What does Middle English “yreyn” mean?

Question

Isaiah.59:5

"Thei han broke eiren of snakis, and maden webbis of an yreyn; he that etith of the eiren of hem, schal die, and that that is nurschid, ether brouyt forth, schal breke out in to a cocatrice."

King James Bible:

"They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper."

The Middle English dictinoary is really good, you should start there. They give lots of alternate spellings for 'arain' including the Wycliffe bible one (click on 'Show 19 quotations). — Mitch, Jul 14 '19 at 19:48
With all these questions, why do you not trust the translation you give? — Andrew Leach, Jul 14 '19 at 20:04
@AnatoliySydorov I didn't know it either. I just searched for it. — Mitch, Jul 14 '19 at 21:05

GEdgar · Accepted Answer · 2019-07-14T22:03:43.383

5

The OED lists yreyn as a spelling of arain, an obsolete word meaning spider.

edited Jul 14 '19 at 22:03

answered Jul 14 '19 at 19:37

GEdgar

25,177

1

Compare French "araignée" – Colin Fine Oct 18 '21 at 15:29

What does Middle English “yreyn” mean?

1 Answers1