(a) A measurement of time or calendrical unit reckoned by the earth’s completion of its course around the sun, the year as an abstract entity;—usu. conceived as divided into twelve months and approximately 365 days; commune ~, lepe ~, q.v.; (b) astrol. the zodiacal year; expans yeres, computations or calculations of planetary positions over a span of zodiacal years; lord of the ~, the planet with the most favorable set of aspects or position in regard to the first house in any given astrological year; (c) a unit of time reckoned by the completion of some other planetary or sidereal cycle; specif. a lunar year; gret ~, the unit of time reckoned by the simultaneous completion of all astronomical cycles; (d) a measurement of time calculated in ways analogous to but in contrast with the calculation of earthly time; also, a year of indulgence; yeres of heven…or purgatorie, years in heaven or purgatory in contrast to daies of this world; thin ~, God’s year in contrast to human time; (e) a measurement of distance given in terms of the time required to traverse it.

A measurement of time or calendrical unit defined by a continuously repeating cycle of events, phenomena, etc.: (a) the year as the continuously repeating cycle of days and months, usu. commencing with January and ending with December, the calendar year, any given calendar year; yeres ende, the end point of a twelve-month cycle; also, the time surrounding the end of a calendar year; rekeninge of yeres, chronological calculation; (b) the year defined by the calendar of religious feasts, days of obligation, etc., the Christian liturgical year; also, the Jewish liturgical year; ~ of grace, a jubilee year; sabat of yeres, the seventh year, during which the land was to be left uncultivated; (c) the year defined by regular climatic changes, the year as the four seasons; also, the year defined by agricultural or domestic activities appointed for particular seasons, natural phenomena peculiar to particular seasons, etc.; ?also, the agricultural produce for a given year [quot. c1384]; sesoun (time) of ~; (d) the year defined by sessions of court or other regular legal activities, by regular feudal obligations or civic duties, etc., a statutory or fiscal year; also, the year as a term of service; lengere yeres lone, a loan with an extended term of repayment; (e) an annual entry or heading for a year’s entry in a continuous account or chronicle; bok of yeres dedes, a chronicle.

In combs. and selected phrases and collocations: (a) a ~ [see ayer adv. (b)]; bi yer(es, every year, annually; also, once yearly; also, for the term of a year; bi the (half, quartere of the) ~, for the term of a year (half-year, quarter-year); bi the ten yeres, every ten years; for ~ and ~, from two yeres unto two yeres, every year (two years); from (quartere of) a ~, yearly (quarterly); from ~ to (in-to) ~, year in and year out, every year; of two yeres, biennial; to ech yeres first, in every year’s time, for every period of a year; (b) law ~ and dai, a ~ and a dai, an established term consisting of a period of not less than a year; ~ dai and waste, the royal prerogative by which the king enjoyed the profits of property owned by a felon for a year, following which he was entitled to despoil the property; (c) ~ dai, yeres dai, q.v.; yer(es fruit, fruit of o ~, a yearly allowance of provisions, sustenance; ~ jubile, jubile ~, a year of celebration marking the end of a fifty-year period; also, a year specially designated by the Pope for the remission of sins; yeres minde, ~ time, a commemorative service held on the anniversary of someone’s death; yeres rentes, annual exactions, yearly tribute; ~ yeve, yer(es yifte, a gift given at New Year’s; also, a payment or bribe repeated annually [quot. a1425]; yeres yeve, q.v.; corn ~, a harvest year; half ~, a breviary or service book containing only one half the services appointed for the whole year; half ~ ferme, rent for half a year; neue ~, q.v.; weke of yeres [see wek(e n.(3) 4.(c)].

In adv. constructions: (a) ech (everi) ~, on a regular yearly cycle, once per annum, yearly, annually; everi seven yeres, on a regular seven-year cycle, every seventh year; (b) al the ~, over the course of any given liturgical year; the other half ~, during the remaining half of any liturgical year; (c) ~ bi ~, year in and year out, continuously; also, annually; ?in yearly succession [quot. ?c1421]; (d) behinde…yeres, of annual rent payments: behind by (a certain number of) years.

(a) The period of a year in elapsed, experienced, or projected time, twelve months’ time, a year’s duration; also in proverbs; (b) usu. pl., with cardinal numbers or adjectives of quantity: hole (half) ~, a year (half year), a year’s (six months’) time; fele (feue, lite, mani, etc.) yeres, many (few) years, many (a few) years’ time; five (ten, thousand, etc.) yeres, five (ten, a thousand, etc.) years, the space of five (ten, etc.) years; also, the passage of (a hundred) years [quot. a1398]; (c) with determiners, demonstratives, or modifying structures specifying a year relative to some event or point in time expressed or implied: this (the same, etc.) ~, this (the very) year, the year mentioned; al) the ~, the (entire) year at hand, the year under discussion, this or last year; law the ~ and dai, the period of not less than a full year (from the commission of an offence); (d) with ordinal numbers: bi (in, on) the…~, by the time (a specified number of) years had elapsed from a particular starting point, by the time a (certain) year had come.

