Middle English Dictionary Entry
tharm n.
Entry Info
| Forms | tharm n. Also tharme, thram, (SW) therm & (in cpd.) -tarme; pl. tharm(e)s, (chiefly early) thearmes & (early SWM) þærmes, þermes & (early infl.) þearma(n, þerman & (errors) charmes, ȝarmaȝs, yarmaȝs, (early infl.) þearnum. |
| Etymology | OE þearm, þerm, pl. tharme. Sense 5. is a semantic borrowing from L viscera. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
An internal organ of a human or an animal, esp. one of the organs of the abdominal cavity;—usu. pl.: entrails, viscera.
Associated quotations
- c1225(OE) Wor.Aelfric Gloss.(Wor F.174)536/15 : Exta: þermes.
- c1225(?c1200) HMaid.(Bod 34)32/518 : Inwið i þi wombe swelin þi butte þe bereð þe forð as a weater bulge, þine þearmes þralunge & stiches i þi lonke, & i þi lendene sar.
- c1225 Body & S.(2) (Wor F.174)69/47 : Heo wulleþ waden wide in þi[ne wom]be, todelen þine þermes, þeo þe deore weren, lifre and þine lihte lod[liche] torenden.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)411 : Þar fluwen haueden on felde, fæiðe þer feollen, moni hond, moni fot—þe hæp wæs þe wrse; Moni þusend þer flowen, þærmes heo droȝen.
- a1300 11 Pains(1) (Jes-O 29)152 : Gripes freteþ heore Mawen; Half heo doþ in o fur And half in-to a froren mur, And heore ineward vych del, Ne beo þe þarm ne so smel, Eft heo werpeþ al in al.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)8972 : Of kniȝtes, barouns, erls, and kinge Lay mani heuedles on þe grounde..Sum lay wiþouten fet & armes, Ato ygirt into þe þarmes.
- c1380 Firumb.(1) (Ashm 33)949 : Summe þay stykede þorȝ guttes & þearmes, so foule with hem þei ferde.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)prol.608 : Me thoghte I syh..a wonder strange ymage..the tharmes, The wombe, and al doun to the kne, Of bras thei were upon to se.
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)935 : Summe hadden perced þe þarmes Þorouȝ þe shelde and her armes.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)39a/b : Magnamentum: driynge & þat þarm [Add 33534: a fatte tharm].
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)220 : Gutte, or tharme: Viscus, sumen.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)490 : Thaarme: Sumen, viscus.
- a1475 Siege Troy(1) (Hrl 525)196/1378p : Many a knyght les bothe his armes, And many a stede trayled his tharmes.
- a1500(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Dub 213)29/773* : Þar liggez lymmes of laddes, leggez & harmes, Tharmes thrist owt of thees, banes & shuldres.
2.
(a) The human intestine(s;—usu. pl.; (b) a particular part of the intestinal tract; ars ~, the rectum; the large intestine; the greater omentum; bak ~ [OE bæc-þearm], the rectum, anus; endeles tharmes, the large intestine; pote ~, ?the cecum; smal tharmes [OE smæl-þearmas], the small intestine.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.HApul.(Hrl 6258B)131/4 : Wið þara ðearma eca & wid ealle þas innoþes nim þeos wyrt.
- ?a1200(?OE) PDidax.(Hrl 6258b)49/5,11 : Þeos þrowung ys ȝeset of feofer þingum, þæt ys of þan breoste and of þan maȝan and of ædran and of þan þearman..Ȝif hit byð of þan þerman, þanne myht þu þurh þane arsgang hyt ȝencnawan.
- ?a1200(?OE) PDidax.(Hrl 6258b)51/8 : Ȝif..blod of þan innoþe flowe, þæt wyte þu þæt sindon wunda on þan þearnum [read: þearmum; L intestinorum].
- a1325 Gloss.Bibbesw.(Cmb Gg.1.1)159 : Bovele [glossed:] tharme.
