▪ I. wray
ME. or dial. var. wro.
▪ II. † wray, v.1 Obs.
Forms: α. 1 wrœᵹan, wreᵹan, 2 wreiᵹen, 3 wreȝen, wreiȝen (Orm. wreȝ(h)enn); 2 uureien, 2–3 wreien, 3 wreyen, 5 wreyyn; 3 wreiȝe, 3–4 wreie, 3–5 wreye, 4–5 wreȝe (5 wreythe), wregh(e, 4 wreȝ, wrei, 4–6 wrey; 4 wroie, wroye, 4–5 wraie, 5–6 wray (6 Sc. vray). β. 3–4 wryghe, 5 wrigh, 4–5 wryen, wrye, 4–6 wrie, 5–6 wry. γ. 5 Sc. wre, 8 north. dial. wree.
[Comm. Teut.: OE. wrœ́ᵹan, wréᵹan, = OFris. wrôgia, wrêia (WFris. wroegje, EFris. wrögje, wrög, NFris. wröge), MDu. wroeghen (Du. wroegen), OS. wrögjan (MLG. wrogen, wrugen, rogen, LG. wrogen, wragen, wrögen, rögen), OHG. ruogen (MHG. rüegen, G. rügen), ON. rœ́gja (Icel. rægja; Norw. r{obar}gja, Sw. röja), f. the stem wrōᵹ- (ON. róg slander, strife), with a variant wrōh- which appears in Goth. wrôhs accusation, wrôhjan to accuse.
By normal dialectal developments, three main forms of the stem appear in ME., viz. wrey or wray, wry, and northern wrē.]
I. 1. To accuse, denounce, or inform on (a person); to expose (one) by revealing or divulging information, etc., to one's harm, prejudice, or discredit; to charge with a crime, offence, fault, etc.; = bewray v. 2.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) D 74 Defferuntur, meldadun uel wroegdum. a 900 O.E. Martyrol. 10 Dec. 216 Ic cume eft on domes dæᵹ ond þe þonne wreᵹe beforan Crystes þrymsetle. c 1000 ælfric Saints' Lives ii. 184 Færde þa ardlice..to þam heah-ᵹeræfan..and begann hi to wræᵹenne. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1069, Her man wræᵹde ðone biscop æᵹelric on Burh, & sense hine to West mynstre. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 29 Ne mei þe deofel þe wreien on þan oðre liue. c 1200 Ormin 2889 He [sc. Joseph] wass ædmod & milde, I þatt tatt he ne wollde nohht Unnshaþiȝ wimmann wreȝhenn. c 1275 Passion of our Lord 84 in O.E. Misc. 39 Þe maystres of þe temple..For to vndernyme vre louerd..were euer abute..Þet heo hynemyhte wreye and don of lyf-daye. c 1330 Amis & Amil. 1090 Than told Sir Amis al that cas..And hou the steward gan hem wrain. 13.. Gosp. Nicodemus (G.) 204 Pilat..seþin to þe iewes..sayd: ‘Ȝe wrigh him wrangwisly’. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 2859 Sho hyr talde..How wikkedly that sho was wreghed, And how that traytyrs on hir leghed. c 1450 Northern Passion (MS. Ad.) 609 Þe Iewes..ledde hym..vn to..cayphase And by fore hyme þay gune hym wrye. 1480 Caxton Trevisa's Higden (1482) 167 b, Cithero..borwede of one scilla, but he was wryed er þe bargayne was made. |
| refl. c 1100 O.E. Chron. (MS. D) an. 1076, Walþeof eorl ferde ofer sæ & wreide hine sylfne & bæd forᵹyfenysse. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 27 Ȝif þu wreiest þe seolfen to þine scrifte. a 1225 Ancr. R. 304 Mon schal wreien him suluen ine schrifte. a 1300 Cursor M. 26706 Qua wil noght him⁓seluen wrei..nu ar he dei. Ibid. 16466, 26701, 26716, 26967. |
| fig. a 1225 Ancr. R. 306 Let..þouhtes munegunge wreie him, & bicleope him of misliche sunnen. a 1400 in Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. 741 In bremful bale he schal hit by, When concience his werk schal wrye. |
b. Const.
