▪ I. aver, n. Obs. exc. dial.
(ˈeɪvə(r))
Forms: α. 4 aueyr, auere, haver, 4–5 auer, 5 aveer, hawere. pl. 5 auers, averys. β. 5 auoyre, havoire, auoir, hauoyr, havyoure, havur, 5–6 hauour, hauoir, 6 hauor, avyoure. In sense 3 in Sc. 6 avir, 6– aver, 8– aiver.
[a. OF. aveir, aver, mod.F. avoir, possession, property, stuff, ‘stock,’ cattle, domestic animals, beasts of burden; lit. ‘having,’ subst. use of aveir, avoir:—L. habēre to have. So It. avere ‘substance, goods, stocke, chattle’ (Florio); Sp. averes, haveres, pl., ‘goods, wealth, substance’; whence med.L. aver, avere, averium, averum, ‘substance, goods,’ and avera, averia, pl. (in Anglo-Lat.), ‘beasts, cattle,’ sing. averum, -ium, sometimes averia, ‘beast,’ averius, affrus, affer, ‘beast of burden, draught-horse.’ Eng. had only the Norman form aveyr, aver, bef. 1400; the 15th c. introduced avoir from literary French, from Caxton onward havoir, havor, havour (q.v.) in sense 1. The earlier aver was retained in north. dial. only in a special sense (3).]
1. a. collect. sing. Possession, property, estate, wealth; money.
| α 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 124 In suilk felonie gadred grete auere. c 1340 Hampole Prose Tr. 24 Muchelle haver of worldely goodis. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vii. 32 Þat men wende ich were, as in aueyr, riche. c 1450 Merlin xi. 167 Thei boughten londes and rentes..with the auer that was departed. 1496 Dives & Paup. (W. de W.) vii. iv. 279/2 Unryghtfull occupyenge of ony..auer in this worlde, is called theeft. ? 1558 Sir Lambervell 150 in Furniv. Percy Folio I. 149, I am a knight without hawere. |
| β c 1400 Rom. Rose 4723 Havoire withoute possessioun. c 1410 Love Bonavent. Mirr. xxiv. (Gibbs MS.) 53 All worldly ryches as in Aver [1530 W. de Worde, hauoyr]. c 1450 Merlin xx. 357 All the grete auoir that thei hadde conquered. 1483 Act 1 Rich. III, iv. §1 Persones of noo substaunce ne havur. 1529 More Comf. agst. Trib. iii. Wks. 1221/1 A manne of some hauor and substaunce. 1600 Holland Livy xxxv. xxii. 900 Of any havoir, worth and worship. |
b. pl. Possessions, goods, riches.
| c 1440 Partonope 775 Gold and ryche averys. c 1450 Merlin vi. 106 As sone as he hadde the grete auers. |
2. pl. Farm-stock, cattle, domestic animals of any kind, beasts.
Common in Anglo-French and Anglo-Latin; though no vernacular instances have been found, the next sense must have arisen out of it.
| [1292 Britton ii. xxiii. §6 Cum il deit aver pasture a totes maneres des avers, et ne ly soit mie suffert for qe a une manere de avers. (i.e. When he ought to have pasturage for all kinds of avers (beasts), and he is allowed to have it only for one manner of avers.) ? a 1300 Reg. Majest. iv. xxvii, Averia, id est, animalia muta (transl., Avers, that is, dumb-animals). c 1481 Littleton Tenures §71 Si come jeo bayle a vn home mes brebits a compester sa terre, ou mes bœfs a arer la terre, et il occist mes auers. [c 1574 transl., If I lend to one my Sheepe to tathe his Land, or my Oxen to plow the Land, and he killeth my Cattell.]] |
3. sing. A beast of burden, a draught ox or horse; hence, spec. a horse used for heavy work, a cart-horse; and in later usage, in north. dial., an old or worthless horse.
| [a 1259 M. Paris in T. Walsingham Gesta (1867) I. 259 Juravit idem Abbas Willelmus, se centum equos uno anno in diversis partibus Abbathiæ [perdisse], quorum alii erant manni, alii vero runcini, alii Summarii, alii veredarii, alii vero averii. 1285 Stat. Westm. 2 c. 18 Vicecomes liberet ei omnia catalla debitoris, exceptis bobus et affris carucæ. [1618 Pulton transl., All the Cattells of the debtor, sauing onely his Oxen and beasts of his Plough.]] c 1505 Dunbar Flyting 229 And cager aviris castis bayth coillis and creilis. 1536 Bellendene Cron. Scot. (1821) II. 269, I sall gar him draw like ane avir in ane cart. 1599 James I Basil. Doron (1603) 62 A kindely auer will never become a good horse. 1674 Ray N. Countr. Wds., Average..deduced from the old word Aver [Averium] signifying a labouring beast. 1691 Blount Law Dict. s.v. Affri (transl. Spelman), In Northumberland, to this day, they call a dull or slow Horse, a False aver, or Afer. 1820 Scott Monast. (1867) 521/1 An auld jaded aver to ride upon. |
▪ II. aver, v.
