truchman
(ˈtrʌtʃmən)
Forms: 5 tourcheman, (6 trooche-, truce-, trowch-, trounch-, trush-, treush-man, Sc. trwcheman, trunsche-), 6–7 truche-, trouch(e)-, (trunch-), treuch-, 7 trudgeman, 6– truchman.
[ad. med.L. turchemannus, F. trucheman (Cotgr. 1611), truchement = It. turcimanno, Sp. trujaman, ad. Arab. turjamān (also tarjumān, tarjamān), interpreter, the same word which through Gr. and med.L. appears as dragoman. The Arabic letter jim which is now generally j was orig. g, like Heb. gimel, the early form of the word being targumān, f. targama to translate: cf. Targum.]
An interpreter.
| 1485 Caxton Paris & V. (1868) 77 Thenne sayd parys vnderstondeth he mouryshe and they sayd nay but..yf he wold speke to hym they should find tourchemen ynough. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. clxxi. [clxvii.] 503 They..toke a truchman that coulde speke Italyan, and commanded hym to go to the crysten host. 1575 Gascoigne Flowers, Maske Visct. Mountacute Wks. 1907 I. 85 He may your Trounchman bee, Your herald and ambassador. 1577 Stanyhurst Descr. Irel. in Holinshed (1808) VI. 4 If a traveller of the Irish had..spoken Irish, they would command him..to..speake English, or els bring his trouchman with him. 1578 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 287 Torche bearers with the troocheman. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage v. xvii. (1614) 543 Suborning his Trudge-man..to poyson or murder him by the way. 1679 Blount Anc. Tenures 17 Beneath Whittington in Shropshire, one Wrenoc..held Lands by the service of being Latimer, that is, Trucheman or Interpreter, between the English and the Welshmen. 1888 Doughty Arabia Deserta I. 175 Their truch-man in entering Moses' valley had paid out presents to the Howeytât sheykhs. |
b. fig.
| 1585 Jas. I Vranie 124 Poets..Dame Naturs trunchmen, heauens interprets trewe. 1637 Suckling Aglaura ii. i, Our soules..will not need that duller truch-man Flesh. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Cypress Grove Wks. (1711) 126 Formed..to be the interpreter and trunchman of His creation. a 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) II. 405 He is a Truch-Man, that interprets between learned Writers and gentle Readers. |
Hence † ˈtruchmanry Obs., the office or function of an interpreter; so † truch sprite nonce-wd., a spirit acting as interpreter or messenger; † ˈtruchwoman Obs. [cf. Mussulwoman], a female interpreter.
| 1573 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 217 For the Tronchwoman's Heade and for vii Hatbandes for the men Maskers. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis iv. (Arb.) 107 Latelye toe mee posted from Ioue thee truch sprit, or herrald Of Gods. 1663 Sir G. Mackenzie Religio Stoici 97 To teach that sensual croud, by the trunchmanrie of sense. |