pissemyre

Middle English

Alternative forms

pismyr, pismyre, pismire, pismyer, pysmere, pyssmowre, pysmour, pismoure, pissemore

Etymology

From pisse +‎ mire (“ant”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈpis(ə)miːr(ə)/, /ˈpis(ə)muːr(ə)/, /ˈpis(ə)mər(ə)/

Noun

pissemyre (plural pissemyres)

a pismire; an ant
- c. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Summoner's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales:
  He is as angry as a pissemyre, / Þogh þat he have al þat he kan desire […]
  He is as angry as an ant / Though he has all that he could ever desire […]

Descendants

English: pismire
Scots: pismire, pishmire

References

“pisse-mīre, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 21 August 2018.