Middle English Dictionary Entry
cintre n.
Entry Info
| Forms | cintre n. Also sintre. Pl. cintris, sintiris, sintrees, seentrees, cintours. |
| Etymology | OF cintre & ML cin(c)torium. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
Arch. The temporary wooden framework on which an arch or vault is constructed; a centering.
Associated quotations
- (1335) Sacrist R.Ely 267 : In xxxij bord salic. empt pro cyntrys.
- 1399-1400 *Acc.Exch.K.R.473/11 [OD col.] : Pro iiij c pedibus bordarum..emptis pro duobus Cyntours inde faciendis ad supportandum arcum Magne fenestre.
- (1411) Fabric R.Norwich in Nrf.Archaeol.15178 : [4 poplar boards bought in market for] syntrees.
- (1421) Indent.Catterick in Archaeol.J.757 : Ye landstathes And ye seentrees with all manere schaffaldyng And othire tre werke.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)456 : Syyntyr or [read: of] masonrye: Sinctorium.
- c1450 Capgr.Rome (Bod 423)38 : Þis temple..myth not haue so grete sintiris as þe arches ar wyde, and þerfor he ded make a grete hill of erde and couchid all þese uoutes þerupon.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- (1227) in Salzman Building in Engl.321 : [Beech boards for] cyntros [occur at Dover].
- (1371) in Salzman Building in Engl.326 : 5s. 4d. paid for boards for cyntrers and kreles.
- (1412-13) in Salzman Building in Engl.567 : John Wastell..shall provide..as moche good, sufficyent and able ston of Weldon quarryes as shall suffise for the..vawte together with lyme, sand, scaffoldyng, cynctours, [etc.].
- (1470) in Salzman Building in Engl.231 : A greate elme squared for make bord for sentours [cost 4 s.].
- (1480-84) Acc.Kirby Muxloe in LAAS 11298 : Breeke hewers. Corbell, at making le seynters for le voowte over le yathous; Peter Corbell..6 days at 10 d at the said senters.
- (1480-84) Acc.Kirby Muxloe in LAAS 11302 : John Lokyer, 3000 nails..for doors and Scaffoldyng and centers and other things needful 12 s. 6 d.
Note: New forms: Also..cintrer, cinctour, center, seinter, senter, sentour.
- (1378) in Salzman Building in Engl.458 : Le dit Johan..ferra debruser le quarrer et faire calce redder les founds et faire scaffaldes et syntres.
- (1398) in Salzman Building in Engl.475 : Et idem cementarius inveniet..instrumenta ferrea et lignea..cum scaffaldes, seyntres et flekes.
- (1412) in Salzman Building in Engl.489 : The forsaide..William sall finde lyme and sande and water and scaffaldyng and Synetres be houely to the same Kirke.
- (1476) in Salzman Building in Engl.538 : John Say shall fynd at his own coste..stone, lyme, sond and breke skaffoldes and sentrys wt the caryage of the same.
- (1486) in Salzman Building in Engl.321 : [At the Abbey..there are various references to the] centures [of the vaulting].
Note: New forms: pl. centures, sin(e)tres, seintres, sentris.
- (1378) in Salzman Building in Engl.455 : Monsr Richard trovera Richard (sic) meresme pur syntres.
- (1378) in Salzman Building in Engl.457 : Et trouera nre. dit s' le Roy quarrere maerisme pur scaffaldes et syntres.
- (1411) Fabric R.Norwich in Nrf.Archaeol.15170 : Itm. payed for iiij popyl bordys bought in market for syntrees to j vice viij d.
- (1412) in Salzman Building in Engl.489 : Dame Katrine and William sall hafe alle the scafaldyng and synetres vnto thaire owen vse.
- (1482-3) in Salzman Building in Engl.321 : [At Kirby Muxloe 4 d. was paid for making the] seynters [for the vowte over the ȝathous].
Note: The forms sintrel and (pl.) sinternes have been removed from the form section along with their quots. and moved to new entries cintrel n. and cintern n., respectively. Each has a separate etymon. (Note that OED has two separate entries for these two forms: centrel n. and cintern n.) OED also has the entries cintre n. and centry n.(1), the MED had included all these forms under cintre n. (probably since the latter is derived from the former).
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