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† ˈfernyear, fern year, n. and adv. Obs.
Forms: α. 1 fyrnᵹéar, 4 fernȝere, -yere, (5 ferner), 5, 8, 9 fernyear, 9 Sc. foirnyear. β. 3 ivurnȝer.
[OE. fyrnᵹéar: see fern a. and year1. From 14th c. often as two words, the adj. being inflected in ME.]
A. n.
1. A past year.
c1000Gnomic Vers. (Cott.) 12 (Gr.) Fyrnᵹearum frod. c1205Lay. 25139, I þan iuurn ȝere. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 5 How fele fernȝeres are faren and so fewe to come. 1481Caxton Reynard (Arb.) 32 Yf myn aunte..bethought her wel of olde ferners she wolde not suffre that I shold haue ony harme. 1529More Supplic. Soulys Wks. 296/1 Old farne yeres. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 4 Ye regarde..good prouerbes of olde ferne yeeres.
2. Last year, ‘yester-year’. [Cf. mod.Ger. firnewein wine of last year.]
¶ Skinner took Chaucer's ferne yere to mean February! Hence in Coles 1692–1732.
c1374Chaucer Troylus v. 1176 Farwel al the snowgh of ferne yere! 1406Hoccleve La Male Regle 423, I dar nat speke a word of ferne yeer. 15..Sir Egeir (1711) 19 He..then told him a fern-years tale. 1737Ramsay Scot. Prov. xviii. 14 If I live anither year, I'll ca' this year fern⁓year.
B. adv.
a. In past years. [Cf. OE. fyrnᵹéara, where the second element = yore adv.]
b. In the course of last year.
[c1000Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) xciv. 9 [xcv. 8] Swa on grimnesse, fyrn-ᵹeara dydan. ]1377Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 440 The kyndenesse þat myne euene-cristene kidde me fernyere. 1786Harvest Rig in Chambers Pop. Poems Scot. (1862) 62 They'll..reckon up what time fernyear The kirn was held. 1806J. Nicol Poems II. 3 (Jam.) He, fairnyear, 'gainst the en'mie's power, Wi a choice gang had wander'd. |