▪ I. sore, n.1
(sɔə(r))
Forms: α. 1–3 sar (2–3 sær), north. and Sc. 4 sar, 4–6, 9 sare, 6– sair. β. 3–5 sor (3 seor), 4–5 soor(e (5 soure), 6–7 soare, 7 soar, 4– sore.
[OE. sár str. neut., = OFris. sêr (WFris. sear, NFris. siar), MDu. seer, zeer (Du. zeer), OS. sêr (MLG. sêr-e, LG. ser, seer), OHG., MHG. sêr (early mod.G. sehr, also masc.), ON. and Icel. sár (Sw. sår, Da. saar), Goth. sair: see sore a.
Feminine forms occur in some of the continental langs.: MLG. sêre, MHG. sêre (early mod.G. sehre).]
† 1. Bodily pain or suffering. Obs.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xxx. 11 Asprong in sare lif min. c 900 Baeda's Hist. iv. xix. (1890) 320 Þy þriddan dæᵹe heo wæs eft hefiᵹad mid þæm ærrum sarum. 971 Blickl. Hom. 59 On synne he bið ᵹeeacnod, & on his modor sare he bið acenned. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 280 Þysse sylfan wyrte syde þæra toþa sar ᵹeliðiᵹað. c 1205 Lay. 12511 We beoð ofte hider ifaren mid wandreðe & mid sare. a 1300 Cursor M. 628 Vte of his side..Wit-oten sare a rib he tok. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxx. (Bodl. MS.), Þe touche of senewes haþ no feling of soore and of smerte. a 1450 Le Morte Arth. 3405 The doughty kynge..For sore myght not hym-self weld. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop iv. xiii, My broder and my frend, where aboute is thy sore? 1583 Leg. Bp. St. Androis 341 Suppoise the devill maid that graith,..At that tyme, to asswage my sair, I wald have tane it. |
† 2. Sickness, disease; in particularized use, a disease, ailment, or bodily affliction. Obs.
| a 900 Cynewulf Crist 1356 Þa þe on sare seoce laᵹun. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3027 Ðo wex vn-selðe on hem wel hard, dolc, sor, and blein on erue and man. c 1300 Cursor M. 14147 Þe sare him sekes fra hede to fote. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xx. 96 Kynde come after with many kene sores, As pokkes and pestilences. 1604 Shakes. Oth. iv. ii. 49 Had they rain'd All kind of Sores, and Shames on my bare-head. 1611 Bible 2 Chron. vi. 28 Whatsoeuer sore, or whatsoeuer sicknesse there be. 1648 Hexham ii, Roose, ofte de Kole, S. Anthonies Sore, called the Rose. |
3. A bodily injury; a wound. Obs. exc. dial.
| a 1000 Guthlac 676 Mec dryhten heht snude ᵹesecgan þæt ᵹe him sara ᵹehwylc hondum ᵹehælde. a 1200 12th Cent. Hom. (1909) 114 Ac þa synfulle men sceolen iseon þa wundæn & þa sar on ure Drihtne. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 503 ‘Me þynkþ þou hast a wonde þere..in þy syde.’.. Olyuer..turnd him þat sor to hyde. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 5843 He ȝaff Ector an hidous sore. 1513 Douglas æneid xi. xv. 115 The scharp steill heid fixt to the rybbis remanys, In a full deip wound and a grewous sair. 1599 Shakes., etc. Pass. Pilgr. 128 ‘See, in my thigh,’ quoth she, ‘here was the sore’. 1785 R. Forbes Scots Poems Buchan Dial. 31 He'll suck the poison frae the sair, An' be a noble leech. 1876 Mid-Yks. Gloss. 131 Sore has the meaning of bruise, or wound, occasionally. |
4. A place in an animal body where the skin or flesh is diseased or injured so as to be painfully tender or raw; a sore place, such as that caused by an ulcer.
See bed-sore (bed n. 19), saddle-sore (saddle n. 12).
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 134 Wið wunda & wið cancor ᵹenim þas ilcan wyrte,..leᵹe to þam sare. Ne ᵹeþafað heo þæt sar furður wexe. a 1300 Cursor M. 14012 Þar sco fand ani breck or sare, Wit hir smerl sco smerd þare. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 87 Þe quantite of medicyns þat schulden be leid to þe soor..mai not wiþ lettris be writen. 1474 Caxton Chesse ii. v. (1883) 66 And many flyes satte vpon the soores. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §42 Shede the woll by and by, and laye a lyttell terre thervppon, tyll thou passe the sore. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 916 Another [hound] licking of his wound, 'Gainst venom'd sores the only sovereign plaster. 1603 Dekker Wonderfull Yeare Wks. (Grosart) I. 118 Some haue had 18. sores at one time running vpon them. 1682 K. Digby Chymical Secrets ii. 232 Dip a Straw or Feather in it, and touch all round about the borders of the Sore with it. 1755 Johnson s.v., To be a sore, there must be an excoriation; a tumour or bruise is not called a sore before some disruption happen. 1784 Cowper Task i. 582 They..vex their flesh with artificial sores. 1826 S. Cooper First Lines Surg. (ed. 5) 170 Bruises of the shin so frequently cause sloughing and troublesome sores. 1889 Science-Gossip XXV. 193/2 Matter discharged from leprous sores. |
5. In fig. and allusive uses, with retention of literal phraseology; esp. coupled with salve (see salve n.1 2 and v.1 1 c).
The sense becomes often coincident with 6 or 7.
| c 1350 Will. Palerne 598 Ful wel can ich..help ȝow hasteli at al ȝoure hele to gete, ȝif ȝe saie me ȝoure sores. c 1374 Chaucer Anel. & Arc. 242 Noon othir helpeþe my soores for to sounde. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 223 Of covoitise if ther be more In love, agropeth out the sore. 1410 in 26 Pol. Poems ix. 178 Now sumwhat y haue ȝow sayd What is salue to ȝoure sore. 1538 Starkey England ii. i. 143 Conuenyent remedys..to be applyd to such sorys and dyseasys in our polytyke body. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 304 b, The matter was taken up, yet the sore brake out agayne. 1587 Greene Euphues Wks. (Grosart) VI. 181 That infectious soare of iealowsie. 1610 Shakes. Temp. ii. i. 138 You rub the sore, When you should bring the plaister. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. lxiv. (1739) 134 The sore between him and his Subjects was not fully cured. 1727 De Foe's Eng. Tradesman I. xii. 147 He had got a salve for that sore. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth vii, It is not for me to put my finger on the sore. 1842 Tennyson Walking to Mail 71 The same old sore breaks out from age to age. |
| Prov. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 64 And as the common saiyng is, increase the flamme with oyle, and be as sharpe nayle in the sore. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 71 It is ill healyng of an olde sore. |
† 6. Mental suffering, pain, or trouble; grief, sorrow, anxiety, or the cause of this. Obs.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. vii. §2 Mið ðæm mæstan sare his modes. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1120, Ðysra deað wæs heora freondan twyfealdlic sar. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Lokiað hweðer enies monnes sar beo iliche mine sare. c 1205 Lay. 7998 Þer wes Julius Cezar, an heorte he hafde sorȝe & sar. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 733 Teres gliden for hertes sor fro loth, and abram, and nachor. c 1300 Havelok 234 Þer was sobbing, siking, and sor, Handes wringing. c 1350 Will. Palerne 894 Sikende ful sadly for sor at his hert. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 596 Who feeleth double soor and heuynesse But Palamon? 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. clxxxii, Euery wicht his awin suete or sore Has maist In mynde. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. (1812) I. clxii. 199 Gette vs to the french kynges batayle, for ther lyeth all the sore of the mater [orig. tout le fort de la besoigne]. 1575 Gascoigne Glasse Governm. Wks. 1910 II. 66 Store is no sore, as the proverbe saith. |
† 7. Grievous state; affliction, misery. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9103 Þat sare, þat scam, þat martiring, Was neuer sene on suilk a king! c 1400 Pride of Life 406 in Non-Cycle Myst. Plays (E.E.T.S.) 101 To sauy þi soul fre sor. 14.. Tundale's Vis. 724 Now goo we to a delfull stedde... Who schall delyver me from that sore? c 1470 Henry Wallace xi. 303 To wyn out off bondage Scotland agayn fra payn and felloun sor. |
▪ II. sore, n.2
(sɔə(r))
Also 4 sower, 4–6 sowre, 6 soor, 6–7 soare, 9 sor.
