Jump to content

murrain

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

[edit]
WOTD – 12 December 2024

Etymology

[edit]

The noun is derived from Late Middle English morein, morine, moreyn (“(widespread) death; widespread sickness, plague; fatal disease; carnage; carrion”),[1] from Anglo-Norman morine, mourine, moreyn (“death; widespread sickness, plague; carrion; cattle disease”), Middle French morine, and Old French morine, mourine, murine (“widespread sickness, plague; animal which has died from a disease”), from Late Latin morina (“plague”), probably from Latin morī, the present active infinitive of morior (“to die; to decay, wither”),[2] ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to die”).

The adjective and adverb are derived from the noun.[2]

cognates

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

murrain (countable and uncountable, plural murrains)

  1. (archaic, uncountable) Infectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak of such a disease; a plague.
  2. (countable, figurative, archaic) A widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution; a plague.
  3. (countable, veterinary medicine, chiefly historical) Any of several highly infectious diseases of cattle or other livestock, such as anthrax, babesiosis, or rinderpest; or a particular epizootic thereof; also, an infectious disease affecting other animals, such as poultry.
    water murrain
    • 1613, Thomas Heywood, The Silver Age, […], London: […] Nicholas Okes, and are to be sold by Beniamin Lightfoote […], →OCLC, Act III, signature H, verso:
      Il'e ſtrike thee [Earth] vvith a laſting barrenneſſe. / No more ſhall plenty crovvne thy fertill brovves, / Il'e breake thy plovves, thy Oxen murren-ſtrike: […]
      That is, to afflict oxen with an infectious disease.
    • 1642 April, John Milton, An Apology for Smectymnuus; republished in A Complete Collection of the Historical, Political, and Miscellaneous Works of John Milton, […], volume I, Amsterdam [actually London: s.n.], 1698, →OCLC, page 159:
      [A] Church-mans Juriſdiction is no more but to vvatch over his Flock in ſeaſon, and out of ſeaſon, to deal by ſvveet and efficacious Inſtructions, gentle Admonitions, and ſometimes rounder Reproofs; […] againſt a perſiſting ſtubbornes, or the fear of a reprobate ſenſe, a timely ſeparation from the Flock by that interdictive Sentence, leſt his Converſation unprohibited, or unbranded, might breath a peſtilential murrein into the other Sheepe.
      A figurative use.
    • 1657, Samuel Purchas, “Of Bees, Enemies and Sicknesses”, in A Theatre of Politicall Flying-Insects. […], London: […] R. I. for Thomas Parkhurst, […], →OCLC, page 122:
      The murrain among Bees is very rare: other diſeaſes they are ſubject too, eſpecially to a ſcovvring, by gathering, or feeding on Tithymal, […]
    • 1670, John Milton, “The Sixth Book”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC, page 245:
      The next year vvas calamitous, bringing ſtrange fluxes upon men, and murren upon Cattel.
    • 1700, C. P. [pseudonym], “Signs of Murrein, Rot, or Such Like Destroying Diseases in Cattle; how to Prevent or Remedy Them”, in The Sheepherd’s New Kalender: or, The Citizen’s & Country Man’s Daily Companion: […], London: […] A. M. for J. Blare, […], →OCLC, pages 47–48:
      [page 47] [B]ecauſe Murreins among the Larger Cattle, and Rots among the Smaller, are the moſt Fatal of Diſeaſes, and ſvveep them avvay by Herds and Flocks, I ſhall (from Long Experience) ſhovv the neareſt vvay to fore-ſee the approaching Danger, […] [page 48] To prevent therefore this Murrein, Long-ſought; or as ſome call it, Gurget: If you are conſtrained to Paſture your Beaſts, bleed them as ſoon as ever the Leaf begins to fall; peg their Ears and Devv-laps vvith Helebore, or Bears-foot, a Plant ſo called; […]
  4. (countable, by extension, phytopathology) An infectious disease affecting plants.
    potato murrain
  5. (obsolete)
    1. (countable) A poor-quality green-salted animal hide.
      • [1877, Edward H[enry] Knight, “Leath′er”, in Knight’s American Mechanical Dictionary. […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: Hurd and Houghton […], →OCLC, page 1275, column 1:
        Green salted are those that have been salted and are thoroughly cured. […] In green-salted hides and skins, those weighing […] 14 to 25 pounds, if plump, kip, but if thin and poor are called runners or murrains, and are sold at two thirds the price of good kip; […]]
    2. (uncountable) Death, especially from an infectious disease.
      • 1530 July 28 (Gregorian calendar), Iohan Palsgraue [i.e., John Palsgrave], “The Table of Substantyues”, in Lesclarcissement de la langue francoyse⸝ […], [London]: […] [Richard Pynson] fynnysshed by Iohan Haukyns, →OCLC, 3rd boke, folio xlix, recto; reprinted Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, October 1972, →OCLC:
        Moreyn dethe mortalité […] mourine […]
    3. (uncountable) Rotting flesh, especially of an animal which has died from a disease; carrion.

Alternative forms

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

Adjective

[edit]

murrain (comparative more murrain, superlative most murrain) (figurative, obsolete)

  1. Disgusting or offensive, as if having an infectious disease; contemptible, despicable, loathsome, plaguey.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:despicable
  2. Used as an intensifier: to a great extent; extreme, intense.

Adverb

[edit]

murrain (comparative more murrain, superlative most murrain)

  1. (figurative, obsolete) Used as an intensifier: extremely, very.
    Synonyms: (obsolete) murrainly; see also Thesaurus:extremely, Thesaurus:very
    • c. 1553 (date written), “S.” [pseudonym; attributed to William Stevenson], […] Gammer Gurtons Nedle: […], London: […] Thomas Colwell, published 1575, →OCLC, Act II, scene iv, signature C, verso:
      It is a murrion crafty drab, and froward to be pleaſed.
    • a. 1664 (date written), Lord Viscount Fawlkland [i.e., Henry Cary, 4th Viscount Falkland], The Mariage Night, London: […] W[illiam] G[odbid] for R[obert] Crofts […], published 1664, →OCLC, Act III, page 25:
      La there; And that ſame's a murrain vviſe boy, if you mark him; and vvill ſee a thing, I vvarrant you, as ſoon as the vviſeſt of us all, vvere he tvvice as old again.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ “morein(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Compare “murrain, n., adj., & adv.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2024; “murrain, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=murrain&oldid=83003866"