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mǽre

  • adjective
Dictionary links
Grammar
mǽre, adj.
Wright's OE grammar
§119; §434; §620;
Great, excellent, distinguished, illustrious, sublime, splendid, celebrated, famous, widely known (of persons or things)
Show examples

  • Mære

    clarus, insignis, nobilis, perspicuus,

    • Wrt. Voc. ii. 131, 66:

    inclytus,

      46, 10, 11.

  • Mere weard

    percrebuit,

    • Ep. Gl. 18b, 10.

  • Mǽre

    celeber,

    • Ælfc. Gr. 9, 18
      • ;
    • Zup. 44, 10.

  • Mǽrne

    celebre,

    • Hpt. Gl. 525, 45.

  • Beorht ł mǽre

    præclara, splendida,

    • 436, 43.

  • Mǽr[re]

    illustrius,

    • 460, 25.
(
of persons and
in a good sense)
Show examples

  • Dryhten ys mǽre God and mihtig

    Dominus est deus magnus et potens.

    • Deut. 10, 17.

  • Ðú eart mǽre God, and Jacobes God se mǽra,

    • Ps. Th. 83, 8 : 103, 23.

  • God mǽre (excelsus) álýsend heora is.

    • Ps. Spl. 77, 39.

  • Freá ælmihtig, mǽre þeóden,

    • Cd. 40
      • ;
    • Th. 52, 34
      • ;
    • Gen. 853.

  • Se mǽra Fæder (

    God

    ),
    • L. Ælfc. C. 3
      • ;
    • Th. ii. 344, 4.

  • Hé byþ mǽre beforan Drihtne

    erit magnus coram domino.

    • Lk. Skt. 1. 15: 32.

  • Ðeáh he on ðam lande seó mǽre ðonne biþ hé on óðrum unmǽre

    though he be famous in one country, he is not in another,

    • Bt. 30, 1
      • ;
    • Fox 108, 15.

  • Wæs hé ( St. Martin ) swíðe mǽre geond middangeard,

    • Blickl. Homl. 221, 1.

  • Mǽru cwén

    the illustrious queen (Wealhtheow),

    • Beo. Th. 4037
      • ;
    • B. 2016.

  • Sunu se ðe biþ góde mǽre

    a son (Isaac) who shall be great in goodness,

    • Cd. 100
      • ;
    • Th. 133, 24
      • ;
    • Gen. 2198: Beo. Th. 3909
      • ;
    • B. 1952.

  • Mihtum mǽre

    great in power,

    • Elen. Kmbl. 679
      • ;
    • El. 340.

  • Marian mǽrre meówlan.

    of Mary, maiden illustrious,

    • Exon. 14 a
      • ;
    • Th. 28, 13
      • ;
    • Cri. 446.

  • Smeágende cwidas and dǽda ðara mǽrena (illustrium) wera úre þeóde,

    • Bd. pref.
      • ;
    • S. 471, 13.

  • Ðes ys mǽrra (major) ðonne ðæt templ,

    • Mt. Kmbl. 12, 6.

  • Nis betwux wífa bearnum nán mǽrra wítega ðonne Johannes,

    • Lk. Skt. 7, 28.

  • Nán man ne biþ for óðres góde nó ðý mǽrra ne nó ðý geheredra

    splendidum te aliena claritudo non efficit.

    • Bt. 30, 1
      • ;
    • Fox 108, 27.

  • David wæs hearpera mǽrost,

    • Ps. C. 50
      • ;
    • Ps. Grn. ii. 276, 4.

  • Ðás mán*-*fullan men wǽron getealde for ða mǽrostan godas,

    • Wulfst. 106, 17.
in a bad sense,
notorious, distinguished by evil deeds; insignis
Show examples

  • Hæfdum énne gebundenne mǽrne (mérne. Lind.) monn se wæs háten Barrabas (cf. O. Sax. mári meginthiof)

    habebat vinctum insignem qui dicebatur Barabbas,

    • Mt. Kmbl. Rush. 27, 16.

  • Grendel, mǽre mearc-stapa,

    • Beo. Th. 206
      • ;
    • B. 103: 1528
      • ;
    • B. 762 (?)
      • .
(of things)
Show examples

  • Sum deófolgild ðe mid ðǽm hǽðenum mannum swíðe weorþ and mǽre wæs

    a certain idol that was held in high honour and esteem among the heathens,

    • Blickl. Homl. 221, 7.