[Subst. use of sore a.2]
† 1. Venery. A buck in its fourth year. Obs.
| c 1369 Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 429 Of fawnes, sowers [v.r. sowres], buckes, does Was ful the wodde. 1486 Bk. St. Albans e iv, A sowre at the .iiij. yere. 1523 North Country Wills (Surtees) 116 The prior and covent..clayme of me..a buck or a soor agaynst Mary Magdaleyn day yerely. 1573 Twyne æneid x. Ff iij b, If he a rowebuck swift.., Or els a sore may find, whose tender hornes begin to ryse. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. iv. ii. 59. 1633 Nabbes Totenham Court i. v, A longing Lady in the Strand had a pricket. Then I sent a soare to Barber-Surgeons Hall. 1741 Compl. Fam.-Piece ii. i. 310 If any Deer come out that is not weighty, or a Deer of Antlier, which is Buck, Sore, or Sorel. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. ii. v. (1862) I. 329. 1865 [see sorrel n.2 2]. |
| attrib. 1577 in Middlesex County Rec. (1886) I. 109 Duos coreos vocatos soreskynnes. |
2. Falconry. A hawk in its second year. Also transf. (quot. a 1613).
| 1600 [see sore n.4]. a 1613 Overbury Characters, Whore Wks. (1856) 82 The first yeere of her trade she is an eyesse,..the second a soare. a 1682 Sir T. Browne Tracts (1683) 118 Nor must you expect from high Antiquity the distinctions of Eyess and Ramage Hawks, of Sores and Entermewers, of Hawks of the Lure and the Fist. |
▪ III. sore, n.3 dial.
(sɔə(r))
Forms: 5 sour, sowr(e, soore, 7, 9 saur, 9 soar, sore.
[a. ON. saur-r (Icel. and Norw. saur, MSw. sör) mud, dirt, excrement.]
Mud; now (in Cheshire and Yorkshire) black mud, liquid manure, drainage.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 460/1 Sloor, or sowr, cenum, limus. Ibid. 465/1 Soore, fylthe or sovr (S., P. sowre, filthe),..lutum. 1674 Ray Coll. Words, Saur-pool, a stinking puddle. 1828 Carr Craven Gloss. 98 Saur, urine from the cow-house, &c. 1879– in dial. glossaries, etc. (Chesh., Yks.). |
▪ IV. † sore, n.4 Obs.—1
[a. older Flem. sore ‘droogen haerinck, rooden haerinck’ (Kilian), a. OF. (harenc) sor(e, now saur(e: see sore a.2]
A red herring.
| 1600 Surflet Countrie Farme vii. xliii. 871 Their colour doth diuerslie change according to their mues, which cause them to be called Hagards or Sores, all one with that which is vsuallie done by dryed herings which are called Sores or red herings. |
▪ V. sore
error for sord n., obs. var. sir n.
▪ VI. sore, a.1
(sɔə(r))
Forms: α. 1, 3 sar (2–3 sær, 3 ser); north. and Sc. 4–5 sar, 4–6, 8 sare (6 sear, seir); 4–5 sayre, 5– 6 sayr, 5– sair (6 saire). β. 3, 5 sor, 5 soor, 5–6 soore, 6 Sc. soir, 4– sore (9 dial. soor, sooar). compar. 1 sarra, 3–5 sarre, 5 sarrar; 3 sarure, sarer, 6 sarar, sairar, 6, 9 sairer; 4 sorrore, 5– sorer. superl. 1 sarost, 4 sarrest, 6, 9 sairest, 6– sorest.
[Common Teut.: OE. sár, = OFris. *sêr (WFris. sear, NFris. siar, sîr), MDu. seer (Du. zeer), OS. and MLG. sêr (LG. sêr, seer, etc.), OHG. and MHG. sêr (obs. and dial. G. seer, sehr), ON. sárr (Icel. sár, Norw. saar; MSw. sār, saar):—OTeut. *sairaz (whence Finnish sairas sick, ill). Cf. sore n.1]
Senses 1–8 are now mainly arch. or dial.
I. 1. Causing or involving bodily pain; painful, grievous; distressing or severe in this respect: a. Of wounds, hurts, ailments, or similar causes of physical suffering.
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xxxviii. (1871) 272 We wieton ðæt sio dieᵹle wund bið sarre ðonne sio opene. c 1000 in Thorpe Laws II. 278 Se læca þe sceal sare wunda wel ᵹehælan, he mot habban gode sealfe þærto. c 1205 Lay. 10423, I þan þridden dæie he sarne dæd þolede. a 1225 Ancr. R. 112 Euer so þet flesch is cwickure, so þe pine þerof & þet hurt is more & sarre. a 1300 Cursor M. 3478 Hir breding was ful selcut sare, Bot hir chiltting was mikel mare. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1775 Þe payn of dede here es bitter and sare. c 1400 Pety Job 293 in 26 Pol. Poems 130 A man..With hote and colde, and hungor sore, Turmented ys. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 205 Hit makyth a full heuy and a full Soore wounde. 1539 Bible (Great) Ps. xxxviii. 7 My loins are filled with a sore disease. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1568 ‘Fool, fool!’ quoth she, ‘his wounds will not be sore’. a 1629 Hinde J. Bruen lxvi. (1641) 219 His weaknesse increased, by reason of a sore stopping in his breast and throate. 1655 Culpepper, etc. Riverius xv. iii. 409 The same may also happen after sore labor in child-birth. 1831 J. Wilson Noctes Ambr. Wks. 1856 III. 186 You've been suffering under a sair hoast, I hear. |
b. Of a blow, bite, weapon, etc.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 25543 Suet iesu..sufferd..dintes sare and smert. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 6972 Þai salle..fele of vermyn bytyng sare. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1259 Castor..suet vnto Sedar with a sore wepyn. c 1470 Henry Wallace iii. 215 Thai band thaim fast with wedeis sad and sar. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxii. 21 Thai..gaif him mony buffat sair. 1607 Shakes. Cor. ii. i. 268 Cammels.., who haue their Prouand Onely for bearing Burthens, and sore blowes For sinking vnder them. 1611 Bible Isaiah xxvii. 1 The Lord with his sore and great and strong sworde. |
| transf. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 38 For ai þe heiar degre, þe sarrar is þe falle. |
c. Of sickness.
