▪ I. quern1
(kwɜːn)
Forms: 1 cweorn, cwyrn, (cœrn, cern), cweorne, cwearne, 4 queern(e, quyerne, qwhern, 4–7 querne, 5 queren, 5–6 qwern, 6 quearn, (wherne, wyrne), Sc. queirn, 7 quarn, 8 Sc. quirn, 7– quern.
[OE. cweorn, cwięrn str. fem., cweorne wk. fem. = OFris. quern, OS. quern (or querna, MDu. queren-e, Du. kweern), OHG. quirn, churn and chuirna (MHG. kurn, kürne), ON. kvern (Icel. kvörn, Sw. qvarn, Da. kværn), Goth. -qairnus, from a pre-Teut. stem *g{supw}ern-, variations of which appear in synonymous forms in other Aryan languages, as Lith. gìrnos, OSl. žrŭny and žrŭnŭvŭ, Russ. zhernov, Pol. žarna, OIr. bró (gen. broon), W. breuan, etc.]
A simple apparatus for grinding corn, usually consisting of two circular stones, the upper of which is turned by hand; also, a small hand-mill for grinding pepper, mustard, or similar substances (see pepper-, mustard-quern).
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxiv. 41 Tuu wif ᵹegrundon on coernae [Rushw. æt cweorne]. c 1000 ælfric Exod. xi. 5 Þære wylne..þæt sitt æt þære cweornan. c 1305 Pilate in E.E.P. (1862) 111 Bi a melewardes douȝter he lai..And biȝat on hire vnder þe querne þe liþere bern. 1340 Ayenb. 181 Samson..uil into þe honden of his yuo, þet him deden grinde ate querne. c 1374 Chaucer Former Age 6 Onknowyn was þ⊇ quyerne and ek the melle. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 831 Eek as for hail a russet weede is To kest vpon the querne. 1513 Douglas æneis i. iv. 39 For skant of victuall the cornes in quernis of stane Thai grand. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. (1586) 10 A Querne or a hand Mill doth but a little good. 1647 Lilly Chr. Astrol. l. 354 Some necessary thing..to use in his house, as a Furnace or Quern, or such like. 1699 Evelyn Acetaria (1729) 148 The seeds are pounded in a Mortar, or..ground in a Quern contriv'd for this Purpose. 1771 Pennant Tour in Scotl. (1794) 232 Saw here a Quern, a sort of portable mill made of two stones. 1841 S. C. Hale Ireland III. 296 Two women generally worked the Quern, one sitting facing the other, the quern between them. 1884 J. Colborne Hicks Pasha 60 The circular querns of Lower Egypt, which are turned by means of a wooden handle. |
b. attrib. and
Comb., as
quern-chant,
quern-house,
quern-mill,
quern-picker,
quern-song,
quern-staff;
quern-like adv. See also
quern-stone.
| 1898 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 440 In the North, where he often heard the rhythmical *quern-chant. |
| 1525 in Southwell Visit. (1891) 123, ij leads that standes in *wherne-house. |
| 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. vi. 595 Two equall ranks of Orient Pearls..(*Quern-like) grinding small Th' imperfect food. |
| 1600 Holland Livy xxxiii. xlv. 706 Troughs and *querne mils. |
| 1441 in Bury Wills (Camden) 256 [The will of William Toly], ‘*quernepykker’, [1441, is in Lib. Osbern, f. 247]. |
| 1816 W. Taylor in Monthly Rev. LXXXI. 73 We will now subjoin the Grotta-Saungr or *quern-song. |
| 1483 Cath. Angl. 297/1 A *Querne-staffe, molucrum. |
▪ II. † quern2 Obs. rare—1.
In 5
qwerne,
qweryn.
App., a large piece of ice.
| a 1400–50 Alexander 3003 Alexander..rydis To þe grete flode of Granton & it on a glace fyndis. Or he was soȝt to þe side ȝit sondird þe qweryns [Dubl. MS. qwernes]. |
▪ III. quern obs. variant of
kern v.
1