birrus
.
Searchable Lemmata: birrus (L).
Alternate Forms: birra, byrrum, birro, burrus, birris.
Definitions and Defining Citations:
1(n.)
Garment;
short cloak, probably of a rough or hairy texture.(ante 1100 - post 1450)
Sex: Male Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: Back, Chest.
2(n.)
Accessory;
rag. This sense overlaps to some extent with bure.(circa 1180 - circa 1440)
Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
3(n.)
Garment;
pleat, fold, skirt.(ante 1270 - post 1420)
3. tunicas induunt ... quidam ... birratas ante et retro; quidam quasi per circuitum habent birras
Ecclesiastic/Regula.
[DMLBS Conc. (II 730c) 1346]
Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
Etymological Evidence:
Definite, Late Latin, probably from Greek πυρρόϛ 'tawny, reddish, yellow, brown', used often to refer to the colour of hair or fur and therefore with transferred sense to a garment made of such; cf. burrus 'red, brown', a parallel Latin borrowing of the same Greek word, which gave several derivatives in French and other Romance languages (see bure, burel).
WF: Borrowed into the British Isles
Etym Cog:
References:
