† turtur Obs.
Forms: 1, 4–5 turtur, (3 gen. turtres), 4–7 turture, 5–6 -our, 6 -or.
[In OE. direct from L.; cf. OHG. turtur (Notker), OIcel. turturi. In ME. partly a. OF. turtre, tortre, tourtre, tourte, mod.F. tourtre; = Pr. tortre, It. tortore, -ora, OSp. tortora (Sp. tortola); all representing L. turtur-em, turtur, app. an echoic name, imitating the cooing of the dove.]
= turtle n.1
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter lxxxiii. 4 [lxxxiv. 3] Speara ᵹemoeted him hus & turtur nest hwer ᵹesettað briddas his. c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke ii. 24 Þætte sealdon..tuoe turturas vel tuoᵹe birdas culfras. 971 Blickl. Hom. 23 Tweᵹen culfran briddas..& tweᵹen turturan ᵹemæccan. c 1220 Bestiary 694 In boke is ðe turtres lif Writen o rime. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxiv. (Alexis) 231 Þane scho sad,..Þat but mak ay suld scho dwel As turtur. 1382 Wyclif Luke ii. 24 A peyre of turtris [1388 turturis]. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. xxxv. (Bodl. MS.), The Turture is a semple bridde. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 556 With whete & milk in this thi turturs fede. c 1450 Holland Howlat 127 The Turtour trewest, Ferme, faithfull and fast. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxxiv. 37 Swete gentill turtour, quhair is ȝour pete went? 1508 ― Tua Mariit Wemen 262 And be as turtoris in your talk,..Be dragonis baitht and dowis, ay in double forme. 1649 Jer. Taylor Gt. Exemp. i. Ad Sect. v. 81 The turtures..being an oblation. |
| attrib. c 1425 Cursor M. 11304 (Trin.) And elles who þat myȝte not so Shulde offer turtur doufes two. |