† ˈprimerole Herb. Obs.
Forms: 4–5 primerole, 5 -erolle, prymrol, 5–6 -erol(le.
[ME. a. OF. primerole (13–15th c. in Godef.), dim. of OF. prime first (cf. féverole, pommerole, etc.), and thus rendering or corresponding to med.L. prīmula, dim. of prīma first.]
A name given to one or more early spring flowers, esp. to the cowslip (? including the primrose) and the field daisy. b. fig. A pretty young woman.
The early literary uses in OF. and ME. are not sufficient to identify the plant meant. The Great Herbal, Fr. ed. of c 1475, Eng. of c 1516, identifies it with the Cowslip, St. Peter's wort, or Palsywort, Primula veris; in mod. Norman dialect primerole (plumerole, pomerole) is a popular name of the Primrose, and this may have been the case in England also: see primrose, primula. But Alphita, c 1450, distinctly identifies it with the field daisy, Bellis perennis.
| a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. v. 26 The primerole he [= she] passeth, the parvenke of pris. a 1350 Song in Anglia (1907) XXX. 175 Wat was hire mete The primerole ant the violet. c 1386 Chaucer Miller's T. 82 Hir shoes were laced on hir legges hye She was a prymerole, a piggesnye. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 125 The frosti colde Janever,..of his dole He yifth the ferste Primerole. Ibid. 130 Canis minor..His Ston and herbe, as seith the Scole, Ben Achates and Primerole. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 42 Þo prymrol, violet, þou take þerto Town cresses, and cresses þat growene in flode,..Alle þese erbs þou noȝt forsake, But lest of prymrol þou shalle take. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 242 The honysoucle, the freisshe prymerollys, Ther levys splaye at Phebus up-rysyng. 14.. Noble Bk. Cookry (1882) 57 Strawe ther on flour of prymerolle. c 1450 ME. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 224 Drynke ofte þe jus of calamynte, or drynke pouder of primerole. c 1450 Alphita (Anecd. Oxon.) 146 Primula ueris, prima rosa, gallice et anglice primerole. Respice in consolida minor. [Consolida minor, primula ueris idem, ossa fracta consolidat, gallice, le petite consoude, angl. dayseghe [MS. waysegle] uel bonwort, uel brosewort. Respice in uenti minor. Venti minor, consolida minor idem, an. Bonwrt, a. dayesegh.] c 1516 Grete Herball cccl. T v, Primula veris is called prymerolles. Some call it saynt peterworte. Other paralisie. It is called prymerolle or primula of pryme tyme, because it beareth the fyrst floure in pryme tyme. [Fr. Est appellee primerole ou primule de ver ou de printemps pour ce qu'elle pourte la premiere fleur en printemps.] |