to (another),
of (a thing).
| a 900 O.E. Martyrol. 8 Nov. 202 Þa wreᵹdon þa oðre cræftiᵹan hy to þam casere. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxiii. 14 Ic nanne intingan findan ne mæᵹ on þisum men of þam þe ᵹe hine wreᵹað. c 1132 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1132, Þa com Henri abbot & uureide þe muneces of Burch to þe king. a 1225 Ancr. R. 172 He was sone iwreied to þe kinge Salomon. c 1308 Pol. Songs (Camden) 200 Ic am i-wreiid, Sire, to the, For that ilk gilt. 13.. Guy Warw. (A.) 3303 Here wil we no longer duelle: To þemperour y-wraid we beþ. c 1400 Pepysian Gosp. Harmony 95 Þe Jewes euerichon bigonnen hyn to wryen of many þinges. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun (Roxb.) 134 Antipater..was wryed to the Emperoure Julian. |
| fig. a 1200 Vices & Virtues 141 Ȝif ure hierte..us ne undernemeð naht ne ne wreihð of nane senne. |
| refl. a 1300 Cursor M. 26668 Þat þou..wrei þi-self and oþer noght O þi wicked werkes wroght. |
2. To declare or assert (something about another) by way of accusation or denunciation; to bring forward as a charge.
| a 900 O.E. Martyrol. 25 Aug. 152 Þa foron þa hæðnan bisceopas ond þæt wreᵹdon to þæs kyninges breðer. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 478 Þæt folc wrehton his modiᵹnysse to ðam casere. c 1200 Ormin 416 Þatt fand mann nan þing upponn hemm To wreȝenn, ne to tælenn. c 1350 Northern Passion (1916) II. 128 Somme..folwede [Jesus] þinges to here; Wat þey miȝte on him leye To þe Iuws vorto wrey. |
3. To reveal or disclose (something secret) perfidiously or prejudicially; to divulge with breach of trust; to betray;
= bewray v. 3.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 26690 Þat þou sa wrei aun dede, Þat na soigne be for þe lede. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 3656 Non com oȝain..To wray þe kinges parlement. 1387 Trevisa Higden VI. 281 But his counsaile was i-wried, and he was..i-closed in an abbay. 1398 ― Barth. De P.R. xvi. lxxxiii. (Tollem. MS.), Quyrin..; þis ston wryeþ and discouereþ in slep counsel and priuite. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 3546 Priamus has..spies That ȝoure consayl to him wries. c 1465 Eng. Chron. (Camden, 1856) 21 As sone as the said lordez wiste that thair counselle was discovered and wraid, they fledde. 1563 Mirr. Mag., Lord Hastings xlvii, Alas, are counsels wryed to catch the goode? 1576 Gascoigne Steele Glas 128 Cut out my tong,..Least I should wraye this bloudy deede of his. |
4. gen. To reveal, disclose, or divulge (some fact, etc.); to declare, communicate, or make known;
= bewray v. 4.
| a 1300 Floriz & Bl. 533 (Camb. MS.), Hele ihc wulle, and noþing wreie, Ower beire cumpaignie. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xviii. (Egiptian) 1446 Ilke ȝere solempnyt fest..þai mad, one þat day scho deyt, fra þat he hyre lyf had wreyt. c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 216 In his songes somwhat wolde he wreye His wo as in a general compleynyng. 1513 Douglas æneid ix. iii. 5 The deid is auld for to beleif or wry, Bot the memor remanis perpetually. a 1542 Wyatt in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 57 Your sighes yow fet from farre, And all to wry your wo. 1587 Turberv. Trag. T. R viij b, Then gan hee wrie his former loue, And all his flame vnfolde. |
| transf. c 1374 Chaucer Compl. Mars 91 Alas I dye; the torche is come that al this world wol wrie. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. x. v. (Tollem. MS.), Leye bischineþ derke þinges, and wryeþ þinges þat ben hidde, and makeþ hem knowe. |
b. Const. with clause.
rare—1.
| 1575 Gascoigne's Poesies Wks. 1907 I. 23 In thundring verse he wrayes, where highest mindes be thrall. |
5. To reveal or make known the presence of (a person); to expose;
= bewray v. 5.
