adv. (a.) arch. Forms: 1 ʓeara, ʓara, iara, ʓeare, ʓearo, 3 ȝar, ȝeare, ȝaure, 3–5 ȝare, 3–6 yare, ȝore, 4 yar, 5 yoore, 6 ȝoir, youre, 4– yore. [OE. ʓeára, also ʓeáre, ʓeáro, advb. formations of obscure origin.]
† 1. A long time ago; of old; freq. strengthened by full; also in collocation with ago, agone. Phr. it is (gone) yore (that …): long ago. Obs.
Beowulf, 2664. Swa ðu on ʓeoʓuðfeore ʓeara ʓecwæde.
c. 900. trans. Bæda’s Hist., II. xiii. Ʒeare ic þæt onʓeat þæt ðæt nowiht wæs þæt we beeodan. Ibid., III. xxii. Is se [sc. tun] be ðam wealle þe ʓearo Romane Breotone ealonde begyrdon twelf milun fram eastsæ.
c. 975. Rushw. Gosp., Matt. xi. 21. Olim, Iara.
a. 1000. Boeth. Metr., i. 1. Hit wæs ʓeara iu ðætte Gotan eastan of Sciððia sceldas læddon.
c. 1050. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 427/6. Iam, ʓeara, oþþe ʓeoʓara.
c. 1205. Lay., 4650. Þe king him ȝef Delcan þe ȝare wes mi leouemon.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 68. Ȝare hit is þet ich wuste herof.
a. 1300. Floriz & Bl., 653. Nis noȝt ȝore þat i ne com And fond hire wiþ hordom.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Sir Thopas, Prol. 19 (Harl. 7334). Other tale certes can I noon But of a rym I lerned ȝore agoon.
c. 1400. Gamelyn, 257. Sithen I wrastelet first it is gone ȝore.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 13968. Til a ȝer was full yore yarkit to end, And a halfe, er þat end happit to fare.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 1008. All þe ȝeris of oure ȝouthe es ȝare syne passid.
a. 1425. Cursor M., 5672 (Trin.). Woltou me sle herfore As þou didest þe egipcian not ȝore?
1426. Lydg., De Guil. Pilgr., 5696. And for that skyle gon ful yore,… I callede the my paramour.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl. (E.E.T.S.), xx. 27. He dyed on Rood, gone is not yore.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XIII. Pref. 3. Ȝoir ago, in myne ondantit ȝowth.
c. 1532. Du Wes, Introd. Fr., in Palsgr., 927. Yare so, aincois ainsy.
a. 1542. Wyatt, Poems, ‘Ryght true it is.’ Ryght true it is, and said full yore agoo.
a. 1550. in Dunbar’s Poems (S.T.S.), 320. The Gret Forlore Of Babylon, that I full yore Espousit.
1613. Cawdrey, Table Alph., Yore, long agoe, before.
† 2. In time past; formerly, before. Obs.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1180. Ich not ȝef þu were ȝaure prest.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 1503. God … graunt ȝou ioye, For þe worchipe þat ȝe han wruȝt to me ȝore.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxiii. (vii Sleperis), 258. [He] lukyt vpe, & saw þare Þe sammyne takine he saw yare.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 7597. Thus seide I now, and haue seid yore.
c. 1450. Cursor M., 2651 (Laud). Abraham hast þou yore by cald, That name no lengger shalt þou hald.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl. (E.E.T.S.), xxiv. 513. Doe as thou hast yore behight.
1570. Levins, Manip., 174/34. Yore, before, ante, prius.
1574. Mirr. Mag., Kimarus, xii. A just rewarde, for so vniust a life, No worse a death, then I deserued yore.
† 3. For a long time (past, or rarely to come).
c. 1275. XI Pains of Hell, 23, in O. E. Misc., 147. In helle ich habbe yare ibeo.
a. 1300. Vox & Wolf, 169, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 63. The wolf haueth hounger swithe gret, For he nedde ȝare i-ete.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Clerk’s T., 12. Thus in delit he lyueth and hath doon yoore.
c. 1430. Lydg., Chichevache & Bycorne, in Dodsley, O. Pl. (1827), XII. 304. And thus ye stonde and have don yore.
1522. World & Child, C j. In englonde haue I dwelled yore.
4. Of yore: a. in advb. use: Of old, in time long past, anciently, formerly. Also † of yore ago(ne, † long yore: long ago.
a. 1375. Joseph Arim., 317. Werdes of Ebreu weren I-writen of ȝore.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., Prol. 13. For that he say it nat of ȝore a-go.
1430–40. Lydg., Bochas, IX. xiv. (1554), 202 b/2. She was the same that of yore agon, Unworthelye sate in Peters place.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., July, 116. The sayncts Which han be dead of yore [Gloss long agoe].
c. 1600. Shaks., Sonn., lxviii. To shew faulse Art what beauty was of yore.
1632. Milton, Penseroso, 23. Thee bright-hair’d Vesta long of yore, To solitary Saturn bore.
1784. Cowper, Task, II. 591. A form, not now gymnastic as of yore.
1819. Scott, Ivanhoe, i. Here haunted of yore the fabulous Dragon of Wantley.
1862. Kingsley, in Life & Lett. (1877), I. 477. I have defended the right of combination among the workmen, in hope that they would become wiser than of yore.
1867. ‘Ouida,’ Cecil Castlemaine’s Gage, 19. Proud Cecil Castlemaine was yet prouder than of yore.
b. in adj. use: Belonging to time long past, ancient, former.
1598. Mucedorus, IV. iii. 72. In time of yore.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., v. 338. His Bishoprick of yore.
c. 1705. Pope, Jan. & May, 514. Well sung sweet Ovid, in the days of yore.
1809–10. Coleridge, Friend, I. v. (1865), 134. This is altogether different from the village politics of yore.
1814. Wordsw., Excurs., II. 1. In days of yore how fortunately fared The Minstrel!
1820. W. Irving, Sketch Bk., I. 80 (Rip van Winkle). The quiet little Dutch inn of yore.
1883. Whitelaw, Sophocles, Philoct., 1151. For now I hold not in my hands The mighty shafts of yore.
c. With other preps.: e.g., † for yore (obs.); in yore (pseudo-arch.). rare.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 586. Ȝet oþer þer werne … Þat swange & swat for long ȝore.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 4174. Hire mi sone is founde þat sche for ȝore saide was sonk in þe see.
1876. Morris, Æneids, V. 865. In yore agone.
5. as adj. Of old time; ancient, former. arch. and dial. † Yore while (advb. phr.), some time ago.
Yore-day is an echo of OE. on ʓeárdaʓum, ON. i árdaga in days of yore.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., A. 322. Oure ȝore fader hit con mysseȝeme. Ibid., B. 842. Ȝete vus out þose ȝong men þat ȝorewhyle here entred.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 9959. So hatnet hir hert in his hegh loue, And all ȝomeryng for-yeton of hir yore dedes.
1866. G. Stephens, Runic Mon., I. p. v. Thousands of books and yore-day things.
