Middle English Dictionary Entry
rafter n.
Entry Info
| Forms | rafter n. Also raftre, reftour, raftour, (early SWM) ræftre & (SWM, SW, K) refter, reftre; pl. rafteres, etc. & (error) restourez. |
| Etymology | OE ræfter, refter. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A beam, pole; a post; (b) any of the rafters in the roof of a building; also fig.; ~ logge, a piece of timber used as a rafter; (c) sparre and ~, rafteres and sparres, timbers of a building, ?esp. the timbers in the roof; (d) with ref. to Mat.7.3: the beam (in one's eye); (e) in place name [see Smith PNElem.2.79].
Associated quotations
a
- c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)547/36 : Tignum: refter.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)3904 : Þa Bruttes..nomen longen ræftres [Otho: refteres]..& setten heom in Temese flod.
- c1300 Lay.Brut (Otho C.13)3909 : Þeos reftres stode, hi-hud in þan flode.
- (1356) *Pipe Roll (PRO) 32 Edw.III m.33/1 [OD col.] : dccciiij Ræftres emptis..pro factura de la Redecogge.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)217a/b : For þe cedre dureþ alwey, þerof beþ raftres and oþer tymber y-made to palis of kynges.
- (1404-5) Acc.St.Michael Oxf.in OAST 781 : Pro i raftere vendito, iii d.
- 1448 *Glo.Chron.C (Arms 58:Kooper)f.200r : The Latyn story telleth that bemes and reftours of the Bowe churche were bore so ferre that grete mervaill was, and also ij couple raftours of xxvj fote long were pight downe so harde into the grounde that vnnethe me myght see iiij fote of lenghthe aboue the grounde: a grete wonder to men how the harde pauement of the comone strete was throw-pight and .. ther the reftours set right as they stode atte churche and as carpenters hadde sette hem.
- c1450 Trin-C.LEDict.(Trin-C O.5.4)616/23 : Tigna: restourez.
- (1467) in Gras Eng.Cust.Syst.618 : Item, pro ccc raftres de firre, val. xxxiii s. iiii d.
b
- a1225(c1200) Vices & V.(1) (Stw 34)95/6 : Cariteð..arist up anon to ðe roue, forðan to hire bieð ifastned alle ðe raftres of ðe hali mihtes.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)1328 : Al þe coples cipres were, & þe raftres wer al-so.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.349 : A whirlewynd..lefte up sixe rafters [vr. refters; L tigna] of þe cherche.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)250b/b : Þe laþþe..is y-nayled thwartouer to þe rafteres and þer onne hongeþ sclattes, tyle, and schyngles.
- c1400 Femina (Trin-C B.14.40)72 : Of tuo rafters a couple makeþ.
- (c1420) in Salzman Building in Engl.416 : Item, lez reftres necessar' que erunt quodlibet eorum latitudinis vj pollic' in pede et iiij pollic' densitatis in pede et in le tope iiij pollic' latitudinis et in densitate iij pollic' et di'.
- (1438) in Salzman Building in Engl.511 : The rafteris shulle contayne in the foot viij enches or better and the top vj enchis and a half in brede and in thicknesse v enchis and iiij enchis.
- (1444-5) in Salzman Building in Engl.518 : The refters vj inches brode,iiij thikk thorow al the bildyng, and by twene everi refter ix inches space.
- (1448) Acc.St.Mary Thame in BBOAJ 1351 : Item, we have payde for Raftur loggys and a post vii d. ob.
c
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.990 : He wan the citee after And rente adoun bothe wal and sparre and rafter [vrr. raftir, raftur].
- (1386) Inquis.Miscel.(PRO)4.199 : [The walls, posts, beams], raftrees, [and] sparres [there are injured by rain for lack of roofing].
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)1.4324 : Þei..rende dovn boþe sparre & rafter.
d
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)175/12 : Hi byeþ mest ham-zelue gelti þet y-zyeþ þet mot ine þe oþres eȝe and ne yzyeþ naȝt þane refter ine hire oȝene eȝe.
e
- (1356) EPNSoc.9 (Dev.)508 : Reftercombe juxta Clyfton Dertemouth.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- (1347-50) in Sandahl ME Sea Terms 1164 : En quatre cent de Reftrus achat' pour tylater les ditz Escomers.
Note: New form: Pl. reftrus.
Note: ?New sense. See Sandahl, vol. 1, p. 164 and 165-66.