Middle English Dictionary Entry
īre n.
Entry Info
| Forms | īre n. Also ir, iere. |
| Etymology | L īra & OF ire. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Anger, wrath; the deadly sin of wrath; also, the faculty of the soul enabling it to hate and repel evil and sin; (b) jealous fury or rage; (c) the wrath of God, Christ, or a pagan deity; also, vengeance; child (sone) of ~, a sinful person; dai of ~, Judgment Day, Doomsday; (d) a fit of anger; (e) anger personified.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 Horn (LdMisc 108)1553 : Þer kyng mody was syre, Þat horn slow wyt yre.
- c1330(?a1300) KAlex.(Auch)372/53 : Þe trewe answerd wiþ gret ire.
- c1330(?c1300) Bevis (Auch)118/2488 : Þo was Beues in gret yre.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)147/7 : Me ne hyealde naȝt ire longe.
- (c1375) Chaucer CT.Mk.(Manly-Rickert)B.3221 : Thre hundred foxes took Sampson for ire, And alle hir tayles he togydre bond.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Deeds 19.28 : These thingis herd, thei ben fulfillid with ire.
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.1659 : As wilde bores gonnen they to smyte, That frothen whit as foom for ire wood.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.535 : This synne of ire..is wikked wil to ben auenged by word or by dede.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.538,539,543 : Ire is in two maneres..The goode ire is by ialousie of goodnesse thurgh which a man is wrooth with wikkednesse and agayns wikkednesse..wikked ire is in two maneres..sodeyn ire..[and] ire..that comth of felonye of herte, [etc.].
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)3.2726 : If thou desire To stonde ayein the vice of Ire, Consaile thee with Pacience.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.3396 : The Leon schal..Restreigne his ire in such mesure, As thogh it were a beste tamed.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)265a/b : For þe grete yre and cruelte þat he [the boar] haþ in herte, he reseþ on his enemy.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)1266,1268 : Þe modyr..wax ful of ire and of wraþ..kursyng with ryghte grete yre.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)27752 : Wreth..hattred..es, and ir to strang Þat has in hert ben halden lang.
- ?a1400(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.2 (Petyt 511)p.118 : I ne wote for what trespas, þe kyng tille him had ire.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.1141 : He was anoon brouȝt in swyche disioint Of hasty rancour and of sodeyn Ire.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)3.1805 : Thus wolde Love..That Pride, Envye, and Ire, and Avarice He gan to fle, and everich other vice.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Prov.15.1 : A soft answere brekith ire [WB(1): wrathe; L iram].
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)314 : Was never wight yit half so wo..Nor so fulfilled of ire as she.
- a1425 Iesu þat wolde (LdMisc 463)p.194 : Who so is in wille pilt To man þat haueþ him agilt, Forto slen him or to bete..Such ire is dedly sinne.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)94b/b : 1a. þat egre or sowre and sharp and inflammyng þingez be eschewed as ire [*Ch.(2): wratthe], coite, i. lecherie, & stronge excercise.
- a1450 Yk.Pl.(Add 35290)228/198 : Þer houes..A hyve helte full of ire, for hasty he is.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)1424 : Lap noght in yre ffor foly þat may falle of a felle hert.
- c1450 Royal SSecr.(Roy 18.A.7)12/6 : A kyng owith..his yre and malice wisely to cover and refreyne.
- ?a1475(a1396) *Hilton SP (Hrl 6579)1.15.9a : Bi meditacion schalt þou sen þe wrecchidnesse, þi synnes, and þi wikkednesse as pride, coueitise, glotonie, and lecherie, wikkede steringes of enuye, ire..and vnstilful heuynesse.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.B.379 : The nexte synne and the seconde is Ire.
- c1475 *Mondeville (Wel 564)148a/a : We musten caste fro him alle maner of þouȝtis and meuynges boþe bodily & goostly, as yre and al manere of affecte & appetit of veniaunce.
- a1500(?a1400) Firumb.(2) (Fil)297 : Off þe grees they dyscendeden ful coraious in yere [rime: fyre].
- a1500(?c1425) Spec.Sacer.(Add 36791)90/30 : Ther ben thre powers of the sowle: scilicet, yre, concupyscencye, and reson; Be yre the sowle putteþ away euels.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)24/51 : Euery liffyng leyde..syn in word and dede..Som in pride, Ire, and enuy.
- a1500 Leg.Cross BC(1) (Wor F.172)212 : Chaym..kyndeled with yre, wroth, and envie, slowgh Abel.
- a1500 PNoster R.Hermit (Trin-C O.1.29)158 : Þe ladye..raught þe faucon be þe hede & draugh it hastely from þe body in full grete ire & malecolye.
b
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)5.36 : For ire he quook, so gan his herte gnawe.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)5.1223 : With his ire he thus hymselve shente.
c
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)101/32 : Huanne he [God] ous dede come to þe cristenedome, we were poure and naked and chihd [read: child] of yre and of helle.
- c1350 MPPsalter (Add 17376)2.13 : Whan he [God] be styred in hys short ire, blisced ben hij þat afien in hym.
- c1350 MPPsalter (Add 17376)6.1 : Lord..ne reproue me nouȝt in þyn yre [L ira].
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.1560 : Thou felle Mars, allas Iuno, Thus hath youre ire oure lynage al fordo.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pars.(Manly-Rickert)I.313 : Contricion..maketh hym that whilom was sone of ire to be sone of grace.
