▪ I. † garse, n. Obs.
Forms: 3 garce, 4 gerse, 5 gaarce, 6 garsshe, 3, 5–8 garse. See also gash.
[a. OF. *garse, noun of action f. garser (see garse v.); cf. med.L. garsa, gersa incision, scarification.]
A cut, incision, gash.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 258 Þeo ilke reouðfulle garcen [T. garses] of þe luðere skurgen. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 3693 Þe dent of þat sper..Of ys skyn a litel hit nam. Richard gan grope to þat gerse. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 186/1 Gaarce, scarificacio, sesura, inscisio, scissura. 1530 Palsgr. 224/1 Garsshe in wode or in a knyfe, hoche. 1611 Cotgr., Chiqueture, a cutting; a gash, cut, garse. [1783 Ainsworth's Lat. Dict. (Morell) 11, Incisura, a cut, gash, or garse.] |
▪ II. † garse, v. Med. Obs.
[a. OF. garser, jarser to scarify; in mod.F. gercer (dial. jarcer) to chap, open in cracks, in which sense Palsgr. has garscher. OF. garser glosses caraxāre (= char-), L. form of Gr. χαράσσειν to cut, incise: its identification with this word involves phonological difficulties, but is more plausible than the view of Diez that it represents a pop. L. type *carptiāre, f. carpĕre to pull, pluck. The development of Eng. garsh, gash from garse is obscure; Palsgrave's French form is perhaps not to be relied on.]
trans. To scarify, to make a series of cuts or incisions in. Also absol.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vii. iii. (1495) 224 It is good to garse the legges byneth that the humours..may be drawe from the heed downwarde to the nether partyes. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 18 A surgian vndoiþ þat þat is hool, whanne he letiþ blood, eiþer garsiþ, eiþer brenneþ. 1541 R. Copland Guydon's Quest. Chirurg. Q j b, Gyue it small fyllyps with your nayle and garse it a newe that it may blede well. |
▪ III. garse
(measure for rice): see garce.