Middle English Dictionary Entry
inner(e adj. (comparative)
Entry Info
| Forms | inner(e adj. (comparative) Also innur, innore, inere, inder, inhere, inhir & (early) inra, inre. |
| Etymology | OE innera, in(n)ra. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Inner, inside; (b) inside the body, internal; (c) inmost, interior; (d) in phrases: ~ chaumbre, a room opening off another room or a hall, a private room; ~ hous, the inner court of the temple; ~ partie (side), the defending side in a battle or tournament, the side of the host at the tournament; ~ temple, the Inner Temple in London.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.MQuad.(Hrl 6258B)10/23 : Ȝif se inra dæl þæs sceos byð fixen-hyd..smire mid ele þa fet.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.53 : Hercules pilers, þere þe see of occean of Athlant brekeþ out..and þerof springeþ the ynnere sees [Higd.(2): sees internalle; L maria interna].
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)64b/a : Þese veynes springen out of þe lif[t] holouȝnes of þe herte..þe innere þerof haþ a neisch fell & þis veyne hatte pulsatif.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)247a/a : The Ellern..haþ double rynde; the vtterere is broun reed, & þe Innere is grene.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)163a/b : Take þe inner rynde of ȝonge elme and peretorye.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)170a/a : Þe forseide fruyte schal be kitte a two, & þe greines and þe inner wulle of hem schal be casten aweie, and þe vtter substaunce schal be dried & pouderd.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)22a/a : Þay maken foure veynes..to wete sophena vnder þe Inner [*Ch.(1): innermore] ancle toward þe heele.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)43b/b : The þridde spice is when it [squynancie] is in þe ynner [*Ch.(1): inward] lacertes of þe wesant.
- (1448) in Willis & C.Cambridge 1357 : iij vtter toures byonde the north side of the cloister and v ynner toures.
- c1450(?c1400) Wycl.Elucid.(StJ-C G.25)5 : Þe secunde day..[he made] briddes in þe ynner partye of þe watir, þat is þe eyre.
- a1475 Bk.Courtesy (Sln 1986)444 : For lordys two beddys schalle be made, Bothe vtter and inner.
- c1475(1392) *MS Wel.564 (Wel 564)29a/b : Þe ynnere tunicle is compouned of longitudinel villis, by þe whiche he may drawen þe metis from þe mouþ to þe stomak.
- c1475(1392) *MS Wel.564 (Wel 564)31b/a : If sche wole..drawen þe arme to þe hynderer partie, þanne þe vttere brawn is drawen togidere and þe ynnere is enlenkþid.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)93b/a : Þerfore nedis folewiþ fretinge and gnawinge of þe inner parties, pressinge & wringinge of þe neþir.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)307b/a : Chaungynge of colour in þe skynne comeþ of ynner þinges [L interioribus].
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)148/12 : Þere he [the gullet] is departid from þe spondilis, & he declineþ into þe ynnere partie til þat he peerse þoruȝ þe mydrif.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Is.34.6 : The swerd of the Lord..is maad fat of the ynner fatnesse of the blood of lambren.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)43b/a : Apostemes of þe nekke ben two folde..some ben conteyned in þe ynner membres.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)47a/b : Suche bubones ben þe burgenynges and þe effectes of þe ynner [*Ch.(1): inward; L interiorum] apostemes.
- (1435) Misyn FL (Corp-O 236)79/37 : Myn inhir partis has vpbolyd.
c
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.75 : In þe ynnere place of þe hous a carbuncle stoon..dede awey al the derkenes of þe nyȝt.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)145a/b : He seeþ þe schadewe of a goshauk comynge. And a non..he fleþ into þe innere place of hire hole.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Ex.3.1 : He hadde dryue the floc to the ynnere [WB(1): ynnermore] partis of deseert.
d
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Ezek.44.17 : Whan thei shuln go yn to the ȝatis of the ynner hous, thei shuln be clothid with lynnen clothis.
- (1447) Shillingford7 : Y come thider to hym yn to his ynner chamber, there was myche peeple, lordes and other..and meny strangers aleyns of other londys.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)749 : Þai entrid full evyn into an Inner chamber, Þat was rially arayed with a riche bede.
