▪ I. † aˈscry, v. Obs.
Forms: 4 asscrie, aschrie, aschriȝe, 4–5 ascrie, ascrye, 4–6 ascry, 5 askerye, askrye, 6 asskrie, askry. Aphet. 5 scry, q.v.
[a. OF. escrie-r (mod. écrier), f. es:—L. ex out + crier to cry. The Anglo-Fr. was prob. ascrier (see as- prefix2), as escry does not appear in Eng. before the time of Caxton, who introduced it from continental French. Aphetized in 15th c. to scry.]
1. trans. To call forth or out; to call upon.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. C. 195 Þenne ascryed þay hym skete, & asked ful loude, What þe deuel hatȝ þou don? c 1350 Will. Palerne 3827 Wiȝtli he hem a-schriȝed, And cumfort hem craftli with his kinde speche. c 1450 Lonelich Grail xlix. 225 Thanne Iosephe gan hem ascrien anon, Ha! ȝe cursed peple everychon! |
b. esp. To attack with outcry, call to fight, provoke, challenge.
| 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 217 Edward was hardie, þe Londres gan he ascrie. c 1350 Will. Palerne 3895 And stoutli him aschried, Bad him ȝepli him ȝeld or ȝerne he schul deie. 1480 Caxton Chron. of Eng. ccxxiv. 227 The Englyssh mynstrelles blewe her..pypes and hydously ascryed the scottes. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. lvii. 78 Assone as the Almayns sawe them, they ascryed them, and ran in fiersly among them. |
2. intr. To cry out, shout, exclaim.
| 1352 Minot Poems (1795) iii. 14 He herd ascry, That king Edward was nere tharby. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 59 They ascriden also blive. a 1528 Skelton Ph. Sparowe 903 Openly to askry, And to make an outcri Against odyous Enui. |
3. trans. = descry: to cry out upon on discovering; hence to espy, discover; to proclaim, denounce, publish, inform upon.
| c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 3406 Thar he held him prevely, So that none sold him ascry. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxcv. 232 The watchmen sayd, by likelyhode ther be some theuys..commyng to steale this towne; let vs ascry them, and wake the men of the cytie. 1530 Palsgr. 437/2, I askry, as foreriders of an armye do their enemyes whan they make reporte where they have sene them, Je descouures. 1548 Hall Chron. 531 When the French men perceived that thei were asskried thei sodeinly returned. 1559 Myrr. Mag., Clifford i. 4, I thinke it best that men their crimes ascried. |
▪ II. † aˈscry, n. Obs.
Forms: 4–5 ascry, 4 asscry, askrye, 5–6 ascrye, askrie, 7 ascrie.
[f. ascry v. Cf. the variant escry and aphetic scry. In many places it is impossible to tell whether we ought to read ascrye or a scrye: cf. quotations 1532 and 1548.]
Crying out, outcry, clamour, shout, exclamation.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit P. B. 838 As a scowte wach scarred, so þe asscry rysed. 1393 Gower Conf. II. 386 And all at ones set askry In hem. c 1532 Ld. Berners Huon 652 They cryed out and made a scrye. 1548 Hall Chron. 532 The Britaynes made an askrie and sette their Beacons on fire. 1600 Holland Livy iv. xxii. 154 Made an ascrie [clamorem] that the towne was taken. |