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)70 : Espleen, bowelles, fel, et reinoun: Milte, tharmes, galle, and kedeney.
- c1400 Femina (Trin-C B.14.40)23 : Wt ynne þe body haþ euery man..Splen, bowel, & Reynonen..Mylthe, þarme, & kydeney.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)33b/a : Ilios: turny[n]ge of þarmes [Pep: charmes].
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)126a : A Tharme: Intestinum.
b
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.HApul.(Hrl 6258B)209/13 : Wið missenlice leahtras þæs bæcþearmes, þa radagas [OE ragadas] hateð, þæt ys swaþeah swyþost þas blodas utrune, cnuca þisse wyrt leaf & to clyþan ȝemencgede.
- c1325(a1300) Cust.Bleadon206 : Si dominus fecerit lardarium suum de animalibus que idem pastor habet in custodia sua, habebit idem pastor de quolibet animali occiso collum, et sanguinem..et quinque smaleþarmes..et endeleseþarmes, et unum potþerm, et minte et pane bachþerm.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)26a/b : Extalis: an eis þram [Cnt: an erse tharme; Pep: a Arsse Gutte].
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)39a/b : Macia: a þarme.
- a1425 Roy.17.C.17 Nominale (Roy 17.C.17)637/2 : Cirbus: harstharme.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)57/140 : Þat tharm..is not seen how it passys away ne whare it becommys, & þarefore it is callyt..faste gut.
- a1425 Daniel *Treat.Uroscopy (Wel 225)212/2130 : Tak hed þat colon is a tharm (a gut) lyand fast by þe nek of þe vesy, into þe whylk colon comes þe thyk mater þat comes out of monoculus & furth into longaon.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)13/16 : Þe gutte or þarme þat is called longaon, þat deserueþ to þe lure, shal be bristen wiþ-in þe lure.
- ?a1450 Arderne LW (Em 69)114 : Ilyca is a passione in the smale guttys, the weche ben callyd Ilya, i.e., Smaltharmys.
- ?a1500 Lndsb.Nominale (Lndsb)751/10 : Intestinum, colus: a nestarme.
3.
Cook. Pl. The intestines or other entrails of an animal used as food.
Associated quotations
- 1381 Dc.257 Cook.Recipes (Dc 257)65.16/1 : Nym þe þarmys [Sln.1108: bowellys] of a pygge & wasch hem clene..& þan hak hem smale, & grynd pepyr and safroun..& boyle togedere; Nym wytys of eyryn & knede it wyþ flour, & mak smal pelotys & fry hem..& do hem in dysches aboue þat oþere mete.
- c1450 Yale 163 Cook.Recipes (Yale 163)114.81/1 : Take the yarmaȝs [Sln.7: tharmes] of a gose, [etc.].
- c1450 Yale 163 Cook.Recipes (Yale 163)116.81/1 : Take the hert of a swan, the geser, and the ȝarmaȝs [Sln.7: tharmes]; slete hem..seth hem, & the fetys & the whyngys.
- ?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674)48 : To mak sauce madame tak the tharmes of a gose and slit them and shave them clene, [etc.].
4.
An intestinal worm.
Associated quotations
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)38b/b : Lumbricosus: ful of þarms.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)38b/b : Lumbricus: a tharme [Hrl 2257: a tharme, est vermis intestinorum].
5.
Pl. Offspring, children, fruit of the womb.
Associated quotations
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)128/391 : I haue..A house full of yong tharmes..wo is hym has many barnes.
- a1500 Conq.Irel.(Rwl B.490)89/5 : The Sones shall aryse vpon the fadyr; and forto aw[r]eke his felony agayne the wombe, the tharmes [L viscera] shal Swere ham to-giddyr.
6.
Pl. As surname.
Associated quotations
- (1327) Sub.R.Som.in Som.RS 388 : Ricardo Tharms.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc., see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. tharm.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
Note: Med., etc. (sense 2.(b)), see further J.Norri, Dictionary of Medical Vocabulary, s.v. small tharms (pl.).