Middle English Dictionary Entry
cherī n.
Entry Info
| Forms | cherī n. Also cherie, chere & chiri(e, chire, chirri(e. |
| Etymology | From AF cherise, taken as a pl. form, but with the vowel of OE cirse, ciris-bēam; the type of cheri(e appears first in 1393 (Gower), presumably under the influ. of CF cerise. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) A cherry; ~ fruit; red as ~; (b) a cherry tree; (c) ?a cherry blossom.
Associated quotations
a
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)683 : Coynz cornaile et cirie: Coyns pekede and chirie.
- c1390 PPl.A(1) (Vrn)7.281 : Ripe chiries.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)209b/a : In some trees and herbes fruyt ripeþ soone..as chiries.
- (a1399) Form Cury (Add 5016)p.33 : Do þerto thridde part of chiryse.
- c1400(?a1387) PPl.C (Hnt HM 137)13.221 : Hit lasteþ nat longe þat is lycour swete, As..plomes and chiries!
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)1376 : Perys, chesteynes, Cherys, of which many oon fayn is.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)72 : Chery, or chery frute: Cerasum.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)11.241 : Chiries withouten stonys.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)11.257 : Chiries in the sonne ydried.
- a1450 Ch.Feasts (Roy 18.A.10)219 : Dropes rede as ripe cherrees, Þat fro his [Jesus'] flesshe gan lave.
- c1450(c1405) Mum & S.(2) (Add 41666)900 : Chesteynes and chiries, þat children desiren, Were loigged vndre leues.
- a1450 I have a ȝong suster (Sln 2593)5 : I Haue a ȝong suster fer be-ȝondyn þe se..che sente me þe cherye with-outyn ony ston..How xuld ony cherye be with-oute ston?
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)2564 : To gadre cheryes.
- a1475 Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011)77 : Cheries and grapis.
- a1475 Russell Bk.Nurt.(Hrl 4011)668 : For frutes a-fore mete to ete þem fastyngely..grapes and chery.
- c1450(a1400) Chev.Assigne (Clg A.2)329 : I charge not þy croyse..þe valwe of a cherye.
- a1500(a1400) Cleges (Adv 19.1.11)211 : On he put in his mowth..After a chery þe reles was.
- a1500(?c1450) Florence (Cmb Ff.2.38:Vietor)1761 : Wyne redd as cherye.
- a1500(a1460) Towneley Pl.(Hnt HM 1)139/718 : A bob of cherys.
- a1500 MSerm.Mol.(Adv 19.3.1)83 : Petur..steppud into a plomtre that hangud full of rype redde cherys.
- a1500 Sum be mery (Lamb 306)p.268 : Som [women] be browne and some be whit..And some of theym be chiry-ripe.
- a1500 When nettuls (BodPoet e.1)p.269 : When..laurell ber cherys..And okes ber dates.
- a1605(?a1500) Lond.Lickpenny (Hrl 542)68 : One gan cry strabery rype and chery in the ryse.
b
- c1390 Susan.(Vrn)93 : Þe fyge and þe filbert were fode med so fayre, Þe chirie [vr. cherie] and þe chestein.
- ?c1425 *Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)50b/a : Gumme of cheries.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)2.468 : Now garth and mede odouris sprede..As molbery, garnat, chery, tholyue.
c
- a1450(a1400) Athelston (Cai 175/96)256 : Gerlondes off chyryes off sche caste.
2.
Cpds. (a) cheri-feire, ~ feste, a fair or festival held at the time when cherries are harvested; ~ time, cherry harvest; this world (lif) is but a cheri-feire, the joys of this world are transient; (b) ~ ston, the stone or pit of a cherry; also game., cherry stones used as gaming pieces [quots. (c1426) and c1475]; also, a cherry stone as a thing of little value [quots. c1330 and a1500]; ~ ston kirnel, ~ ston mete, the meat in the cherry stone used medicinally; (c) ~ tre, cherry tree; (d) ~ chekes, ~ mouth, cheeks, mouth as red as a cherry; -- also as surname.
Associated quotations
a
- c1390 Bi a wode (Vrn)85 : Þis world nis but a chirie feire, Nou is hit in sesun, nou wol hit slake.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)prol.454 : Al is bot a chirie feire This worldes good, so as thei telle.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)6.891 : Hope..endureth bot a throwe, Riht as it were a cherie feste.
- c1400(c1378) PPl.B (LdMisc 581)5.161 : For she had childe in chirityme, al owre chapitere it wiste.
