warrior
(ˈwɒrɪə(r))
Forms: 3–4 werreour, worreour, 4 weorriour, werraiur, werrayure, werreyoure, 4–5 werrayour, werriour, worreor, 5 werryour, werryor, weryor, verriour, 6 Sc. weirreour, 5 warreyour, warryour, varioure, 6 warreoure, waryer, warryar, 6–7 warrier, 6–9 warriour, 6– warrior.
[Early ME., a. north-eastern OF. werreieor, werrieur, etc. (= Central OF. guerreieor, guerrieur, guerroyeur, etc., mod.F. guerroyeur), agent-n. f. werreier (guerreier): see warray v.
The synonymous F. guerrier (= Pr. guerrier, Sp. guerrero, Pg. guerreiro, It. guerriero, -ere) is a different formation. For the ME. weorreur, werreur, werour, -eur, verrour, see warrer.]
† I. 1. One who makes war upon; a persecutor. (Cf. warray v. 1 b, 2 b.) Obs.—1
| a 1300 Cursor M. 20933 (Edinb.) To þaim he [Paul] firste was werrayure, eftirward bicom prechure. |
II. 2. a. One whose occupation is warfare; a fighting man, whether soldier, sailor, or (latterly) airman; in eulogistic sense, a valiant or an experienced man of war. Now chiefly
poet. and
rhetorical,
exc. as applied to the fighting men of the ages celebrated in epic and romance and of primitive peoples, for whom the designation
soldier would be inappropriate.
The word found a memorable application in the designation of ‘The Unknown Warrior’, who on 11 Nov. 1920 was honoured with a stately funeral in Westminster Abbey as the representative of all who had given their lives for England in the great war. To which of the services he belonged was kept a secret, so that the comprehensive word ‘warrior’ was both necessary and felicitous.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 2164 Kniȝtes & oþer worreours, þat to þis londe wende. Ibid. 2548 Sende we ȝute after mi sones, octo, & ebyse, þat quointe werreours beþ, & stalwarde & wyse. 13.. K. Alis. 1458 (Laud MS.) He had of hem al þat he wolde, Steden, armes, siluer & golde, And many stronge werreyoure [v.r. weorriour]. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 2729 Donewal was werreour god. 1338 ― Chron. (1810) 166, I haf kept thi lande, I se that dishonoure Is now the nerhand, thorgh this conquerour, That [is] an Inglis kyng, a wys werreour [Langtoft sage guerraiour]. 1375 Barbour Bruce xx. 416 Than, as gud werriours, and wis, With thame stoutly assemblit he. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 412 Petir was not heed of þe Chirche, but a capteyn of þe Chirche. And certis werriouris wolen scorne þis resoun, þat if a man be capteyn, he is heed. 1388 ― Ecclus. xxvi. 28 A man a werriour [Vulg. vir bellator] failynge bi nedynesse. 1410 26 Pol. Poems ix. 138 Caste þe not to couetys, Ȝe þat ryȝtwys werryours be, But loke where riȝt querel lys. 1422 Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 155 Iulyus Cesar the forte werryor. 1448–9 J. Metham Wks. (1916) 11 O Mars! cheuetyn off nobyl weryouris. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 5 Men that wont was to be werreyouris to defend the kirk rycht. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vii. (1533) 111 The duke of Lancastre landed at Caleys with a stronge company of archers and other warryours. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) I. 384 Thir weirreouris into thair weirlie weid,..He gart thame enter in the thickest thrang. c 1538 Starkey England i. ii. 49 To the handys are resemblyd bothe craftysmen and warryarys wych defend the rest of the body from iniury of ennymys vtward. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. V, 48 Kyng Henry..ordred his men for his most aduantage like an expert capitaine and a couragious warirer [read warrier]. 1551 T. Wilson Logic H vij, Then should al captaines, and men of warre, be tendre ouer there poore warriours and base souldiours. 1570 Drant Serm. E vj b, It should behoue me..to tell a long story what warriers and fire brandes of warre these Popes of Rome haue bene. 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, i. iv. 14 And when the hardyest Warriors did retyre, Richard cry'de, Charge, and giue no foot of ground. 1641 Earl of Monmouth tr. Biondi's Civil Wars iv. 28 Hee was rightly ranked in the number of the chiefe warriers of that age. 1732 T. Lediard Sethos II. x. 363 He had beforehand gain'd the reputation of a warrior. 1788 J. White Jrnl. Voy. N.S. Wales (1790) 118 Many of their warriors, or distinguished men, we observed to be painted in stripes, across the breast and back. 1806 Wordsw. Happy Warrior 1 Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he That every man in arms should wish to be? 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles iv. xx, Warriors!—and where are warriors found, If not on martial Britain's ground? 1826 J. F. Cooper Last of Mohicans xv, A swarthy band of the native chiefs..with the warriors of their several tribes. 1837 Dickens Pickw. vii, He sprang like an ardent warrior from his tent. 1902 Times 15 Apr. 10/6 On April 6 a band of 40 to 50 native warriors made a dash for the camp. |
| fig. 1581 Marbeck Bk. of Notes 1045 Whosoeuer will playe the warrier vnder Christ. |
b. occas. applied to a woman.
