Tag: 1500 – 1599

Word of the Day: ROISTER-DOISTER

ETYMOLOGY
from the name of the chief character (Ralph Royster Doyster) in Nicholas Udall’s comic play, based upon roister (a boisterous or noisy reveller), written about 1533

EXAMPLE
“… The terriblest tearmes may be repayed-home with aduauntage: I haue knowen the raylingest Sophister in an Vniuersity, sett non plus: and haue seene the mad-braynest Roister-doister in a countrey, dashte out of countenaunce. …”

From: Foure Letters, and Certaine Sonnets especially touching Robert Greene, and other parties, by him abused
By Gabriel Harvey, 1592

Word of the Day: ONERARIOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin onerarius (suitable for carrying a burden or cargo) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“… For that he emongest all gouernors, chiefly did remembre that a kyng ought to bee a ruler with wit, grauitie, circumspeccion, diligence and constancie, and for that cause to haue a rule to hym comitted, not for an honor, but for an onorarious charge and daily burden, and not to looke so muche on other mennes liuynges, as to consider and remembre his owne doynges and propre actes. …”

From: The vnion of the two noble and illustrate famelies of Lancastre [and] Yorke 
By: Edward Hall, 1548

Word of the Day: HICKSCORNER

ETYMOLOGY
see definition above

EXAMPLE
“… but Plato moe tymes than one auised hym, with sacrifice to purchace the fauour of the Graces, that is, so to applye hymself, yt his saiynges and dooynges might haue more grace and bee better accepted & taken of the worlde. zeno beeyng outright alltogether a Stoique vsed to call Socrates the scoffer, or the Hicke scorner of the citee of Athenes: because of his merie conceiptes and tauntyng, that he neuer ceassed to vse: but yet is there no manne, but he will saie that Socrates was a more godly feloe then either of those twoo whiche I named last afore. …”

From: Apophthegmes that is to saie, prompte, quicke, wittie and sentencious saiynges, of certain emperours, kynges, capitaines, philosophiers and oratours,
By Desiderius Erasmus
Translated by Nicholas Udall. 1542

Word of the Day: OBLIGATORIOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin obligatorius (imposing obligation) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“… quharethrow he culd nocht contract, trespas, or do ony sic deid as were obligatorious, quherbj he mycht be oblist to pvnisment of his persoune, likeas he mycht nocht oblise him in his gudis …”

From: Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland
Compiled from the original records and manuscripts
By Robert Pitcairn, 1833
Slaughter committed by an alleged Madman or Furious person – A.D. 1554

Word of the Day: SLAWSY-GAWSY

ETYMOLOGY
of uncertain origin;
possibly from slaw, Scots variant of slow

EXAMPLE
“… Quod scho, “My clype, my unspaynit gyane,
With moderis mylk yit in your mychane,
My belly huddrun, my swete hurle bawsy,
My huny gukkis, my slawsy gawsy,
Your musing waild perse and harte of stane,
Tak gud confort, my grit heidit slawsy,
Fow leis me that graceless gane. …”

From: The Poems of William Dunbar 
Edited by Priscilla Bawcutt, 1998 (Association for Scottish Literary Studies nos. 27 and 28)
Composed a1513

Word of the Day: LUSKISH

ETYMOLOGY
obsolete lusk (an idle or lazy fellow, a sluggard) + -ish

EXAMPLE
“… And as it fareth in the traunces and slepes that folke fall in by the bely – so fareth it lykewyse in the traunces and slepes that folke fall in by those partes that are benethe the bely. For whan the rage is thereof (as Tyndall sayeth) ouer passed, and that they haue in theyr traunce and theyr slepe played out all theyr luskysshe lustes … than they awake. …”

From: The Second Parte of the Confutacion of Tyndals answere in whyche is also confuted the chyrche that Tyndale deuyseth
By Thomas More, 1533

Word of the Day: GLAVERY

ETYMOLOGY
from glaver (to flatter, to deceive with flattery) + -y;
glaver is of obscure origin

EXAMPLE
“… But I staie my selfe and assure you of this, that in al crations and speeches, in all pleas, and actions, for and against any man amongst them, honest plainenesse was euer an argument of fauour and succour, and holowe smoothing glauerie a note of reprooch and an argument to perswade the contrarie. Nowe therefore let vs gather vppe all these againe together, and if heathens hate it, Christians loath it, and the God of life and death abhor it, what strength should anie cause in the earth haue to tempt you vnto it? …”

From: A Briefe Conference betwixt Mans Frailtie and Faith
By Gervase Babington, 1584

Word of the Day: NEGANT

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin negant-, negans, present participle of negare (to negate)

EXAMPLE
“… The affirmantes of this proposition, were almost treble so many as were the
negantes. Amongst whiche affirmantes, diuers were then vnmaryed, and neuer dyd afterwarde take the libertie of maryage, as doctor Tailor the bishop, doctor Benson, doctor Redman, doctor Hugh Weston, maister Wotton. &c. …”

From: A Defence of Priestes Mariages stablysshed by the imperiall lawes of the realme of Englande, agaynst a ciuilian, namyng hym selfe Thomas Martin doctour of the ciuile lawes,
Archbishop Matthew Parker, 1567?

Word of the Day: TWIGGER

ETYMOLOGY
apparently from twig (to do anything strenuously or vigorously, obs.) + -er

EXAMPLE
“… Eaws yerely by twining, rich masters do make the lamb of such twynners, for breeders go take.
For twinlings be twiggers, encrease for to bring:
though some for their twigging, peccantem may sing
Calues likely, yt come betwene Christmas & Lent,
take huswife to rere, or else after repent. …”

From: Fiue Hundreth Points of Good Husbandry vnited to as many of good huswiferie first deuised,
By Thomas Tusser, 1573