† quamire Obs.
Also 6 -myre, -mier, 8 dial. whamire.
[? var. of quall- or quavemire: see quagmire, and cf. Sc. quaw-mire s.v. quaw.]
A quagmire, bog. Also fig.
| 1555 Eden Decades 99 Muddy marysshes full of suche quamyres that men are oftentymes swalowed vp in them. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 75 For quamier get bootes. 1587 Golding De Mornay iii. 32 If we wil get out of the Quamyre of our sinnes. Ibid. xix. 302 Orpheus..as for the wicked..burieth them in a quamire. 1703 Thoresby Let. to Ray 27 Apr. (E.D.S.), Whamire, a quagmire. |