Our Ladyn.
/ˌaʊə ˈleɪdi/, U.S. /ˌaʊ(ə)r ˈleɪdi/; see also our pron. and adj. 1.
a. Christian Church (chiefly Roman Catholic Church). The Virgin Mary.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > Mary > [noun]
ladyOE
queenOE
MaryOE
St MaryOE
starOE
Our LadylOE
lemana1225
maidena1225
maid Marya1225
heaven queenc1225
mothera1275
maiden Maryc1300
Star of the Seac1300
advocatrixc1390
mother-maidc1390
flower, gem, etc., of virginitya1393
the Virgina1393
mediatricea1400
paramoura1400
salver14..
advocatrice?a1430
Mother of God?a1430
way of indulgence?a1430
advocatessc1450
mother-maidenc1450
rose of Jerichoa1456
mediatrixc1475
viergec1475
addresseressa1492
fleur-de-lis?a1513
rosine?a1513
salvatrice?a1513
saviouress1563
mediatressa1602
advocatress1616
Christotokos1625
Deipara1664
V.M.1670
Madonnaa1684
the Virgin Mother1720
Panagia1776
Mater Dolorosa1800
B.V.M.1838
dispensatrixa1864
Theotokos1874
dispensatress1896
OE Vercelli Homilies (1992) xv. 259 Þonne gesyhð ure leofe hlæfdie, sancta Maria, Cristes moder, þone earman heap & þone sarigan.]
lOE tr. R. d'Escures Sermo in Festis Sancte Marie Virginis in R. D.-N. Warner Early Eng. Homilies (1917) 136 Ure hlæfdige is synderlice þæs Hælendes moder [L. sicut autem mater dei est singularis].
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 17 (MED) Crist..wes iboren of ure lefdi Zeinte Marie.
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 35 Mine leoue sustren, folhið ure leafdi.
?a1300 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 783 (MED) Oure leuedi..To þat moneke com.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 64 (MED) Þise ne uorbereþ naȝt oure lheuedi.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 231 (MED) Oure lady schulde be i-cleped Theothecos, þat is oure Lordes moder.
a1438 Bk. Margery Kempe (1940) i. 19 (MED) Sche wold prey for hir to owyr Lady þat sche mygth do hir seruyse.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 255 b/2 The unyte and assemble of the flesshe of oure lord and of oure lady.
1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 1309/2 No doubt our lady was through the goodnes of God a good & a gratious creature.
1599 E. Sandys Europæ Speculum (1632) 4 Where one doth professe himselfe a Devoto or peculiar servant of our Lord; whole Townes..are the Devoti of our Ladie.
1609 T. Dekker Raueuens Almanacke sig. H Huswife (quoth he) if our Lady haue appeared vnto you, our Lord her sonne hath shewed me a vision, that he that hath an ill wife and will not beat her, shall lead Apes in hell for his labor, and with that he fell vppon her, and pummeld her so soundly, that he had almost kild her.
1681 S. Colvil Mock Poem i. 17 They prayed to our Lady.
1776 W. J. Mickle in tr. L. de Camoens Lusiad ii. 49 (note) Francisco Roz..complained to Menezes, the Portuguese archbishop of Goa, that when he shewed these people an image of our Lady, they cried out, ‘Away with that filthiness, we are Christians, and do not adore idols or pagods’.
1832 Ld. Tennyson Mariana in South in Poems (new ed.) 21 Low on her knees herself she cast, Unto our lady prayèd she.
1895 G. Allen Woman who Did x. 115 The luggage was bundled on to the top, by Our Lady's grace, without dissolution of continuity.
1923 Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. 38 338 ‘The Blessed Virgin gives Milk to a quinsied Monk.’ This legend..is one of the most popular of the miracles of Our Lady.