Passing into the merely intensive sense of ‘severe’.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8061 In sekenes sar he fand him stad. c 1400 Brut 201 Þai..woxen made, or sore sikenesse þai had. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxix. (Percy Soc.) 137 For to have remedy of his sore sekenes. 1611 Bible Deut. xxviii. 59 Sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. 1808 Jamieson s.v. Sair, Sair sickness, a sair fever. |
2. a. Causing or involving, accompanied by, mental pain, trouble, or distress.
| a 1000 Deor's Compl. 9 Beadohilde ne wæs hyre broþra deaþ on sefan swa sar swa hyre sylfre þing. a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 425 Þæt me is on mode minum swa sar,..þæt hie heofonrice aᵹan to aldre. c 1205 Lay. 7418 Þider com tiðende þat him wæs sær [c 1275 sor]. a 1300 Cursor M. 6443 Þis ilk folk..Þat moyses had vnder hand, þai did him selcuth sore trauail. c 1500 Three Kings' Sons 44 But ther is o sore point, they that shalle go, knowe not the way. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 765 The tidyngs of this matter came hastily to the Queene.., and that in the sorest wise. 1833 Tennyson Lotos-Eaters Choric Song vi, Sore task to hearts worn out by many wars. |
b. Of sorrow, repentance, or other feelings.
| a 900 Cynewulf Crist 209 Nu þu ealle forlæt sare sorᵹceare. a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 2029 Abraham..cwæð, þæt him wære weorce on mode, sorᵹa sarost, þæt [etc.]. a 1200 Vices & Virtues 21 Mid oðre loke of sare birewnesse. a 1300 Cursor M. 9088 For sar it es mi repentance. c 1421 26 Pol. Poems xx. 106 Haue mynde of my sorwe sore! c 1470 Henry Wallace v. 714 The sayr grewans ramaynyt in his entent. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) I. x. 130 Besides his penitence was very sore. |
c. Of manifestations of grief: Bitter, painful.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 83 He ne fecheð noht þe sore siches onneðerward his heorte. 13.. Cursor M. 4969 (Gött.), Ioseph herd þair murning sare. c 1400 Anturs of Arth. vii, Withe siking sare. 1535 Joye Apol. Tindale (Arb.) 41 Paule loked with sore sighes. 1611 Bible Gen. l. 10 They mourned with a great and very sore lamentation. |
3. a. Involving great hardships, painful exertion, unusual difficulty, etc.
| a 900 Cynewulf Crist 1418 Ða mec ongon hreowan, þæt..moncynnes tuddor..sceolde uncuðne eard cunnian, sare siþas. a 1200 Moral Ode 36 Monies monnes sare iswinc habbeð oft unholde. c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camden) xxi, God gif him a sore grace, And alle suche waisters as he wasse. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 637, I haue oft tymes swet in seruice full sair. 1508 Fisher 7 Penit. Ps. cii. Wks. (1876) 182 Poule..gate his lyuynge with his owne sore labour. 1605 Shakes. Macb. ii. ii. 38 Sleepe,..The death of each dayes Life, sore Labors Bath. a 1629 Hinde J. Bruen xxxii. (1641) 101 His painfulnesse in taking many long and sore journies. 1786 Har'st Rig cxiv, In idle dreams they ne'er abound That ha'e sair wark. 1824 Scott Redgauntlet let. xi, Sair wark he had to get the siller. |
| absol. a 1375 Joseph Arim. 620 Þorw his swete grace þe sarrest is passed. c 1400 Rom. Rose 5519 Thei wolen..chaunge for softe ne for sore. |
b. Of battle or other conflicts: Severe, fierce, hot.
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 5897 The assembly was sorer o þe se banke. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 182 Aftyr many Sore battaillis,..he flow ouer the See. 1508 Dunbar Gold. Targe 198 The salt was all the sarar. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. 180 There was a sore fray, and slayne and drowned mo than sixe hundred frenchmen. 1605 Shakes. Lear iii. v. 24 Though the conflict be sore betweene that, and my blood. 1671 Milton Samson 287 In that sore battel when so many dy'd. c 1780 Burns ‘Ah! woe is me’ i, For sair contention I maun bear. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xlii, He has had sair and frequent combats to sustain against the Evil One. |
4. a. Pressing hardly upon one; oppressively heavy or severe; difficult to bear or support.
| 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xlix. 30 God schawis the richt With soir vengence. 1535 Coverdale 1 Kings xii. 14 My father made youre yock sore, but I wyll make it yet sorer vpon you. 1605 Shakes. Macb. ii. iv. 3, I haue seene..things strange: but this sore Night Hath trifled former knowings. 1611 Bible Ezek. xiv. 21 How much more when I send my foure sore iudgements vpon Ierusalem. 1714 Prior Viceroy xii, On all provisions..He laid a tax full hard and sore. 1766 Goldsmith Vic. W. xxviii, The hand of Heaven is sore upon us. 1786 Burns Dream vi, Your sair taxation does her fleece. 1860 Geo. Eliot Mill on Fl. iii. v, It's been a sore chance for you, young man, hasn't it? |
b. Of troubles, afflictions, evils, etc.
| 1563 Winȝet Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 101 marg., A dum pastour or a wicious, is a sair scurge on the peple. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. vi. 53 And for his dearest sake endured sore, Sore trouble of an hainous enimy. 1602 Shakes. Ham. v. ii. 241 You must needs haue heard how I am punisht With sore distraction? 1679 C. Nesse Antichrist 198 The nature of affliction which is usually sorest at last. 1742 Young Nt. Th. iii. 218 Man is to man the sorest, surest ill. 1799 A. Young Agric. Lincoln. 341 From 30 to 40 of this stock run in the fen, but to sore loss. 1819 Shelley Ode West Wind 52, I would ne'er have striven As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need. 1835 T. Mitchell Acharn. of Aristoph. 32 note, Those glaring contrasts, which form the sorest ill of poverty. 1871 Palgrave Lyr. Poems 101 This is the sorest evil Of evils under the sky. |
c. Of trials or temptations.
| 1572 Satir. Poems Reform. xxxi. 78 Now thay cum in freindis clais, Quhilk is ane sairer sey. 1709 Watts Hymn, ‘With Joy we meditate the Grace’ ii, He knows what sore Temptations mean. 1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 893 Each of these advantages must prove a sore temptation to the hand-camera worker. |
d. In intensive use: Very great or serious.
| 1555 in Bonner Homilies 5* We shall sone perceyue the offence not lyght, but verye sore and heynous. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 71 The same wil redound to my great blame and sore discredit. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iii. vi. 13 To lapse in Fulnesse Is sorer, then to lye for Neede. 1825 Scott Talism. iii, Committing what would have been a sore blot in his shield of arms. 1875 Stubbs Const. Hist. II. xiv. 53 Henry was now in sore want of money. 1886 S.W. Linc. Gloss. 137 It's a sore shame. |
5. Severe, stern, hard, or harsh: † a. Of language, commands, etc. Obs.
| 1526 Tindale 2 Cor. x. 10 The pistles (sayth he) are sore and strong: but his bodyly presence is weake. 1549 Latimer Ploughers (Arb.) 21 A soore word for them that are neglygent. 1610 Shakes. Temp. iii. i. 11, I must remoue Some thousands of these Logs, and pile them vp, Vpon a sore iniunction. |
b. Of persons. Now dial. (Common in 16th c.)
| 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. ii. Wks. 1171/1, I dare not be so sore as vtterly to forbid it. 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 123, I call him that is a cruell or mercilesse man, somwhat sore in iudgement. 1567 J. Maplet Gr. Forest 87 b, She is verie extreme and sore towards hir yong. 1901 G. Douglas Hosue with Green Shutters 324 Maybe the Lord Jesus Christ'll no' be owre sair on me. |
6. Of a strong, severe, or violent character in respect of operation or effect: a. Of feelings.
| c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. iv. 295 His..ouer soor inclinacioun of loue anentis hem. 1611 Bible Psalm ii. 5 Then shall hee..vexe them in his sore displeasure. 1810 Crabbe Borough iv. 11 Some, when converted, sigh in sore amaze. |
b. Of storms, weather, etc.
| 1535 Coverdale Ps. xvii. 14 He cast sore lighteninges, & destroyed them. 1556 Chron. Gr. Friars (Camden) 28 Soch a sore snowe & a frost. 1593 Marlowe Edw. II, iv. vi, With awkward windes and sore tempests driuen, To fall on shoare. 1866 Neale Sequences & Hymns 36 Brought her through the sorest tempest. |
c. Of persons or other agents.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Aduersarius acerrimus, a very sore and earnest [adversary]. 1592 Timme Ten Eng. Lepers B ij, Nimri was a sore driver. 1602 Shakes. Ham. v. i. 188 Your water is a sore Decayer of your horson dead body. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. i. lxvii. (1674) 85 Princes meet with no sorer enemies, than male-contents. 1688 Holme Armoury ii. 122/2 Cattle, Horses, &c. are sore hurts both to Gardens & Orchards. |
d. Of actions. rare—1.
| 1563 Homilies ii. Whitsunday ii, The byshops of Rome haue for a long time made a sore chalenge therunto. |
† 7. Strong, weighty, valid. Obs.
| 1530 Rastell Bk. Purgat. iii. vii, That is a very sore obieccyon that thou hast now put and aledged. 1551 T. Wilson Logike (1580) 83 b, To persuade hym the better, he vsed this sore reason. |
8. dial. = sorry a. (See quots.)
