Middle English Dictionary Entry
birien v.
Entry Info
| Forms | birien v. Also biriȝen, birin, (Orm.) birrȝen; burien; berien, berren. Forms: ipv. birie, bure, bere; p. biried(e, birid; buriede, burede; beried(e; ppl. biried, -iid, birid, -it, birrid; buried, burid, -ed, -et; beried, -iid, -iit, berid, -ed, berred. |
| Etymology | OE byr(i)gan; byr(i)gde; -byrged. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) To inter or entomb (a corpse); bury (with Christian rites, in hallowed ground); (b) of a priest: to perform the funeral rites; (c) of a plot of ground: beried, occupied by graves.
Associated quotations
a
- ?a1160 Peterb.Chron.(LdMisc 636)an.1137 : Þe Iudeus of Noruuic bohton an xpisten cild..& on lang fridæi him on rode hengen..& sythen byrieden him.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)116/23 : Hu he mennisce deaþ underfeng & forðferde & iburiȝed wæs.
- c1175 Orm.(Jun 1)15254 : To spellenn ȝuw off Crisstenndom..To birrȝenn ȝuw i kirrkegærd.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)3864 : Heo nomen Morganus liche & leide hit on vrþen; wel heo hine buriden [Otho: burede].
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)6014 : Nu is þe king iburied [Otho: ibured].
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)27872 : Þa riccheste beornes..weoren i-slaȝen..he lette heom burien [Otho: burie].
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)31837 : No mīhte..þat folc..burien þa dede: swiðe heo gunnen deȝe.
- c1225(?c1200) St.Kath.(1) (Einenkel)335 : Þet he..deide ant wes iburiet..ant aras of deað.
- a1250 Creed (Blick 6864)p.138 : He was..Gepined..On eorþe gebered..aroas fram deaþe to liue, Astech to heouene.
- a1250 Creed (Nero A.14)217 : Ineiled..oðe rode, dead and iburied.
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)269/303 : Bure þat bodi..And prey to god, þat he hire for-ȝiue.
- c1300 SLeg.Becket (LdMisc 108)375 : Henri..þat ȝeot lith þare wel faire i-bured.
- c1300 SLeg.Cross (LdMisc 108)24 : Bifore is deþe he seide me to burie þe rode op-on Caluarie hulle.
- a1325(c1280) SLeg.Pass.(Pep 2344)1695 : Þo me buriede oure swete lord in þe sepulcre so heye.
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)2520 : Hise oðre breðere..Woren ybiried at ebron.
- c1330(?a1300) Arth.& M.(Auch)96 : Out of þis world þe king went And was ybiried..At Winchester.
- c1330(?c1300) Spec.Guy (Auch)249 : Ibiried [vr. biryed] he was, in toumbe he lay.
- c1330 SMChron.(Auch)1006 : At glastinbirie he was ded And y birid, for so he bed For þat hingist þer birid was.
- a1375(1335-1361) WPal.(KC 13)1324 : To burye him..wiþ alle worchipe & wele.
- (c1385) Chaucer CT.Kn.(Manly-Rickert)A.946 : He..wol nat suffren hem..Neither to been yburyed nor ybrent, But maketh houndes ete hem in despit.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)5.45 : He..fauȝt afterward at Ȝork, and was islawe and y-buried þere.
- c1390(?a1300) Stations Rome(1) (Vrn)162 : Þe holy bones þat þere weore buried.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pard.(Manly-Rickert)C.405 : I rekke neuere whan that they been beryed, Thogh that hir soules goon a blakeberyed.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Pard.(Manly-Rickert)C.884 : Lat vs..make vs merye, And afterward we wol his body berye.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)3.293 : If that my litel Sone deie, Let him be beried in my grave Beside me.
- (c1395) Chaucer CT.WB.(Manly-Rickert)D.500 : It nys but wast to burye hym preciously.
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)9131 : Þe prest wulde byrye hyt [þe arm] no more; He dredde þe veniaunce ferly sore.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)4028 : He ledd his liue wit-vten blam, And birid [vrr. beried..ys, birid es, buryed is] biside sir abraham.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)5483 : Ioseph..first was berid [vrr. birid, buryed] in þat contre.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)20695 : Ga forth..And biris [Göt: berijs] hir þar son onan.
- a1400(?a1350) Siege Troy(1) (Eg 2862)1108 : Buryed in ground.
- a1400 Cursor (Trin-C R.3.8)17290 : Þat he had buried [Vsp: doluen] swete ihesu.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)13.23 : Rouhte þe neuere Wher my body yburied were by, so ȝe hadde my goodes!
- a1425(a1382) WBible(1) (Corp-O 4)Gen.50.5 : Thanne I shal steie vp, that Y byrye my fader.
- a1425(a1400) PConsc.(Glb E.9 & Hrl 4196)4548 : Na man sal þam dur biry.
- (1440) *Capgr.St.Norb.(Hnt HM 55)3693 : Thus is he byryed and al þe offise doo.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)36 : Byryyn or grauyn or hydde vndur the grownde: Humo, sepelio.
- c1440 Bonav.Medit.(3) (Thrn)210 : To dighte þe body and bery it.
- a1450(1410) This holy tyme make (Dgb 102)127 : And burye þe dede is Charite dede.
- a1450(c1410) Lovel.Grail (Corp-C 80)35.269 : Here bodyes we scholen berren here.