(əˈvɜː(r))
Pples. averred, averring. Forms: 4–7 auer, 6–7 au- averre, 7–8 averr, 6– aver.
[a. F. avérer, cogn. with Pr. averar, It. avverare:—late L. *advērāre to make true, verify, prove to be true, f. ad to (factitive) + vērus true. Sense 2 was the earlier in Fr.]
† 1. trans. To declare true, assert the truth of (a statement). Obs.
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 306 We auer þis what iude seiþ of apostataes. 1602 Warner Alb. Eng. xi. lxv. (1612) 280 Loue is a lordly Feast, he writes, and I the same auerre. 1634–46 Row Hist. Kirk (1842) 106 That youths doe not maintaine fals opinions, howbeit averred by Aristotle or other profane authors. |
† 2. To prove true, confirm, verify. Obs.
| 1548 Abp. Abbot in Strype Eccl. Mem. II. i. xv. 122 This lying Jesuit can shew no letter..to aver this his calumniation. a 1593 H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 60 That answer.. seemeth to aver the truth of that which I say. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks 132 Onely so farre as shall be..by the authority of good Histories to be auerred. 1678 Trans. Crt. Spain 52 If the Crime be averred, the Criminal will be so too. |
3. Law. To prove or justify a plea; to offer to justify an exception pleaded; to make an averment. Const. as in 4.
| 1490 Act 4 Hen. VII, xx, The pleyntif..may averre that the said recovere..was had by covyne. 1586 J. Hooker Girald. Irel. in Holinsh. II. 180/2 The appellant was demanded whether he would auerre his demand or not; who when he had affirmed that he would, the partie defendant..did answer as did the other, that he would auerre it by the swoord. 1676–7 Marvell Corr. 286 Wks. 1875 II. 520 He cannot averre against the Record of his conviction. 1847 C. Addison Contracts i. i. §1 (1883) 19 No one can be permitted..to aver or to prove anything in contradiction to what he has solemnly and deliberately avowed by deed. |
4. To assert as a fact; to state positively, affirm. a. trans. with simple obj.
| 1583 Stanyhurst Aeneis iii. (Arb.) 84 What sooth thee virgin auerreth, Shee frams in Poëtry. 1691 Ray Creation i. (1704) 159, I shall only averr what myself have sometimes observed. 1839 James Louis XIV, IV. 46 What one author avers upon the subject, another denies. |
b. with complement or inf. phr.
| 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. v. xi, The Latyn worde whyche that is referred Unto a thynge whych is substancyall, For a nowne substantyve is wel averred. 1581 Sidney Def. Poesie (Arb.) 52 How often doe the Phisitians lye, when they auer things good for sicknesses. 1699 Bentley Phal. 384 Which being..within the reach of my own Knowledge, I do averr to be a Calumny. 1829 I. Taylor Enthus. iv. (1867) 100 Is a mystic prediction averred to be unfulfilled? |
c. with subord. clause. Cf. quot. 1490 in 3.
| 1624 Gataker Transubst. 80 Both averre that the Elements in the Eucharist after consecration retaine..the same nature and substance. 1798 Coleridge Anc. Mar. ii. iv, They all averr'd I had killed the Bird That brought the fog and mist. 1838 Dickens Nich. Nick. xxx, The shopman averring that it was a most uncommon fit. |
d. absol. quasi-intr.
| 1599 Greene George a Gr. (1861) 264 But, gentle King, for so you would aver, And Edwards betters, I salute you both. 1852 C. M. Yonge Cameos II. xiii. 145 On good authority as he avers. |
5. To assert the existence or occurrence of. arch.
| 1611 Shakes. Cymb. v. v. 203 Auerring notes Of Chamber-hanging, Pictures. 1641 Milton Ch. Discip. Wks. 1738 I. 15 æsop's Chronicles auer many stranger Accidents. 1673 Cave Prim. Chr. i. ix. 278 Augustine both avers the custom and gives the reason. 1845 R. Hamilton Pop. Educ. ix. 214 Hobbes..strongly avers this prerogative of the Ruler. |
▪ III. aver
obs. form of a-fire and ever.