▪ I. † somer Obs.
Also 5 soomeer, summer, 5–7 sommer.
[a. OF. somer, sumer, somier, sommier sommier1 (mod.F. sommier, = Prov. saumier, It. somiere):—late L. sagmārius (equus, caballus), f. sagma horseload, whence OF. some, somme (see seam n.2).]
1. A pack-horse; a sumpter-horse.
Freq. in the 15th cent.
| α 13.. K. Alis. 827 (Laud MS.), He hote hem charge seuen somers Wiþ riche rede itried golde. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 3140, xxiiij. Vytaylers..By-fore hymen dryue þay somers. c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode i. cxlvii. (1869) 75 Thou hast..thin soomeer that after thee shal come bihynde, which shal bere thin armure. 1454 Acts Privy Counc. (1835) VI. 213 To the same Maistre Henry ij. karre horses, v. somers, and j. hak. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cxlv. 174 Some of the englysshmen..wanne somers, cartes, and caryages. 1577 Holinshed Desc. Brit. iii. i, The ancient use of somers and sumpter horses is in a maner utterlie relinquished. |
| β 1404 Durh. Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 397 In Stabulo, ij. palafridi, j. sommer. c 1470 Love's Bonavent. Mirr. xiv. (Sherard MS.), Where bene ȝoure..knyghtes,..horses and herneyes, charyotes and summeres. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 283 Some of the Englishmen..wanne Sommers, Cartes and cariages. 1592 W. Wyrley Armorie, Ld. Chandos 88 Foure vittailed sommers going vnto the same We met. 1601 F. Tate Househ. Ord. Edw. II, §30 (1876) 19 A serjant herbergeour of sommers and cart horses. |
b. In collective singular.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 4710 (Kölbing), Þai seiȝen hem com swiþe ner Seuen hundred charged somer, & seuen hundred cartes al so. |
2. A pack or burden, esp. one which is carried by a pack-horse.
| 13.. K. Alis. 5109 (Laud MS.), Ten thousande mules the kynges tresours,..berande heuy somers. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 8706, I pray yow..To ordeyne me a somer, Myn harneys ther-in for to karye. 1430–40 ― Bochas iv. xxiii. (1554) 120 [To] stuffe their somers with outragious pillage. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. xxiii. 24 b, I am content that ye bere with you as moche as ye may beare in males and somers. |
3. attrib., as somer-horse, somer nag, somer-saddle.
| 1384–5 Durh. Acc. Rolls (Surtees) 133 In uno Somersadell empt. pro hostilar. 1404 Ibid. 397, j. haknay sadyll, ij. somersadyll. c 1450 Erle Tolous 817 Somer-horsys he let go before, And charyettys stuffud wyth store. 1503 Will of Etton (Somerset Ho.), A somer bay nag. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vii. (1811) 306 Kynge Rycharde..toke y⊇ kynges sommer horse, with parte of his tresoure. |
▪ II. somer
obs. form of summer n. and v.
▪ III. somer
var. sommer adv.