1959 J. C. Chapin tr. A. Giovanetti We have Pope i. 8 The Bergamasque shrines of our Lady.
2001 S. MacGowan in V. M. Clarke & S. MacGowan Drink with S. MacGowan (2002) i. 11 He was a screaming alkie. But eventually he was cured while praying to Our Lady.
b. Our Lady of ——: (Roman Catholic Church) the Virgin Mary as associated with ——, typically denoting her connection with a particular place or quality, and often with reference to a manifestation of the Virgin Mary or a specific venerated image or icon. In secular contexts (often humorous): denoting a woman's revered or iconic status.Our Lady (of) Piety: see piety n. Phrases 1; Our Lady of Pity: see pity n. 7.
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1387 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 1 The Brethered of our lady of Abbechirch.
1402 T. Hoccleve Lepistre Cupide (Huntington) 403 God..If he in womman knowe had swich malice As men of hem recorde in generaltee, Of our lady of lyf reparatrice Nolde han be born.
c1507 Fyftene Ioyes of Maryage (1509) viii. 3067 Whan that I was in grete infyrmyte Of our yonge chylde..I made a uowe Unto our lady of rochemadoure.
1528 T. More Dialogue Heresyes i, in Wks. 140/1 Thei will make comparisons betwene our Lady of Ippiswitch and our Ladie of Walsingham.
a1600 T. Deloney Garland Good Will (1631) ii. 105 But our Lady of Walsingham was zure an holy Zaint: And many men in pilgrimage, did shew to her complaint.
1701 M. D'Assigny Hist. Earls & Earldom Flanders 149 She was buried in the Collegiat Church of our Lady of Bruges.
1770 New & Compl. Hist. Essex I. 443 The wife of John de Naylinghurst.., being in labour.., some of the women that attended her, resolved to go and pray for her to our Lady of Mercy, in her chapel here.
1812 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Cantos I & II (ed. 2) Notes 114 The convent of ‘Our Lady of Punishment’, Nossa Señora de Pena, on the summit of the rock. Below, at some distance, is the Cork Convent.
1884 Cent. Mag. Jan. 394/2 She [sc. Madame Jules Mohl] was nicknamed ‘Our Lady of the Academy’.
1903 Times 28 Oct. 10/5 The Pope..congratulated the Cardinal on his work, and presented him with a beautiful silver statue of Our Lady of Hope.
1923 H. Belloc Sonnets & Verse in Verse (1954) 128 (title) Ballade to Our Lady of Czestochowa.
1994 Spy (N.Y.) Sept. 42/1 At corporate headquarters, Barbie is referred to as ‘Our Lady of the Perpetual Income’, accounting as she does for 35 percent of Mattel sales.
c. by Our Lady: used as an oath or a strong exclamation of surprise, etc. Cf. byrlady int. Now rare.
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c1395 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale 1354 By oure lady..it is dere.
c1475 Mankind (1969) 429 (MED) By owur Lady, ser, a fayer playster!
1533 J. Heywood Mery Play Iohan Iohan sig. A.i Thynke ye that she wyll amende yet. Nay by our lady the deuyll spede whyt.
a1568 R. Sempill in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. 59 Bot be scho emptie, be our leddy, Scho will be kittill of hir dok.
1796 G. Colman Iron Chest i. ii. 27 Nay, by our lady, 'tis Sir Edward himself!
1908 W. Campbell Mordred ii. iii, in Poet. Trag. 51 By Our Lady, thou art in the right of it.
1986 T. Enright tr. T. O'Crohan Island Cross-talk 57 By Our Lady, if they were from Ireland itself I might have some feeling for them.
2. In phrases denoting Christian festivals commemorating the Virgin Mary, as Our Lady in March, Our Lady in Harvest, etc. See also Our Lady day n. 2. Now historical.
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society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Annunciation (25 March) > [noun]
Our Lady dayc1230
Our Lady day in Lentc1300
Saint Mary dayc1300
Our Lady in Marchc1325
annunciation1389
Our Lady's day1389
Lady Day1530
Annunciation Day1584
the Lady in Lent1608
society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Assumption > [noun]
latter Mary DayOE
Marymassa1200
assumption1297
Saint Mary dayc1300
Our Lady in Harvestc1325
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 9080 Vr leuedy [a1400 Trin. Cambr.lefdi day, c1400 BL Add. leuedi dai, ?a1425 Digby lady day] in decembre.
1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 26 Our lady in marche.
