Middle English Dictionary Entry
chaier(e n.
Entry Info
| Forms | chaier(e n. Also cheier(e, chaer(e, chaȝer, chair, cheir, char(e. |
| Etymology | OF chaiere, chaëre. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A comfortable seat, such as a chair, armchair, couch, or lounge; long ~; (b) a sedan chair or litter; (c) ~ of esement, a stool for relieving oneself; (d) ~ boue, ?the frame of a chair or couch; ~ maker.
Associated quotations
a
- (?c1300) Sub.R.Lynn in Nrf.Archaeol.1344 : In bordis, chaeres.
- c1330(?a1300) Tristrem (Auch)309 : A cheker he fond bi a cheire [rime: bonair].
- c1330 Degare (Auch)820 : He set a chaier bifore þe leuedie, And þerin himselue set.
- c1330 Horn Child (Auch)328 : A riche cheier was vndon, Þat euien miȝt sit þer on..A baudekin þer on was spred.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)1.114 : [Eli] ful..Fro hus chaire þare he sat and brak hus necke atweyne.
- c1400(?c1390) Gawain (Nero A.10)875 : A cheyer byfore þe chemne, þer charcole brenned, Watz grayþed for Sir Gawan grayþely with cloþez.
- ?a1425(a1415) Wycl.Lantern (Hrl 2324)92/21 : Iesu..turned vp-so-doun þe chaiers of hem þat soolden dowues.
- (1420-21) in Gras Eng.Cust.Syst.477 : i tabula, ii cheyrs, vi stoles.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)6915 : For to han the first chaieris In synagogis, to hem full deere is.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)12b/b : Cathedra: a chaer.
- (1429) Will Braybroke in Ess.AST 5304 : I yeue to Robert Darcy, squier..a longe chayer, the beste sauf oon.
- c1440 Degrev.(Thrn)662 : Wele semyd hir a chayere With riche bosys..derely by-dyghte.
- (1450) Lin.DDoc.39/24 : j longe Settyll & j Cheyer Coruen.
- (1450) Lin.DDoc.40/25 : j Chayer of beyend the see making.
- a1475(a1456) Shirley Death Jas.(Add 5467)17 : The presses, the fourmes, the chares.
- (1463) Will Bury in Camd.4923 : A banker of grene..with the longe chayer.
- ?1474 *Chanc.Misc.(P.R.O.) 37.iv.11 [OD col.] : ij playnecheyurs..j Turnyd cheyur.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)362 : He sholde do sette ther a cheyer, that euer more sholde be redy for the knyght in-to sitte.
- (a1500) Collect.Anglo-Premonst.in RHS ser.3.6264 : ii chares, iiii stulis, iii formis.
- a1500 Mayer Nominale (Mayer)723/32 : Cathedra: a chare.
b
- (c1375) Chaucer CT.Mk.(Manly-Rickert)B.3803 : He neither myghte go ne ryde, But in a chayer men aboute hym bar.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))SSol.3.9 : A chaȝer [WB(2): seete; L ferculum] king Salamon made to hym of the trees of Liban; his pileris he made Siluerene, the lenyng place goldene.
c
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)242/12 : Stowe þe syke in a chayre of esement.
d
- (1380) in Thuresson ME Occup.Terms231 : Joh. Wade Chaire maker.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)22b : A Chaer [Monson: Chare] bowe: fulcrum.
2.
(a) A raised seat or throne (as of a ruler or leader); (b) a raised platform, dais; (c) theol. the throne (of God); (d) fig. the bench (of infamy).
Associated quotations
a
- c1300(?c1225) Horn (Cmb Gg.4.27)1261 : Horn sat on chaere [vrr. chayere, cheyere] & bad hem alle ihere.
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)334/375 : In riche chayre huy setten him [St. Peter] and knevlede him bi-fore.
- c1300 SLeg.Cross (LdMisc 108)580 : Ane chaiere with him huy bere, þare-oppon huy setten þis grete maister [þe gret deouel].
- a1325(c1280) SLeg.Pass.(Pep 2344)1371 : Þo ladde pilatus Ihesus out and sette him in a chayre And sede to þe gyewes: 'lo, ȝoure kyng.'
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)6559 : Vppe a chaere he [king knout] sat adoun al vpe þe se sonde.
- c1330(?c1300) Guy(1) (Auch)3963 : Opon þe cheyer [vr. cheire] þer he [the sultan] sat.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)9954 : Was neuer yeitt king ne kaiser, þat euer sait in sli chaier [vrr. chayer, cheiere].
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)1218 : Nabigodenozar noble in his chayer.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)167/18 : Whan the Emperour dyeth, men setten him in a chayere in myddes the place of his tent.
- c1440(a1400) Awntyrs Arth.(Thrn)491 : The Kynges chayere [vrr. chaier, schayer].
- c1450(c1405) Mum & S.(2) (Add 41666)355 : A semely sage þat satte al a-bouue, Y-chose to þe chaire forto chaste fooles..He satte as a souurayn on a high siege.