- a1400(c1300) NHom.(1) Gosp.(Phys-E)p.104 : Cresten man praier..es to crist ful lef and der..It slakes goddes wret and ire.
- a1400 NVPsalter (Vsp D.7)77.25 : God herd..and ire somdele Vpstegh þanne in Iraele.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)572 : Þe anger of his [God's] ire..arȝed mony.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)21.437 : Ich..of alle wyckede..wolle here take veniaunce, And ȝut my kynde, in my kene yre shal contrarie my wil..To beo merciable.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.17 : The goddys..of Ire..With the swerde & stroke of pestilence On this yle whylom toke vengaunce.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)5.1464 : Diane..wroth was and in ire For Grekis nolde don hir sacrifise.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Ps.68.25 : Schede out thin ire [WB(1): wrathe] on hem.
- a1425 Ben.Rule(1) (Lnsd 378)6/17 : Þe ire of god com to fo[r] he ne chastid noht hise childir.
- c1430(c1380) Chaucer PF (Benson-Robinson)11 : Al be that I knowe nat Love in dede..Yit happeth me ful ofte in bokes reede Of his myrakles and his crewel yre.
- c1430(c1395) Chaucer LGW Prol.(2) (Benson-Robinson)324 : A god..shal nat ryghtfully his yre wreke Or he have herd the tother partye speke.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)1314 : Whan þe day comth of ire and of vengeaunce, Than schal men seeme [read: see], how in þis world..Richesse is pouert, and pouert richesse.
- c1450(c1370) Chaucer ABC (Benson-Robinson)30 : Were now the bowe bent in swich maneere As it was first, of justice and of ire, The rightful God nolde of no mercy heere.
- c1450(c1375) Chaucer Anel.(Benson-Robinson)50 : Mars, which that through his furious cours of ire..Hath set the peples hertes bothe on fire Of Thebes and Grece.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)12545 : Hit fell hom by fortune of a foule ende ffor greuyng þere goddes in hor gret yre.
- a1500(c1340) Rolle Psalter (UC 64)2.5 : His [God's] ire is rightwis pyne that he does on synfulmen.
- a1500 Mirror Salv.(Beeleigh)p.127 : Howe sho the ire of hire son ageynst this werlde makes softe.
d
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mel.(Manly-Rickert)B.2199 : In herte he baar a cruel ire redy to doon vengeaunce vp on his foos.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.Sum.(Manly-Rickert)D.2003 : Ther nys ywis no serpent so cruel..As womman is whan she hath caught an ire.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Prov.30.33 : He that stirith iris bringith forth discordis.
- a1400 Siege Jerus.(1) (LdMisc 656)1046 : His herte in an hote yre so hetterly riseþ, Þat þe blode bygan to [br]ed[e].
e
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.1997 : Ther say I..the derke ymagynynge Of felonye and al the compassynge, The cruel ire reed as any gleede.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)4997 : Peyne and Distresse, Syknesse and Ire, And Malencoly..Ben of hir [Elde's] paleys senatours.
2.
(a) The fury of battle or attack; violence, vigor; with (gret) ~; intensity [quot.: (?1440)]; also, a violent assault; ~ of the air, gusts of wind; fig. worldly turmoil or mishap; (b) heat; (c) ?greed, avarice.
Associated quotations
a
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)1815 : Mani of hem þer he slouȝ; Wiþ gret ire þai run him on.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)3107 : Ferthe he smot þan on ys yre.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)3644 : Forþ he prykede with gret yre.
- a1400(?a1350) Siege Troy(1) (Eg 2862)1433 : Ector..smote Achilles with grete yre.
- a1425(a1400) PConsc.(Glb E.9 & Hrl 4196)6652 : Þe devels sal..cast þam, with ful grete ire, In-til þat cald to eke þair payne.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)2.m.4.20 : Thou..schalt leden a cler age, scornynge the woodnesses and the ires of the eyr.
- ?a1425 Glo.Chron.B (Dgb 205)3826 : With gret ire [Clg: King arthure aȝen þe brest is felawe verst ahitte Aȝen þe brust þat a vul].
- c1425 Glo.Chron.A (Hrl 201)p.185 : Wyþ hard dunt & gret yre to gadere suþþe hii come.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)6.123 : So smyte hem of quycly that hit be do; So wol the wo be short of litel yre.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)10903 : Ful of yre, wyþ colour teint, Was he neyþer abaischt ne feint.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)56.195 : They prekeden here hors with gret Ire.
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)497 : The aunterous felde hym þere wiþ yre Doun off his stede.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)1338 : He come to þe kyng in a kene yre, Dang hym derffly don in a ded hate.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)33/29 : Also in that ire he felde kynge Morganoure.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)530/27 : With grete ire he gate hym by the arme and pulled hym downe frome hys horse.
- c1450(a1375) Octav.(2) (Clg A.2)1124 : He fauȝt with ire and with enuie.
b
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)4.54 : Lond argillose or drie hem [panic and millet] sleth for ire.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)9.18 : The feruent ire [gloss: vel heete] of Phebus to declyne With obumbracioun.
c
- a1500(?c1450) Florence (Cmb Ff.2.38:Vietor)1765 : Tho two false wyth grete yre Stode and behelde hur ryche a tyre And be ganne to lagh and flyre.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Add (in NOTE tags) after form section (and before etymology): Cp. erre n.