Middle English Dictionary Entry
herien v.(2)
Entry Info
| Forms | herien v.(2) Also herī, her(i)ȝen, hærȝien, hergon, herwen, (error) heright & hari(en, haire, harre, arrien. Forms: p. heried(e, heriet, herid(e, herijd, herede, herȝed(e, hærȝede, heregede, herghede, her(e)hede, herwede, herewed, herewode, herowede & haried, harid, hared, harod, harud, arriet, arrede, harwed(e, harewed(e, harow(e)d, (error) horud; ppl. heried(e, heriet, herid, heired, i)herȝed, iheriȝed, herewed & haried, harried, (error) harieth. |
| Etymology | OE hergian. Also cp. OF hariien, from Gmc. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) To pillage (a place), plunder (a house, town, country, etc.); rob (sb.); also, plunder (in a place), go pillaging; ~ and brennen, pillage and burn, ravage; ~ up, ravage (a country); (b) to wage war; (c) to defeat (sb.) in war; (d) to kill (sb.).
Associated quotations
a
- a1121 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1070 : Þa herdon þa munecas of Burh sægen þet heora agene menn wolden hergon þone mynstre.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)2210 : Humber wid swiðe mucle an here in Alemaine hefde iherȝed.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)5063 : Ne sculde na cniht hærȝien þær he hauede haines iwald.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)12130 : Þet lond heo þurh arnden, & herȝeden [Otho: sloȝe] & barnden.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)14000 : Þurh þi lond heo ærneð, & hærȝieð [Otho: sleaþ þin folk] & berneð.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)17627 : Heo..hærȝede & barden [read: barnden].
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)29340 : Þe fiftend case..Er þaa þat pouermen ouer-lais, And herijs [Glb: robbes] þam.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)1179 : He herȝed up alle Israel and hent of þe beste.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)1294 : Wyth legiounes of ledes over londes he rydes, Herȝez of Israel þe hyrne aboute.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)1786 : Segges slepande were slayne..Uche hous heyred watz wythinne a hondewhyle.
- c1440 Degrev.(Thrn)140 : A faire place was þer schent, His husbandes þat gaffe hym rent Heryede [Cmb: y-heryȝed] in plighte.
- a1500 Wars Alex.(Dub 213)3164 : First wrote I to your worthynes..To help vs Anest þees athell men þat hery wald oure realme.
- c1550(?a1475) Otterburn (Cleo C.4)14 : They..boldely brente northomberlond and haryed many a towyn.
b
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)3741 : He..hehte þane duc stronge heriȝen [Otho: werri] in suð londe, and he wolde bi norðen iahnien þa londa.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)30185 : He hehde ituht to herie a þas half þare Humbre.
c
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)2509 : We hope althire-hiȝest to hery him with armes.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)3517 : I ȝit haue hediretoward heried all my faes.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)3731 : Þare werraid neuir with vs na wee..Þat he ne was heried in hast or had a heȝe schame.
d
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4800 : Þai hampird oure heere & herid oure erles.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)5457 : Bot ȝit was herid of his here twa hundreth & ouire.
2.
(a) To rob (hell of souls); ~ helle, plunder hell, harrow hell; (b) in oaths and exclamations.
Associated quotations
a
- a1200 Trin.Hom.(Trin-C B.14.52)113 : Ure helende..bond te holde deuel and herede helle of þo þe him hadden her er quemed.
- a1200 Trin.Hom.Creed (Trin-C B.14.52)23 : He heregede helle.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Juliana (Bod 34)57/610 : Þu..stepe adun ant struptest ant herhedest helle.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Kath.(1) (Einenkel)336 : Monnes man..deide & wes iburiet & herhede [vr. herehede] helle.
- a1250 Lofsong Lefdi (Nero A.14)205 : Ðet blisfule bern..þuruh his holi passiun werp þene deouel adun and heriede [Roy: herehede] helle.
- ?a1300(a1250) Harrow.H.(Dgb 86)1 : Hou ihesu crist herowede helle..ich wille telle.
- c1330 Harrow.H.(Auch)150 : Helle ȝates, here y ȝou felle, & seþþen wil ich herwe helle.
- (1357) Gaytr.LFCatech.(Yk-Borth R.I.11)28/141 : The saule with the godhede went untill hell, And heried it.
- c1390 NHom.Narrat.(Vrn)273/91 : Lord, þat herewode helle, I preye þe.
- a1400(c1300) NHom.(1) John Bapt.(Phys-E)p.46 : He suld..heri helle als king mihtye.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)200 : He he siþen hared [Frf: heried; Göt: harud; Trin-C: harewed] helle.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)1446 : Our lauerd harid [Göt: horud; Trin-C: harwede] hell.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)24292 : Quen i haf harud [Göt: herijd; Trin-C: herid] hell.