1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 26 Our lady in heruest.
1497 in R. W. M. Lewis Walberswick Churchwardens' Accts. (1947) 71 Itm payd to Edmund Wryte for hys wagys for half ȝeer at owyr Ladyys in Lenten.
1955 PMLA 70 813 The Feast of Our Lady in Harvest (the assumption), a proper time for religious revelation.
1992 K. Neustadt Clambake Notes 194 In southern Europe, the feast became known as ‘Our Lady in Harvest’.
3. An image of the Virgin Mary.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > statuary > [noun] > statue > Christian religious
Our Lady1459
lady1473
virgina1684
Mater Dolorosa1800
bambino1866
1459 Inventory Fastolf's Wardrobe in Paston Lett. (1904) III. 188 Item, j. crosse of sylver and gylt, with oure Lady and Seynt John.
1525 Rye Churchwardens' Accts. in Antiquarian Horol. (1976) Winter 51 Item paid to Richard Seche..mending the doore over our Ladye.
1843 tr. Voltaire Philos. Dict. II. 321 A sage, in passing by our Lady of Loretto, said to another sage, his friend, that our Lady of Loretto, with her little black face, governs not the entire universe.
1880 J. H. Shorthouse John Inglesant xx. 267 The rich oratories..where a classic statue of Apollo stands by the side of a crucifix, a Venus with Our Lady, a Cupid near St. Michael, and a pair of beads hanging on Mercury's Caduceus.
1907 T. B. Aldrich Poems 112 In the broad piazza was a shrine, With Our Lady holding on her knee A small nude waxen effigy.
1995 P. McCabe Dead School (1996) 29 Damp streaks on the walls, cobwebs on Our Lady's eyes, rotten fruit and stale bread in the kitchen.
Phrases
† in Our Lady's bands (also in the bands of Our Lady): pregnant; in confinement. Similarly in Our Lady's binds, in Our Lady bonds, in the bond(s) of Our Lady. Cf. band n.1 1, bend n.1 1, bond n.1 1c. Obsolete.
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c1400 in W. G. Henderson Manuale & Processionale Ecclesiæ Eboracensis (1875) App. 221 Wymmen þat bethe in oure lady byndes.
1472–3 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Oct. 1472 1st Roll §57. m. 5 His..wyfe beyng then newely delyvered of child..so beyng but newe in child bed and in the bandes of Oure Lady, myght not be remeved..oute of the same place withoute jeopardie of hir deth.
1491 Quattuor Serm. sig. Dix/1, in J. Mirk's Festial (Caxton) Praye..for all wymmen that ben in our lady bondes and wyth chylde in this parysshe or in any other.
1504 Will of William Pryor (P.R.O.: PROB. 11/14) f. 86v I Alys beyng in the bondis of owr lady, wiff vnto the forsaide William.
1553 T. Becon Relikes of Rome (1563) 233* Ye shall also praye..for the women that bene in our Ladyes bandes and with childe.
1558 Bp. White in J. Strype Eccl. Memorials (1721) III. ii. lxxxi. 286 To dye in the bond, as they call it, of our Lady, and travail of child.
Compounds
C1. Compounds with simple unmarked genitive. See also Our Lady day n.The collocations recorded here are all also found with the marked genitive form, Our Lady's: see Compounds 2.† Our Lady altar n. Obsolete an altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary, esp. one in a Lady chapel.† Our Lady bedstraw n. Obsolete rare = Our Lady's bedstraw n. at Compounds 2b.† Our Lady bell n. Obsolete = Angelus bell n. at Angelus n. Compounds; cf. Our Lady's bell n. at Compounds 2a.† Our Lady chapel n. Obsolete a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary; = Lady chapel n.† Our Lady eve n. Obsolete rare = Our Lady even n.† Our Lady even n. Obsolete the vigil of Lady Day.† Our Lady fast n. Obsolete a fast undertaken in honour of the Virgin Mary.† Our Lady psalter n. Obsolete rare = Our Lady's psalter n. at Compounds 2a.† Our Lady service n. Obsolete a daily liturgical office in honour of the Virgin Mary.† Our Lady thistle n. Obsolete = Our Lady's thistle n. at Compounds 2b.† Our Lady tide n. Obsolete rare the Office of the Virgin.