In combs. and selected phrases and constructions: (a) a ~ [see ayer adv. (a)]; bi…yer(es, for (a whole) year, for (a certain number of, the space of a number of) years; toyere, q.v.; (b) at the (on) yeres ende, after the passage of a year, when the indicated year has or had elapsed; at ten yeres dai, after ten years, in ten years’ time; to hire ~ ende, till (a nun) has passed a year as a novice; (c) ben…yeres o makinge, to be (a certain number of) years in the making, have taken (a certain number of) years to make; hit is (gone)…yeres, etc., it has been (a certain number of) years (since a specified point or event); (a certain number of) years have elapsed (since sth. occurred, until sth. will happen, in which some circumstance has obtained, etc.); with gen.: that was thas thritenthe yeres, that occurred in the thirteenth year (of a reign); (d) o yeres grouinge, a year’s growth, the growth that occurs in a year’s time; o yeres writinge, a year’s worth of writing, a writing task that can be accomplished in a single year; this ~ grouinge, the present year’s agricultural produce.

In adv. constructions: (a) ~ and other, for a year or so; ~ bi ~, for years, through the years; yeres (and daies, daies and yeres, yeres and winteres, for many years’ duration, for a long time; (b) usu. pl., with cardinal numbers or adjectives of quantity: a ~, al a (on) ~, on hole ~, for a whole year, a full year’s time; also, for the space of a year; elleven (fourti, mani, etc.) yeres, for eleven (forty, many, etc.) years, over eleven (etc.) years’ time; also, in the course of some eleven (etc.) years; ferthe half ~, for a space of three and a half years; law a ~ and a dai, for a period of not less than one full year; (c) with determiners, demonstratives, or modifying structures specifying a year or span of years relative to some event, expressed or implied; that (that ilke, this same, etc.) ~, in or during that (that very, the aforementioned, etc.) year; also, for the duration of that (etc.) year, for that year’s time; the (this) ~, during the year under discussion, over this last or next year; the dai and the ~ above-writen, the seide dai and ~, etc., on the very day of the very year aforesaid or specified, on the exact date indicated; also, in adv. genitive constructions: thisses (ilces) yeres, etc., in this same year; (d) with temporal adv. or adv. phrase: yeres after-ward (biforen), yeres from the worldes biginninge, etc., (a certain number of) years later or earlier; at some point or over the period of (a certain number of) years after or before a given event; (e) with ordinal numbers: in (a specified) year calculated from a given or implied point of reference; (f) yeres agon (gone, passed), (a certain number of, many) years ago.

In expressions (freq. used adverbially) specifying a particular calendar year within a system of reckoning: (a) with cardinal numbers, indicating a date calculated in relation to the inception of the Christian era: the ~ of crist (grace, oure lord, the incarnacioun, etc.); ?also, Jubilee year [quot. a1387]; (b) with ordinal numbers and genitive or of phrase, indicating a regnal year; also, occas. indicating a year in relation to the elevation of someone to a position other than the kingship; the…~ of king henri (herod, etc.), the…~ of oure regne (the regne of oure soverain, oure corouning, etc.); ~ regninge, a regnal year; also, during a regnal year.

(a) A year as the unit of measurement of the lifespan of a living creature, a year of life; with ordinal number: a (particular numbered) year of someone’s life; pl. years of life; also, (someone’s) life, (someone’s) allotted span; on ~ shep, a yearling lamb; (b) ben…yeres (olde, ben…yeres of age, ben of…yeres, ben of…yeres of age, ben of elde of…yeres, haven…yeres (of elde, etc., to be (a certain number of) years old, be (a certain number of) years in age;—freq. with ellipsis of subject pronoun and/or copula; (c) passen (overgon)…yeres, etc., to attain or reach the age of (a certain number of) years; ben passed (comen to the age of)…yeres, be (a certain number of years) old or older; (d) at…yeres (of age, at the age of (a certain number of) years; (e) pl. age; yeres of discrecioun, the age at which a person can reason and make decisions for himself, the age of discretion; childes (tender) yeres, childhood, infancy; ?also, childishness [quot. ?c1200, 1st]; olde (oldeli) yeres, old age; yong yeres, ?in metonymy: those who are young in age, youths; of tender (lite) yeres, yong (yongli) of yeres, young in age, youthful; yong man of yeres, a youth, young man.

In adv. constructions: (a) mani yeres, by many years of life; dai and ~, to the exact term of life appointed (to a person), completely and exactly; (b) with cardinal numbers: liven…yeres, to live for (a certain number of) years; also, live to be (a certain number of) years old; (c) with ordinal numbers: in or during a (specified) year of life.

(a) An age, era; a time, period; ~ of grace, ?a time of harmony, favorable time; fern ~, a bygone age, an earlier time; (b) in adv. constructions: fern ~, in ages past, in an earlier age; long yeres, for a long while; this ender (endris) ~, formerly, in times past.

In surname.