▪ I. † warray, v. Obs.
Forms: α. 4 werrai, werri(e, (werhai, werrei, weirai), 4–5 werray(e, werrey(e, 5 verray, (verrie, werrye), 4–6 werry; β. 4 warrai, wary, Sc. varray, varra, warra, 4–5 warry, 4–6 warrey, 4–6, 8–9 arch. warray.
[ME. werreye, a. OF. werreier, dial. var. of guerreier (mod.F. guerroyer) = Pr. guerreiar, Sp., Pg. guerrear, It. guerreggiare; a Com. Rom. formation on *werra war n.1]
1. trans. To make war upon, ravage by war. = war v. 1.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 7338 Men werraid þam on ilka side. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xxxiv. 1 Crist..says..werray [Vulg. expugna], that is ouercum, thaim that fightis agaynes me in ded. 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 646, I trow he sall nocht mony a day Haue will to warra that cuntre. c 1386 Chaucer Sqr.'s T. 2 At Sarray in the land of Tartarye Ther dwelte a kyng that werreyed Russye. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. ii. i. 7 Nynus..Tuk vp armys to warray [v.r. verray] Seyr landis þat about hym lay. c 1450 Merlin xx. 320 We go the gladlyer..to turneyen a-gein these sarazins that this londe do werryen. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 140 Gif a lady..is warraid with a hautane knycht of Gascoyne. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vii. (1811) 458 Iohn duke of Normandy..herynge that his father was thus warreyed w{supt} the Kynge of Englonde, brake vp his syege and came..vnto his father. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. v. 48 And them long time before, great Nimrod was, That first the world with sword and fire warrayd. Ibid. ii. x. 50. Ibid. ii. x. 72. 1594 Selimus B 3 b, But after Ninus, warlike Belus sonne; The earth with vnknowne armour did warray. 1600 Fairfax Tasso i. vi, Sixe yeeres were ronne since first in martiall guize The Christian Lords warraid the eastren land. |
b. transf. and fig.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 23752 Þe flexs.., Þe werld.., Þe warlau.., Þis werrais vs on ilk side. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints ii. (Paul) 541 Saule, saule, quhy warrais þou me? c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶401 Impacient is he that wol nat been ytaught ne vndernome of his vice and by strif werreieth [v.r. werreth] trouthe wityngly. c 1400 Rom. Rose 3917 Bothe in cloistre and in abbey Chastite is werreyed over-al. c 1430 Lydg. Compl. Bl. Knt. 665 Jelousye..That hath so longe,..Werreyed Trouthe with his tirannye. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 17 Sanct Augustyne, sanct Jerome,..with mony othir quhilkis warrayd the inymyes of the faith. 1595 Spenser Amoretti xliv, This continuall cruell ciuill warre, The which my selfe against my selfe doe make: Whilest my weak powres of passions warreid arre. 1768 Downman Land of Muses xlix, With this she oft hath Villainy warray'd. |
2. intr. To make war. Const. on, upon, against; also to warray forth. = war v. 2.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2493 Four kinges werraiid a pon fiue. Ibid. 21872 Folk þai sal gain oþer rise To werrai samen mani wise. Ibid. 24766 A king was hight willam basterd, Þat warraid in jngland ful hard. c 1374 Chaucer Former Age 25 What sholde it han avayled to werreye [v.r. warrey]? Ther lay no profyt ther was no rychesse. 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 140 [He] That was than in the haly land, On saracenys warrayand. Ibid. xii. 363 Bot quha sa varrayis vrangwisly, Thai faynd god all too gretumly. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxii. 145 Þou schall fynd na thing with vs wharfore þou schuld werray vpon vs. 1430–40 Lydg. Bochas viii. i. (1558) 2 b/2 First agaynste Parthois he cast him to werrey. ? 1436 in Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 167 Oure meny wode Wyth grete poure passed overe the ffloode, And verrie forth into the dukes londe. c 1470 Hardyng Chron. (1812) Pref. 1 At sextene yere, to werray and to wage, To juste and ryde. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. x. 21 Ebranck..warreyd on Brunchild In Henault. 1600 Holland Livy ix. xvii. 325 In case he had fought the Carthaginian were first (for if he had lived he ment to have warried there) and then passed over into Italie. |
b. transf. and fig.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 32 On charite ai werrais wreth. Ibid. 727 Bath þai werhaid on adam, For to bring him in to blam. Ibid. 7548 Goddes euer on rightwis side, werraiand again wrangwis pride. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xvi. 14 The whilk toke my saule to werray with the kyngdome of wickidnes. c 1450 Lydg. Life our Lady lxiv. (1484) i viij b, It yaue hem myght to make resistence Ageyn synne and knyghtly to warreye. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 110 Thare suld na subject obey till his soverane to werrey agaynis his God. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. v. 48 Thus warreid he long time against his will. |
Hence ˈwarraying vbl. n., warring; persecution. ˈwarraying ppl. a. (also absol., a persecutor = warrior 1).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 19602 Lat we nu þe prechurs stand, For to spek of a warraiand; Saulus soght aiquar and thrett All þe cristen he wit mett. Ibid. 27259 Enentes knightes, & mistakyng and namli wrangwis warraing [v.r. werraing]. 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 650 Bot ȝe wat nocht quhat-kyn forton Ȝhe mon dre in ȝour warraying. Ibid. v. 140. c 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. ii. i. 91 With moo than one manere of werreyng. 1513 Douglas æneis xii. x. 33, I sal distroy..the tovn, Quhilk is the caus of all our werying. 1852 Fraser's Mag. XLV. 649/2 Those world-warraying heroes that left in every land of Europe the memory of their incredible valour. |
▪ II. warray
obs. Sc. form of very.