▪ I. murrey, n.1 and a. Now only Hist. and arch.
(ˈmʌrɪ)
Forms: 5 murreye, morrey(e, morreey, 5–6 murre, 5–8 murray, 5–9 murry, 6 mour(r)ey, -ye, -ie, -eie, -aie, morra, 7 muroy, 5– murrey.
[a. OF. moré adj. and n., morée fem. n., murrey colour, murrey-coloured cloth, ad. med.L. mōrātus, mōrāta, f. L. mōrum mulberry.]
A. n.
1. A colour like that of the mulberry; a purple-red or blood-colour. Also, cloth of this colour.
In some modern books ‘murrey’ is given as the name of a heraldic tincture; but Leigh and Guillim mention it only as the popular name for the colour heraldically termed sanguine.
| [1380 in Test. Karleol. (1893) 138, j Kirtill cum capucio de murre.] c 1412 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 695 And where be my gounes of scarlet, Sanguyn, murreye, & blewes sadde & lighte. c 1461 E.E. Misc. (Warton Club) 90 Ȝoure flote is made for ȝoure sangweyns and also for ȝour violettes and ȝoure violettes sadder thanne ȝoure morreys. 1462 Paston Lett. II. 103 Your son wolle have to hys jakets murry and tany. c 1483 Caxton Dialogues 14/38 Entrepers moret, Sad blew morreey. 1530 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 68 A Goune of mourrey. 1587 Harrison England ii. xxi. 211/1 The die thereof contendeth with skarlet, murreie, and purple. 1640 Habington Edw. IV 165 Five hundred Commoners in murrey receiv'd him. 1657 R. Ligon Barbadoes 68 The rinde smooth, with various greens, interlac'd with murries, yellowes, and faint carnations. 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 93 Their [the Vicunnas] colour is almost Murrey. 1834 J. R. Planché Brit. Costume xiii. 200 Murrey and blue were the colours of the house of York. |
¶ 2. Used allusively for murex. rare—1.
| 1579 Twyne Phisicke agst. Fort. i. xx. 26 For thee the Tyrian Murrey swimmeth, or Purple fishe. |
B. adj. Of a purplish-red colour; murrey-coloured. † murrey kersey: used as a term of contempt for a woman.
| 1403 Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.) 216 For ij. peyre off morrey hosyn ffor my mastyr, xiiij.s. 1599 B. Jonson Ev. Man out of Hum. iv. vi, I had on a gold cable hatband..which I wore about a murrey French hat. 1607 Middleton Michaelm. Term i. i, Let her pass me; I'll take no notice of her,—scurvy murrey kersey. 1625 in Rymer Foedera (1726) XVIII. 240 One Plate of Goulde,..with a Case of Murrey Velvet. 1677 Grew Colours Plants i. §15 The larger Buds are purple or murrey, and the open Flowers, blew. 1840 H. Ainsworth Tower of London i. i. 4 Doublets of murrey and blue cloth. 1847 G. Hume Firstlings of Fancy 17 The sharpened verge of a dark murrey cloud. |
† b. Of the complexion: Sanguine. Obs. rare—1.
| 1623 Cockeram 11, A murrey Complexion. |
† c. In the name of a variety of nectarine.
| 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort., Aug. 72 Nectarines. The Muroy Nectarine, Tawny, Red Roman, [etc.]. 1685–90 Temple Ess. Gard. Wks. 1720 I. 183 The only good Nectorins are the Murry and the French... Of the Murry there are several Sorts, but being all hard, they are seldom well ripened with us. 1767 Abercrombie Ev. Man his own Gard. (1803) 674/1 Nectarines..Elruge, Temple, Murrey, Brugnion. |
▪ II. † ˈmurrey, n.2 Cookery. Obs.
In 5 murreye, morreye.
[App. an Eng. subst. use of OF. moré (see murrey n.1) in the sense flavoured with mulberries.]
A stew or ‘compote’ of veal, etc., prepared with mulberries.
| c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 28 Murreye.—Take Molberys, & wryng hem þorwe a cloþ e; nym Vele [etc.]. Ibid., A rede Morreye.—Take Molberys, and wrynge a gode hepe of hem þorw a cloþ; nym Vele [etc.]. |
▪ III. murrey
variant of moray.