▪ I. Norway1
(ˈnɔːweɪ)
[Repr. ME. Norwey, -wei, OE. Norweᵹ, ad. ON. Norvegr (earlier *-wegr), f. nor-, norðr north + veg-r way.]
The name of one of the Scandinavian countries, used attrib. to designate special kinds or varieties of plants or trees, animals, or things, as Norway berry, Norway birch, Norway fir, Norway maple, Norway spruce; Norway crow, Norway haddock, Norway rat; Norway deal, Norway neckcloth, Norway ragstone, Norway skiff, Norway yawl. (See quots. and the various ns.) Also Norway lobster = Dublin (Bay) prawn (Dublin); Norway pine (see pine n.2 2).
| 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland 141 Berries, the chief are those which the Swedes call Hiortron, some Dew-berries, or the *Norway Berry. |
| 1887 Bentley Man. Bot. 668 The common Birch yields the timber known as *Norway Birch. |
| 1848 Zoologist VI. 2258 The hooded crow is the *Norway crow. |
| 1731 Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Abies, The Common Firr, or Pitch Tree, sometimes called, The *Norway or Spruce Fir. |
| 1847 Carpenter Zool. §556 The Sebastes, or *Norway Haddock, which inhabits the northern seas, and is an important article of food. |
| 1777 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (ed. 4) IV. 17 Cancer Novegicus...*Norway. L[obster] with a long spiny snout. 1800 Shaw Naturalist's Misc. XII. pl. 464 Norway Lobster... This species is nearly equal in size to the common Lobster, and is principally found in the Northern ocean. 1911, 1963 [see Dublin (Bay) prawn s.v. Dublin]. |
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) I. 60/2 The platanoides, or *Norway-maple, grows naturally in Norway, Sweden, and other northern countries of Europe. 1882 Garden 25 Nov. 459/2 The Norway Maple is a beautiful tree. |
| a 1790 Potter Cant. Dict. (1795), *Norway neckcloth, the pillory. |
| 1720 R. Palmer Let. 4 Oct. in M. M. Verney Verney Lett. (1930) II. xxiv. 81, 36 *Norway Pines and Yews for a Hedge of 38 yards long. 1784 M. Cutler Jrnl. 22 July in Parker & Cutler Life & Corr. M. Cutler (1888) I. iii. 99 We rode five miles over pitch and Norway-pine plains, with very low shrubs. 1829 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Plants 804 The pitch pine, P[inus] resinosa is generally known in its native country by the name of Norway pine; sometimes, particularly among the Canadian French, red pine. 1838 J. F. Cooper Homeward Bound I. xvi. 252 [He] applied his knife to try the quality of the wood, and pronounced the Norway pine of the spars to be almost equal to anything that could be found in our own southern woods. 1896 M. E. Wilkins Madelon 1 There were evergreens—Norway pines, spruces and hemlocks—bordering the road. 1969 T. H. Everett Living Trees of World 51/1 Eastern American species with paired leaves include the red pine or Norway pine (P. resinosa). It may at first seem to be misnamed, but its popular designation refers to the Maine village of Norway and not to the land of the Vikings. 1973 Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, New Brunswick) 26 July 1 Dories are planked with Norway (Red) Pine and clench-fastened with galvanized boat nails. |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Norway Ragstone, the coarsest variety of the hone-slates, or whetstones. 1753–9 *Norway rat [see rat n.1 1]. 1781 Pennant Hist. Quadrup. II. 439 Norway Rat (the Brown Rat). |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 501 *Norway Skiff, a particularly light and buoyant boat, which is both swift and safe in the worst weather. |
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XIV. 762/1 The..European spruce fir..includes the *Norway spruce and long-coned Cornish fir. 1832 Planting 124/1 (L.U.K.), The Norway spruce is considered to attain..one hundred and fifty feet in height. 1882 Garden 20 May 350/3 Dwarf varieties of the Norway Spruce. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 501 *Norway Yawl, this, of all small boats, is said to be the best calculated for a high sea. |
▪ II. † Norway2 Obs. Forms:
pl. 2
Norweis, 4
-weies,
-weyes, 5
-weys; 4–5
-wais, 4, 6
-wayes;
Sc. 5
Norowais, 6
Norrowa(y)is.
[Prob. ad. AF. Norays, ONF. Noreis, with assimilation of form to prec.] pl. Norwegians.
| a 1200 O.E. Chron. (MS. C) an. 1066, Harold..& hys furde..þere michel wel ᵹesloᵹon, ᵹe Norweis ᵹe Flæming. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 38 Þe Danes vp aryued..Þat with Norwais Kerlion was destroied. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 347 Turgesius, duke and ledere of Norweyes, brouȝt þider Norwayes. c 1440 Partonope 1252 The Norweys are at his ledyng. c 1470 Henry Wallace x. 794 + 9 At Dunmoir, quhair first Norowais come in. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. III. 125 That tha supportit..The Norrowayis agane thair awin king. 1596 Spenser State Irel. Wks. (Globe) 678/1 The Muscovites, the Norwayes, the Gothes,..and many others doe witness the same. |