Middle English Dictionary Entry
bē̆rn n.(2)
Entry Info
| Forms | bē̆rn n.(2) Also bærn, beron, berun, beirn, barn, barin, byrn. |
| Etymology | OE bern, berern. The form byrn is prob. a blend of bern with bire cow shed. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A building for the storage of farm produce, a barn; (b) ?a cattle barn.
Associated quotations
a
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)74/26 : Bringæð þone wæstm..into þe wynsume bærne.
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)10487 : He come..to clennsenn himm hiss corn..& don itt inn hiss berrne.
- c1275(?c1250) Owl & N.(Clg A.9)607 : Ich can nimen mus at berne.
- ?a1300 Jacob & J.(Bod 652)357 : Hi þar iseye Bernes ful riche & mowen ful heye.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)7152 : His god he delde pouere men & made is bernes bare.
- c1330 Why werre (Auch)69 : Ne shal the corn in his berne ben eten wid no muis.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)30 : Þer byeþ..bernes destrud and men..deserited.
- (c1375) Chaucer CT.Mk.(Manly-Rickert)B.3759 : He dronke..With inne his tente large as is a berne.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Mat.3.12 : He shal..gedre his corne in to his berne [L horreum].
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mil.(Manly-Rickert)A.3258 : But of hir song, it was as loude and yerne As any swalwe sittyng on a berne.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)227a/b : Þe somer hey is..y brouȝt in to bernes.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)4681 : Þe folk..fild þe berns [Göt: lathes].
- (1415) EEWills23/19 : All my corne growyng and yn bernes.
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Gen.41.35 : The fifte part of fruytis..now geder he in to the beernes.
- (1425) Paston (EETS)3.3 (931/11) : Þe cornes þer-of sufficiauntly to jnnyn in þe berons of þe seid William Paston.
- (1435) Doc.in Rec.B.Nottingham 2358 : For ye tawne dyke yat her barnes and her garthyn ocupyes.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)33 : Berne of lathe [Win: Barne or lathe]: Horreum.
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)440 : Þei sowen not, neiþer repen, neiþer gaderen into bernes.
- ?a1450 Add.Mir.Virg.(Add 39996)355/21 : Þai fond her bernes..Full of corn.
- c1460 Oseney Reg.143/27 : At þe dore of my Barne.
- (1466) in Cox Churches Derb.87 : He dwelled at thabbe barnes.
- (1474) Doc.in HMC Rep.5 App.494 : ii bondel of thache-rode to thache the baryn.
- ?a1500 Lndsb.Nominale (Lndsb)803/43 : Hoc orium: a beyrne.
b
- c1400 St.Anne(1) (Min-U Z.822.N.81)1992 : A fayre bed made scho..In a byrn.
2.
(a) ~ of thresheres, a threshing crew; comune ~, a public granary; threshen in ~, to have amorous dalliance with (sb.); (b) bern(es) dore, barn door; ~ ful, as much as a barn will hold; ~ garth, ~ yerd, barnyard; ~ gate, gate of a barnyard; ?also, path or road leading to a granary; ~ greive, ~ reve, ~ ward, officer in charge of granaries; ~ hous, a house near (or attached to) a granary; ~ knap, hillock with a barn on it; ~ shovel, a shovel for scooping grain; ~ thacching, work of thatching a barn.
Associated quotations
a
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)4.361 : He hired a comoun berne [L horreum publicum] and tauȝte þerynne.
- (a1402) Trev.DCur.(Hrl 1900)85/23 : Þe lawe of kynde..ordeynede prestes certeyn liflode of þe comyn bernes, as it is rad in þe ende of Genesis.
- a1450 Terms Assoc.(1) (Rwl D.328)604 : A barne of tharshsers.
- c1450 My ladyes (Frf 16)53 : And whoo so lyst may thressyn in your berne, So ys your hert fre and lyberalle.
b
- (1214) CRR(2) 767 : Willelmus Bernehus.
- (1242-3) Bk.of Fees2.786 : Reginaldus Bernehus tenet in Asmundeswrth' dimidium feodum.
- (1279) Hundred R.Tower 2333 : Will. Berngate.
- (1293) Bk.of Fees2.1308 : Willelmus Bernehous.
- (1296) Sub.R.Sus.in Sus.RS 1072 : Joh. Bernekneppe..Johannes de Bernenepp'.
- (1296) Sub.R.Lewes in Sus.AC 2300 : Joh. de Berndoure.
- (1311) Pat.R.Edw.II370 : Stephen le Bernereue.
- (1317) in Thuresson ME Occup.Terms103 : Joh. Bernereue.
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)10198 : Persones þing he solde men..& hor bernes dores acelede, & al clene out hom caste.
- (a1334) Doc.Manor in MP 3440 : Pro opere quod vocatur Bernethachinge.
- (1350-3) Doc.Manor in MP 3440 : Barngate.
- (1354-5) Doc.Manor in MP 3440 : In j muro facto circa le berneyerd.
- (1357-8) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.99124 : In factura unius muri lapid. in le Bernegarth.
- (1366-7) Doc.Manor in MP 3440 : De herbagio del Berneyerd.
- c1390 PPl.A(1) (Vrn)4.44 : He..Brekeþ vp my Berne-dore [vr. berne dores; B, C: bernes dore] and bereþ awei my whete.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.4907 : He gruccheth forto yive o grein, Wher he hath take a berne full.
- (1422) in Thuresson ME Occup.Terms103 : Ric. Berneward.
- (1432) *Acc.Grantchester : For erne wrowt to yowre berune gatis afor yowre Berne dorys.
- (1446) Will Durham in Sur.Soc.295 : j hopper, j barnshoile, ij rastra.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4852 : A blason as a berne-dure..alle þe body schildis.
- (1463) Paston (Gairdner)4.69 : They hahte seled up the berne dore and woll dryve a wey the catell.
- (1466) Acc.Howard in RC 57553 : For sawyng of bord to the berne dore, xxj d.
3.
In names. [See Smith PNElem. 1.30.]
Associated quotations
- (1211) CRR(2) 6126 : Eilwinus de la Berne.
- (1286) Close R.Edw.I389 : Richard Attebern.
- (1296) Sub.R.Sus.in Sus.RS 1052 : Godwyn' atte Berne.
- (1303) Feudal Aids 2425 : Walterus atte Berne.
- (1311) Cust.Chichester in Sus.RS 31141 : Lucy atte Berne.
- (1327) Sub.R.Stf.in WSAS 7203 : Rogerus del Berne.
- (1346) Feudal Aids 260 : Galfridus atte Berne.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1425 Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)91/1133 : Apotecha: a seler, a bern, a shoppe.
Note: Additional quot. for sense 1.(a).
- (1446) Invent.Lytham in Chet.n.s.60 ()80 : In the haghous..j berneshole, j bernerake.
Note: Supplementary material for sense 2.(b).
Note: New combination: '~ rake, ?a rake used for gathering together hay.
Note: The list of variant spellings in the form section may be incomplete and / or may need revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED.--all notes per MLL