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a1425 St. Anthony l. 34 in Anglia (1881) 4 127 (MED) Þe aungell Gabryel comme..holdyng a bille in hys hande, & lete it fal on oure lady autyre.
1675 H. N. Payne Siege of Constantinople iii. 38 Ha! such a Crowd of Souldiers: Sure 'tis Devotion To Rob our Lady Altar draws them hither So early in the Morning.
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1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. Oiv Our lady bedstrawe, serpillum in latyn.
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society > faith > worship > canonical hours > other services > angelus > [noun] > bell indicating
Our Lady's bella1422
Our Lady bella1449
pardon bell1538
Lady bell1633
Angelus1737
Angelus bell1786
a1449 in S. A. Moore Lett. & Papers J. Shillingford (1871) ii. 94 (MED) The..Meyer..shulde absteyne..of all maner arestys..fro tyme of sessyng of owre lady belle yn to tyme that cumple wher done.
1541 in T. Wright Churchwardens' Accts. Ludlow (1869) 8 For mendynge of the whele of our Lady belle.
1898 Eng. Hist. Rev. 13 345 The book is by no means confined to medieval church history. Here are..ordinances of the company of ringers of St. Hugh Bells and Our Lady Bells, 1612.
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1426 in E. F. Jacob & H. C. Johnson Reg. Henry Chichele (1937) II. 340 (MED) My body to be beryed in oure lady chapel at Hiegham.
?a1562 G. Cavendish Life Wolsey (1959) 53 And there..in our lady chappell he sayd his seruyce & masse.
1675 W. Dugdale Baronage Eng. I. 198/2 He bequeathed his Body to be buried before the high Altar of our Lady-Chapel, in the Priory of Colne, under a Tomb which he had prepared for himself and Margaret his first Wife.
Our Lady church n. (a name for) a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
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1473 in W. Boys Coll. Hist. Sandwich (1792) 374 These ben the parcel of the jewells that longith unto oure lady chirche withyn the towne of Sandewiche.
c1549 in H. J. F. Swayne Churchwardens' Accts. Sarum (1896) 75 To Thomas Johnson ye verger at owr ladye churche.
1675 W. Dugdale Baronage Eng. I. 306 [He] gave him Isabel his eldest Daughter in marriage..in our Lady Church at Calais.
1706 M. Geddes Misc. Tracts III. 130 A Hole made by the Cardinal of Prato, in the Wall of our Lady-Church.
1957 Revue Belge de Musicologie 11 128 No Holy Virgin Chapel text mentions Obrecht's surname—yet Our Lady Church always paid him under Olberti, Holberti, Obrecht or Hobrecht.
2006 St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch (Nexis) 19 Apr. (Obituary section) a6 She was a member Our Lady Church in Festus.
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1603 G. Owen Descr. Penbrokshire (1891) 191 At vsuall feastes that ys the one on our ladie Eve in March, the other at Maye Eve.
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society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Eve of Lady Day (24 March) > [noun]
Our Lady evena1350
Our Lady's evec1400
Our Lady's evena1438
Lady Eve1593
Our Lady eve1603
a1350 ( in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 18 (MED) Þis wes on oure leuedy euen.
?1471 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 119 (MED) The seid parson Parys was with me at Ricoote appon our Lady evyn last past.
1495 A. Halyburton Ledger (1867) 97 On owr lady ewin in Merch.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. cclv The Quene his wife was deliuered of a daughter, on our lady Euen before Christmas.
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1493 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Pynson) Contents sig. a.iiiv Howe the newe fast clepyd oure lady fast hath no grounde.
1494 W. Hilton Scala Perfeccionis (de Worde) xv. sig. l.iiv Elles yf he fast our lady faste.
a1536 W. Tyndale Expos. Mathew sig. K. viiiv What shal I say of the open ydolatry of innumerable fastes, of Saynt Brandons fast, saynt Patryckes fast,..of our lady fast [etc.].
