Middle English Dictionary Entry
mō̆rther n.(1)
Entry Info
| Forms | mō̆rther n.(1) Also morthre, murther, murthre, mirther, (error) mother & morder, mordre, murder, murdre, mourdre, mourdure, moerdre, (errors) moudre, mordred. |
| Etymology | OE morþor & OF mordre, murdre, mourdre, from Gmc. & ML murdrum, from Gmc. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Deliberate killing of a human being, murder; ~ of self, soule ~, spiritual suicide or death; (b) in prov. sayings: ~ wil out, etc.; (c) a massacre; (d) crime, outrage; injury or damage to people, a town, country, etc.; (e) ~ man, a murderer; also, death personified.
Associated quotations
a
- [ c1120(OE) Leges Hen.I in Liebermann Gesetze 1575 : Furtum uero et prodicionem et murdrum..nulli precipienda uel peragenda sunt. ]
- [ c1120(OE) Leges Hen.I in Liebermann Gesetze 1607 : Qui murdrum fecerit, si capiatur, debet reddi iusticie regis. ]
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)128/24 : Ne bið þær þurst, ne hungor, ne wop..ne morþer.
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)143/3 : Ofte þet tu wenest godd is uuel & sawle morðre [Nero: murðre].
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)157/6 : O þe an half o domes [dai] schulen ure swarte sunnen strongliche bicleopien us of ure sawle morðre [Cai: murþre].
- c1230(?a1200) Ancr.(Corp-C 402)160/17 : A mon þe were idemet for a luðer morðre [Nero: murðre; Cai: murdre] to beo forbearnd al cwic..hu walde his heorte stonden?
- c1230 Ancr.(Corp-C 402)105/1 : Oðer on oþer wise hearmin hire i sawle & i bodi baðe; þeos is homicide & morðre of hire seoluen.
- c1250 Legal Gloss.Jul.(Jul D.7)33 : Murdre: Humme mort sanz ateinte.
- c1300 Lay.Brut (Otho C.13)26096 : Telle of þine cunne..and wi þou mine mowe a-falled hauest mid morþre.
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.1256 : Som man desireth for to haue richesse, That cause is of his moerdre [vrr. moudre, mordere, mordre, morthre] or greet siknesse.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.NP.(Manly-Rickert)B.4211 : My gold caused my mordre [vrr. murder, morder, mourdre], sooth to seyn.
- a1400 Cursor (Frf 14)1121 : Þar-wiþ come our creatour for-to speke wiþ þat traytour of þat myrþer [Vsp: murth; Trin-C: morþ].
- a1400 Cursor (Göt Theol 107)1072 : Wid murther [Vsp: murth; Trin-C: murthere] he broght his broþer o lijf.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.888 : Howe..her worþines Endid in sorwe..By sodeyn mordre or vengaunce of poysoun.
- (c1422) Hoccl.JWife (Dur-U Cosin V.3.9)882 : No wight but shee Mighte of this slaghtre and murdre gilty be.
- a1425 Cursor (Glb E.9)27838 : All þir may kum of couaytyse..Morther, brining, man-slaghter.
- ?c1425(c1380) Chaucer Form.A.(Benson-Robinson)63 : In oure dayes nis but covetyse..Poyson, manslauhtre, and mordre in sondry wyse.
- (1433) RParl.4.447b : The said John..was outelawed of the said mourdure..Please hit to youre rightwisnesse to considere the horrible murdure foresaid.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)2.4463 : Rome..Thi bildyng gan off fals discencioun, Off slauhtre, moordre, & outraious robbyng.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)6.2863 : [Cæsar's] ambicious necligence Caused his mordre bi vnwar violence.
- ?c1450 Knt.Tour-L.(Hrl 1764)89/16 : God vengithe hym of them..that be cruelte and couetise makithe do mani euell mordres [F murtres].
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)120/1 : The kynge..charged them never to do outerage nothir morthir.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)406/12 : He tolde hym how he was somned and appeled of murthur.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)83b : A murdyr: murdrum.
- a1475 *Sidrak & B.(Lnsd 793)1418 : Whche is þe worste þing of þise þre, Morther, or þefte, or baratour to be?
- a1475 *Sidrak & B.(Lnsd 793)7210 : Þe moste synne of alle þese þre Is murþur and slaghter.
- 1532(?a1400) RRose (Thynne)1136 : He wende to have reproved be Of theft or moordre [F murtre].
- c1600(?c1395) PPl.Creed (Trin-C R.3.15)635 : He schulde sonner be schryven..Þouȝ he kilde a comlye knyȝt & compased his morþer [vrr. morther, mother], Þanne a buffet to beden a beggere frere.
b
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pri.(Manly-Rickert)B.1766 : Mordre [vr. Morther] wol out certeyn, it wol nat faille.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.NP.(Manly-Rickert)B.4241 : O blisful god..thow biwreyest mordre [vrr. mordred, murdre] alway!
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)3.1920 : Bot moerdre, which mai noght ben hedd, Sprong out to every mannes Ere.
- a1400 Cursor (Göt Theol 107)1084 : For-þi men sais into þis tyde, Is no man þat murthir [Frf: deþ; Trin-C: murþere] may hide.
