ambry, aumbry
(ˈɑːmbrɪ, æ-)
Forms: α. 4 armary, 6 armorie; β. 4–6 almarie, 5 -arye, -erye, 5–6 -ary, 5–7 -erie, 5–9 almery; γ. 6 awmery, amrye, 6–7 aumery, 8–9 awmry, aumry, -ie, (amrie); δ. 6–7 aumbrie, -bray, 6–9 aumbry (-brye, ambery, -brey), ambry.
[ad. L. armārium, in med.L. also almārium and almāria (cf. Pr. armari, Sp. and It. armario, It. armadio, Pg. almario, OFr. 12th c. arˈmarie, alˈmarie, 13th c. almaire, aumaire, aumoire, 16th c. refash. after L., armoire) a closet, chest, place for implements, tools, etc., f. arma gear, tools, arms + -ārium depot, as in herbarium, aquarium (cf. also armoury). The phonetic development was armarium, almarium (by dissimilation from following r, as in peregrinus, pelegrin, pilgrim), almary, almery, aumery (cf. palma, paulme, paume), aumry, aumbry (cf. slumere, slumber, numerus, number), ambry (cf. chaunt, chant); but aumry, without adscititious b, is retained in north. dial., in which alone the word is in living everyday use; see sense 2 a. Obs. in ordinary Eng. since c1600, but a familiar term in domestic and ecclesiastical antiquities, whence to some extent used as an archaism in various 16th c. spellings. In the form almery, corruptly confused with almonry, as if a place for alms. The same word has passed into Anglo-Ind. through Pg. almario and Urdu almārī as almirah.]
1. gen. A repository or place for keeping things; a storehouse, a treasury; a cupboard (either in the recess of a wall or as a separate article of furniture); a safe; a locker, a press.
| 1393 Langland P. Pl. C. xvii. 88 Auarice haþ almaries and yre-bounden cofres. 1463 in Bury Wills (1850) 29 The same keye to be leyd in an almarye..the almerye where the seid keyes shal lyn in. 1534 in Eng. Ch. Furn. (1866) 187 Item a playne awmery with ij litill chambers wythin with too lockes. 1535 Coverdale Jer. xxxviii. 11 Vnder an almery [Wyclif celer, 1611 treasurie] he gat olde ragges & worne cloutes. 1564 in Wills & Inv. N. Counties (1835) 219 A littel paynted ambry with ij doores. 1571 Ibid. 361 Ij owld chystes ijs. vjd...ij armoires jl. 1583 Stanyhurst Aeneis ii. (Arb.) 44 In this od hudge ambry [i.e. the Trojan horse] they ramd a number of hardye Tough knights. 1591 Percivall Span. Dict., Alhazéna, a hole in a wal to set things in, an Ambrie..Almário, an armorie, an ambrie, Armarium. 18.. Wordsworth in Myers Life (1881) 3, I possess..an almery, made in 1525, at the expense of a William Wordsworth. 1835 Beckford Recoll. 48 A press or ambery elaborately carved. 1842 Gresley Forest of Ard. 66 An almery or arched recess of compact brickwork, so constructed as to be impervious to fire. 1868 Morris Jason viii. 444 A little aumbrye, with a door o'er-gilt. |
b. Sometimes applied to a compartment of a cupboard, etc.; a ‘pigeon hole.’
| c 1530 Furn. Hen. VIII in Dom. Arch. III. 135 A cup⁓borde with ij smale ambries in yt. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. (1564) 5 A cupbourd full of almeries of joigners werke. 1570 Dee Math. Præf. 40 The Brasen Vessels, which in Theatres, are placed by Mathematicall order, in ambries, vnder the steppes. 1613 Purchas Pilgr. i. xviii. 97 This Moloch had seuen Roomes, Chambers, or Ambries therein. |
† c. fig. = ‘repository, treasury.’ Obs.