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a1450 (?c1400) Comm. Ave Maria (Bodl.) in T. Arnold Sel. Eng. Wks. J. Wyclif (1871) III. 113 (MED) So myȝte pardoun be geten, to seie eche day our Ladi sauter.
1500 Will in Somerset Medieval Wills (1903) 12 To everiche of the poor men of the Almeshous at Heytisbury, 5d. praying everiche of them of ther charitie to say v tymes Our Lady sawter for my soule.
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?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 1 (MED) Religyous modir & deuoute sustren clepid & chosen bisily to laboure..vndir þe gouernaunce of oure blessid Lady, hir seruise oonli to rede and to synge as hir special seruauntis and douȝtren.]
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 250 A yong monk þat was passand devowte in saying of our Ladie serves & hur howres.
1486 J. Mirk's Liber Festiuall (Rood & Hunte) sig. i.v/1 Whanne he shulde be wedded he be thoughte hym that he hadde not seyd oure lady seruice [1483 Caxton the seruyce of our lady].
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1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. g. ii The water of our lady thystell.
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?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 36 Seggeð vch tide of ham. bifore vre lauedi tiden.
C2. Compounds with Our Lady's.
a. † Our Lady's bell n. Obsolete rare = Angelus bell n. at Angelus n. Compounds; cf. Lady bell n. at lady n. Compounds 2a.† Our Lady's day n. Obsolete = Lady Day n.† Our Lady's eve n. Obsolete rare = Our Lady even n. at Compounds 1.† Our Lady's even n. Obsolete = Our Lady even n. at Compounds 1.† Our Lady's psalter n. Roman Catholic Church Obsolete the rosary (see psalter n. 3).
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society > faith > worship > canonical hours > other services > angelus > [noun] > bell indicating
Our Lady's bella1422
Our Lady bella1449
pardon bell1538
Lady bell1633
Angelus1737
Angelus bell1786
a1422 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 448 (MED) Euery broþer and suster of the fraternite..schal come to þe chirche forseid be viij of the clok, þat is for to seye, be oure ladies belle.
Our Lady's chapel n. a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary; = Lady chapel n.
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1509 in Selections from Records City of Oxford (1880) 1 It'm of ye vicar of St. Peters for ye rent of our Ladies chapell at ye Smith gate by the yere..iiijd.
1710 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1886) II. 339 Queen Katherin..was buried at Westminster, in our Ladies Chapell.
1946 Times 20 Sept. 1/1 [Marriages] On Sept. 18, in Our Lady's Chapel, Westminster Cathedral.
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1389 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 83 (MED) We schulle holde yis gilde..ye sonday nixt after vre lauedyes day in lenten.
1545 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Court of Requests (1898) 187 Abowte our Ladys day in Lent was a Twelmonethe.
1670 S. Wilson Lassels's Voy. Italy (new ed.) ii. 250 The Procession of the Zitelle vpon our Ladyes day in Lent.
1797 A. Radcliffe Italian I. xi. 307 On the morning of our high festival, our lady's day, it is usual for such as devote themselves to heaven, to receive the veil.
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c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 201 (MED) In oure Ladies Eve, þe Natiuitie, he was hongede and drawe.
1631 B. Jonson New Inne ii. i. 73 Yonder's the Colonels horse..Keeping our Ladies Eue!
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a1438 Bk. Margery Kempe (1940) i. 119 (MED) It was on owr Ladijs Euyn.
1511 Pylgrymage Richarde Guylforde (Pynson) f. xxix The same monday our Ladyes Euyn ye Natiuite all the Pylgrymes come to mounte Syon.
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society > faith > worship > prayer > kinds of prayer > [noun] > using the rosary
Our Lady's psalter1389
Our Lady psaltera1450
rosary1531
society > faith > artefacts > book (general) > other books > [noun] > prayer book > containing the rosary
Our Lady's psalter1389
the Rosary of Our Lady1531
1389 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 35 (MED) Euery broþer and euery sister of þe gilde sshullen ȝeuen on halpeny in þe worchepe of god for þe soule, and also seyn oure ladys sauter, or don seyn.
