Middle English Dictionary Entry
jū̆rẹ̄ n.
Entry Info
| Forms | jū̆rẹ̄ n. Also jurre, jurie, jurri. |
| Etymology | AF; cp. CF jure(e 'oath, sworn statement' & juré, p.ppl. of jurer 'to swear'. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A group of men (often 12) appointed by royal or local authority and sworn to return a true verdict in a legal case or to give true answers to questions of fact or law, a jury; passen in ~, to serve on a jury; (b) gret ~, a larger jury (often 24 men) appointed to examine the verdicts of other juries and to pass upon their truth or validity; ~ bok, a copy of the Gospels (?or a Bible) used in administering oaths [cp. bok, sense 3a. (d)]; ~ man, ?a professional juryman, ?a city official [cp. (c)]; (c) in Dublin usage: a kind of city official serving under oath; also, a member of an investigative jury.
Associated quotations
a
- [ (c1290) Britton 1 (Lamb 403)p.95 : Et ausi soit enquis..queus del counte se procurent estre mis..en jurez, et queus se voillent parjurer pur louwer. ]
- (1430) Grocer Lond.(Kingdon)196/20 : Þe wryttes and Rettournes off þe Eschecerye and off þe Iure and þe enrollyng off owr ded.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)662 : Audytours and offycers ordayne thy seluen, Bathe jureez and juggez and justicez of landes.
- (1444) RParl.5.104a : Thei shulde passe in Juries and Triels of hem, and of her liflodes; whom thei have no thyng in favour.
- (1444) RParl.5.112a : Suche issue in suche forein Plee, be tried where the Writte is brought, or such Suyt taken, and by the same Jure so retorned.
- (1463) GRed Bk.Bristolpt.2.p.65 : Ȝif eany maner Burgeysse..be Empanellyd In eany Iurry by twixt partye and partye.
- a1525(?1472) Cov.Leet Bk.372 : Hit is ordeyned..þat Joh. Hastynges, wiredrawer, & Will. Atterton be discharged to passe frohensfurth of eny jure within þis Cite; nor þat they be enpanelled vppon eny jurre frohensfurth for euer.
b
- (1327) Sub.R.Sus.in Sus.RS 10119 : Thom. Jureman.
- (1398) Doc.Chester in EHR 48269 : Quod quidem sacramentum hic ad hunc diem capi non potest pro eo quod non habetur librum vocatum Jurybook sacramento eorundem legalium hominum.
- (1436) RParl.4.501b : And eche of yese xiii Plees and Answeres, triable out of ye Shire in which ye Action and Writ of atteint is sued, shal cause ye delay of ye takyng of ye gret Jurie of atteint unto the tyme that eche of ye seid Foreins severals Answers be tried..ye takyng of ye seid grete Jurye, ye which by sotiltee..myght cause the delaie of the Pleintifs..by x yere or more.
- (1452-4) Grocer Lond.(Kingdon)345/27 : Payed for j Jurebooke with j crusifix gilt, the byndynge stuff, With j calender, v s. vj d.
c
- (1457) Doc.in Gilbert Cal.Dublin 1294 : Ther schold ne maner of man be mad jure of the sayd cytte without that he had be Baylyf before tym..that sayd lawe schold be annullyt..and fro thens forward al thos that ben abyll to be jurys..to be admitted.
- (1459) Doc.in Gilbert Cal.Dublin 1301 : Hyt was grawnt by the sayd semble that every jure that ys weddyt, that ber not hys ball, that he schall pay xl s., and every dymyjure, xx s., and every comyne, as he may avordy.
- (1469) Doc.in Gilbert Cal.Dublin 1336 : It is ordined that the Maire and Bailiffs shall goo to all the hagardes within the citte, and take with them fyve jurees..and the comines ii of every crafte, and thei to consider the peple beyng in householde.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- (1468-70) in Sandahl ME Sea Terms 247 : j velo magno et ij bonettes, j meson seil, j jory saile…j virga pro le water seill.
Note: New form for sense (b)--per REL
Note: priv. cp. seil(e n. 3.(b)
Note: Quot. already under jori-seil n.--JL
Note: None of the senses of jure n. seems to fit.--JL
Note: This is probably not the word; it may be a new entry. The etymology is problematic. Sandahl's note: Formally the word may also be a figurative use of ME. iuery, iury, etc. 'jewry' derived from AN (OF) juerie.--More promising than any of these is OF. jouerie, juerie, 'play, sport,' (derived from L. jocāri 'to play'), see Godefroy s. v. joerie, Wartburg s. v. jŏcaāi (p. 37). Compare this with F. voile, mât etc. de fortune 'jury-sail, jurymast'; see further s. v. bonaventure-mast p. 19, note 1. By a similar figure of speech, a jury-sail would then be a "playful or wanton sail." In the same way a bonaventure-sail (q. v.) might be explained as a "jolly sail," this conjecturally being the name for a sail that was [originally] only set when occasion arose. But F. fortune also stands for 'storm, peril at sea.'--per MLL