▪ I. tumbrel1, tumbril
(ˈtʌmbrəl, -ɪl)
Forms: 4 tombrel, 4–5 tumberell, tumrelle, 5 tomberel, tomerel, tumrel, 5–7 tumbrell, 6 -e, tumrell, tomberell, -brill, 6–8 -brell, 7 -bril, 8 tumbral, 9 dial. tumril, 6– tumbrel, -il; also 6–7 timbrell.
[ad. med.L. tumb(e)rellum (Du Cange), -ellus, OF. tumb-, tomberel, tummerel, tumerel, -il, etc., fall, chute, tip-cart, dung-cart, trebuchet (13th c. in Godef.), mod.F. tombereau ‘a Tumbrell or Dung-cart’ (Cotgr.), a tipcart for carting and shooting dung, sand, stones, etc., f. tomber to let fall, tumble out. (No record in French of its use in punishment.)]
1. An instrument of punishment, the nature and operation of which in early times is uncertain; from 16th c. usually identified with cucking-stool, q.v. See also thew n.2, trebuchet 4.
For full account of the word, with additional quots., see Dr. Brushfield's article quoted below.
| [1223 Bracton's Note Bk. (1887) III. 504 Et Radulfus quesitus quando leuauit tumberellum et per quod warantum, dicit quod de nouo et ea occasione quod habet tumberellum in quodam manerio suo in comitatu Essexie, et bene putauit quod per libertatem illam illum leuare potuit. Et quia nulla fuit mencio in carta Dom. Regis de tali libertate, consideratum est quod tumberellus prosternatur et Radulfus in misericordia. 1266–7 Judicium Pillorie in Stat. Realm (1810) I. 201/1 Si aliquis senescallus vel ballivus..remiserit judicium pillorie vel tumbrelli adjudicatum.] 1313–14 Eyre of Kent (Selden Soc.) III. 182 Cely qvad amendes dassisse de payn et de servoise il ad pillori et tombrel [v.rr. turmberell, turmelle]. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. 345 Syr Hughe..punysshed the bakers for lacke of syze by the tumberell [1568 Grafton tomberell] where before tymes they were punysshed by the pyllery. Ibid. 385 Myllers for stelyng of corne to be chastysed by y⊇ tumbrell. 1538 Elyot, Numellæ, a tumbrelle, wherein menne be punysshed, hauyng their heedes and fete put into it. 1581 Lambarde Eiren. i. xii. (1588) 67 Setting on the Pillorie or Cucking stoole, which in old time was called the Tumbrell. 1607 Cowell Interpr., Cucking stoole..is an engine inuented for the punishment of scolds and vnquiet women, called in auncient time a tumbrell... Kitchin, where he saith, that euery one hauing view of Frankpledge, ought to haue a pillorie and a tumbrell, seemeth by a tumbrell to meane the same thing [i.e. a cucking-stool]. a 1634 Coke On Litt. iii. ci. (1648) 219 Those that have been adjudged to the Pillory, or Tumbrell, are so infamous [as not to be admitted to give evidence]. 1688 Ducking Tumbrel [see ducking-stool]. 1857–9 T. N. Brushfield Obs. Punishments ii. Cucking Stool (1861) 5 In the Statutes, manorial claims, and law books, [the cucking stool] is usually alluded to as a tumbrel or tre⁓buchet. Ibid. 9 From the 15th c., the identity of the meaning of the two terms [cucking stool and tumbrel] is easily proved. |
† 2. A counterpoise beam for raising a well-bucket. Obs. rare.
| c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 799/36 Nomina Aquarum... Hoc tolumen, a tumrelle. 1483 Cath. Angl. 396/1 A Tumrelle of A wele,..ciconia, tollinum. |
3. A cart so constructed that the body tilts backwards to empty out the load; esp. a dung-cart.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 496/2 Tomerel, donge cart. Ibid. 506/1 Tumrel, donge carte, fimaria, titubatorium. 1481–90 Howard Househ. Bks. (Roxb.) 174 Item, Gante is owing for another day with his tomberel. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. 495 He was..sette in a tumbrell, & therunto fastenyd with chaynes of iren, and so conueyed, bareheded, with dynne and crye, thorough the hyghe stretes of Parys tyll he came vnto the bysshoppes palays. 1620 Markham Farew. Husb. (1625) 69 Any clay earth..you shall carry it in tumbrels or carriages to the new plowed ground. 1632 Foxe's A. & M. III. Contin. 69/1 The dead bodies..were conueyed in tumbrils out of the citie. 1700 Dryden Cock & Fox 251 My corps is in a tumbril laid; among The filth and ordure, and enclos'd with dung. 1856 R. A. Vaughan Mystics (1860) I. 281 He sees..the emissaries of the Pope..dragged through the streets in a scavenger's tumbril. 1901 Essex Weekly News 8 Mar. 3/3 The frequent tipping of the tumbril. |
† b. app. transf. to a lumbering cart. Obs.