In Destr. Troy 10445 sore appears to have this sense, but may be an error for sori sorry a.
| a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia (1830) 316 Sore, sorry; vile; worthless... ‘He made a sore hand of it!’ 1839 Sir G. C. Lewis Gloss. Heref. s.v., ‘A sore fellow’ means a rogue, a rascal. ‘A sore time’ means a sad time. 1866 J. E. Brogden Prov. Lincs., Sore, bad, sorry. He's made a sore job of it. 1880 Antrim & Down Gloss. 96 Sore,..pitiful or contemptible. ‘He's a sore fool.’ |
II. 9. a. Of parts of the body: In pain; painful, aching. Now spec., having the skin broken or raw.
| a 1000 Riddles xiv. 6 (Gr.), Ne wæs hyra ænᵹum þy wyrs ne side þy sarre. c 1000–1150 Sax. Leechd. III. 108 Wið mannes ceola þe byð sær. Þisne læce cræft man sceal ðon manne þe byð þe ceola sar. c 1205 Lay. 19501 Me scal lacnien his leomes þat beoð sare. a 1300 Cursor M. 15101 O þair fete þat semed sare. a 1352 Minot Poems (ed. Hall) i. 15 Þai turned ogayn with sides sare. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 51 As a sore membre..[is parted] from membres þat beeþ hole..and in good poynt. 1489 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. I. 149, vij elne of quhyte to be logouris to the King, the tyme his leg wes sayre. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W.) 220 b, No parte of our body can be sore or in payne, but al the other partes in maner feleth the same. 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 8 §1 Suche as ben peined with customable diseases: as womens brestes being sore. 1639 in Verney Mem. (1907) I. 104 His gummes are soe sore, he will not yet suffer his nurse to looke into his mouth. 1695 New Light of Chirurg. put out 30 The Parts so stiff and sore, as if they never would be well. 1704 F. Fuller Med. Gymn. (1711) 57 I'm tyr'd, my Bones are sore. 1774 Burke Sp. Amer. Tax. Sel. Wks. I. 112 Your ministerial directors..then went mumping with a sore leg in America, canting and whining. 1824 Scott St. Ronan's xviii, What signifies healing a sore foot when there will be a broken heart in the case? 1847 Marryat Childr. New Forest iv, My shoulder is quite sore with the rope. 1881 Trans. Obstet. Soc. Lond. XXII. 14 There was no spot sore to touch. |
| fig. 1725 Pope Odyss. iii. 252 Who while my soul is sore Of fresh affronts, are meditating more. |
b. Of the eyes, throat, etc.: Painful through inflammation or other morbid condition. a sight for sore eyes: see sight n.1 1 d.
| (a) a 1400 Stockholm Med. MS. fol. 128 For sore eyne..it is preuyd. 1565 J. Halle Hist. Expost. (Percy Soc.) 17 Well,..seyng that you can heale sore eyes, what is an eye? 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. v. i. 36 Thou greene Sarcenet flap for a sore eye. c 1680 Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 28 Being troubled with sore eyes. 1765 Gray Shakespeare Verses iii, But may not honey's self be turn'd to gall By residence, by marriage, and sore eyes? |
| fig. 1673 Cave Prim. Chr. iii. i. 220 The brightness of his conversation offended the sore eyes of other men. |
| (b) 1686 in Verney Mem. (1907) II. 423, I have a cold and a sore Throat. 1719 Quincy Phys. Dict. (1722) 13 As they [tonsils] are subject to Inflammation, they frequently are the Occasion of what the common People call a sore Throat. 1787 J. Collins in Med. Comm. II. 364 Putrid sore-throat, or angina maligna. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair li, The professional personages..would leave off their sore throats in order to sing at her parties. 1898 Syd. Soc. Lex. s.v., Sore-throat, clergyman's, chronic follicular pharyngitis. |
| (c) 1853 Mayne Expos. Lex. 73/1 Aphtha,..the disease of infancy, otherwise called thrush, or sore mouth. |
c. Sc. Of the head: Aching. a sore (Sc. sair) head, a headache.
| 1549 Compl. Scot. vi. 67 The decoctione of it is remeid for ane sair hede. 1643 Orkney Witch Trial in Abbotsford Club Miscell. I. 177 Ȝe said also that Bessie Spence hes ay ane sore head, it is ay pained. 1739 A. Nicol Poems 52 (Jam.), Syne supperless I go to bed; The morn I wake with a sare head. 1785 Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook xxvi, Tippence-worth to mend her head, When it was sair. 1824 Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. 324 A confounded sair head, proceeding from the effects of taking the wee drap. 1880 Antrim & Down Gloss. 96 Sore head, a headache. |
d. a bear with a sore head, used allusively for a type of sullen irritability, peevishness, or sensitiveness. Cf. sore-head, -headed.
| 1840 Marryat Poor Jack xxxviii, As sulky as a bear with a sore head. |
e. Colloq. phr. dressed (or done, etc.) up like a sore finger (or toe) and varr., overdressed. Austral. and N.Z.
| 1919 W. H. Downing Digger Dialects 46 Sore finger, an overdressed person (e.g. ‘dolled up like a sore finger’). 1939 K. Tennant Foveaux 430 You ought to a seen us in the ole days when we 'ad a procession every year—done up like a sore toe with banners and floats. 1943 J. A. W. Bennett in Amer. Speech XVIII. 91 ‘All done up like a sore toe’ describes someone dressed over-elaborately; many New Zealand children go barefoot much of the time, and it is with this circumstance in mind that we must interpret the simile. 1958 H. D. Williamson Sunlit Plain 10 Get an eyeful of him! Done up like a sore toe. 1965 P. White Four Plays 168 I'm gunna get out of this suit. Dressed up like a sore finger. |
f. Colloq. phr. to stick (or stand) out like a sore thumb, to be very conspicuous or obvious.
| 1936 E. S. Gardner Case of Sleepwalker's Niece xiii. 128 ‘No,’ he said, ‘that's the one thing in the case that stands out like a sore thumb, now that I stop to think of it.’ 1941 ― Case of Haunted Husband (1942) xvi. 126 A private detective in that atmosphere would stick out like a sore thumb on a waiter serving soup. 1958 Spectator 8 Aug. 187/1 A bad officer will stick out like a sore thumb. 1977 New Yorker 15 Aug. 42/3 In the strong late-afternoon light the twelve white houses stood out like twelve sore thumbs. |
10. Of persons: Suffering pain (from wounds, disease, or other cause). Freq. in alliteration with sick. Also absol.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6229 In such solas, As folc miȝte þat vorwounded & sor & wery was. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1461 Now er we hale, now seke and sare. c 1400 26 Pol. Poems xxvi. 109 After he felle foule and sore For luste of wemen that was hym nygh. 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 8 §1 In case they [surgeons] wolde minister their cunninge to sore people vnrewarded. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. iii. i. 65 If you went in paine Master, this knaue wold goe sore. 1611 Bible Gen. xxxiv. 25 On the thirde day when they were sore [after circumcision]. a 1700 Dryden (J.), While sore of battle, while our wounds are green. 1837 Maj. Richardson Brit. Leg. (ed. 2) ii. 291 He was exceedingly sore and faint with the bruises he had received. |
11. Afflicted with sorrow or grief; pained, distressed: a. Of the heart, etc.
| c 1205 Lay. 149 For he nefde nenne sune þe sarure was his heorte. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 4044 Manie tiding quad balaam ðor, ðe made balakes herte sor. c 1320 Sir Tristr. 2141 Markes hert was sare. c 1400 Destr. Troy 2074 With hoge harmes to haue, & his hert sarre. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccccv. 704 His mynde was so sore therof, that no man coude set hym therfro. c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xviii. 4, I most departe Frome hir..With hairt full soir. 1721 Ramsay Prospect of Plenty 11 'Till..wi' a heart right sair, He sees the bites grow bein, as he grows bare. 1785 Burns Halloween viii, An' Jean had e'en a sair heart To see't that night. 1834 Pringle Afr. Sk. xiv. 435 They were brothers—until the herds of the Amakosa increased so as to make the hearts of the Boors sore. 1871 C. Gibbon Lack of Gold iii, I think I have made both your hearts sorer than they were before. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn vii, With a sore conscience [he] was constantly driven to do what he disapproved. |
b. Of persons. Now dial.