- (c1426) Audelay Poems (Dc 302)20/281 : Al þe worchyp of þis wor[l]d..falls and fadys forþ so doþ a chere fayre.
- a1450(1401) For drede (Dgb 102)145 : The world is like a chery fayre.
- a1450(1412) Hoccl.RP (Hrl 4866)1289 : This lyf, my sone, is but a chirie faire.
- c1450 How GMan(2) (Lamb 853)144 : Þe world is boþe fals and freel..it fariþ but as a cherifaire.
- c1455 Spec.Miser.(Tak 32)72 : All is but veyne and vanittee This world is but a cherie feyre.
- a1475(?1445) ?Lydg.Cal.(Rwl B.408)190 : Iulius..Lo, now tyme passith of chyrry fayre.
- c1475 Mankind (Folg V.a.354)9/227 : So helpe me Gode! yt ys but a chery tyme!
- a1500 As I went me (BodPoet e.1)p.249 : Al Crysten pepul, be the wysse and ware, Thys world is butt a cheryfare.
- ?c1500 Farewell this world (Trin-C O.2.53)8 : This lyfe..is but a cheyre feyre; All thyngis passene.
b
- c1330(?a1300) Guy(2) (Auch)p.552 : Þou ginnest me þrete; Þerof ȝiue y nouȝt a chirston.
- (c1426) Audelay Poems (Dc 302)197/10 : A child aȝene I wold I were..He couetis noȝt vnlaufully, Fore chere stons is his tresoure.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)84 : Cobyllstone or cherystone: Petrilla.
- c1440 Thrn.Med.Bk.(Thrn)45/38 : Cherestane kyrnells.
- c1450 Burg.Practica (Rwl D.251)237/3 : For þe stone..Take..þe cernel[is] of chery-stonys.
- ?c1450 Iff a man (Add 17866)300/193 : Late hym take þe cheriston mete And with holy watir it drynke and ete.
- c1475(a1449) Lydg.Test.(Hrl 218)647 : My wyttes fyve in wast I did alle vse, Redier cheristones for to telle Than gon to chirche.
- a1500(a1400) Ipom.(1) (Chet 8009)3440 : Euery man spake off his prowes; They sett all oþur off worthynes But at a chery stone.
- ?a1500 Henslow Recipes (Henslow)14/15 : Who-so haþ þe stone. Take gromeyle and persile and þe ryde netyle and violet and rechelys and kyrnells of chireston, and stampe hym and tempere hym wyþ stale ale, and drynke hit.
c
- c1350 Cmb.Ee.4.20.Nominale (Cmb Ee.4.20)659 : Sauce, sev, et ciriser: Welew, hollertre, chiritre.
- a1400 Lanfranc (Ashm 1396)194/4 : Gumme of cheritrees.
- c1400 Femina (Trin-C B.14.40)52 : Appiltre, peretre & cherytre.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)13b/a : Cerasus: a chiri tre.
- a1425 *Medulla (Stnh A.1.10)18a/a : Cornus: a chiri tre.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)13/31 : Out of hem [small trees] cometh gomme as it were of plombtrees or of cherietrees.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)11.201 : Cold ayer & weet lond hath the chiritre.
- (?1440) Palladius (DukeH d.2)11.222 : This obseruance is to be kept..In chiritreen..To graffe hem whan no gumme vppon hem growe.
- c1450 Med.Bk.(2) (Add 33996)220 : Pro pectore morboso..Tak gomme of chyrytrees..& put hyt in old wyn forto onbynde, & þenne drynk hyt.
- a1500(a1400) Cleges (Adv 19.1.11)194 : As he knelyd on hys knee Vnderneth a chery-tre.
d
- (1266) Pat.R.Hen.III125 : Adam Chyrimuth.
- (1315) Pat.R.Edw.II252 : William Cherichek.
- 1447 Bokenham Sts.(Arun 327)451 : Hyr forheed lely-whyht..Hyr chyry chekys.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500 MSerm.Mol.(Adv 19.3.1)83 : Y pray you everychone with all the hart in my hele, sey a pater noster and an ave for seyn cherytre.
Note: Quot. belongs to sense 2.(c).
Note: Modify gloss: "(c) ~ tre, cherry tree;--also with punning reference to charitẹ̄".
Note: The list of variant spellings in the form section may be incomplete and / or may need revision to accord with standards of later volumes of the MED.--notes per MLL