Cf. also tumbler 7.
| 1597–8 Bp. Hall Sat. v. iv. 14 A Friezeland trotter halfe⁓yarde deepe To drag his tumbrell through the staring Cheape. 1699 Garth Dispens. v. 57 Haspt in a Tombril, awkwardly you've shin'd With one fat Slave before, and none behind. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 51 ¶1 He sometimes rode in an open Tumbril, of less Size than ordinary, to show the Largeness of his Limbs. 1800 Weems Washington vi. (1877) 44 And he assisted him in a tumbril or little cart. |
c. fig. Applied to a person or his gorge.
| 1601 Weever Mirr. Mart. E iij b, But by misfortune t'was the Abbots land Whereas we lay; so by his priuie spies The fat-backt tumbrell soone did vnderstand. 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Laugh & be fat Wks. ii. 72/1 Thou mightst relate At thy returne, their manners liues and law, Belcht from the tumbrell of thy gorged maw. |
† 4. transf. A flat-bottomed boat or barge; cf. tumbrel boat in 7; also fig. applied to a person loaded with drink. Obs.
| 1468 Medulla Gram. in Cath. Angl. 396 note, Cimbula, a tomerel [cf. c 1050 Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 379/16 Cimbula, lytlum scipe]. a 1625 Fletcher Woman's Prize iii. ii, There rid (like a Dutch hoy) the Tumbrel. When she had got her Ballast..How fain [etc.]. 1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode iii. ii, Have you taken notice of the gallegh I brought over?.. 'Tis as easily known from an English Tumbril, as an Inns of Court-man is from one of us. 1700 Congreve Way of World iv. ii, Good lack! what shall I do with this beastly tumbril [a drunken man]? |
5. Mil. A two-wheeled covered cart which carries ammunition, tools, or sometimes money for an army.
| 1715 Lond. Gaz. No. 5383/3 We have..carried off..Tombrells with Ammunition. 1803 Wellesley in Owen Desp. (1877) 393 Sixty-four tumbrils, completely laden with ammunition, together with three tumbrils of money. 1859 Jephson Brittany xvi. 267 In our Artillery the guns are..drawn by horses, and the men sit on the ammunition-tumbrels. |
6. A square rack for holding fodder in the open field or yard. dial.
| 1635 Bp. J. Williams Articles Enq. Linc. A iv, Tumbrels, or other things in your church-yard, to fodder cattell in. 1840 Boston Advert. 30 June 3/4 We went together into the crew, and found some eggs under a tumbril. 1870 Daily News 6 Dec., A small quantity of linseed cake, crushed fine, scattered upon the top of the provender, as it is placed in the tumbrils. |
7. attrib. and Comb., as tumbrel boat, tumbrel cart, tumbrel load, tumbrel post (sense 6), tumbrel-slop (cf. 3 b); tumbrel-shaped adj.
| 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. xv. (Roxb.) 26/1 A *Tumbrell boate, or flat bottomed boate or Turnell boate. |
| 1852 J. Wiggins Embanking 101 The application of chalk rubbish, i.e. soft chalk, to the land, after the rate of at least ten *tumbril cart-loads per acre. |
| 1764 Museum Rust. III. lxiii. 292, I have mentioned a *tumbrel-load to be thirty bushels, and a waggon-load to be but two tumbrels. |
| 1821 Bill in N.W. Linc. Gloss. (1877) s.v., 12 *tumprill posts at 1s. 3{supd}. |
| 1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. ii. ii, I'le goe neere to fill that huge *tumbrell-slop of yours, with somewhat, an I have good luck. 1826 Hor. Smith Tor Hill (1838) II. 279 That French tumbril-slop is transcendant. |
| 1776 Evelyn's Sylva i. ii. 43 The water might fall..like drops of rain; which I should much prefer before the barrels and *tumbral way. |
▪ II. † tumbrel2 Obs. rare—1.
In 3 tumberel.
[app. deriv. of OF. tumber, tomber to tumble; cf. tumbler 3, the porpoise (obs.), the young codfish (Eng. Dial. Dict.).]
A kind of fish.
| c 1300 Havelok 757 Keling he tok, and tumberel, Hering, and þe makerel, Þe butte, þe schulle, þe þornbake. |
▪ III. tumbrel(le
obs. forms of timbrel n.1