earslyre

Old English

Etymology

From ears (“buttocks, ass”) +‎ lȳre, the latter element presumably being a variant of līra ("brawn, muscle").

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ͜ɑrsˌlyː.re/, [ˈæ͜ɑrˠzˌlyː.re]

Noun

earslȳre m

1. the breech muscle; the gluteal muscles

Usage notes

• Assumed to be a masculine noun, based on the gender of the assumed source of the second element, līra. However, the actual gender is uncertain, as the word is only attested in a single gloss. If it is masculine, then the -e suffix in the nominative singular form would suggest a ja-stem noun (as shown in the declension table above), rather than an n-stem like līra.

Declension

Strong ja-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	earslȳre	earslȳras
accusative	earslȳre	earslȳras
genitive	earslȳres	earslȳra
dative	earslȳre	earslȳrum

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “EARS-LYRE”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.