- c1450 Ponthus (Dgb 185)138/32 : Ponthus was of the inner partie, and the Duke of Gloucestre, Barnard de La Roche..for to iuste aganes all comoners [read: comers].
- c1450 Ponthus (Dgb 185)139/31 : He was wrothe by cause that he was not of the inner partie.
- (1451-2) *Plea & Mem.R.Lond.GildhA 77.m.6a : Richard Claydich..cam..before William Gregory Mair..in the court of our lord kyng holden in the Inner Chaumber of the yeldhall.
- (1458-9) *Plea & Mem.R.Lond.GildhA 83.m.4d : In þe Courte of our lord the king in thynner Chambre of þe yeldehall.
- (1462) Paston (Gairdner)4.34 : To myn ryth reverent and worschypfull fader, John Paston, beyng in the Inder Temple.
- a1500(a1400) Ipom.(1) (Chet 8009)4225 : All men told hym..They on the inner syde Was dyscomfett laste.
- a1500(a1400) Ipom.(1) (Chet 8009)4616 : The inner syde was sore agasste..To fle they toke..Some to towne and sum to tente.
- a1500(a1400) Ipom.(1) (Chet 8009)5900 : The inner syde euery dell Was comfortyd of hym wonder-well.
2.
(a) Belonging to the mind, feelings, soul, etc.; interior; ~ man, the soul; ~ reule, the rule binding the conscience, the essential rule; ~ wit, mental knowledge; (b) secret, intimate, hidden, profound.
Associated quotations
a
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)7/14,15 : Ȝe schulen..wel witen þe inre [riwle] & te uttre for hire sake; þe inre is eauer ilich, þe uttre is mislich.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)202/11 : Þe earste beað is fulluht, þe oðer beoð teares inre oðer uttre.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Rom.7.22 : Forsoth I delite to gidere to the lawe of God, vp the ynner man.
- c1390 ?Hilton Qui Habitat (Vrn)26/8 : Þin innore eiȝe schal ben opened..for-to se sumwhat of þe merciful godnes of god.
- (1395) Wycl.37 Concl.(Tit D.1)56 : Thanne the assoilinge of the prelat is trewe, whanne it doth the doom of the ynnere iuge.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)19b/a : Isidore spekeþ of double maner man, of þe inner man & vtter man, ande first we schal trete of þe inner man..First it is to wetinge what þing þe soule is.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)20b/b : Þre þe firste vertues, felinge, bodiliche witte, & ymaginacioun beþ in þe soule, in þat he is I-oned to þe body and ȝeue it lif & inner witte [L sensum interiorem] & vttir wit to perfeccioun of þe body.
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)Rom.7.22 : For I delyte aftyr þe lawe of god aftyr þe inner man.
- a1425(?a1400) Cloud (Hrl 674)122/14,15 : What is he þat clepiþ it nouȝt? Sekirly it is oure vtter man, & not oure inner. Oure inner man clepiþ it Al.
- a1450(1412) Glade in god þis (Dgb 102)36 : Let body and soule to-gydre be sauȝte, Kepe god wiþ-yn ȝoure ynnere ȝate.
- a1500(c1340) Rolle Psalter (UC 64)9.20 : The utter man haf noght maistry of the inere.
b
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)25b/b : God..makeþ vs..knowe somdel & vnderstonde how by þese þinges þat beþ I-felid & material we schal excite þe inner doinge of oure herte to knowe litil & litil þe spiritual þinges.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)106b/b : Philosophris þat serchiþ & inqueriþ..þe inner point of philosophie [L interiora philosophie spectamina].
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Prov.7.27 : The weies of helle is hir hous; and persen in to ynnere [WB(1): innermor; L interiora] thingis of deeth.
- c1425 WBible(2) (Qu-O 387)Prov.26.22 : Ynnere [Roy: The wordis of a pryuei bacbitere..comen til to the ynneste thingis of the herte].
- (1435) Misyn FL (Corp-O 236)77/3 : A crying to hys makar has raysyd & byrst vp of þe inhere marygh [L intimis medullis] of his affectuus lufe.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- ?c1400(1379) Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Roy 17.D.1)f.65rb (2.8) : That the vryn is but litle in quantite, it seiþ consumpsioun of þe substancial humidite of þe indre membres in þe body
Note: Additional quot. Editor's gloss: 'interior'. New spelling: indre.