▪ I. † harry, n.1 Obs.
[f. harry v.]
The act of harrying; devastation, molestation, vexation.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 157 Ne þorgh non oþer harie to do him reise his schelde. |
▪ II. harry, v.
(ˈhærɪ)
Forms: 1 herᵹian, 2–4 herȝian, 3 hereȝen, hærȝien, herien, 3–4 herȝen, 4 herijen, harre, hare, hari, 4–7 hery(e, 5 heryȝen, 4–6 hary(e, 6–9 Sc. herry, 7 harrie, 6– harry. See also harrow v.2
[OE. hęrᵹian, hęrian, = OLG. herron, MLG., MDu. heren, hergen (heregen, herien), OHG. harjôn, herjôn, herron, MHG. heren, herjen, herigen, hergen, ON. herja, Da. hærge:—OTeut. type *harjôjan, f. *harjo- host, army, here n. It is notable that in this word the OE. ᵹ from j, though originally palatal (cf. pple. heriende in ælfred's Orosius), passed over into the guttural spirant, giving w in ME. This prob. took place first before the back vowels, in pa. tense herᵹode, pa. pple. herᵹod, vbl. n. herᵹung, whence, by extension, the ME. present, herwhe, herwe, harwe, harrow v.2, beside the normal herȝe, heryhe, herry, harry. In ME. the native word may have run together with OF. harier, herier, herrier, in same sense.]
1. intr. To make predatory raids or incursions; to commit ravages.
| c 893 K. ælfred Oros. i. i. §19 Þa Cwenas herᵹiað hwilum on ða Norðmen. Ibid. ii. §1 He wæs heriende & feohtende fiftiᵹ wintra. a 1000 O.E. Chron. an. 794 (Earle) 59 Þa hæðenan on Norðhymbrum herᵹodon. 1154 Ibid. an. 1014 (Earle) 151 Hi..sceoldan..ealle ætȝædere faran and herȝian. c 1205 Lay. 14000 Þurh þi lond heo ærneð, and hærȝieð, and berneð. c 1565 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (1728) 6 They passed through the country and herried and slew wherever they came. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 86 Harrie and make havock of all. a 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Bonduca ii. iii, Harrying for victuals. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. i. i, The Prussians were harrying and ravaging about Metz. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. (ed. 3) I. v. 312 The Danes spread themselves over the country, harrying. |
2. trans. To overrun (a place or territory) with an army; to ravage by war or invasion; to lay waste, sack, pillage, spoil.
| c 1205 Lay. 1640 He..herȝede þat lond. 1375 Barbour Bruce xix. 280 The scottis men all cokdaill Fra end till end thai heryit haill. c 1460 Batt. Otterbourne 14 in Percy's Rel., And boldely brente Northomberlonde, And haryed many a towyn. 1547 J. Harrison Exhort. Scottes 209 How the countrey hath been ouer runne, spoyled and heried. 1581 Savile Tacitus' Hist. iii. xlix. (1591) 143 Italie he harried as a conquered countrey. a 1649 Drummond of Hawthornden Hist. Jas. II, Wks. (1711) 31 The earl of Huntly burnt and herried all the lands of the earl of Murray. 1670 Milton Hist. Eng. ii. Wks. (1847) 500/1 The Saxons with perpetual landings and invasions harried the South coast of Britain. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 73 One band..harried the county of Wicklow. 1874 Green Short Hist. i. §1. 6 Pirate-boats were harrying the western coast of the island. |
† b. spec. To despoil hell; as said of Jesus Christ after his death; = harrow v.2 a. Obs.
| c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom 23 For to þe time cam þat he hereȝede helle. a 1240 Lofsong in Cott. Hom. 205 [He] þuruh his holi passiun werp þene deouel adun and heriede helle. a 1300 Cursor M. 1446 Til þat our lauerd haird [v.r. heried] hell. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun 3032 This helle entered Jhesu..And of alle savles there inne he heryde it. |
c. To rob (birds' nests). The current word in mod.Sc.
