byrne

See also: Byrne

Old English

Etymology

Earlier *brynne, from Proto-Germanic *brunjǭ. Cognate with Old High German brunja (German Brünne), Old Norse brynja (Swedish brynja), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌿𐌽𐌾𐍉 (brunjō). Compare Middle English brinie, Scots byrnie, from the Old Norse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbyr.ne/, [ˈbyrˠ.ne]

Noun

byrne f (nominative plural byrnan)

1. corselet, coat of mail
   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     Đā andwyrde Martinus unforht ðām cāsere, "Iċ wille ðurhgān orsorh ðone here, mid rōde tācne ġewǣpnod, nā mid rēadum sċylde, oððe mid hefeġum helme, oððe heardre byrnan." Đa hēt sē hǣðena cyning healdan Martinum, þæt hē wurde āworpen unġewǣpnod ðām here. Þā nolde sē Hǣlend his ðeġen forlǣtan, ac ġesibbode þæt folc sōna þǣs on merien, þæt hī tō þǣs cāseres cyneġyrde ġebugon.

     Then the bold Martinus answered the emperor "I will go fearlessly through the army, armed with a crucifix, not with a red shield, nor with a heavy helmet, nor a hard corselet." So the heathen king ordered that Martinus be held so he could be thrown unarmed into the army. But the Savior would not abandon his servant, and in the morning soon pacified the people so that they submitted to the emperor's scepter.

Declension

Weak feminine (n-stem):

	singular	plural
nominative	byrne	byrnan
accusative	byrnan	byrnan
genitive	byrnan	byrnena
dative	byrnan	byrnum

Descendants

• Middle English: burne
  • English: byrnie/brinie