Searchable Lemmata: menever (AF), menevera (L), meneverus (L), meni-ver (ME), mynfyr (W), menever (OScots), miniver (MdE).
Alternate Forms: menivero, meneveri, menevere, menuveyr, menyvere, menvoir, menver, menivoer, menivieir, meniwere, menivair, meniveir, mennever, menuver, menver, menvair, menuueyr, menyuer.
1a(n.)
Raw Material;
fur; typically the white winter belly fur of the red squirrel or the mixed gray-and-white fur of the whole animal (possessed by certain Continental varieties); often used for lining, trimming or decorating a garment.
In England, came to be used more generally to describe any white or near-white fur: the adjective 'pured' (L 'puratus') was often used to designate that the grey was trimmed, leaving only the white fur showing. See Veal, E (1966), 228-9.(ante 1200 still in current use)
3. A n[ot]re seign’ le roi si le plet 7 a son conseil prie Robert de Mountfort ... ceo qe en li est dever n[ot]re seign’ le roi le estote tenu par bone obligacion ... en demy drap de colur couenable pur clerk’ destat oueqes la pelure pur surcot clos 7 pur surcot ouert oueqes un chap[er]on de menuueyr a resceuire chescun an a Castelcombe en Wiltes’ a la feste de touz seinz ..., relesser a ly 7 par taunt li g[ra]unta 7 dona la dite liv[er]ee a t[er]me de sa vie et obligea a ceo, le dit maner de Castelcombe ...
Legal.
[LexP NA [PRO] SC 8/4/193 (*) 1321/1322]
5. quod ... forura de menivero de octo tivis haberet cxx ventres, forura de menivero de septem tivis c ventres, ... capucia de menivero purato xl ventres, capucia de menivero semipurato xxxij ventres
Accounts.
[DMLBS Pat (337 m. 2b) 1393]
6. [4/13] ... A bed of tapicers werk ... ypouthered with chapes and scochons ... of myn Auncestres armes ... [4/15] ... I bequethe ... my beste fetherbed, and a blu caneuas, and a materas, and twey blankettys ... [4/18] ... I bequethe to the same Thomas ... A bleu couertour of menyuer, and a keuerlet of red sendel
Legal, Wills.
[MED EEWills (4/13-18) 1395]
7. [17] ... item a J.H. ... lavender xx s. ... hopelandez meilleurs furrez ové menever pure ... un hopeland linez ové bokeram noir ... [18] ... (I bequeath) a A. ... une cloke furré et un grand forser de pecs
Wills.
[AND Reg Chich (ii 17-18) 1414/1443]
8. [220] ... She was clad ful porely Al in an old torn courtepy [F. cote] ... bothe bihynde and eke biforn Clouted was she beggarly ... [227] ... A burnet cote heng therwithall, Furred with no menyver, But with a furre rough of her Of lambe-skynnes hevy blake ... [234] ... It were hir loth To weren ofte that ilke cloth
Poetic, Romance.
[MED RRose ((Htrn 409) 220-234) ante 1425]
10. A longe goune of cremysen velvet ... furred wyth menever and purfelled wyth ermyn ... Item, a shorte gowne of blakke pewke ffurred wyth martres
Accounts.
[MED Acc.Howard in RC 57 (320) 1465]
Sex: N/A Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
1b(n.)
Headgear;
specifically, a helmet lining made of miniver [in the ME romance Sir Perceval of Gales].(circa 1400 - circa 1450 ?)
Sex: Male Use: Military Status: High Rank: High Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: Head.
2(n.)
Raw Material;
used to refer to the animal from which the fur was derived (squirrel) [only one attestation noted].(circa 1464)
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
3(adj.)
Raw Material;
made of miniver (as an adj.). Cf. L minuettum.(circa 1400)
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: High Rank: High Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
Definite, AF and/or Old French; the Insular French usage seems to be the primary influence [compare central French 'menu vair', squirrel fur ('fourrure tirée du petit-gris' in Godefroy), c1380]. Contrast 'gros vair', MdE grover (q.v.), and forms such as 'gros miniver'. In Britain, variants of the term/phrase appear in Latin accounts from at least the end of the twelfth century.
Latham notes the following British L compound forms (and cf. entry for minuettum): varium minutum (1198, c1432); verium minutum (1280); verrerum minutum (c1308); werellum (1204) [s.v. 'vari/etas', p. 505].
WF:
Etym Cog:
References:
