▪ I. † hure, n. Obs.
Also 3 huyre, 5 hwyr, hvyr, huwyr, huer.
[a. OF. hure hair of the head, head of man or beast (12th c. in Littré), in mod.F. a dishevelled head of hair, head of certain animals; cf. med.L. hūra ‘pileus villosus’ (Du Cange), early mod.Du. hure ‘caput apri aut cerui’ (Kilian), OSp. hura; for conjectures as to the origin, see Diez.]
1. A cap.
| c 1290 Beket 2075 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 166 Þare wende forth on of heom and is huyre [v.r. hure] of him drouȝ And is mantel a-non after-ward. c 1305 Pol. Songs (Camden) 156 Ther sit an old cherl in a blake hure. c 1400 A. Davy Dreams 59 Vpon his heuede sat an gray hure. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 252/2 Hwyr, cappe (v.rr. hvyr, hure; tena. c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 376 Y hed leuer þe sight of that than A Scarlet hure. 1482 [see hurrer]. |
2. The head of a boar, wolf, or bear.
| [1828 Berry Encycl. Herald. Gloss., Hure is the French term for the head of a wild boar, bear, wolf, or other such like wild animal; but not for those of lions, or other creatures said to be noble.] 1844 Camp of Refuge I. 65 Of the wild boars..only the hure or head was served up. 1861–2 Thackeray Philip I. xiii. 289 You never knew that you yourself had tusks, little eyes in your hure; a bristly mane to cut into tooth-brushes. |
▪ II. † hure, adv. Obs.
Also 2 hwure, hur.
[OE. huru, of obscure origin. Cf. Sw. huru how.]
a. At least, least of all; anyhow; at any rate; with a negative: Even. b. Certainly, especially.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. §20 Se Estmere is huru fiftene mila brad. c 1000 Laws of Ethelred viii. c. 9 (Schmid) Be emnihte oððe huru be Ealra Halᵹena mæssan. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 45 Þet þu heom ȝefe rest la hwure þen sunne dei. Ibid. 131 Ne prophete ne patriarche ne hure Sancte iohannes baptiste. c 1230 Hali Meid. 41 Ne kepeð he wið na mon & hure wið his famon. |
c. Often doubled, hure and hure (hurend h.).
| a 1175 Coll. Hom. 237 Þes lare and laȝe swiðe acolede þurh manifea[l]d senne and hur and hur þurh false godes. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 49 Habbe we hurend hure mildshipe of duue. a 1250 Owl & Night. 11 And hure and hure of oþres songe Hi heolde plaiding swiþe stronge. |
▪ III. hure
see eure, ewer2, her prons., hire, hour, our, whore.