† ˈsomner Obs.
Forms: α. 4 som(e)nour, 5 somenor, 6 sommenor. β. 4 somenere, 4, 6–7 somner.
[f. somene somne v.2, or a. AF. somnour.]
An official summoner. Also transf.
| α c 1320 Pol. Songs (Camden) 157 Ȝet ther sitteth somenours syexe other sevene. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 128 Sectoures and sudenes, somnoures and her lemmannes. 1474 Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) 350 Walter Wotlon somenor. 1570 Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees 1838) 342 John Roddh'm the sommen{supr}. |
| β 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iii. 59 Sysours and somners, shereyues and here clerkes. Ibid. x. 263 Hure salue ys of supersedeas in someneres boxes. 1521 Coventry Leet-Bk. 672 At suche tymes as they shal-be Reasonably warnyd by the somner. 1563 Homilies ii. Of Repentance iii, When the hyghest somner of all, whiche is death, shall come. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. xviii. 105 [They] haue like vnto Somners, as many brybes as they can carry away. 1608 Middleton Trick to catch Old One ii. i, They may do anything there, and fear neither beadle nor somner. |