▪ I. † yfere, n. Obs.
Forms: 1 ᵹefera, 2–3 ifere, ivere, 3 iuære, iuare, ifære, ifeire, yfere. pl. 1 ᵹeferan, 2 ȝeferen, 2–3 iferen, 2–4 ifere, iuere, 3–4 yfere, yuere, 3 iveres.
[OE. ᵹeféra, f. ᵹe- y- 1 a + f{oemac}r-, mutated f. fōr-: faran to go.]
A companion, mate, fellow, associate.
| c 870 Codex Aureus Inscr., Ic Aelfred aldormon & Werburg min ᵹefera. c 1000 ælfric Gen. iii. 12 Þæt wif, þæt þu me forᵹeafe to ᵹeferan. a 1200 Moral Ode 229 In helle his hunger and þurst, twa uuele iuere. c 1205 Lay. 26012 Arður hine teh Bi-siden his iferen [c 1275 iveres]. a 1225 Juliana 48 Englene ifere ant arcanglene freond. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 5994 Vor suan..adde euere is yuere, Þre velawes þat next him were. a 1300 K. Horn 235 Hom rod Aylmer þe kyng, Ant horn wiþ him..Ant alle his yfere. 13.. K. Alis. 6906 (Laud MS.) Þoo wepe þe kyng & hise yfere. |
▪ II. † yfere, adv. Obs. (from 6 to 8 arch.)
Forms: 3–4 ifere, yvere, 4–8 yfere, 5 yfeere, yffere, 6 yfeere, yfeare, Sc. yfeir. β. 4 yferes, 6 Sc. yferis.
[Origin uncertain. The available evidence favours on the whole the supposition that the adverb arose out of the predicative use of ifere, pl. of yfere n. ‘companions, associates’, hence ‘associated’ (see introductory quots. below); if this were so, the form in fere (from c 1330) arose from analysing ifere as i, in prep. + fere n.2 With the β-form cf. togethers, and see -s suffix.]
In company; together. (Extensively used in ME. poetry as a riming tag; rare in prose.)
| [a 1200 [see yfere n.]. c 1205 Lay. 27435 Twein kinges þere æuere weoren ifere. c 1275 Ibid. 24750 Euere tweine and tweyne wenden i-vere [earlier text æuer tweie and tweie tuhte to-somne ælc mid his honde heold his iuere]. a 1300 S. Michael in Pop. Treat. Sci. (1841) 136 Ther is turment strong Of wynd, of water, and of fur, and thaye threo were i-fere.] |
| a 1300 XV Signa 117 in E.E.P. (1862) 11 Al þe see sal draw ifere as a walle to stond up riȝt. c 1330 Assump. Virg. (B.M. MS.) 859 Cryst of heuene..Amonge þe apostles sone he lyȝt, And gret hem alle yfere. c 1350 Will. Palerne 2267 In caue þei lyen, & slepen samen y-fere. 13.. Gosp. Nicod. (A.) 751 And þai for skorne sayd alle yfere. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus ii. 1116 With þat þey wente arm in arm y fere [v. rr. in fere, yfere] In to þe gardeyn from þe chaumbre doun. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1269 We buþ knyȝtes alle y-vere y-born in douce fraunce. c 1400 26 Pol. Poems xvii. 192 What soule is syk, lay þat herbe aboue, Hit makeþ hool al y-fere. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 2295 And whan I herde al thys yfere, I wex abaysshed in my chere. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 18 Þan take Pepyr, an Safroun, an Brede, y-grounde y-fere. 1508 Dunbar Goldyn Targe 147 Syne folowit all hir dameselis yfere. 1566 Drant Horace Sat. i. i. A ij b, They feede and feele the fruit of that, which once they gott yfeare. 1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus S ij, As litle ioy I feare, should we feele yfere, as did the two vnsensible pictures. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. ix. 1 O goodly golden chaine, wherewith yfere The vertues linked are in louely wize. 1600 England's Helicon F j b, Harpalus and eke Corin were Heard-men both yfere. 1642 H. More Song of Soul i. ii. lxxv, Then let's all go yfere. 1748 Thomson Cast. Indol. ii. xxxv, And much they moraliz'd as thus yfere they yode. 1768 Downman Land of Muses lv, There passed by the sister Graces bright,..Benevolence and Gratitude y-fere. |
| β ? c 1390 Form of Cury i. xxii. (1780) 20 Take brede and þ⊇ self broth and drawe it up yferes. 1513 Douglas æneis vi. v. 25 Baith matrouns, and thair husbandis, all yferis. |