1443 in A. T. Bannister Reg. Thome Spofford (1919) 254 (MED) We desire that it lyke you to graunte to..every person that shal say a masse..or oure ladies sauter.
1647 J. Hall Poems i. 2 Then are you entertaind, and deskt up by Our Ladies Psalter and the Rosary.
1715 M. Davies Εἰκων Μικρο-βιβλικὴ 257 However, that Jesus Psalter, is far preferable to what is call'd Our Lady's Psalter, supposed to be compos'd by Bonaventure.
b. In common names of plants. Now rare (chiefly archaic or historical).In some cases such a name has been superseded by a version without Our: cf. lady n. Compounds 3c, lady's glove n.† Our Lady's cowslip n. Obsolete rare yellow star of Bethlehem, Gagea lutea.† Our Lady's cushion n. Obsolete thrift, Armeria maritima.† Our Lady's gloves n. Obsolete (a) = bacchar n.; (b) foxglove, Digitalis purpurea (cf. lady's glove n.).† Our Lady's hair n. Obsolete rare maidenhair fern, Adiantum capillus-veneris.† Our Lady's milkwort n. Obsolete rare lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis.† Our Lady's mint n. Obsolete rare spearmint, Mentha spicata.† Our Lady's seal n. Obsolete (a) Solomon's seal, Polygonatum multiflorum; (b) black bryony, Tamus communis. [Compare Old French siau Nostre Dame sage (1314), Middle French, French †seau Nostre Dame, French sceau Nostre Dame black bryony (1538).] † Our Lady's shoe n. Obsolete rare = Our Lady's slipper n.† Our Lady's signet n. Obsolete rare black bryony, Tamus communis.† Our Lady's slipper n. Obsolete rare the lady's slipper orchid, Cyripedium calceolus.† Our Lady's tree n. Obsolete rare a birch tree with green leaves in winter.
Our Lady's bedstraw n. archaic lady's bedstraw, Galium verum.
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Rubiaceae or Galiaceae (bedstraw, etc.) > [noun]
wild madderc1450
crudwort15..
Our Lady bedstraw1527
Our Lady's bedstraw1543
galion1548
maidenhair1548
purple goose-grass1548
cheese renning1578
crosswort1578
golden mugget1578
petty mugget1578
lady's bedstraw1585
maid's hair1597
cheese rennet1599
runnet1678
field madder1684
mugweed1690
rondeletia1739
Richardia1755
petty madder1760
madderlen1770
galium1785
Sherardia1785
joint-grass1790
mugwort1796
bluet1818
bedstraw1820
madderwort1845
hundredfold1853
honeywort1863
1543 B. Traheron tr. J. de Vigo Most Excellent Wks. Chirurg. i. v. f. 169v/2 Decoction..of the herbe called our ladyes bedstrawe.
1992 A. Bell tr. M. Toussaint-Samat Hist. Food v. 115 The wild flower plant known as Our Lady's Bedstraw or Yellow Bedstraw (Galium verum), another of whose English common names, aptly, was Cheese Rennet, was used for a long time to give Cheshire and Gloucester cheeses their orange colouring, and could also curdle the milk.
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > lily and allied flowers > Solomon's seal or star of Bethlehem
whitewort?c1400
Solomon's seal1543
dog's onion1548
white root1548
ornithogalum1562
Our Lady's cowslip1565
St John's seal1567
star of Bethlehem1573
ornithogal1578
field onion1582
Polygonatum1597
star of Bethlehem1629
Ladder to Heaven1640
Star of Naples1722
smilacina1808
seal-wort1837
lady's seal1870
peep of day1882
morning star1890
chinkerinchee1926
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Bulbus syluestris, our ladies couslapes.
