pa. pple. and ppl. a. Obs. Forms: 1 ʓecoren, 2–3 icoren, 3–4 icore, 4 i-, ycorn, 3–5 ycore. [OE. ʓecoren, pa. pple. of céosan to CHOOSE, ʓecéosan I-CHEOSE.] Chosen; often predicative and as adj., elect; ‘choice,’ fair, comely (cf. the uses of corn s.v. CHOOSE v. A. 6 a); hence in ME. used as a meaningless tag often rhyming with before; absol. elect one, the elect.
Beowulf, 206. He hæfde cempan ʓecorone.
a. 900. Cynewulf, Juliana, 299. Wiþ þa ȝecorenan Cristes þeʓnas.
c. 900. trans. Bæda’s Hist., II. xviii. Honorius … to bisceope ʓecoren wæs.
a. 1000. Cædmon’s Gen., 1818. Abraham … drihtne ʓecoren.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. (Th.) cxxxi. 18 [cxxxii. 17]. Ic … fæʓre ʓearuwe byrnende blac-ern bere for minum criste ʓecorenum [orig. christo meo].
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 45. Nu ic þe bidde for þine kinedome … and for alle þine haleȝen and ec þine icorene.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 104. Hwi boð fole iclepede and swa lut icorene.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 167. Hwat is þis þe astihȝð alse dai rieme, fair alse mone, icoren [orig. electa, Song of Songs vi. 10] alse sunne?
c. 1300. Harrow. Hell (L.), 244. Let vs neuer be forloren for no sunne, crist ycoren.
c. 1330. Amis & Amil., 579. Of wel heighe kin y-corn.
c. 1330. King of Tars, 544. [The child] as a roonde of flesche icore In chaumbre lay hire bifore, Withouten blod or bon.
13[?]. Coer de L., 146. With a coron off gold i-corn.
1340–70. Alex. & Dind., 978. Þe kiddeste y-core þat corone weldus!
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 766. Charlis kyng þe beste knyȝt y-core þat is owar now lyuyng.
c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 789. Edgar … To þe kyndam of Englonde was y-corn.
