† druery, drury Obs.
Forms: α. 3–4 druery, -rie, driwerie, drywery, -orie, 4 drew-, drou-, druwery(e; β. 3–5 drury, -ri, 4 dreury, drwry(e, 4–5 drurie, -rye, drewri(e, -ry, drowry, 5 droury, drewre, 6 Sc. drou-, drowrie, (9 Sc. drurie).
[a. OF. druerie, droerie, druirie love, friendship (= It. druderia, med.L. drudaria Du Cange), f. dru, drut, friend: see drut.]
1. Love, esp. sexual love, love-making, courtship; often, illicit love, amour.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 330 Uor þe deore driwerie þet he haueð to his deore spuse, þet is, to þe cleane soule. c 1275 Sinners Beware 158 in O.E. Misc. 77 Þeos prude leuedies Þat luuyeþ drywories, And brekeþ spusynge. c 1300 Cursor M. 23786 (Edin.) A litil lust, A drewri [v.rr. druri, dreuri, dreury] þat es bot a dust. 1375 Barbour Bruce viii. 498 Than mycht he weill ask ane lady Hir amouris and hir drowry. c 1386 Chaucer Sir Thopas 184 Of ladies love and druerie Anon I wol you tell. c 1460 Launfal 995 That he never, yn no folye, Besofte the quene of no drurye. |
2. A love-token, keepsake, gift, present. (In Sc. confused in sense with dowery: see drowrie.)
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 250 Þis was his driwerie þet he bileauede and ȝef ham in his departunge. 13.. K. Alis. 7610 By special messangere, Y wol sende hire love-drewry. ? a 1500 How Marchande dyd hys Wyfe betray 32 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 197 That y myȝt the bye some ryche drewre. 1550 Lyndesay Sqr. Meldrum 1003 He gaif hir ane lufe drowrie, Ane ring set with ane riche rubie. 1560 Rolland Crt. Venus iv. 562 Of thy auld Name I the deprive..To thy Drourie, and callis the Dalience. |
3. A beloved person, ‘love’, sweetheart.
| c 1315 Shoreham 131 Thou [Mary] art Crystes oȝene drury. 13.. K. Alis. 2214 Mony mon ther les his brothir..Mony maide hire drewery. a 1400 Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. (1867) 74 Jesu my dere, and my drewrye. c 1450 Henryson Mor. Fab. 19 You was our drowrie and our dayes darling. |
4. A beloved, prized, or precious thing, a treasure.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 21372 Quen it [the cross] had ben tua hundret yere Al vnder mold, þat druri dere..He did be funden thoru a wijf. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 7825 Þare es alkyn druryes and rychesce. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 85 Treuþe is þe Beste..Hit is as derworþe a drurie as deore god him-seluen. a 1400 Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. (1867) 87 So was þou daynte as drowry derely endent. |