释义 |
† ˈconyger, ˈconynger Obs. Forms: α. 4–5 conynger, 5–6 connynger(e, Sc. cunningaire, cuninghare, kunynȝare, 6 counnyngar, conigare, conyger, 7 conieger, 7–9 Sc. (Hist.) cuningar; β. 6 conyngry, conyngarye, 6–7 coney-, conni(e-, conny-gree, coni-, connie-grea, (6 cunnie-greene), 7 conigrie, conni-, conie-grey; γ. 6 cunnerye, conyrie, 7 conery. [ME. conynger(e, 15th c. Sc. kuninȝare, a. OF. co(n)ninière, -yère, a parallel form of conilière, connillière, (= It. conigliera ‘a cunnie-grea, a warren’, Florio):—L. type cunīculāria: cf. cunīculāris adj., neut. pl. -āria, pertaining to the rabbit; also cunīculārius a (military) miner, f. cunīculus a rabbit, (-us, -um) a burrow, a military mine, underground passage: see cony. The animal being in OF. both conil and conin, its warren was conilière and coninière; the latter alone passed into Eng., where conin, coninière became conyng, conyngere and conig, conyger, with variants in -aire, -are, -ar, etc. The β forms are more obscure, but appear to start from conyng-rye, -arye, conig-rie, where the suffix (-aria, -ière) takes the form -ary, -ery, -ry, as in rookery, Jewry; but in the 16th c., when conyng, conyg were obs., and only cony, coney remained as the primary word, the derivative was analysed as cony-gry, and the second element variously transformed by popular etymology into -gree, -grey, and even -greave, -grave, -green, with obvious striving after a meaning. Only rarely was the true composition asserted, as in the cony-rie, cunne-rye of Levins. Many forms of the word survive as local farm- or field-names, e.g. Coney Grees (Greaves, Graves), Conery. Hence also Welsh cwning-gaer (Pughe), adapted in form to caer castle.] A rabbit-warren. α1292Britton iii. vii. §5 Fraunchises, marchez, garrennes, conigers. Ibid. i. xxii. (MS. C), De pessoun e des coniers [v.r. coningers]. 1389Act 13 Rich. II, c. 13 §1 Vont chaceantz es parkes, garennes & conyngers. 1424Sc. Acts Jas. I, c. 33 The..destroyers of Cunningaires [v.r. cuningharis] and Dowcattes. c1430Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 174 With them that ferett robbe conyngerys. 1474Rental Bk. of Cupar Abbey, Warrandar of Kunynȝare. 1519W. Horman Vulgaria, Warens & conygers & parkis palydde. 1552Huloet, Conigare, or cony earth, or clapper for conies, viuarium. 1617Minsheu Ductor, Conieger, Conie-grey, or Warren for Conies. 1693J. Wallace Orkney 13 There are rich cuningars almost in every Isle, well stored with Rabbets. 1701Brand Orkney 37 (Jam.) The whole isle is but as one rich cuningar [MS. cunnyngarth] or cony-warren. [1884C. Rogers Soc. Life Scot. II. xiii. 271 Denizens of the Cunningar or rabbit-warren.] βc1521in Archæol. XXV. 313 (D.) A conyngry called Milborowe heth granted by the King to John Honteley. 1544Will of T. Kempe (Somerset Ho.), The litle conyngarye with all the profecte of the Coonnyes in the great. 1575Turberv. Venerie 184 Warreynes and Connigrees..full of little rabbets. 1598Florio, Conigliera, a conigrea [1611 connie-grea] or waren for conies. 1611Cotgr., Conniniere, a connigrey, or warren for connies. 1634Brereton Trav. (1844) 55 Here they have a spacious coney-gree. γ1570Levins Manip. 104 A cunnerye, leporarium. Ibid. 107 Conyrie. 1637J. Harrison Surv. Sheffield in Sheff. Gloss., A close of arable called the Conery. b. transf.
1548Thomas Ital. Gram., Horti di Venere, the womans secrete connyngers. |