spurrey, spurry
(ˈspʌrɪ)
Forms: 6 sperie, 6–7 spury, 6– spurry, 7– spurrey.
[a. Du. spurrie (MDu. sporie; older Flem. speurie, spurie; WFris. sparje, sparre), prob. related in some way to med.L. spergula (whence G. spergel, spörgel, etc.).]
1. One or other of various species of herbaceous plants or weeds belonging to the genus Spergula, characterized by slender stems and very narrow leaves; esp. the common species corn spurrey (S. arvensis), occas. used as fodder for sheep and cattle; also, the genus to which these species belong.
| α 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. 38 b, The common people call it Spury, or Sperie. Ibid. 39 Such thinges as neede not muche moysture, are best sowed in lyght ground, as the great Clauer, Sperie, Chich. 1651 R. Child in Hartlib's Legacy (1655) 71 So we are ignorant what their Far or fine Bread Corn was, what their Lupine, Spury, and an hundred of this kind. |
| β 1578 Lyte Dodoens 56 Spurry hath round stalkes, with three or foure knots or ioyntes. 1611 Cotgr., Spurrie, Spurrie, or Franke; a Dutch hearbe, and an excellent fodder for cattell. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Spergula,..an Herb call'd Spurry, or Frank; Wood-rose, a kind of Liver-wort. 1799 W. Tooke View Russian Emp. III. 192 The pastures are richly furnished with spurry and golden clover. 1837 Flemish Husb. 37 in Husb. III. (L.U.K.), Spurry..is a plant which grows very rapidly in light sandy soils. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. III. 28/1 Spurry..is used on the Continent as a winter food for sheep. |
| γ 1671 Phillips (ed. 3), Spurrey, a sort of herb called in Latin Spergula. 1683 Lond. Gaz. No. 1806/4 An excellent new sort of Grass-Seeds, called Spurrey. 1764 Museum Rust. IV. 45 Spurrey, by them [sc. Flemings] called Marian⁓grasse. 1766 Compl. Farmer, Spurrey, the name of a weed common in many parts of England. 1837 Flemish Husb. 14 in Husb. III. (L.U.K.), Those [seeds] which grow rapidly between the reaping of one crop and the sowing of another, such as spurrey or turnips. 1880 Jefferies Hodge & Masters I. 27 The spurrey that filled the spaces between the stalks below. |
b. With distinguishing terms (see
quots. and 2).
| 1640 Parkinson Theat. Bot. 562 Both the Dutch and we in England call it Spurry or Franck Spurry, for the causes aforesaid, but I do a little more explaine the names, in calling it Francking Spurrewort. 1688 Holme Armorie ii. 98 Francking Spurry, or Spurwort. 1756 Hill Hist. Plants 185 Among the other useful plants cultivated in the neighbouring countries is the common spurrey. 1771 Encycl. Brit. III. 621/1 Spergula arvensis, or corn-spurrey. Ibid., Spergula pentandria, or small spurrey. |
c. attrib., as
spurrey-sandwort,
spurrey-seed.
| 1644 G. Plattes in Hartlib's Legacy (1655) 257 The Spurry-seed which you have gotten out of the Low-Countries. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 31 In the Low-Countries they usually sowe Spurrey-seed twice in a Summer. 1736 Bailey Househ. Dict. s.v. Poultry, When fowls are near their laying-time, spurry seed, and buck wheat is an excellent strengthening for them. 1856 A. Gray Man. Bot. (1860) 61 Spergularia, Spurrey-Sandwort... Low herbs, growing on or near the sea-coast. 1894 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. June 329 Adulterated..with spurry and other weed seeds. |
d. pl. Plants of this genus.
| 1882 Grant Allen Colours of Flowers ii. 39 Stitchworts..and cornspurries.., which have open flowers of a very primitive character. |
2. Applied, with distinguishing terms, to various species of plants allied to or resembling (and some formerly classed with) the genus
Spergula (see
quots.).
| 1828 Sir J. E. Smith Engl. Flora II. 339 Spergula saginoides. Smooth *Awl-shaped Spurrey. 1842 Penny Cycl. XXII. 333/2 Spergula saginoides, pearl-wort spurrey, and S. subulata, awl-shaped spurrey, are also natives of Great Britain. 1858 A. Irvine Handbk. Brit. Plants 768 Sagina saxatilis... Smooth Awl-shaped Spurrey. 1887 *Field Spurrey [see sandwort spurrey]. |
| 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Alsine, The chickweed called the *greater spurry. |
| 1771 Encycl. Brit. III. 621/1 Spergula nodosa, or *knotted spurrey. |
| 1891 Cent. Dict. s.v., Knotted spurry, more properly called knotted pearlwort, is Sagina nodosa. The *lawn⁓spurry (or properly lawn-pearlwort) is Sagina glabra. |
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 688/1 Spergula saginoides, *pearl⁓wort spurrey, has smooth, linear, opposite leaves. |
| 1777 Jacob Cat. Plants 111 Arenaria rubra, *Purple Spurrey. 1796 Withering Brit. Pl. (ed. 3) II. 422 Arenaria rubra,..Purple Spurrey, or Sandwort, [grows in] sandy meadows and corn⁓fields. |
| 1866 Treas. Bot. 1089/1 *Sand Spurry. Spergularia. |
| 1887 Cassell's Encycl. Dict. s.v. Spergularia, Two [species] are British: Spergularia rubra, Field, and S. marina, Sea⁓side *Sandwort Spurrey. Both have red flowers. |
| 1756 Hill Hist. Plants 185/2 There is another species, the common *sea spurrey. 1777 Jacob Cat. Plants 110 Arenaria marina, Small flowered Sea-spurrey. |