| c 1205 Lay. 638 Þe king wes on mode sar; þet wes for his monne lure. 13.. R. Glouc. (1724) 7051 Þeruore þe kyng vor hys deþ þe sorrore was. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1987 Vche segge as sore, to seuer with hym þere, As þay hade wonde worþyly with þat wlonk euer. 1483 Cath. Angl. 349/1 Sore, dolens. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. lxi. [lxiii.] 203 The foresayd knyght helde hymselfe sore of the informacyon of his wyfe. 1876 [Robinson] Whitby Gloss. 159 ‘I's varry sair for 't,’ sorry for it. |
12. a. Of persons or their feelings: Inclined to be irritated or grieved; irritable, sensitive; angry, resentful. Also const. about, on, and at. Now colloq. (chiefly N. Amer.).
| a 1694 Tillotson (J.), Malice and hatred are very fretting and vexatious, and apt to make our minds sore and uneasy. 1738 Pope Epil. Sat. i. 55 Laugh at your friends, and, if your Friends are sore, So much the better, you may laugh the more. 1815 Scott Guy M. v, One of the few subjects on which he felt sore. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 233 The public mind was so sore and excitable that these lies readily found credit. 1852 Dickens in Househ. Words V. 307/1 The people were very sore about the French marriage. 1884 G. C. Davies Peter Penniless xxxii. 230 Everybody was greatly amused at the incident, except Quadling, who was sore about it for a long time. 1904 N.Y. Even. Post 13 June 1 Kelly denied the charges and said the patrolman was ‘sore’ on him. 1923 R. D. Paine Comr. Rolling Ocean xiv. 252 All hands were sore on him, but he couldn't take a hint. 1927 [see high-hat v.]. 1932 Wodehouse Hot Water xvi. 257 But surely you aren't going to get sore at a little thing like that? 1946 Sunday Dispatch 8 Sept. 2/7 They were sore about the decision that had deprived them of complete victory. 1954 [see nah1]. 1975 D. Lodge Changing Places iii. 120 Nobody believed him of course, and this made him sore as hell. 1980 Amer. N. & Q. Jan. 71/1 Jonson is likely to have been sore about Shakespeare..styling himself gentle. |
b. sore place, sore point, sore spot, a point or matter in respect of which one is easily vexed or irritated.
| 1690 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 426 It is a sore place; i.e. a thing that being touched upon will gall or grieve. 1863 Bradford Advertiser 18 July 5/2 Some specially sore point to which you can direct your attack. |
c. Similarly with subject, etc.
| 1803 C. Wilmot Jrnl. 6 Mar. in T. U. Sadleir Irish Peer on Continent (1924) 170 This however is a sore subject, as..there is scarcely any one that one sees who is not a living victim. 1833 H. Martineau Berkeley the Banker i. viii. 167 It was indeed a sore subject in every house in Haleham. 1871 Meredith H. Richmond xlviii, There lies the evil of a sore subject among persons of one household. 1886 W. J. Tucker E. Europe 251 Now that they are Christians, the thought of having three of their children interred in a Jewish cemetery is a very sore one with them. |
13. Comb., as sore-foot, sore-footed, sore-hearted (hence sore-heartedness), sore-rimmed, sore-toed adjs.; sore-back attrib., (of horses) having a sore back; so sore-back v. trans., to give (a horse) a sore back, sore-backed a.; sore-eyed a., having sore eyes; also applied to sheath-billed pigeons, which have reddish caruncles round the eyes.
| 1835 J. E. Alexander Sketches in Portugal x. 224 It [sc. a hunting-saddle] sore-backs strange horses, is hard and smooth to the rider, and one can't carry any thing on it in the shape of arms or baggage. 1923 in ‘Mark Twain’ Speeches 9 They have always got a sore-back horse lying around somewhere to sell to the stranger. |
| 1901 Kipling Five Nations (1903) 163 A top of a sore-backed Argentine, with a thirst that you couldn't buy. 1933 J. V. Allen Cowboy Lore iv. 131 But he went to see the gals on a sore-backed hoss. |
| a 1733 in Prior's Poems (1733) III. 110 He's dropsical, she is sore-ey'd. 1756 C. Smart tr. Horace, Epist. i. ii. (1826) II. 191 To him, that is a slave to desire or to fear, house and estate do just as much good as paintings to a sore-eyed person. |
| 1911 Blackw. Mag. Nov. 579/1 We see him arriving sorefoot at the Three Pigeons in Brentford. |
| 1814 Jane Austen Mansf. Park II. x. 234 She had only to rise and..pass quietly away..sore-footed and fatigued. 1927 T. S. Eliot Journey of Magi, And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory. |
| 1570 Satir. Poems Reform. x. 394 Quhilk sycht to se..maid me sair hartit. 1884 D. Boucicault Shaughraun iii. i. 20/1 Blessings on your path; it always leads to the poor and to the sore-hearted! 1923 D. H. Lawrence Birds, Beasts & Flowers 55 Open..And red at the core with the last sore-heartedness, Sore-hearted-looking. |
| 1915 ― Rainbow xiii. 371 He lifted his face, the sore-rimmed eyes half smiling. |
| 1874 W. Cory Lett. & Jrnls. (1897) 364 Men who are a little too sore-toed for marching. |
▪ VII. sore, a.2 Obs. exc. Hist.
Also 5 sor, soore, 5–6 sowre, 6–7 soare, 7 sorre, 7–9 soar; Sc. 5–6 soyr, 6 soir.
[a. AF. (1086 in Domesday Bk.) and OF. sor, mod.F. saur(e, = Prov. saur, sor, Sp. soro, It. sauro, med.L. saurus, sorus, sorius, of undetermined origin. Cf. sore n.2]
1. Falconry. Applied to a hawk of the first year that has not moulted and still has its red plumage (now called a red hawk); hence applied to the plumage itself; occas. extended to other birds of prey, as the kite and eagle.
| c 1450 Godstow Register 259 A sperehawke sowre. c 1481 Cely Papers (Camden) 81 The fayreste sor hawke..within aull Yngelond. 1513 Douglas æneid vii. Prol. 125 The soir gled quhislis loud wyth mony ane pew. 1575 Turberv. Faulconrie 69 That hawke that is mewed and hath cast his soare feathers. 1596 Spenser Hymn Heav. Beauty 26 Of the soare faulcon so I learne to fly. 1614 Latham Falconry 37 The passenger soare-Faulcon is a more choice and tender hawke. 1641 Milton Animadv. Wks. 1851 III. 188 A Soar-Eagle would not stoope at a flye. 1677 Lond. Gaz. No. 1180/4 Lost upon Hunslow Heath,..a Sore Tassel Gentle, with the Kings Varvels. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Falco, The third [name] is the soar hawk, so called in September, October, and November. 1779 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 2) IV. 2901/2 If it be a soar-falcon,..she will indeed be harder to reclaim. 1852 [see sorage]. |
| fig. 1614 T. Tomkis Albumazar iii. iv, Fully mued From brown soar feathers of dull yeomanry, To th' glorious bloom of gentry. |
† 2. Of a horse: Of a reddish-brown colour. Obs. Cf. sorrel a. a.
| a 1400 Sir Degrev. 76 Fayer stedes in the stallus, Lyard and soore. c 1480 Henryson Test. Cress. 211 (Charteris), Four ȝokkit steidis... The first was soyr, with Mane als reid as Rois. 1513 Douglas æneid xii. Prol. 27 Eous the steid..Abuf the seyis lyftis furth his heid, Of cullour soyr. 1564 in Raine Richmondshire Wills (Surtees) 171, ij fylles, a dappell graye and a sowre baye. 1679 Claverhouse in Lauderdale Papers (1885) III. xcv. 165 With a pitch fork they made..an opening in my sorre horses belly. |
▪ VIII. sore, v.1
(sɔə(r))
Also north. and Sc. 4–6 sare, 5–6 sair.
