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greywork

, grey + work, + ware.
Searchable Lemmata: grei werk (ME), grei ware (ME), greywerk (AF), greywork (MdE).
Alternate Forms: graywerk, grey werke.

    Definitions and Defining Citations:

1(n.) Raw Material; squirrel skins/furs as a commodity; specifically, the backs of northern European squirrels. Elspeth Veale defines greywork as 'griseum opus: winter squirrel sins, with the grey back', noting that 'Greywerk and vair ... were names for the finest squirrel skins, those which came from the coldest parts of Northern and Central Europe. While most of them came from Scandinavia and Russia, other good-quality skins from, for instance, Poland and Bulgaria were also known as vairs' [Veale, E. (1966), 223-4].(ante 1350 - ante 1500)
1. il avoit eskyppé a Bruges deux barelles de greywerk [AND Corr Lond (225) 1298/1370]
2. [A tun full of fells called] Greywerk [MED in Löfvenberg Contrib.Lex. (21) 1349]
3. [Simon de Lincoln,] pelter, [was committed to Newgate for bribing John de Rothewell, tawyer, to hand over to him divers pieces of] greywerk [left with the said John for the purpose of tawing] Legal. [MED Plea & Mem.R.Lond.Gildh. (34) 1365]
4. Furrures de Pellure, Menevere, Greyware et Wyldeware Legal. [MED LRed Bk.Bristol (97) 1408]
AF, ME, MdE; Primarily Accounts.
Sex: N/A    Use: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
References: Veale, E. (1966)

    Etymological Evidence:

Definite, ME grie (grey) + werk (work), ware.
WF: Compound
Etym Cog:
References:
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