1610 W. Folkingham Feudigraphia i. viii. 18 The little wilde bulbous Crow-toes, (called our Ladies Cowslip).
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > sea lavender and allied flowers
moly1578
Our Lady's cushion1578
sea-grass1578
thrift1592
marsh lavender1597
sea spike-grass1597
statice1601
sea-cushion1629
sea-gilliflower1629
sea-thrift1706
sea-pink1731
lavender thrift1760
sea lavender1760
marsh rosemary1777
sea-daisy1838
sea-beet1845
cushion-pink1863
sea-lavender1865
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iv. l. 509 That kinde of grasse whiche groweth by the sea syde, is called..in Englishe our Ladies quishion.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. clxxvii. 483 In English Thrift, Sea grasse, and our Ladies Cushion.
1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole 318 In English, Thrift, Sea grasse, and our Ladies Cushion, or Sea Cushion.
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1538 T. Elyot Dict. Addicion Baccar..is an herbe hauynge a lefe in facyon and greatnesse betwene violet leues and the herbe, which is called..longwort..some do call it Asarabacca, some our ladies gloues.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Gantelée, the hearbe called Fox-gloues, our Ladies gloues.
1783 Ainsworth's Thes. Linguæ Latinæ (new ed.) ii Bacchar, a sweet herb, called by some our lady's gloves, by others, clown's spikenard.
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the world > plants > particular plants > ferns > [noun] > maidenhair fern
waterwortOE
maidenhairc1300
adianthus1526
maidenweed1526
adiantum1548
coliander1548
polytrichon1550
Venus' hair1551
well-fern1565
Our Lady's hair1597
capillary1646
maidenhair fern1833
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 983 In English black Maiden haire, and Venus haire, and may be called our Ladies haire.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Cheveux de Venus, Venus haire, our Ladies haire, true maiden-haire.
Our Lady's hen n. now historical (originally) the Eurasian wren, Troglodytes troglodytes; (in later use also) Scottish the skylark, Alauda arvensis.
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the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > non-arboreal (larks, etc.) > [noun] > family Troglodytidae > genus Troglodytes > species troglodytes (wren)
wrenc725
little kingc1450
Our Lady's hena1529
jenny wren1648
regulus1678
tope1813
staga1825
kitty1825
feather-poke1831
robin1837
robin redbreasta1873
jenny1881
St. Kilda wren1884
the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > non-arboreal (larks, etc.) > [noun] > family Alaudidae > genus Alauda > alauda arvensis (lark)
laverockeOE
larka1325
tiry-tiry-leerer1599
skylark1672
field lark1678
Our Lady's hen1701
a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. B.vii That Phyllyp may fly Aboue the starry sky To treade the prety wren That is our Ladyes hen Amen, amen, amen.
1619 M. Drayton Poems 414 The Hedge-Sparrow, and her Compeere the Wren, (Which simple people call our Ladies-Hen).
1701 J. Brand Brief Descr. Orkney, Zetland v. 61 The lark some call our Ladys Hen. And some such Popish dregs are to be found.
1880 W. T. Dennison Orcadian Sketch-bk. 62 Hid wus..still waur tae sware bae the lavro', for sheu's wur Lady's hen.
2017 A. Knight Darkness Within (e-book ed.) ii. Touching Magnus sitting opposite, she pointed and said: ‘Skylarks’. He grinned. ‘We all call them Our Lady's hens’.
Our Lady's mantle n. archaic lady's mantle, Alchemilla vulgaris.
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1548 W. Turner Names of Herbes sig. H.i Alchimilla..is called in english our Ladies Mantel or syndow.
1861 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth IV. xxv. 285 His remedies were ‘womanish and weak’. Sage, and wormwood..dog's-tongue, our Lady's mantle, feverfew, and Faith, and all in small quantities except the last.
1980 ‘E. Peters’ Monk's-hood 21 I think I have it [sc. a salve for bed-sores] better than before, with more of Our Lady's mantle in it.
Our Lady's milk thistle n. the milk thistle, Silybum marianum.
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1951 Dict. Gardening (Royal Hort. Soc.) IV. 1958/1 S[ilybum] Marianum. Blessed Thistle, Holy Thistle, Our Lady's Milk Thistle.
1986 Sunday Express 23 Mar. (Mag.) 36/1 Seeding itself where it will in the flower beds..is our lady's milk thistle or holy thistle, Silybum marianum with variegated leaves of green and silver.