[f. sore a.1 Cf. OFris. sêria, OS. sêrian (MLG. sêren), MDu. seeren (Du. zeeren), OHG., MHG. sêren (mod.G. versehren), ON. and Icel. sǽra (Sw. såra, Da. saare). OE. had sárian to be pained or grieved.]
a. trans. To make sore, in various senses; to give (physical or mental) pain to; † to wound.
| 13.. Cursor M. 14147 (Gött.), Al if þai soght fand þai na bote, Þe seke him saris fra heued to fote. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 656 He socht in sa sadly, quhill sum of thame he saird. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xxvi. 566, I fere to sore the kyng. 1536 Bellenden Cron. Scot. (1821) II. 109 Ane wolf..quhen scho was sarit with the houndis. [1583 Fulke Def. Tr. Script. i. 56 If wee had a participle in Englishe to say, sored or botched, we woulde vse it.] 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. xii. 38 Her bleeding brest..Was closed vp, as it had not bene sor'd [1596 bor'd]. 1847 H. Bushnell Christian Nurture iii. (1861) 46 Religion itself, pressed down upon them till they are fatally sored by its impossible claims, becomes [etc.]. 1894 Harper's Mag. Feb. 356/1 Some..are on foot, from soring their horses' backs. |
b. With up. To annoy. colloq. (orig. U.S.). rare.
| 1929 D. Runyon in Hearst's Internat. July 56/1 It is a sure thing he will get sored up at the second peek. 1963 ‘R. East’ Pin Men vi. 162 He sored me up once for all and I left him flat. |
▪ IX. † sore, v.2 Venery. Obs.
[Of obscure origin: cf. resore.]
intr. Of the hare: To traverse open ground.
| 1486 Bk. St. Albans e viij b, In the feeldes where he [the hare] gooth no ways beene, Ther he sorth when he steppyth and hit may not be seene. 1576 Turberv. Venerie 239 When a Hare is in playne fieldes, she Soreth. 1602 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass. ii. v. 937 By and by I might see him sore and resore, prick and reprick. 1704 Dict. Rust. (1726), Soring, the Footing of a Hare in open Field; for then the Huntsmen say, She Sores. |
▪ X. sore
obs. variant of soar v.
▪ XI. sore, adv. Now chiefly arch. and dial.
(sɔə(r))
Forms: α. 1–3 sare (3 sære); north. and Sc. 4–5 sar(e, sayre, 4–5, 7 sayr, 4– sair; 8–9 sear. β. 3– sore (3 seore), 4–5 sor, 5–6 soore, 6 Sc. soir. compar. 3–5 sarre, 4–5 sarrer, 4 sarare, -er, 5 -arre; 4 sorere, zorer, 6– sorer. superl. 3–4 sarrest, 5 sarest, 3– sorest.
[OE. sáre (f. sár sore a.1), = OFris. sêr, seer, MDu. seer (Du. zeer), OS. and OHG. sêro (MHG. sêre, G. sehr), MSw. sāra, sāre, Da. saare.]
1. Of striking, wounding, etc.: So as to cause considerable physical pain or bodily injury; violently or severely in this respect.
| α c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) lxxvii. 33 Þonne he hi sare sloh, Þonne hi sohton hine. c 1205 Lay. 27692 Gecron..his spere grap anan and smat Leir þene eorl sære. a 1225 Ancr. R. 292 Þe neiles weren so dulte þet heo..breken þe bones, more þen þurleden, uorte pinen him sarre. a 1352 Minot Poems v. 12 It sowed him sare; Sare it þam smerted. 1375 Barbour Bruce ii. 351 Feyle men dede, and woundyt sar. a 1450 Myrc 1416 Þe herre þat a mon ys in degre, Þe sarrer forsoþe falleþ he. 1508 Dunbar Tua mariit wemen 223 Hald abak, and handill me nought sair. |
| β c 1205 Lay. 27908 Kæi wes forwunded seore. 13.. Sir Beues (A.) 407, I schel him smite swiþe sore Upon is hat. 1340 Ayenb. 238 Huo þet heȝest ualþ þe zorer he him blecheþ. 1470–85 Malory Arth. x. iii. 416 And fyrst he smote doune my felawe syre Bleoberys & sore wounded hym. a 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 200 b, Thei were sore beaten, wounded, and very evil intreated. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 61 An olde dog byteth sore. But..tholde bitche biteth sorer. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. xiv. 44 Seeing ourselves all sore hurt. a 1720 Sewel Hist. Quakers (1795) I. ii. 130, I did beat you very sore. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy l, She..said ‘they hurt her sore’, and she was ‘bleeding a power’. |
b. Of sickness or other physical suffering: Severely, dangerously, seriously.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 231 Longue wenden þis gode men..Þat huy weren of-hongred sore. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 53 Þat tyme at Westmynstir Harald sore seke lay. c 1350 Will. Palerne 593 Seiȝth me al ȝour seknesse & what so sore ȝow greuis. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 236 A man..that soore seke is. c 1450 Merlin xiv. 207 Many ther were throwen to grounde sore bledynge with stroke of speres. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xliv. 16 Grit pane and wo..Into thair birth thay suffir sair for ws. 1609 Rowlands Dr. Merrie-man (Hunterian Cl.) 18 An aged Gentleman sore sicke did lie. 1721 Ramsay Prospect of Plenty 73 Peghing fou sair beneath a lade of fears. 1842 Macaulay Horatius lxi, Fast his blood was flowing; And he was sore in pain. 1878 Spurgeon Treas. David Ps. cxviii. 19 Our hero had also in all probability been sore sick. |
† 2. With much suffering; dearly. Obs.
| Beowulf 1251 Siᵹon þa to slæpe: sum sare anᵹeald æfenræste. c 1205 Lay. 8158 Þu me smite bi þon rugge, ah sare þu hit salt a-buggen. a 1300 Cursor M. 1070 Caym..Vntil his broþer nith he bare, Allas, þat boght þe sacrilages sare. 1375 Barbour Bruce xviii. 514 War it nocht that he war Sic a catiff, he sulde by sair His wourdis. ? 1402 in Yorksh. Arch. Jrnl. XX. (1908) 46 Wykked lyf maath [= maketh] a man tabye ful sore. |
3. With verbs of grieving, annoying, etc.: So as to cause mental pain or irritation; deeply, intensely.
| α a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. 1257 (Gr.), Me þæt cynn hafað sare abolᵹen. c 1205 Lay. 4598 Þus seide Goðlac, sære him gromede. c 1350 Will. Palerne 2025 Sche told me a-noþer tale þat me tened sarre. c 1400 in 26 Pol. Poems x. 39 Ȝoure gyltes greued god so sare. 1814 Scott Wav. lxv, But sair, sair angry and affronted wad she hae been. |
| β c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 173 Hie ben sore ofgramede, and wið hem seluen alre sorest. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 10286 Þan ys þy peryl mykel þe more, Þat þou wraþest Crist so sore. c 1386 Chaucer Sompn. T. 481 Ne grevith me no thing so sore, As that this elde cherl..Blasphemed hath our holy covent eeke. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ii. vi. 82 The whiche sorowe greued Balyn passyngly sore. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 8 For these, and for other sterne and cruell deedes done by hym, the sayde Nobles were sore moued against him. 1671 Milton P.R. iv. 196 Be not so sore offended, Son of God. 1782 Cowper Gilpin 54 Although it griev'd him sore. 1870 Bryant Iliad iv. I. 105 Minerva held her peace,..sore displeased with father Jove. |
b. Used to intensify the idea of dislike or reluctance, esp. with against one's will.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 56 Vor þet ec þet he dude hire was iðe frumðe sore hire unðonckes. 1530 Palsgr. 842/1 Sore agaynst my wyll,..moult enuys. 1567 Satir. Poems Reform. iii. 232 Sa we departit soir againis our will. 1632 Lithgow Trav. x. 449 Then vnhappily came I a shoare..sore agaynst the Generals will. 1782 Cowper Gilpin 158 Away went Gilpin,..sore against his will. |
4. With great grief, distress, or perturbation of mind; in such a manner or to such an extent as to involve or manifest this. (Passing into a mere intensive.) a. With verbs of weeping, lamenting, etc.