| c 1290 Beket 1214 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 141 With him a-morewe he nam His oste, þat he ne scholde him wreiȝe forto he aftur weie cam. 13.. Sir Beues (A.) 1675 And for þai scholde him nouȝt wrain, Vnder his hond he made him pai. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1706 Þa sued hym fast, Wreȝande hym ful weterly with a wroth noyse. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 18341 To an..old tour..He hyed hem with mechel hast For drede lest thei were y-wraied. |
b. To put (a person) in the power of an enemy or opponent by disloyalty or treachery; to betray.
| c 1275 XI Pains of Hell 111 in O.E. Misc. 150 He..þat wreyeþ his sibbe oþer him fled Abuuen his eyen þe flod geþ. 1387 Trevisa Higden V. 117 He was i-wreyed by þe same douȝter Fausta..and fliȝ to Marcil. Ibid. 157 Þere he was i-wreyed wiþ [= by] a wenche. |
c. To expose (a person) by revealing some hidden fact or private matter.
| c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 5460–2 Als stolne thyng wreghes a thefe funden, When it es obout his neke..bounden, Right swa þair syns sal wreghe þam þar. c 1400 T. Chestre Launfal 147 Thane seyde syr Launfal.., Tell ye no man of my poverte... The knyghtes answerede and seyde tho, That they nolde him wreye never mo. c 1400 Rule St. Benet (Prose) 36 Wreȝ hir noht þat te þing es sent to. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 62 As a theef wol be gladde there as he ys hidde, and not be wrayed of his thefte. a 1500 Hist. K. Boccus & Sydracke (? 1510) G j, Yf thou thy frende it sey, And wenyst he shal the not wrey. |
6. To reveal, disclose, or discover the true character of; to show or expose the existence or presence of (something desired to be concealed); to betray;
= bewray v. 6.
| 1576 Whetstone Rock of Regard i. 38 Thou mayst (God wot) thy visard vaile, thy wanton maskes are wrayd. Ibid. 65 The colours which I wore, my secrete mourning wrayde. 1587 Mirr. Mag., Stater iii, The werke wrayes the man, seeme he neuer so fine. |
7. To expose to view; to exhibit, show.
| 1587 Turberv. Trag. Tales M iiij, He wried his wounds, he shewde the shameful blows, He told the trayters treason. |
8. intr. or absol. a. To denounce or slander a person; to make accusations, cast aspersions.
| c 1320 Sir Tristr. 2179 Meriadok wrayeþ ay, To þe king þus seyd he. 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles ii. 84 Þat no manere mede shulde make him wrye. 14.. Wheatley MS. (1921) 8 First ye gloþered, now ye wrye. |
b. To make disclosures or statements.
| c 1425 Thomas of Erceld. (1875) 2 If j solde sytt to domesdaye, with my tonge, to wrobbe and wrye. c 1440 York Myst. xxi. 25 They askid yf I a prophete ware, And I saide ‘nay’; but sone I wreyede high aperte. |
c. north. dial. (See
quot.)
| 1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss., To wree against a person, to insinuate to his disadvantage. |
Hence
wraying vbl. n. and ppl. a.| c 1000 ælfric Gram. (Z.) 317 Accusatio, *wreᵹing. a 1225 Ancr. R. 200 Þe vifte [vice] is Wreiunge. Ibid. 304 We schulen beon cwite of wreiunge ette muchele dome. c 1330 King of Tar 739 The ladi bad hire maydens anon, Out of hire chaumbre forte gon, For drede of wriyying sake. c 1400 Cursor M. 27671 (Cott. Galba MS.), Þai will of deme a man with ill, And has bot a wreghing þar-till. c 1425 Eng. Conq. Ireland 102 He beleued þe fals mannys talys & wryynge. |
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 2 Þe on [rule] riwleð þe heort, þe makeð hire efne & smeðe, wiðute knotte & dolke of woh inwit & of *wreinde. c 1300 Cursor M. 26350 [One should be] Wreiand [in confession]. |
▪ III. † wray, v.2 Obs.—1 [See ray v.2 5.] intr. To evacuate.
| 1620 I. C. Two Merry Milk-maids iv. i. M 1, I thinke some Bird was wraid in my eye. |