  • Swíðe mǽre burh se is háten Sepontus

    a very famous town which is called Sepontus,

    • 197, 20.

  • On ðam mǽran (inlustri) túne, se is nemned æt

    • Walle, Bd. 3, 21
      • ;
    • S. 551, 11: Cd. 205
      • ;
    • Th. 254, 10
      • ;
    • Dan. 609.

  • Tó ðære mǽran byrig

    (the heavenly Jerusalem),

    • 227
      • ;
    • Th. 304, 4
      • ;
    • Sat. 624.

  • Tempel heáhst and háligost, hæleþum gefrǽgost, mǽst and mǽrost

    (Solomon's temple),

    • 162
      • ;
    • Th. 202, 28
      • ;
    • Exod. 395.

  • Ðæt wæs ðæt mǽreste hús ðe on eorþan geworht wurde

    that (the temple) was the most splendid house that was built in the world.

    • Wulfst. 278, 1.

  • Mǽre wurdon his wundra geweorc wíde and síde

    far and wide spread the fame of the wonders he wrought.

    • Exon. 45 b
      • ;
    • Th. 155, l
      • ;
    • Gú. 853.

  • Eall ðeós mǽre gesceaft

    the universe.

    • Rood Kmbl. 24
      • ;
    • Kr. 12.

  • Mǽre wundur

    mirabilia,

    • Ps. Th. 106, 30: 110, 3.

  • Sunne mǽre tungol

    the sun, resplendent star.

    • Chr. 937
      • ;
    • Erl. 112, 14
      • ;
    • Æðelst. 14.

  • Mǽrost tungla,

    • Exon. 57 b
      • ;
    • Th. 205, 28
      • ;
    • Ph. 119.

  • In dege mérum

    in die insigni,

    • Ps. Surt. 80, 4.

  • Ðone mǽron symbeldæg Drihtnes upstige,

    • Blickl. Homl. 131, 10: Cd. 8
      • ;
    • Th. 10, II
      • ;
    • Gen. 155.

  • Seó mǽre tiid

    (Easter),

    • Menol. Fox 114
      • ;
    • Men. 57.

  • Se mǽra dæg

    the great and terrible day of the Lord,

    • Exon. 23 b
      • ;
    • Th. 65, 16
      • ;
    • Cri. 1055.

  • Ðæt is mǽre spell

    no common tale is that,

    • Cd. 119
      • ;
    • Th. 155, 2
      • ;
    • Gen. 2566: Elen. Kmbl. 1936
      • ;
    • El. 970.

  • Æfter ðisse dǽde his noma wæs weorþ and mǽre geworden

    after this deed his name became honoured and famous,

    • Blickl. Homl. 219, 4-: Exon. 1073
      • ;
    • Th. 409, 11
      • ;
    • Rä. 27, 27.

  • Is wuldur ðín wíde and síde ofer ðás eorþan ealle mǽre

    in omnem terram gloria tua.

    • Ps. Th. 56, 6.

  • Se mǽresta hlísa

    fama celeberrima,

    • Bd. 3, 13: S. 538, 37.

  • Ðæt is mǽro wyrd

    that is a tremendous event (the deluge),

    • Cd. 69
      • ;
    • Th. 84, 18
      • ;
    • Gen. 1399.

  • Ðín mægen is swá mǽre, swá ðæt ǽnig ne wát eorþbúende ða deópnesse Drihtnes mihta,

    • Hy. 3, 31
      • ;
    • Hy. Grn. ii. 282, 31.
  • (In a bad sense)

    Caudenes Furcules seó stów gewearþ swíðe mǽre for Rómána bismere

    Caudinas furculas satis celebres et famosas Romanorum fecit infamia,

    • Ors. 3, 8
      • ;
    • Swt. 120, 21.
Etymology
[Cf.
Goth. waila-mérs of good report; wailaméreins good report
:
O. Sax. mári
:
Icel. mærr
:
O. H. Ger. mári memorabilis, famosus, illustris, insignis, clarus.
]
Derived forms
folc-, fore-, forþ-, freá-, frǽ-, heaðo-, un-, wíd-mǽre
Similar entries
v. efen-,
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “mǽre.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/22175.

Checked: 1
Full form

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  • mǽre, adj.

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