| 1637–50 Row Hist. Kirk (1842) p. xxxii, I was informed, that some parichoneris..did herit craw nestes. 1816 Scott Antiq. vii, Mony a kittywake's and lungies's nest hae I harried up amang thae very black rocks. 1894 Crockett Raiders 75, I had come over to harry gleds' nests. |
3. To harass (persons) by hostile attacks, forced exactions, or rapacity; to despoil.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 29340 Þaa þat pouer men ouer-lais, and herijs [v.r. robbes] þam. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1179 He herȝed vp al Israel. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xiii. 34 Sum is put owt of his possessioun; Sum herreit, and on creddens dynis. 1635 Rutherford Lett. (1862) I. 148 It is His honour His servants should not be herried and undone in His service. 1786 Burns Addr. Beelzebub 37 While they're only poind't and herriet. 1816 Scott Old Mort. viii, Harried and undone!—body and gudes! |
b. To drive forth stripped of house or goods. Sc.
| 1549 Compl. Scot. xv. 135 Sic vane hope..hes gart mony of vs be hareyt furtht of house and herberye. 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 49 Quhasa..hurtis ony uther man and hareis him out of house and harbarie. 1603 Jas. I. Sp. Hampton Crt. Confer. in Fuller Ch. Hist. x. i, I will make them conform themselves; or else I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse. 1755 Johnson s.v., In Scotland it signifies to rob, plunder, or oppress..as—‘he harried me out of house and home’; that is, he robbed me of my goods and turned me out of doors. |
4. To worry, goad, torment, harass; to maltreat, ill-use, persecute; to worry mentally.
| a 1400–50 Alexander 4484 And othire harlotry ȝe hant þat heris þe goste. 1530 Palsgr. 579/1 Why do you harye the poore felowe on this facyon? 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. 214 He was haunted and harried with the horrible apparitions and spectres of Furies. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. iv. 8 Being wearied with harrying those poor bodies in such fashion, they cast them all battered to pieces into the Sea. 1764 Johnson Let. to Dr. Taylor 22 May, That your mind should be harried it is no wonder. 1859 Tennyson Guinevere 358 Thou their tool, set on to plague..and harry me. |
† 5. To ravish, violate. Obs.
| 1591 Harington Orl. Fur. xii. vi, Thus in his sight to have his mistresse hary'd. 1607 Tourneur Rev. Trag. i. iv. Wks. 1878 II. 36 He harried her among a throng of Panders. |
6. To plunder, carry off in a marauding raid (cattle, etc.). Now Sc.
| 1579 Fenton Guicciard. iii. (1599) 115 The cattell being harried by the one and the other. 1600 Holland Livy x. ii. 352 They..harrie and drive away prises both of men and cattell. 1808 Scott Marm. i. xix, Harried the wives of Greenlaw's goods. 1830 Galt Lawrie T. vi. viii. (1849) 288 Herrying the webs and yarn of the country wives. |
7. To drag. Obs. or dial.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 178 Sembled þay were, Herȝed out of vche hyrne. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 4305 (Harl. MS. 6923. lf. 62), And deuylles salle harre hym up evene In the ayre. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶97. c 1430 Life St. Kath. xxiv. (1884) 53 Than anoon þe holy mayde was haryed forth to turment. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 227/2 Haryyn, or drawyn, trahicio. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. 429 Then the corps..were haryed to Thamys syde, where..there in the rubbusshe & sande..they buryed or conueyed these .iii. bodyes. 1530 Palsgr. 579/2 He haryeth hym aboute as if he were a traytour. 1604 T. Wright Passions ii. iii. §4.73 Like wild horses drawing a coach..herrying and herling their Maister at their pleasure. 1613 R. Cawdrey Table Alph. (ed. 3), Harrie, pull violently. 1624 Heywood Guniak. i. 17 Harrieng the virgin thence. 1845 E. Brontë Wuthering Heights xxxiv. 280 ‘Th' divil's harried off his soul’, he cried. |
▪ III. † harry, int. Obs.
Also 5 harrer, 6–7 aree.
A call to a horse; = hait.
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 221/2 Hayht, harry. c 1460 Towneley Myst. (Surtees) 9 Harrer, Morelle, iofurthe, hyte, And let the ploghe stand. 1599 Minsheu Sp. Dict., Harre (Sp.), a voice of carters to their horses, saying, aree, gee, haight, etc. |