auctour

English

Noun

auctour (plural auctours)

1. Obsolete form of author.
   • 1530, “To the right excellent and honorable lorde Jhoñ Erle of Oxforde / and hygh chamberlayne of Englande Thomas Paynell gretynge”, in Regimen Sanitatis Salerni. This Boke Techynge All People to Gouerne Them in Helthe, Is Translated out of the Latyne Tounge in to Englishe by Thomas Paynell.:

     Redynge of olde auctours and ſtoryes my mooſt honorable lorde / I fynde that men in tyme paſte were of longer lyfe / and of more proſperous helth / thã they are nowe a daies.

   • 1537, A Dayly Exercyse and Experyence of Dethe / Gathered and Set Forth, by a Brother of Syon Rycharde Whytforde:

     A dayly exercyſe, and experyẽce of deth / all duely corrected by the ſelfe auctour, and nowe prynted trewely. The ſayd auctour requyred me inſtantly that I ſhulde nat prynte nor ioyne any other werkes vnto his. Specially of vncertayne auctours.

   • 1578, Lambertus Danæus, translated by T. T., The Wonderfull VVoorkmanship of the World: Wherin Is Conteined an Excellent Discourse of Christian Naturall Philosophie, Concernyng the Fourme, Knowledge, and Vse of All Thinges Created: Specially Gathered out of the Fountaines of Holy Scripture, London: […] Andrew Maunsell, page 46:

     For among the learned auctours, ſome thinke that Heauen and earth, of whiche in the i. chapt. of Geneſis, and i. verſe it is writen, In the beginnyng God made heauen and earth, were made by God of nothyng: […]

Middle English

Alternative forms

• auctor, autor, autour, author, auther

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman autour, from Latin auctor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /au̯ˈtuːr/, /au̯kˈtuːr/, /au̯ˈtoːr/, /ˈau̯tər/

Noun

auctour (plural auctours)

1. A creator or author; the person who authors something; especially used to refer to God.
2. An author or writer; someone who authors a written work.
3. A establisher or founder; the person who establishes something.
4. A person or people who act as a trusted source.
5. (rare, law) A person who makes a legal accusation.

Related terms

• auctorite

Descendants

• English: author
• Scots: author

References

• “auctǒur, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-30.