† ˈbyrnie Obs. exc. Hist.
Forms: 4 (9 Hist.) byrny, 4–6 (9 Hist.) byrnie, 6 birny(e.
[Sc. variant of ME. brynie, brinie, with metathesis of r. The word was thus brought nearer to OE. byrne, from which however it could not directly come, as this gave only the monosyllabic *byrn, burne, bryn.]
A cuirass, corslet, coat of mail; = brinie.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce ii. 352 The blud owt at thar byrnys brest. c 1470 Henry Wallace ii. 106 Into y⊇ byrneis [v.r. birny] y⊇ formast can he ber. 1513 Douglas æneis vii. xi. 95 His breistplayt strang and his byrnie. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 140 With breistplait, birny, as the buriall brycht. 1864 G. W. Dasent Jest & Earn. (1873) II. 273 He had armed himself in two byrnies or shirts of mail. 1870 Magnusson & Morris Volsungs xi. 37 No shield or byrny might hold against him. |