| α a 900 Cynewulf Crist 1572 (Gr.), Hu þa womsceaþan hyra ealdᵹestreon..sare greten. a 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) cxxxvi. 1 Ofer Babilone bradum streame, þær we sittað & sare wepað. c 1200 Ormin 7924 Forr iwhillc mann birrþ wepenn her, & sikenn sare. a 1300 Cursor M. 9045 Wit bath his eien sar he grett. a 1352 Minot Poems (ed. Hall) viii. 60 Þe knightes..Come to sir Edward sare wepeand. a 1400 Pistill of Susan 222 Whon we þat semblaunt seiȝ, we siked wel sare. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 1128 The king..Sair murnand in mude. 1513 Douglas æneid ii. xii. 15 The ȝing childring..Stude all on raw,..About the tresour quhymperand woundir sair. 1567 Satir. Poems Reform. iv. 65 Scho come to me..Lamentand sair my greit calamitie. 1778– in northern and Sc. dialect use. |
| β c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 169 Iob.. hefde..his honden to his breste, and sore sihte. a 1250 Owl & Night. 885 Vor oþer men hi wepeþ sore. 13.. Sir Beues (A.) 1111 Ȝhe fel adoun and wep riȝt sore. 1423 Jas. I Kingis Q. lxxi, So sore thus sighit I with my-self allone. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 78 Olyuer had so moche compassyon of hym..that he sore wepte. 1535 Coverdale 1 Macc. ii. 39 When Matathias and his frendes herde this, they mourned for them right sore. 1567 Satir. Poems Reform. iii. 3 Ane bony boy was soir makand his mone. 1611 Bible Judges xxi. 2 And the people..lift vp their voices, and wept sore. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Poems Wks. (1711) 42 He who did cause her Ill Sore-wailing stood. 1868 Morris Earthly Par. (1870) I. i. 394 She turned away lamenting very sore. |
b. With verbs of repenting, rueing, etc.
| α a 1000 Doomsday 83 (Gr.), Þam þe his synna nu sare ᵹeþenceþ. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 149 Þet him sare roweþ. a 1300 Cursor M. 25996 Sua sar þin sakes to for-thingk Þat soru thoru þin hert sink. 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 469, I trow..that him sair repent sall he. c 1470 Henry Wallace i. 72 Quhar throuch Scotland rapentyt syne full sar. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems ix. 87 In thir pointis, quhair I offendit, sair I rew. 1570 Satir. Poems Reform. x. 292 As efterwart thay did repent full sair. |
| β a 1200 Moral Ode 354 It him mai reuwe sore. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1166 So sore him reu of ðat bale. c 1290 [see repent v. 1]. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 290 Sore hit me rwez Þat euer I made hem myself. c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 663, I now repente wonder sore. 1535 [see forthink v. 5 b]. c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) iv. 20 Syne..[she] Perchance sall soir repent. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. viii. 47 That all the noble knights..may sore repent with me. 1838 Wilson's Tales Borders (1839) V. 15/2 Sore, sore you have rued..that night. |
c. With verbs denoting fear, dejection, doubt, etc.
| α c 1200 Ormin 3809 Acc aȝȝ þeȝȝ sinndenn..sare offdredde Off domess daȝess starrke dom. c 1230 Hali Meid. 15 Beo sarre offearet to fallen. a 1300 Cursor M. 22629 Sair þai sal do for to grise. 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 440 He dred sayr his felouny. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 710, I dreid me sair I be begylit. c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) ii. 124 Full sair he dred for blame. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 77 Thay feired nocht litle, bot verie sair, that..al sulde succeid verie ill. 1820 Scott Monast. iv, Sair, sair my mind misgave me. |
| β c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3223 Sore he gunen for-dredde ben. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 575 Þe king kwakede & is men, so sore hii were agaste. c 1320 Cast. Love (Halliw.) 1580 Fulle sore mowe heo then dreden. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxi. 314 ‘That is soþ,’ seide satan, ‘bote ich me sore doute’. c 1425 Eng. Conq. Irel. vii. 20 (Dubl. MS.), Macmorgh..be-held his men, and saw ham sor amayed. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop ii. v, Whanne the folke sawe that the erthe beganne thus to shake, they were sore aferd. 1508 Dunbar Gold. Targe 159 Full sore thay dred to done a violence. a 1591 H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 5 Indeed, this news frighted him sorest. 1611 Bible 1 Sam. xxviii. 15 Saul answered, I am sore distressed. 1690 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 426, I was sore afraid, you had been gone. 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 636 We are trained up to dread thee sorer by the..customs of the world around us. 1858 Mansel Bampton Lect. vii. (1859) 150 In our hearts we believe, yet our thoughts at times are sore troubled. |
d. With verbs denoting astonishment or embarrassment.
| c 1450 Merlin ii. 30 And thei herden hym thus sey, thei were sore a-merveyled. 1470–85 Malory Arthur i. iii. 38 Thenne she sore abasshed to yeue ansuer. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xci. 292 He was stryken fro his horse to the erth sore astonyed, so that he wyst not where he was. 1592 Timme Ten Eng. Lepers Ij, They would not wonder so sore at the punishment. 1620 Frier Rush 24 At the which they were sore astonished. 1742 Young Nt. Th. ii. 398 We, sore amaz'd, from out earth's ruins crawl. 1787 Burns J. Barleycorn iii, John Barleycorn got up again, And sore surpris'd them all. |
5. So as to cause suffering, hardship, or great straits; to a painful or distressing degree; severely, grievously, oppressively.
| α Beowulf 2311 Swa hyt lungre wearð on hyra sincᵹifan sare ᵹeendod. a 1000 Genesis 2415 Þæt sceal wrecan swefyl & sweart liᵹ, sare & grimme. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1116, Ðis land & þas leodon wurdon..oftrædlice sare ᵹeswencte. c 1230 Hali Meid. 7 Þu..schalt beo sare iderued under hire, as hire þral. c 1440 York Myst. xi. 160, I sall send vengeaunce ix. or x., To sewe hym sararre, or I sesse. |
| β c 1305 Mir. St. James 67 in E.E.P. (1862) 59 Þe deuel ȝeode awey, & huld him a-gyled sore. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 38 Þei ponysche men sorere for breken of here owen lawis þan for brekynge of goddis lawe. a 1400 Sir Perc. 349 The lady was never more sore bygone. 1535 Coverdale 1 Macc. ii. 30 The tyranny increaced so sore vpon them. 1595 G. Markham Sir R. Grinuile (Arb.) 85 For his own sake, Whom desperate hazard might indamage sore. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 197 They hate and punish Adultery very sore. 1667 Milton P.L. i. 298 The torrid Clime Smote on him sore besides. 1786 Burns The Lament viii, Sore-harass'd out, with care and grief. 1806 T. S. Surr Winter in Lond. III. 7 Unhappy stranger, you have been sore afflicted. 1865 Kingsley Herew. vii, The archers shot sore at him from the wall. 1870 Burton Hist. Scot. lxviii. VI. 418 His enemies, too, in their hour of triumph, harassed him sore and showed him little mercy. |
† b. to sit (or set) one sore (see sit v. 15). Obs.