- a1450(?a1390) Mirk Fest.Suppl.(Cld A.2)294/25 : Vche cors..lyuuth be þe erth, and is at þe laste beried in þe erth.
- a1450(?a1390) Mirk Fest.Suppl.(Cld A.2)296/7 : Þe comyn pepul weron byryed at home in here owne houce.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)9614 : Priam a prise towmbe prestly gart make, And the bodyes of þo bold buried þerin.
- c1540(?a1400) Destr.Troy (Htrn 388)13963 : In the cuntre of acaya..Ys he birit in a burgh & a bright toumbe.
- c1450 Yk.BPrayer(2) (Yk-M 16.M.4)72/23 : For all þe saules whas banes er berryd in þis kirke.
- (1462) Paston (Gairdner)4.50 : Christofer Hanson is ded and beryed.
- (a1464) Capgr.Chron.(Cmb Gg.4.12)30 : He was bawmed..and byried where Abraham and Sare and Rebec be byryid.
- (a1464) Capgr.Chron.(Cmb Gg.4.12)103 : He deied at Seint Paule, and beried at Seint Petir Cherch.
- ?a1475 Ludus C.(Vsp D.8)60/70 : Þe which..lay iij days beryed with in þe qwall.
- a1500(c1386) St.Erk.(Hrl 2250)106 : Þe bodeworde to þe byschop was broght..of þat buriede body.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)9 : Tytus..made a lawe, þat euery ded knyȝt shuld be buried in his armour and armys.
- a1500 Degare (Cmb Ff.2.38)38 : That ryche kynge euery yere wolde A solempne fest make and holde On hys wyuys mynnyng-day, That was beryed in an abbay.
b
- (1402) Topias (Dgb 41)87 : Whi..wil we not shryven ne birien the pore as wel as the riche, and do other dedes of almes?
- (1451) Lin.DDoc.52/5 : I will, the abbot of Neusom bery my body & do the seruices messe & deryge, & hafe xxs.
- a1475 Godstow Reg.(Rwl B.408)633/11 : Thei grauntid also þat men of Eton sholde be biried euirmore bi þe chapelleyn of Eisi in þe churche-yerde.
- c1425(?c1400) Wycl.Apol.(Dub 245)51 : No þing be asked..for dead to be byried, nor weddings to be blessid, nor oþer sacraments.
c
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)3139 : Þare was a brade bent, fild was beried full of kniȝtis.
2.
(a) To put (sth.) underground for concealment or safekeeping; beried in brest; (b) to cover (sb.) up; submerge (in water); fig. beried in simonie, helle, engulfed in simony, hell; (c) to take shelter, dwell; also fig.
Associated quotations
a
- c1300 SLeg.Cross (LdMisc 108)300 : Salomon it [þe treo] liet nimen sone and onder eorþe it caste..burede hit wel faste.
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mel.(Manly-Rickert)B.2802 : Why burieth a man his goodes, by his grete auarice, and knoweth wel that nedes moste he dye?
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)13213 : Þe hali cors þai birid þar.
- a1400 Cursor (Trin-C R.3.8)16919 : Þe iewes..buried [Ld: beried; Vsp: grofe; Göt: groue] hem [þo croises two] fro cristen men in a priuey sted.
- c1450 Capgr.St.Kath.(Arun 396)prol.51 : He foonde it [lyef of Kataryne]..ffer vp in grece, beryed in the grovnd.
b
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)2.1311 : Who is in his bed so soone Iburied thus?
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)51a/b : Berye þe seke man in þe sonne wiþ hote sande.
- ?c1430(c1400) Wycl.Satan & P.(Corp-C 296)271 : Þes worldly prelatis..beried in..symonye, coueitise & pride & robberie.
- c1450 Spec.Chr.(2) (Hrl 6580)204/6 : Thenke offen of wyckede men now beryede in helle, that louede the worlde.
- c1475(c1445) Pecock Donet (Bod 916)34/20 : He owith to be dede and biried from al his oold mys lyuyng and to arise into a new lyuyng, as his body is biried in þe watir and arisiþ vp from þe watir.
c
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)Rom.6.4 : For we be togydere byrred with hym by baptem in to þe deþ þat is in to þe waschyng of synnes.
- (c1449) Pecock Repr.(Cmb Kk.4.26)39 : Treuthis and conclusiouns which the inward book of lawe of kinde, biried in mannis soule and herte, groundith.
- a1450 My trewest tresowre (Cmb Dd.5.64)28 : Þat þou be beryd in my brest & bryng me to blysse.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)4048 : Haue ȝe na houses..ne holis in to bery?
3.
To do away with (sth.), put aside; bury (strife).
Associated quotations
- a1225(?OE) Lamb.Hom.(Lamb 487)51 : Hwenne þu scrift underuongest..þenne buriest þu þine sunne.
- a1400 Men hem bimenin (Mert 248)20 : Falsedam regnis and es abowe, and byrid es trwloue.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.1078 : But delvist vp by malis many-fold Debatis new, þat biried wern of olde.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- c1400 Life Soul (LdMisc 210)11/11 : Alle we ben þat [read: þat ben] ibaptized in Ihesu Crist ben ibaptized in his deþ, and we ben ibirried wiþ hym into deth.
Note: New form: P.ppl. ibirried.
Note: Additional gloss for sense 1.(a): "also fig.".
Note: The list of variant spellings in the form section is incomplete and needs revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED. (Note particularly the p.ppl. form ibiried.)--notes per MLL