Middle English Dictionary Entry
rēre-ward(e n.
Entry Info
| Forms | rēre-ward(e n. Also rerwarde, reir-, reward(e, (late) rierwarde. |
| Etymology | AF rere-warde, var. of OF rieregarde, AF rereg(u)arde; cp. ME rēre adj.(1) & ward n. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) The rear of an army, rear guard; also, the rear of a horse; (b) fig.; (c) a weapon of some kind, perhaps a cudgel or club; (d) error for red water, i.e., the Red Sea.
Associated quotations
a
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)2712 : Y me-self and Olyuer..Wolleþ come be-hynde her & kepe þe rereward.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)2.1827 : Of the chivalerie The rerewarde it tok aweie.
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)7781 : Antiochus had þe forme warde And Tholomeus þe rere warde [vr. reirwarde].
- c1425(c1400) Ld.Troy (LdMisc 595)14662 : Troyle to hem says..Ho schal haue the vaunwarde, Who the myddel, and ho the rerewarde.
- c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)1430 : The Romaynes..Ouerrydez oure rerewarde and grette rewthe wyrkes.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)50b : Ȝif here enemyes breke eny busshement on þe rerewarde, manye mowe be slayn er þey schul eny help haue in þe vawewarde or þe middelwarde.
- a1450 Parton.(1) (UC C.188)2755 : He sendith to his rewarde tho That they shull make hem redy and come hym to.
- a1450 Parton.(1) (UC C.188)2992 : Alle they counsayle and redde To kepe that Castell in safe garde Tylle he had alle his reward [vr. reerwarde].
- a1450-1509 Rich.(Brunner)3171 : Alle þe rerewarde [vr. reward] Was jslayn wiþ Kyng Rycharde.
- ?1457 Hardyng Chron.A (Lnsd 204)p.751 : Than may ye wele and saufly with baner Ryde into Fraunce or Scotlonde for your right, Whils your rereward in Englond stondyth clere.
- a1475(a1450) Tourn.Tott.(Hrl 5396)90 : He gyrd so hys gray mere þe [read: þat] sche lete a faucon-fare At þe rereward.
- a1500(a1450) Ashmole SSecr.(Ashm 396)87/21 : Some in the foward, some in bataill in the rereward.
- -?-(a1399) Acc.Army in Archaeol.2218 : In the Rierwarde: The Erle of Northumberland, iiij c men of armes, four hundreth archers, [etc.].
b
- a1325 SLeg.(Corp-C 145)3/54 : Ilore he [Christ] hadde is riȝte, Ȝif is kniȝtes of þe rerewarde þe strengore [ne] couþe fiȝte.
- (1402) Topias (Dgb 41)p.57 : It ar ȝe that stonden bifore in Anticristis vauwarde and in the myddil and in the rerewarde.
- c1425 Mirror LM&W (Hrl 45)130/30 : Comeþ þe deuel, as it were þe rerewarde, to assaile good men of parfite lyf.
- c1450(c1400) Vices & V.(2) (Hnt HM 147)116/12 : Þerfore comeþ þis askynge as þe rere-warde, þat seiþ þus: 'Set libera nos a malo, amen.'
- c1450(c1400) Vices & V.(2) (Hnt HM 147)187/10 : Alle men and wommen be wise and wel war to defende hem from veyn glorie; þat makeþ þe rereward.
- c1450 Pilgr.LM (Cmb Ff.5.30)145 : For she maketh the rerewarde; she taketh the folk subtilliche and sithe whan she may, she hangeth hem.
- c1500(?a1475) Ass.Gods (Trin-C R.3.19)1094 : Whyle these pety-capteynes susteynyd thus the feelde, With Vertew hys rerewarde came Good Perseueraunce.
c
- c1450(?c1425) St.Christina Mirab.(Dc 114)123/42 : Hee leyde hande vpon hir and brak hir legge wiþ a reerwarde [L: clava].
d
- a1400 Siege Jerus.(1) (LdMisc 656)478 : Cayphas..radde how þe folke ran þroȝ þe rerewarde [vrr. rede waters, rede watir, rede se] Whan Pharao & his ferde wer in þe floode drouned.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Dr. John Leland (Salem University emeritus professor of history, personal communication) supplies confirmation for sense (c). "It clearly means a weapon in JUST3.177m37d AALT dorses IMG 0303.., the case of John Pulteney, who defended himself against Alan Hogge 'cum quodam arma vocato rereward.'" See http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/JUST3/JUST3no177/bJUST3no177dorses/IMG_0303.htm