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Boraginaceae (bugloss and allies) > [noun]
ribeOE
hound's-tonguec1000
ox-tonguea1325
rotheren tongue?a1350
buglossa1400
dog's tongue?a1425
lungwort1538
anchusa1548
sheep's tongue1552
cowslip of Jerusalem1578
Our Lady's milkwort1578
pulmonaria1578
sage of Jerusalem1578
wild comfrey1578
maiden-lips1589
bugloss cowslip1597
viper's bugloss1597
viper's herb1597
ribbie1607
lithospermon1646
wall bugloss1650
lady's glove1668
Venus's navelwort1678
spotted comfrey1688
cynogloss1705
Jerusalem sage1736
lawn1778
Mertensia1836
stickseed1843
Virginian cowslip1856
bluebell1858
gooseberry fool1858
Jerusalem cowslip1866
borage-wort1882
echium1883
rose noble1886
milksile-
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball i. lxxxv. 125 We call it in English..Cowslip of Ierusalem:..in base Almaigne Onser vrouwen melck cruyt,..that is to say, Our Ladies Milkeworte, bycause the leaues be full of white spottes.
1879 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names Lady's (Our) Milkwort, Pulmonaria officinalis.
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1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 553 In English Speare Mint, common Garden Mint, our Ladies Mint [etc.].
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Mente de nostre Dame,..our Ladies Mint.
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1526 Grete Herball ccccxxxviii. sig. Ziij/2 Sigillum sancte marye, or sigillum Salamonis is al one herbe that is called Salamons seale or our ladies seale.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iii. xlvii. 383 Our Ladies Seale hath long branches, flexible, of a wooddishe substance.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. cccvii. 722 Called..in English blacke Bryonie, wilde Vine, and our Ladies Seale.
1712 J. Browne tr. P. Pomet et al. Compl. Hist. Druggs I. 30 The Black Vine, which some have given the name of our Lady's Seal.
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1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. cvii. 359 Ovr Ladies Shooe or Slipper, hath a thicke knobbed roote.
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the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > climbing or creeping plants > [noun] > bryony
neepOE
hound's-berrya1300
smear-nepa1400
white vine?a1425
psilothre?1440
black vine1552
bryony1552
tetter-berry1597
Mary's seal1600
psilothrum1601
wild vine1607
lady's seal1617
black bryony1626
Our Lady's signet1640
poison-withe1693
felon-berrya1715
cow-bind1820
bryony-vine1842
oxberry1859
wood-vine1861
mandrake1886
1640 J. Parkinson Theatrum Botanicum ii. xiii.179 Common blacke Bryonie or our Ladies signet.
1657 W. Coles Adam in Eden cxci. 299 The black Bryony is called Sigillum Sanctæ Mariæ, our Ladies Signet.
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1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. cvii. 359 Ovr Ladies Shooe or Slipper, hath a thicke knobbed roote.
1640 J. Parkinson Theatrum Botanicum ii. xxvi. 217 The great wilde Hellebor, or our Ladyes Slipper.
Our Lady's thistle n. the milk thistle, Silybum marianum.
ΚΠ
1552 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) at Spina Spina alba, Our ladies Thistle.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iv. lxii. 525 Our Ladyes Thistel groweth..in rough untoyled places.
1952 A. G. L. Hellyer Sanders' Encycl. Gardening (ed. 22) 456 S[ilybum] Marianum, ‘Holy’, ‘Our Lady's’ or ‘Milk Thistle’.
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the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > tree or shrub groups > birch and allies > [noun]
bircha700
birch-tree1530
weeping birch1606
Our Lady's tree1608
black birch1674
sugar-birch1751
white birch1766
red birch1774
yellow birch1774
paper birch1791
canoe birch1810
mountain mahogany1810
old field birch1810
mahogany birch1813
towai1845
river birch1846
kamahi1867
silver birch1884
wire birch1899
1608 E. Topsell Hist. Serpents 15 In auncient time, the ignorant multitude, seeing a Birch-tree with greene leaues in the Winter, did call it our Ladies Tree, or a Holy tree, attributing that greenenesse to miracle.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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