Middle English Dictionary Entry
groin n.(1)
Entry Info
| Forms | groin n.(1) Also gruin, grune, groune & groni, gronei & greine & grin(e. |
| Etymology | OF groin & groigne snout. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The snout of a swine or boar; (b) a swine's or wild boar's snout as food; swin ~; (c) an elephant's trunk; (d) the point of a phalanx; (e) a nose; esp. a monstrous or ugly nose.
Associated quotations
a
- c1330(?c1300) Bevis (Auch)39/815 : A spanne of þe groin beforn, Wiþ is swerd he haþ of schoren.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.156 : Salomon..likneth a fair womman that is a fool of hire body lyk to a ryng of gold that were in the groyn [vrr. greyne, gryne] of a sowe.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)214 : Groyne [vrr. grony, groney] of a swyne: Rostrum porcinum, scropha porcina.
- c1450 Trin-C.LEDict.(Trin-C O.5.4)587/23 : Grunnus: a gruyn, or a wrot.
- 1483 Cath.Angl.(Monson 168)167 : A Grune, as a swyne.
b
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)76/17 : It is good to ȝeue norischaunt metis..as Swyne groynes & oxen wombe weel soden.
- c1400 Femina (Trin-C B.14.40)81 : La teste du sengler arme Et le groyn bien banere: Þe heued of þe boor y-armed And þe groyn wel y-banereth.
- (?a1450) Doc.in Dugdale Monasticon 1444 : The groyne and two fete ys anodyr leveray.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.A.2216 : And graunt eche wedded man such a grace To abide at hom with a groyne or a chappe.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)107/229 : I haue..A good py..And two swyne gronys, All a hare bot the lonys.
- 1607(?a1425) Chester Pl.(Hrl 2124)137/122 : Here a sheepes head souced in ale, and a groyne to lay on the grene, and soure mylke.
c
- c1440 PLAlex.(Thrn)63/32,35 : When þe Olyphanntez saw þir ymages, þay..schott owte þaire groynes..þay were bryned and than thay gaffe bakke, & fledd for drede to brynne þayre groynes.
d
- (a1460) Vegetius(2) (Pmb-C 243)1927 : A duke shal haue A myghti choyce of men on hors & foote..That if the boorys hed in wolde wrote, A sharre shere his groyn of by the roote.
e
- a1400 Bevis (Eg 2862)118/2510 : His berd ferd as brusteles of a swyn, Aboue his mouthe a wel grete gryn.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)114/432 : Fayr fall thi growne, well has thou hyde.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)177/382 : Out on the, I cry, haue at thi groyn An othere!