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russet

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Searchable Lemmata: rosé (AF), russaz (AF), russet (ME), russetum (L), russetus (L), russet (OScots), russet (MdE).
Alternate Forms: rosas, rosatz, roset, rossat, rosset, rossetum, rouseaus, ruset, russeta, russeto, russette, russetus.

    Definitions and Defining Citations:

1(n.) Dye; colour russet, a neutral colour of grey or (more often ) reddish-brown, usually in reference to work clothes; also used attributively (russet-coloured).(circa 700 still in current use)
1. Russata, quam Graeci phoeniceam vocant, nos coccinam, repertam a Lacedaemoniis ad celandum coloris similitudine sanguinem quotiens quis in acie vulneraretur, ne contemplanti adversario animus augesceret. Hanc sub consulibus Romani usi sunt milites; unde etiam russati vocabantur. Solebat etiam pridie quam dimicandum esset ante principia proponi, quasi admonitio et indicium futurae pugnae. [DOE ISID. Etym. (19,22,10)]
2. [143/79] ... Þe Crafte of Drapers was hoded yn white and medle parted ... [143/96] ... Hit was ordeyned þat euerych housholder ... yn þe same clothing of blac or ellis russet to be presente atte þe enterement of our said king Henri þe vte Accounts. [MED Doc.Brewer in Bk.Lond.E. (143/79-96) 1422]
3. Elbidus: color rosset Gloss. [MED *Medulla ((Stnh A.1.10) 23b/a) ante 1425]
4. Hir habit was of manyfold colours ... Feynt blak for moornyng, russet for trauaille Poetic. (dating uncertain) [MED Lydg.FP ((Bod 263) 6.49) ante 1439]
AF, L, ME, MdE, OScots; Primarily N/A.
Use: n/a    Status: n/a    Rank: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
2a(n.) Textile; woollen cloth, often of russet colour or some similar neutral colour, worn primarily by the poor or by labourers (also by the Duke of Suffolk as a sea-cloak); a length of such cloth. Also used attributively ('of russet', 'of russet cloth').(ante 1250 still in current use)
1. induebatur tunica de russeto et supertunica de hauberga Ecclesiastic/Regula, Legal. [DMLBS SelCCant (122) 1271]
2. Alle we schulle to þe deþ dreoreliche gon ... Þer ... Ne geyneþ vs no grene ... Þe robes of russet ne of rencyan Poetic. [MED Hwi ne serue ((Jes-O 29) 70) ante 1300]
3. [15.162] ... Charite ... As proude of a peny as of a pounde of gold, And is as gladde of a goune of a graye russet As of a tunicle of tarse [C: a cote of cammoka] or of trye scarlet ... [15.182] ... Þanne wil he [Charity] some tyme Labory in a lauendrye wel þe lengthe of a myle ... And bouken hem at his brest, and beten hem clene, And ... wasshen hem after Poetic, Vision. [MED PPl.B ((LdMisc 581) 15.162-182) circa 1400]
4. une toge de colo[ur] de blue furrez kertill de russet pric’ de xij d. un smok p[ri]c’ de vj. d. vn broche dargent dorez p[ri]c’ de xij d. une burse pric' p[ri]c’ ij d. deux kercheves pric’ xij d. un chaperon pric’ xij d. Legal. transcription by Mark Chambers, 11/03/2011 [LexP NA [PRO] SC 8/255/12724 (ll. 3-6) circa 1403]
5. [16] ... I pray ... myn executours ... þat on my stynkyng careyne be neþer þer laid cloth of gold ne of silke but russet cloþ ... [18] ... I ... by qwethe to þat same chirche þe couerlyt of Gold enbrouded with Typtoftes armes for to couere wyþ þe sepulcre. ... I wolle ... to þt same chirche þe vestement of blak Camoka, þt is to seyne chesuble, ij tunycles ... and stooles longing þerto, for to synge þerinne þe day of my Serrement Wills. (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Will in Bdf.HRS 2 (16-18) 1413]
6. draps de russet pur vesture de cent poveres hommes et femmes [AND Reg Chich (ii 458) 1414/1443]
7. Þe said furres of Bogee shuld be wroght of hole Skynnes; þey ben kutte in foure and medled some with legges some with lambfurres, and some with Skewyd and Russet Legal. [MED Let.Bk.Lond.K ((Gldh LetBk K) 170) 1433]
8. [19221] ... Vppon his hed a russet feltyd hatte ... [19230] ... The slyttes be his Syde, the hem abowte, Alle Weren They orfreysed, With-owten dowte Arthurian, Heroic, Poetic. (work: c1410) [MED Lovel.Merlin ((Corp-C 80) 19221-30) ante 1450]
AF, L, ME, MdE, OScots.
Sex: N/A    Use: n/a    Status: Low    Rank: Low    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
2b(n.) Textile; appears in compounds specifying place of purchase or manufacture: Colchester russet (AND), French russet, Cotton russet, Cottonhames russet (MED); also brode russett ('russet cloth woven in strips of double width', MED).(circa 1400)
1. .iiii. russet de Colchestere scarletz, bloyes ou pers selestiens, plunketz sanguyns et violetz en greyn rayés, motlez de Sarisbury et autrez divers colours de plusours sortz [AND Man lang ANTS (76.9) 1396]
AF, ME, MdE; Primarily Accounts.
Sex: N/A    Use: n/a    Status: n/a    Rank: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
3(n.) Dye; garment of russet [as in Hoccleve's Regement of Princes].(1412 - ante 1645)
1. Gold, siluer ... Ne haue I non ... þis bare olde russet is nat gay Poetic. (work: 1412) [MED Hoccl.RP ((Hrl 4866) 675) ante 1450]
ME.
Sex: Male, Female    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:

    Etymological Evidence:

Definite, Old French rosset, rossete (a diminuative of rous, 'red'); AF russet, russaz; and Medieval L russetum, British L rossetum, (adj.) russetus (dated 1368 in Latham, p. 414).
WF:
Etym Cog: rosset (OF).
References:
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