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500 Rwl.C.506 Artist.Recipes (Rwl C.506) 164/5 : Take strawe of barlyth and make a bedde þerof nexte þe flouer.
Note: Glossary: 'floor'.
Note: Additional quote, sense 1.(a); new spelling.