- c1450 Capgr.Rome (Bod 423)28 : In a noþir temple..was a solempne chayer in whech þe principal bischop of alle here temples..schuld be intronyzid.
- a1486(a1460) Coron.Kings Eng.in Archaeol.57 (Mrg M 775)48 : When the prince hath restid him a litill in his chayere othir trone ordeynid in the forseyde pulpite, than the Archebisshop of Cauntirbery..with an hye voyce shall enquere the wille of the pepill.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Add 9066)400 : A grete mayster [devil]..sette hym in the Chayere as domysman.
b
- c1450 Pilgr.LM (Cmb Ff.5.30)17 : J sygh dame resoun go to the chayere to preche.
- ?c1475 *Cath.Angl.(Add 15562)22b : A Chaer [Monson: Chayere]: Cathedra, orcestra.
c
- c1300 SLeg.(LdMisc 108)419/56 : In a chayere..ore louerd..he seiȝh with grete heiȝhnesse sitte and Aungles him al-a-boute.
- c1400(?c1380) Pearl (Nero A.10)885 : Ryȝt byfore Godez chayere..Her songe þay songen.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)1.m.5.3 : O thow makere of the wheel that bereth the sterres, which that art festnyd to thi perdurable chayer [L solio].
d
- a1500(c1340) Rolle Psalter (UC 64)1.1 : Blisful man..in the chaiere of pestilens [L cathedra pestilentiæ] he noght sate.
3.
A position of authority as symbolized by the raised seat or throne occupied by the incumbent; the office (of a ruler, judge, administrator, professor, etc.); sitten in (on) the ~, occupy a (king's) throne, a (bishop's) seat, a (professor's) chair, etc.
Associated quotations
- c1300 SLeg.Edm.Abp.(Hrl 2277:Horst.)267 : Þis holy man in diuinite Desputede..of þe trinite; In his chaire he sat longe er his scolers come.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Mat.23.2 : Jhesus spac..seiynge, 'Vpon the chaier of Moyses scribis and Pharisees seeten.'
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)5.73 : Affricanus..wente to Alexandria and occupiede þe maister his chayer [L cathedram] after Origenes.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)7.365 : He..warnede..þat he [bisshop of Herford] schulde not longe in his chayer [vr. cheyer; Higd.(2): seete] sitte.
- (1395) Wycl.37 Concl.(Tit D.1)140 : Manie be prestis and fewe ben prestis; manie in name and fewe in werk. Therfore se ye hou ye sitten on the chaier.
- c1400 Brut-1333 (Rwl B.171)36/3 : Seynt Peter..hade made a noble cherche, in þe whiche he satte ferste in his chier.
- c1400 Wycl.Dominion (Dub 244)290 : Þus schulde men iuge þat ben goddis seruauntis, al ȝif þei stirt noȝt vp in pilatis chaier.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)6889-92 : Uppon the chaire of Moyses..That is the Olde Testament..Sitte Scribes and Pharisen.
- a1425 NHom.(3) Leg.Suppl.Hrl.(Hrl 4196)49/6 : Saint Peter..was first in chayer set In Antioche, and sethin in Rome, Als chefe curate of Cristendome.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)2.pr.3.59 : Whan thow saye hem set in the court in hir chayeres of dignytes [L in curia curules].
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)1.6264 : Thouh for a sesoun thei [princes] sitte in hih[e] chaieres [vr. charis], Ther fame shal fade withynne a fewe yeres.
- c1450 Scrope Othea (Lngl 253)6 : I rede theym lessons in chaiere, Which maketh theym clyme heuen onto.
- (c1443) Pecock Rule (Mrg M 519)363 : Wheþer þilk teching shal be do in chaier of scole or in pulpit of chirch.
- (c1449) Pecock Repr.(Cmb Kk.4.26)518 : More..schal be sett in The book of lessouns to be rad..in the chaier of scolis.
- (a1475) Fortescue Dial.UF (Vit E.10)483 : Ye erthely kyngs which sytten in your tremblyng cheires.
- a1500(?c1378) Wycl.OPastor.(Ryl Eng 86)437 : Studie þey [prelates] cristis paciense & make þei þer chayer in cristis cros.
- a1500(?c1440) Lydg.HGS (Lnsd 699)605 : Clymbyng vp of foolis Vnto chaires of wordly dygnyte..hath distroied many a comounte.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- (1434-5) Acc.St.Michael Oxf.in OAST 7833 : Item for i borde to the chere yn the cherche rove iii d.
Note: New form: Also..chere.
Note: New subsense for sense 1.).
Note: Gloss: "A wooden scaffold or framework upon which a church bell hangs."
Note: From G. Storms' letter to Sherman Kuhn (11/6/75): Cp. the Dutch term "'klokkenstoel,' i.e. [the] stool or chair in which the church bell (sits or) hangs."
- a1475 Gawain & CC (Brog 2.1)430 : Anon hit [harp] was fett into þe hall, And a feyr cher wyttall Befor her fador was sett..Furst sche harpyd and sethe songe Of love.
Note: New form: Also..cher.
Note: Quot. belongs to sense 1.(a).
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.--all notes per MLL