Middle English Dictionary Entry
yester-dai adv.
Entry Info
| Forms | yester-dai adv. Also yestirdai, yisterdai, yistirdai, yusterdai, ȝesterdai, ȝisterdai, ȝistir(e)dai, ȝisturdai, ȝusterdai, ȝustirdai, gisterdai, (N) yhisterdai, yhistredai & yerstirdai, yerstendai, ȝesterndai, ȝerstindai, ȝurstondai, (early) ȝerstendæi, ȝorst(n)endai, ȝursterdai, ȝurstendæi, girstendæȝ, girstændæȝ & yesedai, yurstai, ȝistai, ȝursdai, (early) ȝurstai & (error) instay. |
| Etymology | OE gister-dæg, gestor-dæg & gistran-dæg, geostran-dæg, girston-dæg, gierstan-dæg, gyrstan-dæg, georsten-dæg, gyrsan-dæg. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) On the day preceding the present one, yesterday; also, just recently, only lately;
(b) at some time in the past; also, formerly; as ~.
Associated quotations
a
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)22/24 : Gyrstændæȝ he wurpte.
- c1175(?OE) Bod.Hom.(Bod 343)28/7 : Gyrstendæȝ he wyrpte.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)8516 : Ȝurstendæi ær none ich wuste þat ȝe comen.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)9363 : Ȝursten-dæi [Otho: ȝorstnendai] me com to an æremite wel idon.
- c1275(?a1200) Lay.Brut (Clg A.9)10628 : Ȝerstendæi [Otho: ȝorstendai] wes Colgrim monnen alre kennest; nu him is al swa þere gat, þer he þene hul wat.
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)283/198 : Þes frere cam ȝursterday to toune.
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)283/203 : I dronk ȝurstai in toune…And Ine blessede nouȝt mi drinke.
- a1325(c1250) Gen.& Ex.(Corp-C 444)2732 : We witen wel quat is bi-tid, Quuow gister-dai was slagen and hid.
- ?a1350 Guy(3) (Wales 572)363 : Another thyng hy the say: It was me tald yister-day.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Deut.19.4 : He þat smyteþ his neiȝbor vnwytynge & þat ȝerstynday or þe þridde day hennys [L heri et nudiustertius] noon aȝeyns hym to haue had haate is preuyd…þis to oon of þe forseide citees shal flee & lyue.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)4.15 : Ȝisterday [vr. ȝurstonday] he hadde þe peple at his hestes, and now þe peple haþ hym at here heste.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)1485 : Þou hatz for-ȝeten ȝederly þat ȝisterday I taȝtte Bi alder-truest token of talk þat I cowthe.
- a1425(c1385) Chaucer TC (Benson-Robinson)2.191 : Yesterday, whoso had with hym ben, He myghte han wondred upon Troilus.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)32a/a : Heri: ȝusterday [Pep: yerstyrday].
- a1450 7 Sages(3) (Cmb Dd.1.17)1975 : Let senden a man the tresour to bede, As he that instay [read: iustay] with ous ȝede.
- c1450(?a1400) Wars Alex.(Ashm 44)3304 : I, þat was ȝustirday so ȝape & ȝemed all þe werld, To day am dreuyn all to dust.
- c1450 Trin-C.Accedence (Trin-C O.5.4)37/284 : He sytte today as he satte yurstay.
- (c1456) Paston2.150 : Russe hath wryt more pleynlye by Nicholas Colman yerstenday of thys matere.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)750/11 : Mesemyth that ye be more wyldar than ye were yestirday.
- a1500(?c1400) Triam.(Cmb Ff.2.38)926 : Where ys hee That ȝysturday wan the gree?
- a1500(1442) Let.Marg.Anjou in Camd.86 (Add 46846)77 : He brought youe yeseday unto Langley to mete.
b
- a1300 ME Verse in Anglia 92p.72 : Þeynk on þe doom þat now us myn, for ful sone such schal be þyn; Myn was als ȝurstay, and tyn in caas ys to-day.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Ecclus.38.23 : Myndeful be þou of my dom: so forsoþe it shal ben & þyn, to me ȝistay & to þee to dai.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Heb.13.8 : Suwe ȝe feith, Jhesu Crist, ȝistirday, and to day, he and into worldis.
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)Heb.13.8 : Iesu crist…ȝistyrday halp and he to day and in to worldys.
- c1460 Tree & Fruits HG (McC 132)63/13 : Ther was not so moche Joye yisterday and þre dayes a gon as it is now.
- a1500 Imit.Chr.(Dub 678)131/10 : It is not wiþ him, as it was ȝisterday and þe oþir day.
2.
As noun: (a) the day preceding the present one, yesterday; also as nonsense date [quot. c1475 Mankind]; of ~, just recently; yong men of ~, young men but lately born;
(b) the time before the present, the past; pl. past days; biforn (from) ~, in past days.
Associated quotations
a
- c1330(?a1300) Guy(2) (Auch)p.504 : Seþþen ȝistay at none ete y non.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Ps.89.4 : A thousend ȝeer beforn þyn eȝen as ȝister dai [NVPsalter: yhistredai; Rolle Psalter: ȝistire day] þat is passed.
- a1425(a1400) PConsc.(Glb E.9 & Hrl 4196)8083 : A thowsand yhere Bi-for þine eghen…es noght bot als yhister-day, Þat was awhile and es passed oway.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)1040 : That is nought of yisterday That Riche folk have full gret myght To helpe, and eke to greve a wyght.
- c1475(c1399) Mum & S.(1) (Cmb Ll.4.14)3.261 : It fallith as well to fodis of xxiiij ȝeris, Or yonge men of yistirday, to ȝeue good redis As becometh a kow to hoppe in a cage.
- c1475 Mankind (Folg V.a.354)691 : Anno regni regitalis Edwardi nullateni, On ȝestern day in Feuerere, þe ȝere passyth fully.
- a1500(a1450) Gener.(2) (Trin-C O.5.2)1215 : All this is come to me sithe yester day.
b
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)1 Kings 21.5 : Wee han contened vs fro ȝistai & beforn ȝistai [L ab heri et nudiustertius] whan wee wentyn out.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Is.30.33 : Greiþid is forsoþe fro ȝistai [L ab heri] topheþ.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)3.145 : Who þat foloweþ þe Medes schal haue þe trauaille of ȝister day [vr. ȝursday].
- c1390 Whon Men beoþ (Vrn)24 : Al is tornd to ȝester-day.
- c1390 Whon Men beoþ (Vrn)72 : Her-of we ouȝte beo sore agast And we wolde þenke on ȝester-day.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)529 : Þus ȝirnez þe ȝere in ȝisterdayez mony.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)5.pr.6.24 : Yit ne hath it nat taken the tyme of tomorwe, and it hath lost that of yusterday.
- (c1426) Audelay Poems (Dc 302)85/118 : Þus clepþ aȝen ȝvster-day, Saynt Ancellyne he cownsellis þe.
- c1450 How mankinde dooþ (Lamb 853)353 : Age, calle aȝen ȝistirday to-morowe, And alle þi werkis, bigynne hem newe.
3.
As adj.: belonging to the previous day, of yesterday.
Associated quotations
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)463 : He…sone ȝederly forȝete ȝisterday steven.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)32a/b : Hesternus,-a,-um: Ȝusterday.
- 1483 Cath.Angl.(Monson 168)427 : Ȝisterday…hesternus…pridianus.