| 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 115 The tunge is the dore of the almerye of sapience. 1628 Sir R. Le Grys tr. Barclay's Argenis 148 In what Chest or Almerie of heaven..that former faculty be stored up. |
2. spec. The following are the chief uses: a. A place for keeping victuals; variously applied to a store-closet, pantry, or cupboard in a pantry; a wall-press; a dresser; a meat-safe, as in ‘ambry of hair,’ i.e. with sides of hair-cloth. arch. & dial.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xviii. cxii. (1495) 853 Noo token of meete founde in the almerye. 1440 Promp. Parv., Almery of mete kepynge, or a saue for mete, Cibutum. 1553 Midl. Counties Hist. Collec. I. 232 Item, an ambrey of heare xijd. a 1564 Becon Govern. Virtue Wks. 1843, 468 Cursed shall thine almary be and thy store. 1580 Tusser Husb. lxxv. ii, Some slouens from sleeping no sooner get vp, But hand is in aumbrie, and nose in the cup. 1590 Three Lords & Ladies in Hazl. Dodsley VI. 412 Like two mice in an ambery, that eat up all the meat. 1622 Dekker Virg. Martir ii. i. 37 Full of the same meat out of my ambrey. 1655 Mouffet & Benn. Health's Impr. (1746) 394 He baited at every Village..and swept clean the Ambery in every Inn. 1674 Ray N. Countr. Words 3 An Aumbry or Ambry or Aumery, A pantry or Cupboard to set victuals in. 1693 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. 82 An Ambry or Cupboards⁓head, Abacus, armorium. 1733 Ramsay Tea-T. Misc. (ed. 9) II. 181 An ark, an ambry, and a ladle. 1800 A. Carlyle Autobiogr. 440 Rummaging about in the awmry, however, I found at last about two pounds weight of cold roast veal. 1859 Mrs. Gaskell Round the Sofa II. 98 The polished oaken awmry, or dresser, of the state kitchen. 1868 G. Macdonald Rob. Falc. I. 203 Having escaped from his grandmother's aumrie. |
b. In a church: A cupboard, locker, or closed recess in the wall, for books, sacramental vessels, vestments, etc. arch.
| 1440 in Eng. Ch. Furn. (1866) 183 Item an almerie to kepe his vestmentes and bookes in. 1555 Fardle of Facions ii. xii. 301 Upon the right hande of the highe aulter, that ther should be an almorie, either cutte into the walle, or framed vpon it: in the whiche thei would haue the Sacrament of the Lordes bodye, the holy oyle for the sicke, and the Chrismatorie, alwaie to be locked. 1593 Rites Mon. Ch. Durh. (1842) 2 Three or four amryes in the wall pertaininge to some of the said altars. 1870 F. Wilson Ch. of Lindisf. 83 A lancet-arched aumbry or locker. |
† c. A place for books; library; archives. Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif Ezra iv. 15 Thou shall finde write in armaries [1388 cronyclis]. ― 2 Macc. ii. 13 These same thingis weren born in discripciouns, and the almeries of Neemye. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 240/3 A fisshar cast his hoke..and drewe up the bookes..without ony wetyng, lyke as they had ben kepte dylygently in an almarye. 1775 Ash, Almaria, The archives of a church. |
† d. A hutch for live-stock. Obs.
| 1572–3 Durh. Reg. Will of Eliz. Somner, To Bessye Somer an almerie for keping of conyes. |
¶ 3. Corruptly for almonry; (Almry or Ambry Close, Westminster, was originally Almonry Close.)
| 1593 Desc. Rites & Cust. Durh. (1842) 77 Certayne poore children, called the children of the almery, which was brought upp in learninge and mantayned with the almose of the Howse, havinge dyett in a lofte on the north side of the Abbey gates. 1597 J. Payne Royal Exch. 11 Let your doores and portalls in lyfe tyme, and not the churche porche after death be your almeries. 1603 Stow Surv. (1842) 176/2 Called the Elemosinary, or Almonry, now corruptly the Ambry, for that the alms of the abbey were there distributed to the poor. 1693 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. 185 An Aumbry or almonry, where the Almoner lives; Eleemosynarium. 1700 Leslie Right of Tithes, They had amberies for the daily relief of the poor. 1773 Gentlem. Mag. XLIII. 480 The bell to call the poor people to the adjacent almery. |
b. fig. Beneficence, bounty.
| a 1638 Mede Wks. i. xxiii. 88 Judge then..what account they make of God's Ambre. |