- a1450(c1433) Lydg.St.Edm.(Hrl 2278)400/225 : Moordre wil out, thouh it abide a while.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)3.2741 : God mai his vengaunce a while weel respite, But moordre will out, & al such fals tresoun.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)6.2933 : Moordre alwey requereth an euel eende.
- a1450(1413) Glade in god call (Dgb 102)94 : Synne, morþere, derne tresoun, Not may be hyd fro goddis syȝt.
c
- a1450(?c1421) Lydg.ST (Arun 119)3178 : Þis lady..To þis mordre was froward and..Kept her fader þat he was not slawe.
d
- c1300 Lay.Brut (Otho C.13)28715 : Modred his son..þat þane morþre [wroht]e.
- (1439) RParl.5.17b : The which Phelip is lawefully endited and outlawed, of diverse Murdris, Felonies, and Trespasses.
- (a1465) Proc.Chanc.in Cal.PCEliz.1.p.lxi : William Chamburn..wounded theym so that they never sith durst kepe the wacche withyn the seid toun of Modbury..to the grete murdre of the same towne and the Kynges liege people there.
e
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)3166 : Bet it is to sle þe mordreman Than suffre hym regne.
- a1475 As Reson Rywlyde (Hrl 3954)32 : I criede on deth, 'why wilt þu fle? Cum, sle his moder, þu morder man [vr. morþer man]!'
2.
(a) A killing, death by violence; (b) slaughter in war, carnage; ~ of blod, bloodshed; (c) a slaughter of animals; (d) loss of life through plague.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)360/36 : Where he hated, he wolde be avenged with murther.
- c1475(c1399) Mum & S.(1) (Cmb Ll.4.14)3.103 : They mornyd for þe morthir of manffull knyȝtis.
- c1475 Mankind (Folg V.a.354)639 : Here cummyth a man of armys!..Of murder and manslawter I haue my bely-fyll.
b
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)11717 : Sir simond was aslawe & is folk al to grounde; More murþre [vr. morþre] ȝare nas in so lute stounde.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)3.1780 : Priamus..swyche a mordre gan vpon hem make, Þat many Greke lay ded on þe pleyn.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)4.2490 : Swiche a morder of Grekis þer þei make, Þat finally þer was..only deth.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)6.879 : Grete Marrius..In slauhtre & moordre set al his plesaunce.
- (c1449) Pecock Repr.(Cmb Kk.4.26)516 : Sowdiers wagid into Fraunce forto make miche morther of blood..and of soulis.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)14.204 : So Mochel Moordre Of peple was that day.
- (a1464) Capgr.Chron.(Cmb Gg.4.12)108 : There was swech batail, and swech morder of men, was never swech in al Frauns.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)4.61 : Þer was so grete murdre [Trev.: slauȝter; L strages] of the peple of Rome that he commaundede his peple to sease from the sleenge of theyme.
c
- c1450 Capgr.St.Kath.(Arun 396)4.377 : The wasshynge of the carkeys doun in the flood Shewed the gret moordre of the bestes slayn.
d
- c1475 Gregory's Chron.(Eg 1995)83 : That yere wa[s] a grete morther of pepylle, and pryncepally a mong the Sarsonys, that un nethe ther lefte the x man on lyve.
3.
Law A fine payable to the Crown, unless exempted by charter or writ, by a manor or hundred in which a murder is committed, if the slayer is not brought to justice; also, the right of jurisdiction in cases of homicide.
Associated quotations
- [ (1109-1111) Cart.Ramsey in RS 79.1241 : Concessisse et confirmasse ecclesiæ Sancti Benedicti..socam et sacam..et blodwite et murdre et wrec maris, et omnes libertates. ]
- [ (a1135) in Madox Form.Angl.(1702)291 : Homines ejusdem Ecclesiæ liberi sint & quieti ab omni Geldo, & Scoto..& omnibus Auxiliis, & Warpenig, & Lestagiis, & Latrociniis, & Murdris. ]
- [ (1189) in Rymer's Foedera (1816-69)1.48 : Comes David..& homines sui..teneant terras suas..quietas..de fichtwita, de murdro, & de denariis ad murdrum pertinentibus. ]
- [ (1227) Chart.B.Borough214 : Concessi etiam eis quietanciam murdri infra urbem. ]
- [ a1275 Legal Gloss.Rothley128 : Murdro: Hoc est libertas non respondendi extra terram suam de murdro. ]
- [ (1399) in Rec.B.Nottingham 26 : Et quod habeant imperpetuum omnes fines..quae fines..et murdra ad nos..possent pertinere..ita quod ipsi per se..de anno die et vasto sive streppo, et murdris praedictis levare..possint. ]
- [ (1403) Inquis.Hen.IV in BGAS 1864 : Et quod predicti canonici..haberent..cum omnibus libertatibus et liberis consuetudinibus..cum..blodewyte et murdro et forestal. ]
- c1460 Oseney Reg.13/11 : I will..that they..be quyte of..all other exaccions and playntes, outetake murther and thefte ipreued.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)653/32 : The..chirche of Godestowe..shold haue..tho londes..fre fro shire, hundred, and..fro murther, thefte and all gelde.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)665/5 : They sholde have and holde hit..vtterly quyte fro..yelde and danegelde, of Murthere and of theeft.