lit. and
fig.| c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xvii. 78 Þir wymmen er noble werrayours and wys. 1595 Spenser Amoretti xi. 3 Dayly when I do seeke and sew for peace,..She, cruell warriour, doth her selfe addresse To battell. Ibid. lvii. 1 Sweet warriour when shall I haue peace with you? 1604 Shakes. Oth. ii. i. 184 Oth. O, my faire Warriour. Des. My deere Othello. 1762 Goldsm. Ess. x, Female Warriors. |
c. transf. Applied to an animal.
| 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 340 The stooping Warriours, aiming Head to Head, Engage their clashing Horns. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. V. 307 Small birds..are remarkably brave. However contemptible these little warriors are to larger creatures, they are often but too formidable to each other. 1887 W. S. S. Tyrwhitt New Chum in Queensland Bush vii. 135 ‘Look out for that old cow again, Jack,’ shouts Jim, ‘and I think that bullock's a bit of a {oqq}warrior{cqq}.’ 1895 J. G. Millais Breath fr. Veldt (1899) 161, I had a nice easy shot at the old warrior [a wild pig]. |
d. warrior's belt: see
quot.| 1879 W. Rossiter Dict. Sci. Terms, Warrior's belt, three bright stars Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka, in the constellation Orion. |
3. (
bloody) warrior: a local name for the wallflower,
Cheiranthus Cheiri.
| 1825 Jennings Observ. Dial. W. Eng., Bloody warrior, the wall-flower. 1873 L. Belcher My First Book 25 Fragrant warriors with bloodred blossoms. 1875 W. Cory Lett. & Jrnls. (1897) 381 All wallflowers (which our people call ‘bloody warriors’) died in the winter. 1883 R. Broughton Belinda i. vi, The little garden-path, where the bloody warriors..grow in the sandy border. |
4. A South American humming-bird of the genus
Oxypogon.
| 1861 Gould Monogr. Trochilidæ III. Pl. 182 Oxypogon Guerini. Guerin's Helmet-crest... Warrior, of the dealers in specimens of natural history. Ibid. Pl. 183 Oxypogon Lindeni..Black Warrior, of the dealers. |
5. black warrior: an American bird of prey: see
quot.| 1884 Coues Key N. Amer. Birds (ed. 2) 543 Buteo harlani. Harlan's Buzzard. ‘Black Warrior’. |
6. attrib. a. quasi-adj., belonging to or characteristic of a warrior, martial [? after F.
guerrier adj.], as
warrior-blood,
warrior hilt,
warrior hymn,
warrior laurel,
warrior lay,
warrior mêlee,
warrior plume,
warrior sound,
warrior spirit,
warrior threat,
warrior trumpet,
warrior wreath,
warrior youth.
b. appositive, that is a warrior, as
warrior-angel,
warrior ant,
warrior bird,
warrior chief,
warrior dame,
warrior god,
warrior guest,
warrior hero,
warrior king,
warrior love,
warrior maid,
warrior man,
warrior poet,
warrior priest,
warrior prophet,
warrior queen,
warrior saint,
warrior son,
warrior steed,
warrior woman; consisting of warriors, as
warrior-caste,
warrior class,
warrior file,
warrior host,
warrior nation,
warrior train,
warrior tribe.
