† ˈdisour Obs. (exc. Hist.)
Forms: 4 disur, disour, dyssour, 4–6 dysour, 5 dysowre, 6 disor, dyser, dyzar, disare, dissar, (9 Hist. dissour, disour).
[a. OF. disour, -eor, -or, -eur, agent-n. from dire, dis-ant to say. Cf. Pr. dizedor, Sp. decidor, It. dicitore, repr. a Romanic type *dīcitōrem, from L. dīcĕre to say, tell. See also dizzard.]
A (professional) story-teller; a reciter of ‘gestes’; a jester.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 27932 (Cott.) Speche o disur, rimes vnright, gest of Jogolur. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) Prol. 75, I mad nought for no disours..Bot for þe luf of symple menne, Þat strange Inglis canne not kenne. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 50 Hold not þou with harlotes, here not heore tales..For þei ben þe deueles disours, I do þe to vndurstonde. 1377 Ibid. B. xiii. 172 ‘It is but a dido’, quod þis doctour, ‘a dysoures tale’. 1496 Dives & Paup. (W. de W.) ix. vi. 355/2 This mynstrall is the worlde whiche playeth with folke of this worlde as a mynstrall as a Jogulour and as a dysour. 1530 Palsgr. 214/1 Dissar, a scoffer, saigefol. 1532 More Confut. Tindale Wks. 374/1 He playeth the deuils disor euen in this point. 1801 Strutt Sports & Past. iii. iii. 162 The conteurs and the jestours, who are also called dissours, and seggers..were literally tale-tellers. 1890 Q. Rev. Oct. 439 Disours, jongleurs, gleemen. |