▪ I. † valure, n. Obs.
Also 5 valur, wallure, 6 valuer, va(l)lewer.
[app. an alteration of OF. valur or valeur valour, after forms in -ure.]
1. a. Worthiness or merit; = valour 1 a.
| 1422 Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 139 What glory or what valure the may be-tyde. c 1440 Ipomydon 284 She saw also by his norture, He was a man of grete valure. c 1481 Caxton Dialogues 4 Be swyft and redy Hym or hem first to grete, Yf he be or they be men of valure. 1577 Stanyhurst Descr. Ireland vii. in Holinshed, I doubt not, but hys fame and renowme in learnyng, shall be aunswerable to his desert and valure in writyng. 1592 W. Wyrley Armorie 65 As to the gaser well it might appeere That all the Vallewer in the world was heere. |
b. Physical strength or ability; power, might. rare.
| 1574 Hellowes Gueuara's Fam. Ep. (1577) 3 Of our selues we are so weake, and our abilitie so small, our valure so litle, and haue so few things, that..of our selues we haue not what to giue. 1605 Willet Hexapla Gen. 440 Causing the Cananites to feare his force and valure. |
c. Courage, bravery; = valour 1 c.
Common c 1580–1610.
| 1577–82 Breton Flourish upon Fancy Wks. (Grosart) I. 18/2 Thy valure is but vauntes, thy weapons are but wordes. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iv. xii. 125 The Arabians..beleue that in valure & hardines they doe surpasse al the other nations. 1606 Chapman Gent. Usher i. i, This is your old valure, nephew, that will fight sleeping as well as waking. 1640–1 Kirkcudbr. War-Comm. Min. Bk. (1855) 50 Barrones and gentilmen of good soirt..by quhas valure the kingdome hath ever been defendit. |
2. Worth, importance, efficacy. Freq. in the phr. of no valure.
| (a) c 1400 Pilgr. Sowle i. xxiv. (1859) 29 This excusacyon is of no valure. 1509 Fisher 7 Penit. Ps. xxxviii. Wks. (1876) 81 Good hope,..without the whiche euery thynge that we do is of no valure. 1594 Carew Huarte's Exam. Wits v. (1596) 61 We call memory a reasonable power, because without it the vnderstanding and the imaginatiue are of no valure. |
| (b) 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 214 For ellis war it litill of valure the privilege that the Emperour has gevin to the haly kirk. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) B vj b, Wordes, whiche were not mete,..rude, and least of valure. 1577 Harrison England ii. vi. (1877) ii. 149 These [wines] are not least of all accompted of, bicause of their strength and valure. 1596 Bell Surv. Popery iii. ix. 397 The naturall valure only of good words. Ibid., The valure and just estimation of eternal life. |
3. = value n. 2.
| 1453 Rolls of Parlt. V. 269/1 Decreas of the pris and valure of the wolles. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xvi. 374 And whan Reynawde saw that that gyfte was so riche he was glad of it, bycause of y⊇ grete valure of it. 1523 Act 14 & 15 Hen. VIII, c. 2 [They] shall..put to such markes to every of the same wares..upon payne of forfeyture the double valure of the same wares. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 387 Swearing vnto him that he would prouyde other for him, that should amount to as good a valure. 1588 J. Mellis Briefe Instr. E j, Putting the valure of them, how much they be, after the common price in ready money. |
b. In the phr. of (great, etc.) valure.
| 1485 Caxton Paris & V. (1868) 7 A shelde of crystalle of grete valure. 1491–2 Sarum Church-w. Acc. (Swayne) 41 Smalle peces of clene golde of litelle valure. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxx. 495 He reputed this aduenture of more valure than v. hundred thousande frankes. 1553 Eden Treat. New Ind. (Arb.) 14 Hys horse is iudged to be of such valure if you respect ye price, as is one of our cities. 1599 Hakluyt Voy. II. 234 There they put all their goods of any valure. |
4. = value n. 4. Const. of (so much).
| c 1480 Childe of Bristowe in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 124 Alle that for me thu dos pray, helpeth me not..the valure of a pese. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 110, I doubte the not the valure of an olde dede hounde. 1518 Star Chamber Cases (Selden Soc.) II. 138 Robert edward wyll spende..to the valuer of twenty markys to helpe them with all. 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. ii. Wks. 1184/1 He neuer vsed to passe vpon himselfe the valure of six pence at a meale. |
5. = value n. 7 b.
| 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. Pref., With what toyle and wearinesse I was enforced to compare the parts for trying out the valure of some notes. |
Hence † valure v. trans., = value v. 2. Obs. Also † valureless a., valueless. Obs. † valurous a., valuable (cf. valorous a. 3). Obs.
| 1487 Act 3 Hen. VII, c. 7 §1 The nature, weight, content, or valure of all maner other merchandises used to be weyed or valured. 1563 Foxe A. & M. 1028/2 The sentence thereof might not be founde fautye and valureles by me. 1586 Marlowe 1st Pt. Tamburl. i. ii, Thy Garments shall be..Enchast with precious iuelles of mine owne: More rich and valurous than Zenocrates. |
▪ II. valure
obs. variant of velure.