- a1425(c1300) Assump.Virg.(1) (Add 10036)463 : When I hadde harwed helle.
- a1425(?a1350) Nicod.(1) (Glb E.9)1535 : How he suld hery [vrr. herye, heright] hell.
- a1425(?c1350) Ywain (Glb E.9)2874 : Bot cumly Crist, þat haried hell, Len þe grace þat þou may spede.
- ?a1425 Mandev.(2) (Eg 1982)57/1 : He went till hell and heried it [F le despoillea].
- c1440 Gaytr.LFCatech.(Thrn)4/19 : Þe gaste with þe Godhede wente vnto Helle, and heryede it.
- a1450(1411) Many man (Dgb 102)60 : I suffred deþ and heryed helle.
- a1500(c1386) St.Erk.(Hrl 2250)291 : Þou herghedes helle-hole.
- a1500 LFMass Bk.(Cai 84/166)51 : And know to god, þat harowd helle.
- a1500 Mirror Salv.(Beeleigh)p.100 : This helle entred..oure Saueoure..And of alle savles there inne he heryde it.
b
- c1330(?c1300) Bevis (Auch)4469 : Dame, be him þat herwede helle, We scholle his deþ wel dere selle!
- a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)3725 : He þat heried helle fram harm him saue!
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mil.(Manly-Rickert)A.3512 : I shal it neuere telle To child ne wyf, by hym that harwed [vrr. harowed, haried] helle.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sum.(Manly-Rickert)D.2107 : Now help, Thomas, for hym that harwed [vrr. harewed, herewed] helle.
- 1447 Bokenham Sts.(Arun 327)240 : The lord vs graunte that harwyd helle.
- a1450(a1400) Athelston (Cai 175/96)422 : Lord, as þou harewyd helle.
- a1500(?a1400) Torrent (Chet 8009)1799 : For Iesu is love, that harood hell.
3.
(a) To torment (sb., an animal, the spirit); chase, pursue; fig. chase away (the Devil); of hunger: vex (sb.); (b) to drag (sb. or sth.), pull; fig. draw or carry (sb. into heaven).
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 SLeg.Mich.(LdMisc 108)285 : A teie doggue..is clibbest op-on heom, þat arriet [Corp-C: þrouweþ] him with ston.
- c1300 SLeg.Mich.(LdMisc 108)296-7 : Hardest þe deuel bitez þe men..Of heom þat arreden him er, and guodnesse habbez i-do, for þare-with Men him arrieth mest.
- c1330(?a1300) Tristrem (Auch)2729 : Ȝif þine houndes an hare wele hayre [rime: bonaire, faire, repaire].
- a1450 Myne awen dere sone (Vsp D.13)790 : For swylke husbandes I here wery Þat efter it sittys are honger hery.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4484 : Othire harlotry ȝe hant, þat heris þe goste.
b
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.2726 : To be lad by force vnto the stake..And haryed [vr. harieth] forth by arm, foot, and too.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.171 : Mo deueles than herte may bithynke for to harye [vr. hary] and drawe the synful soules to the peyne of helle.
- c1400(a1349) Rolle MPass.(1) (Cmb Ll.1.8)21/57 : Þei hurled þe and haryed þe so schamefully.
- c1400(?c1380) Patience (Nero A.10)178 : Þis watz sette in asent, & sembled þay were, Herȝed out of vche hyrne to hente þat falles.
- a1425(a1349) Rolle MPass.(2) (Upps C.494)41/8 : Swete Ihesu I ȝelde þe þankinge as I can..of all þe holdes and prisons þat þei helde þe In when þou was drawen and harried to Anne and Cayfas.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)227 : Haryyn, or drawyn: Trahicio, pertraho [Win: Protraho].
- a1450 St.Kath.(3) (Richardson 44)53 : Þe holy mayde was haryed forth to turment.
- c1450(?a1400) Parl.3 Ages (Add 31042)66 : I hym hent by þe hede and heryett hym vttire.
- c1450(?a1400) Parl.3 Ages (Add 31042)427 : Gentill Iosue..Was heryet [Add 33994: harid]..in-to heuen-riche.
- a1500 Merch.& S.(Cmb Ff.2.38)134 : Fendys of helle they haryed hym thedur and wroght hym mekyll peyne.
- ?a1500 PConsc.in Way PParv.(Hrl 6923)p.227 : And deuylles salle harre hym vp evene In the ayre als he sulde stegh to heuene.