| 释义 |
▪ I. lour, lower, n.1|laʊə(r), ˈlaʊə(r)|
For forms see the vb.
[f. lour v.]
1. A gloomy or sullen look; a frown, scowl.
13..Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1952 Whi makest thou swich scher and foul lour? 1530Palsgr. 241/1 Loure an yvell loke. 1578T. Procter Gorg. Gallery L iij, What are your sweet smiles, quite turnd into lowres? 1598Drayton Heroic. Ep. Wks. (1748) 83 In one smile or lowre of thy sweet eye Consists my life. 1704Steele Lying Lover i. i. 2 Han't I a down bookish Lour? a wise Sadness. 1814Scott Wav. xviii, A sudden, though transient lour of the eye, shewed a hasty, haughty, and vindictive temper.
2. Of the sky, weather, etc.: Gloominess, threatening appearance; an instance of this.
1596B. Griffin Fidessa (1876) 35, I am no leauing of al⁓withering age, I haue not suffred many winter lowres. 1686Goad Celest. Bodies ii. iv. 214 [It] is apt to Heat, and some⁓times..to Dryth; but more frequently to Lowr, Bluster, Rain. 1808Scott Marm. v. Introd., For thy dark cloud, with umber'd lower, That hung o'er cliff, and lake, and tower. 1816J. Wilson City of Plague ii. ii. 209 Alike unto that fearless flower..The sunlight's smile—the tempest's lower.
▪ II. lour, lower, n.2 slang.|laʊə(r), ˈlaʊə(r)|
Also 6, 9 lowre, 9 loaver.
Money.
1567Harman Caveat 85 Hast thou any lowre in thy bonge? 1622Fletcher Beggar's Bush ii. i, Except you do provide me hum enough, and Lour to bouze with! 1670Cotton Scoffer Scofft (1675) 184 But e're this life I'le longer lead I'le stroll for Lower, or begg my bread. 1834W. H. Ainsworth Rookwood v. i. (1878) 341, I knows I owes you my life, and I thank you for it. Take back the lowre. 1851Mayhew Lond. Labour I. 424 They don't mind tipping the loaver (money). 1889Clarkson & Richardson Police 321 Bad money (coin), gammy lower.
▪ III. lour, lower, v.|laʊə(r), ˈlaʊə(r)|
Forms: 3–6 loure, 3–4 lure, 5–8 lowr(e, (6 loour, 7 lowere), 6– lour, lower.
[ME. loure-n, perh. repr. an OE. *lúrian; other Teut. langs. have forms app. corresponding, but they have not been traced to any early date.
Cf. early mod.Du. loeren (Kilian) to frown, knit the brows; to look askance; to wink; to watch stealthily, to lie in wait (now only, to spy, lie in wait); late MHG. and MLG. lûren to lie in wait (mod.G. lauern), Sw. lura, Da. lure to lie in wait, also to doze, nap (Sw., Da. lur a nap), mod.Icel. lúra to doze, nap, lúr a nap.
The spelling lower (cf. flower) renders the word identical in its written form with lower, to bring or come down, and the two vbs. have often been confused: when said of clouds, lower |ˈlaʊə(r)| to look threatening, has some affinity in sense with lower |ˈləʊə(r)| to descend, and it is not always possible to discover which vb. was in the mind of a writer.]
1. intr. Of persons, their eyes, countenances, etc.: To frown, scowl; to look angry or sullen. † Also, to be depressed or mournful. Const. at, on, upon; rarely in indirect passive.
