cummer, kimmer Sc.
(ˈkʌmə(r), ˈkɪmə(r))
Forms: 4 commare, 6 cummar, comere, 7 comer, 6– cummer, 8– kimmer.
[a. F. commère (= Pr. comaire, Sp. and It. comadre):—late L. commāter (Laws of Lombards), f. com- together with + māter mother.]
1. A godmother, in her relationship to the other god-parents and the parents of the child; a commother.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 986 Þou man or womman, be nat so wylde To holde to þe bysshope þyn owne chylde, For ȝyf þou do, þou art commare To hym þat hyt gat or bare. 1566 in Diurnal of Occurrents (1833) 102 To nominat ane woman in Scotland to be cummar to our soueranis to the bapteising of our prince thair sone. a 1670 Spalding Troub. Chas. I (1792) II. 105 (Jam.) An honest burgess of Aberdeen caused bring to the kirk a bairn..to be baptised..and conveened his gossips and comers, as the custom is. 1730 in Chambers Dom. Ann. Scot. III. 572 Towards the end of the week, all the friends are asked to what was called the Cummers' Feast. |
2. A female companion or intimate; a gossip.
| 1500–20 Dunbar Rycht Airlie on Ask Weddinsday 2 Drynkand the wyne satt cumeris tway. Ibid. 11 ‘My fair, sweit cummer’ quod the tuder. 1644 Baillie in Z. Boyd Zion's Flowers (1855) Introd. 34, I thank my cummer your wife heartily. 1658 R. Franck in A. M{supc}Kay Hist. Kilmarnock 7 Their wives are sociable comers. 1790 Scots Songs II. 7 My kimmer and I lay down to sleep. 1820 Scott Monast. viii, A special cummer of my ain. |
3. A woman, a female; familiarly applied, like ‘fellow’ to a man. With various local specific applications, e.g. young woman, lass, girl, witch, wise-woman, midwife, etc.
| 17.. Humble Beggar in Herd Collect. (1776) II. 29 (Jam.) Vow, kimmer, and how do ye? 1745 Song, What's a' the steer, kimmer? 1785 Burns 2nd Ep. to Lapraik x, Fortune..the kittle kimmer. 1806 Train Poetical Reveries 89 (Jam.) She in travail was..No kindly kimmer nigh there was To mitigate her pain. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. xxiii, ‘That's a fresh and full-grown hemlock..mony a cummer lang syne wad hae sought nae better horse to flee..through mist and moonlight.’ 1821 Blackw. Mag. Jan. 402 (Jam.) It's a bonnie sight to see so mony stark youths and strapping kimmers streaking themselves sae eydently to the harvest darke. 1875 F. I. Scudamore Day Dreams 13 In presence of the good cummers of Newhaven. |