| c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camden) xxi, I see a siȝte I thenke on ȝete, That sittus me nowe fulle sore. c 1470 Henry Wallace i. 439 Sone, thir tythings sytts me sor. c 1560 A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) xx. 20 Quhat kin thing wes lufe, Quhilk now settis the so sair. |
6. To a grievous or serious extent; greatly.
| a 1300 X Commandm. 38 in E.E.P. (1862) 16 Sore and bitter þe soule [it] sal der. 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. ii. xxxv. 151 Oure lorde sent suche a grete showre of rayne that theyre harneys was sore charged with watre. 1513 in C. Rogers Coldstream Chartul. (1879) Pref. 21 Soo soore abewsed with the faire promyses of Fraunce. 1567 Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.) 37, I knaw that I haif sinnit soir. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 1124 High Passions, Anger, Hate,..shook sore Thir inward State of Mind. 1683 Yorkshire Dial. 5 Thur Yowes are Clowclagg'd, they skitter sayr. |
b. With reference to physical deterioration.
| 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §14 All these maner of otes weare the grounde very sore. 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 133 This Towne was so sore wasted with fire,..that it was wholly..consumed. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 429 The Turkes continuing the batterie had sore shaken the aforesaid tower. a 1668 R. Lassels Voy. Italy (1670) II. 135 Half of it is..sore battered with the aire. |
7. With great exertion or effort; laboriously, toilsomely, hard.
| a 1300 Body & Soul 67 in Map's Poems 341 Never ne thouȝtest thow..ho therfore sarrest swonk. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 550 Þe fyrst by-gonne to pleny & sayden þat þay hade trauayled sore. c 1550 Cheke Lett. 11, J..labor as sore that ye mai thinke [etc.]. 1567 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 517 Laubourand and travelland sair for his leving. 1620 Frier Rush 27 Me thinks you take great paines to worke so sore your selfe. 1795 Macneill Will & Jean 1, Will wrought sair, but aye wi' pleasure. 1838 Carlyle Misc. (1857) IV. 178 Long and sore had this man thought. 1843 ― Past & Pr. iii. xiii, To work sore, and yet gain nothing. |
b. With great force or vigour; strongly.
| (a) c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 8681 Thei rode to-gedur wel sare, Many a stalworthe knyȝt thare. 1464 Paston Lett. II. 144 The plee by twene Ogan and yow was sore argued. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxx. 144 Some of theym..drewe it to them so sore, that they brake the chenes of yron y{supt} helde the bridge. 1527 Andrew Brunswyke's Distyll. Waters M ij b, The membre well and sore rubbed therwith. |
| (b) 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 199 On a tyme when it thoundreed veray sore. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 94 The wynde blewe sore against the streame. 1656 Bradford Plymouth Plant. i. x. (1856) 87 Though it was very darke, and rained sore. |
c. With severity or strictness; severely.
| 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour D viij, He had repreued them so sore that they had..grete shame. c 1500 Lancelot 1660 Bot schortly thei sall be sar accusit. 1533 More Answ. Poysoned Bk. Wks. 1036/2 Of suche bookes, as sore as they bee forbodden, yet are there manye boughte. c 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (1590) 224 Thou heardst even now a young man sneb me sore. |
8. Eagerly, earnestly; with great desire or intensity. Chiefly with verbs of longing.
| (a) 1297 R. Glouc. Chron. (Rolls) I. 356/117 Hym longede after veneson þer after longe sore. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 385 Þen kisses he kenely þe quene.., Langis sare to þe layke. c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 1045 He callyd soore for bowes and bade hem shote faste. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lxi. 211 Ye shall se Huon, whose presence ye so sore desyre. 1575 Gascoigne Glasse of Governm. Wks. 1910 II. 78, I long sore to have answere of my letters. 1611 Bible Gen. xxxi. 30 Because thou sore longedst after thy fathers house. |
| (b) a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xliii. 143 Then the Admyrall soore [1601 earnestly, Fr. mout fort] behelde Huon. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 25 You studie to sore Toxophile. 1611 Bible Judges xiv. 17 He tolde her, because shee lay sore vpon him. 1894 Crockett Raiders (ed. 3) 284, I urged her sore. |
† 9. Closely, tightly. Obs.
Perh. only a contextual variation of sense 10.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 219, I conseille alle crystene cleue nouȝte þer-on to sore. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 58 That other Ere als faste He stoppeth with his tail so sore, That he the wordes..ne hiereth. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 8797 Sche kepeth hem..Sore shet wyth lok & keye. a 1483 Liber Niger in Househ. Ord. (1790) 69 Not to boult it soe sore vpon the gurgeones. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 29 b, It shetteth it self so sore..that..it is not so opened agayne. 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. (Arb.) 111 The string..beynge sore twined must nedes knap in sunder. |
10. To a great extent; greatly, very much.
Chiefly in contexts suggestive of sense 6, but sometimes merely intensive.
| c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 90 Ne picche hit not to[o] soore into the vale. 1470–85 Malory Arthur iv. vi. 126 And anone they felle on slepe, and slepte merueillously sore all the nyght. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) C ij b, There was a lawe soore vsed and accustomed, and well kepte in the Romayne polycie. 1561 Hollybush Hom. Apoth. 34 Seth the Turtel wyth water, salt her not to sore. 1606 G. Woodcock Hist. Iustine xxxv. 113 So sore hated was Demetrius among all men. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iv. ii. 225 Oh bill sore shaming Those rich-left-heyres. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 343 The wain goes heavily, impeded sore By..loads adhering close To the clogg'd wheels. 1812 Byron Ch. Har. i. ii, A shameless wight, Sore given to revel and ungodly glee. |
11. With adjs. and advs.: Very, extremely, exceedingly. Obs. exc. dial.
| 1474 Caxton Chesse iii. vii. (1883) 141 The kynge denys had a broder whom he louyd sore well. c 1489 ― Sonnes of Aymon iii. 112 That I assaylled theym, it hath cost me sore dere. 1530 Comp. Old Treat. in Roy Rede me (Arb.) 171 The new testament..set forthe by Master William Tyndale, which they falsely pretende to be sore corrupte. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 98 Scheiphouses..of quhais burning thay ar nocht sair solist. 1638 R. Brathwait Barnabee's Jrnl. ii. (1818) 61 Where growne surfoot and sore weary, I repos'd. 1860 Geo. Eliot Mill on Fl. iii. ix, She was sore fond of us children. |
12. Comb., as sore-holding; sore-dreaded, sore-meant, sore-pressed, sore-wearied, sore-won, sore-worn adjs.
| c 1450 Merlin xiv. 222 The haubrekes, that were stronge and sore-holdynge. 1567 Satir. Poems Reform. iv. 66 My langsum lyfe and sair tormentit Spirite. 1616 J. Lane Contn. Sqr.'s T. x. 330 Ann apparition, which seemd at first to bee some sore ment vision. 1638 R. Brathwait Barnabee's Jrnl. iii. 121 Thence to Ferrybrig, sore-wearied Surfoot, but in spirit cheer'd. 1785 Burns Cotter's Sat. Nt. iv, To..deposite her sair-won penny-fee. 1787 Minor 28 That bedlam,..bedizened in sore-worn flounces. 1843 A. Bethune Scottish Fireside Stor. 279 It was that day..Which brings to sair worn toil a time Of needful peace. 1866 G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. xxviii. (1878) 479 The sore-pressed garrison which had retreated to its last defence. 1870 J. Bruce Life of Gideon xviii. 335 Nigh to the spot on which those harnessed and sore-dreaded dreamers lay. |