c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 294/16 He..lourede with sori semblaunt: and þeos wordes out he caste. a1300K. Horn 286 Heo sende hire sonde Aþelbrus to honde, þat he come hire to, And also scholde horn do al in to bure, ffor heo gan to lure. c1350Will. Palerne 2119 Þe liȝtere he let þer-of, ac lourand he seide [etc.]. c1384Chaucer H. Fame i. 409 For had he lawghed, had he loured, He moste haue be devoured Yf Adriane ne had y-be. c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 703 Now I am mys-lokyd on & loured. c1440Jacob's Well 92 Þou..lowryst, & chaungyst chere, & fleest companye. 1472J. Paston in P. Lett. III. 75 They that lowryd, nowe laughe upon me. 1568Tilney Disc. Mariage B viij, Can there be any greater disorder, than for the husbande to be merie abrode, and lowre at home? 1580Babington Exp. Lord's Prayer (1596) 75 Wee either loure or laugh to be tolde, we should come in. 1642Rogers Naaman 560 Love him..lowre not upon him. 1671Milton Samson 1057 Nor from that right to part an hour, Smile she or lowre. a1701Sedley Poems Wks. 1722 I. 16 The Man's unkind, the cheated Woman low'rs. 1750Student I. 323 A young man, who lower'd very much in his countenance, and stood in a melancholy posture. 1816‘Quiz’ Grand Master i. 20 His tone of insolence and pow'r, Made all the passengers to low'r. 1862J. Grant Capt. Guard xx, His brows knit and his eyes loured. 1879Butcher & Lang Odyss. 360 Then Odysseus of many counsels loured on them. 1883A. Forbes in 19th Cent. Oct. 722 The convict faces lowering over the bulwark of the barracoon.
b. quasi-trans. To express by frowning.
1746Wesley Wks. (1872) II. 21 The other part [of the crowd] remained a little way off, and loured defiance.
2. transf. and fig. Chiefly of the clouds, sky, a tempest, etc.: To look dark and threatening. Const. on, over, upon.
[a1450, etc.: see louring.] 1590Marlowe Edw. II, iv. vi. 63 O my starres! Why do you lowre vnkindly on a King? 1594Shakes. Rich. III, i. i. 3 The clouds that low'rd vpon our house. 1614Earl Stirling Dooms-day xii. vi. (1637) 261 No threat'ning cloud, all charg'd with hailstones lowres. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 1002 Skie lowr'd and..som sad drops Wept. 1713Addison Cato i. i, The dawn is over-cast, the morning lours. 1768Beattie Minstr. ii. xxxii, When the dark shades of melancholy lower. 1835I. Taylor Spir. Despot. ii. 70 Let commercial perplexity lour over a people as it may. 1842Barham Ingol. Leg., Ser. ii. Bloudie Jacke, So sour Its ugly grey walls seem to lour. 1846Keble Lyra Innoc. (1873) 74 Their day, in gloom or tempest born, Lowers on till noon and night. 1866M. Arnold Thyrsis v, A shadow lour'd on the fields. 1887Bowen Virg. æneid ii. 397 Where night in her darkness lowers.
†3. Chiefly Sc. To crouch, lurk, skulk. Obs.
c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4528 Of paynyms lorells þat her by loures. c1470Henryson Mor. Fab. ix. iii. in Anglia IX. 463 And lowrand law, thow can gar hennis de. 1501Douglas Pal. Hon. i. lviii, On kneis I crap, and law for feir did lowre. 1513― æneis vii. vii. 5 Alecto..prively begouth awach and loure About his spouse queyne Amatays boure. 1571Satir. Poems Reform. xxix. 22 Quhen Dauid vnder þe sek did loure. 1622Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. 255 Philosophers..haue determined that the sperme, or seed of all things,..doth in a secret manner lowre within the two Elements of Water and Earth. 1647H. More Song of Soul i. i. liii, Make their brisk sprights to lout and lowly lowr? 1824W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. LVII. 509 The murderers of his nephew, whom he lour'd for.
▪ IV. † lour, lowr, int. Obs.
[? contraction for lo where.]
= Lo or look where! or simply Lo!
[c1205Lay. 21171 Lou [c 1275 lo] war her biforen us heðene hundes. ]a1225Ancr. R. 152 Lour hit her: read gold & hwit seoluer inouh. a1225Leg. Kath. 2436 Lowr! her ich abide Þe bite of sweordes egge.
▪ V. lour
Sc. f. liefer, compar. of lief a. |