Middle English Dictionary Entry
līer(e n.(1)
Entry Info
| Forms | līer(e n.(1) Also liar(e, ligher, liher, liȝer(e, lieȝer(e & lẹ̄er, legher(e, leȝer, leier, leiȝer(e & (early) lihjere, lihȝare. |
| Etymology | OE; cp. WS lēogere, A lēgere. Also cp. līen v.(2). |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A liar, slanderer, deceitful person; also personified; (b) one who breaks a promise; a perjurer; (c) one who pretends to special knowledge, a false prophet, false teacher, charlatan; (d) ~ of the bileve, one who renounces his faith, an apostate; ~ upon himself, one who presents a false impression, a hypocrite; the ~, Satan; maken ~, to give (sb.) the lie, declare or prove (sb.) wrong.
Associated quotations
a
- a1225(?OE) Lamb.Hom.(Lamb 487)13 : Ne..beo þu lihȝere, ne for eye ne for luue.
- a1225(?OE) Lamb.Hom.(Lamb 487)125 : Ðe mon ðe seið þet he luuað god and hateð his broþer, he is lihȝare.
- c1275 Hwan þu sixst on leode (Clg A.9)7 : Old mon lechur; Ȝunch mon lieȝer [vr. lyere]; Wimmon schomeles..Wo þere þeode.
- a1300 11 Pains(1) (Jes-O 29)207 : Trichurs and lyeres and les, Þat weren her, wo is ham þes.
- a1350 Heȝe louerd (Hrl 2253)61 : Lyare wes mi latymer, Sleuthe ant Slep mi bedyuer.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)2559 : Þe messanger was foule yschent..& oft ycleped foule leiȝer.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)256/35 : Greate lhordes..habbeþ lyeȝeres and vlatours to greate cheape, and veawe zoþ ziggeres.
- c1350 Apoc.(1) in LuSE (Hrl 874)p.178 : Vnto þe dredeful & to þe mysbileuande & vnto þe liȝers [vr. leiȝers]..her partie shal ben in þe ponde of fyre.
- c1350 MPPsalter (Add 17376)61.9 : Mennes sones ben liȝers in balaunces.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))John 8.55 : If I schal seye..I woot not him, I shal be a lyere [L mendax] lyk to ȝou.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mel.(Manly-Rickert)B.2498 : Thanne shul ye kepe yow fro alle straunge folk and fro lyeres.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)13947 : If i said þat i him ne kneu, Þan war i leier [Trin-C: liere; Frf: lither] and vn-treu.
- a1400 NVPsalter (Vsp D.7)61.9 : Liyhers sones of men ar ai In weghtes.
- a1400 NVPsalter (Vsp D.7)115.11 : Ilke man ligher es amange.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)2.143 : Makiþ of lyere [vr. liar] a lang carte to leden al þis oþere.
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)2.167 : Ȝif ȝe lacche leiȝere [vr. leyer], let him not askape.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)13.423 : Ȝe lordes..Þat fedeth foles sages, flatereres, and lyeres [vr. leers]..In ȝowre deth-deyinge I drede me ful sore.
- c1400 *Bk.Mother (Bod 416)158/20 : Who is a liere but he þat demeþ þat Ihesu is not Crist?
- a1425 Wycl.Serm.(Bod 788)2.55 : Þe fend is lyȝere and fadir of þis lyȝing.
- (c1438) MKempe B (Add 61823)243/32 : Euyr þei madyn oþer lyars, her autorys, seying in excusyng of hem-self þat oþer men telde hem so.
- (1440) *Capgr.St.Norb.(Hnt HM 55)1104 : Þe godman here Is now dislaundred be þis fals lyere.
- (1440) *Capgr.St.Norb.(Hnt HM 55)2170 : Euyr hast þou be A strong lier, for ȝet þou liest, parde.
- a1450 Myne awen dere sone (Vsp D.13)432,434 : If..Þou mayntens leers..And will noght swylke tales oueretake..many leers will þou make.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)12590 : Thus lytherly þo lyghers lappit þere tales And forget a faint tale vnder fals colour.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)2.343 : Iupiter..was callede of men of Grece, that be and were the greteste lyers, a god.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.B.855 : A lier is..A maker of tales and tydyngis newe..Rehersyng diuers talis and noon of hem true.
- a1500(c1340) Rolle Psalter (UC 64)3.2 : Many says..thare is na hele..there ere leghers and thai say to bigile the.
- c1500 Lydg.Diet.(Rwl C.86)54 : Woyde all dronkelawe, lyers, and lechours.
b
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mel.(Manly-Rickert)B.2256 : Though ye han sworn and bihight to perfourne youre emprise and nathelees ye weyue to perfourne thilke same emprise by iuste cause, men sholde nat seyn ther fore that ye were a lyere ne forsworn.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)3.309,315 : Avauntour and a lyere, al is on; As thus: I pose, a womman graunte me Hire love..And I am sworn to holden it secree, And after I go telle it two or thre; Iwis, I am avantour at the leeste, And lyere, for I breke my biheste.
- ?c1430(c1400) Wycl.Satan & P.(Corp-C 296)270 : Þe prophete zacharie seiþ þat goddis curs comeþ to þe hous of lieris.
c
- c1400(a1376) PPl.A(1) (Trin-C R.3.14)7.257 : Ȝif þou diȝete þe þus..fisik shal..be fayn..his fesik to leten..Þere arn mo liȝeris [vr. liars] þan lechis.
- (a1402) Trev.DCur.(Hrl 1900)54/16 : Teþingis..passeþ nouȝt as cerymonyes of Jewes, as lyers telliþ.
- ?c1430(c1400) Rule & T.St.Francis(1) (Corp-C 296)48 : It semiþ þat fraunseis..was a liere & out of charite but ȝif þis testament were acordynge wiþ goddis dom.
- a1525 Conq.Irel.(Dub 592)72/4 : Who shal heten-forward beleue Merlyn, the leyer?
d
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)19/25 : Man [is] ycleped reney and uals cristen..uor þet he agelt þe byleaue þet he bylefþ, Alsuo doþ þe uorzuorene and þe leȝers of þe byleaue.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Roy 1.B.6)1 John 1.10 : If we shulen seie for we han not synned, we maken him a liȝer, and his word is not in us.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Roy 1.B.6)1 John 5.10 : He that bileueth not to the sone makith him a liȝer, for he belieueth not in the witnessinge that God witnesside of his sone.
- c1400 *Bk.Mother (Bod 416)49/7 : But þis lessoun þe liere tauȝte Eue in Paradis, and sche haþ mo douȝtres doinge aftur þe lieres lessoun, nameliche in religioun, þanne Marie þat liuede aftir Cristes lessoun.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)73/12 : For and I wyste thou seyde soth, I wolde do so perleous a dede that I wolde sle myself to make the a lyer.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)39 : He..made yow semblance that ye sholde be deed for me..but..I shall make hym a lyer, for ye shull neuer for me be deed.
- a1500 *Chartier Treat.Hope (Rwl A.338)131/2 : For iniquite is suspecte and a lyer vpon himself, but innocency is of his nature consolatyve.