c. similative, as
warrior-like adj. and
adv.,
warrior-wise adv.| 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 946 To whom the *warriour Angel soon repli'd. |
| 1834 Penny Cycl. II. 63/1 There are whole communities of *warrior-ants. 1897 Outing XXX. 248/2 It was the advance guard of the warrior ants, and each leaf was carried by an ant! |
| 1830 Mrs. Hemans Wounded Eagle 2 *Warrior bird! what seek'st thou here? |
| 1828 ― Birds of Passage 10 Proud rivers, whose tide hath roll'd All dark with the *warrior-blood of old. |
| 1842 W. C. Taylor Anc. Hist. ii. §2 (ed. 3) 50 In the reign of Psammetichus, the entire *warrior-caste of the Egyptians migrated to Ethiopia. |
| 1715 Pope Iliad iv. 408 Then give thy *Warrior-Chief a Warrior's Due. |
| 1862 Spencer First Princ. ii. xvi. §134 (1867) 372 The *warrior-class attains a perfect separation from classes devoted to the cultivation of the soil. |
| 1697 Dryden æneis vii. 1095 A *Warriour Dame. |
| 1817 Scott Harold vi. xiv, What rage is thine, To quit the worship of thy line, To leave thy *Warrior-God? |
| 1820 Keats Eve St. Agnes xlii, That night the Baron dreamt of many a woe, And all his *warrior-guests..Were long be-nightmar'd. |
| 1701 J. Hughes Praises Heroic Virt. 10 How glorious 'tis to see The *warrior hero fight for liberty. |
| 1844 Mrs. Browning Rom. Page v, While in Palestine The *warrior-hilt we drave. |
| 1725 Pope Odyss. vi. 196 By the Delian coast I voyag'd, leader of a *warrior host. |
| 1887 Meredith Ballads & P. 98 Fear of silence made them strive Loud in *warrior-hymns. |
| 1725 Pope Odyss. xi. 662 With haughty stalk he sought the distant glades Of *warrior Kings. 1851 Tennyson To the Queen 4 The warrior kings of old. |
| 1703 Prior Ode to Mem. Col. G. Villiers 87 Plant the *Warrior Lawrel o'er his Brow. |
| 1815 Scott Troubadour iii, And still was heard his *warrior-lay. |
| 1552 Huloet, *Warriour lyke, bellicosus. a 1716 Wycherley Posth. Wks. (1728) I. 118 Thou, Warrior-like, do'st scour the dang'rous Field. |
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. ii. i. 71 Why art thou heere..But that forsooth..Your buskin'd Mistresse, and your *Warrior loue To Theseus must be Wedded. |
| 1725 Pope Odyss. vi. 25 The *warrior Maid Glides thro' the valves, and hovers round her head. |
| 1812 Byron Ch. Har. ii. lv, He heard the busy hum of *warrior-men. |
| 1839 Thackeray Knightly Guerdon iii, Sir Ulric rode first in the *warrior-mêlée. |
| 1872 Macduff Comfort Ye xxvi. 378 The spoil and treasure of *warrior-nations. |
| 1823 Mrs. Hemans Vespers of Palermo v. iii, The joyous winds Are tossing *warrior-plumes. |
| 1878 O. Wilde Ravenna 9 Her *warrior-poet, first in song and fight. 1958 O. Caroe Pathans xv. 241 The warrior-poet whose words still kindle fire in the hearts of his compatriots. |
| 1911 W. W. Fowler in Encycl. Brit. XVII. 760/2 The Salii or dancing *warrior-priests of Mars. |
| 1817 Lady Morgan France (1818) II. 373 To whom Moses gave the most fearful command ever issued by the *warriour-prophet to his obedient legions. |
| 1697 Dryden æneis xi. 756 Then with a graceful Meen, Lights from her lofty Steed, the *Warrior Queen. 1780 Cowper Boadicea 1 When the British warrior queen, Bleeding from the Roman rods, Sought [etc.]. |
| 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. ii. iii. I. 447 The *warrior saints, St. George and St. Martin. |
| 1697 Dryden æneis viii. 140 Hercules, the *Warrior Son of Jove. 1920 Discovery May 133/1 A series of striking military successes gained by Mehemet [Ali] and his warrior son. |
| 1803 Scott Cadyow Castle xiii, The hoarse bugle's *warrior-sound. |
| 1841 Myers Cath. Th. iii. §4. 11 We find..the *warriour spirit of the Judges,..sanctioned rather than rebuked by prophetic communications. 1899 Engl. Hist. Rev. Apr. 226 The almost total absence of the warrior-spirit from the poetry of the Far East. |
| 1685 Dryden Thren. Aug. 474 No neighing of the *Warriour Steeds. |
| 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles iv. ix, The *warrior-threat, the infant's plain,..were heard in vain! |
| 16.. Cowley Wks. I. 124 (Jod.) The *warrior train Though most were sorely wounded none were slain. 1726 Pope Odyss. xx. 96 To seek my lord among the warrior-train. |
| 1812 S. Rogers Voy. Columbus iii. 29 Those the wild hunter worships as he roves,..Or *warrior-tribes with rites of blood implore. |
| 1697 Dryden æneis vi. 244 None so renown'd, The *Warrior Trumpet in the Field to sound. |
| 1871 Tennyson Last Tourn. 516 But *warrior-wise thou stridest thro' his halls Who hates thee. |
| 1876 W. H. G. Kingston On Banks of Amazon 354 The early voyagers..declared that they met a nation of *warrior-women on the banks of this river. |
| 1810 J. Montgomery Cast-away Ship 12 A gay and gallant company,..For *warriour-wreaths upon the sea, Their joyful brows prepare. |
| 1816 Wordsw. Fr. Army in Russia 20 He smote the blossoms of their *warrior youth. |
Hence
ˈwarriorhood;
ˈwarriorism;
ˈwarriorship.
| 1837 Tait's Mag. IV. 726 The stirring and barbarous ages of universal warriorship. 1885 Oman Art of War 20 What wonder then if his contemporaries..glorified him into the normal type of warriorhood. 1892 Nation (N.Y.) 24 Mar. 222/2 The secret of warriorism. |