† ourwhere, ouerwhere, adv. Obs.
Forms: 4 our, ouþer-, our-, or-quar(e; awre-, aure-quare, aure quere, 4–5 ouerwhere, owerwhere, -whare, ourwhar(e; 5 owr-qwher, awre where.
[A reduction of outherwhere, autherwhere, f. outher + where, the contraction being the same as in outher, our, ather, ar, either, er, other, or, whether, wher. The etymological sense was thus ‘either-where’, i.e. ‘either one where or the other’, ‘somewhere or other’, and thus at length = owhere anywhere.
It is possible that our- or ouer- was later associated with over, and so with such combinations as overall, overall-where, whence perh. sense b; but the northern forms in awre-, aure-, could be derived only from awther.]
Anywhere; = owhere.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1837 (Cott.) Þe heiest fell þat was our⁓quare [Fairf. awre-quare, Gö tt. aware, Tr. owhore]. Ibid. 11795 (Cott.) Was noght a temple or-quar in tun. Ibid. 14570 (Gött.) Þe freindes þat we haue ouþerquar [F. aure⁓quare, C. our-quar, Tr. elles where]. Ibid. 15184 (Gött.) Sal we ȝuu ani paskes dight ouþerquar [F. aure-quere, C. our-quar, Tr. o where] in land? 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 4339 Under erthe, or ourwar elles. Ibid. 6983 In helle..or ourwhare elles. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) vii. 25 Þe fairest smaragdes þat er ower whare. 1435 Misyn Fire of Love 46 If any slike be lifand owr-qwher in flesch. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxvii. 127 Is ther fallen any affray In land awre whare? |
b. Everywhere.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace Prol. 107 Alle þat þai wild ouerwhere. c 1425 Found. St. Bartholomew's (E.E.T.S.) 20 To his seruyce I shall me subdew Ouerwher' calle hym and preche hym my lorde. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 394 The child looked here and þare, On þe cowe aboute our whare. |