earslyre
Old English
Etymology
From ears (“buttocks, ass”) + lȳre, the latter element presumably being a variant of līra ("brawn, muscle").
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈæ͜ɑrsˌlyː.re/, [ˈæ͜ɑrˠzˌlyː.re]
Noun
earslȳre m
Usage notes
- Assumed to be a masculine noun, based on the gender of the assumed source of the second element, līra. However, the actual gender is uncertain, as the word is only attested in a single gloss. If it is masculine, then the -e suffix in the nominative singular form would suggest a ja-stem noun (as shown in the declension table above), rather than an n-stem like līra.
Declension
Strong ja-stem:
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | earslȳre | earslȳras |
accusative | earslȳre | earslȳras |
genitive | earslȳres | earslȳra |
dative | earslȳre | earslȳrum |
References
- Joseph Bosworth, T. Northcote Toller (1898) “EARS-LYRE”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.