Also 6 legher, legar, 6–7 leagure, 7 leguer, leager, leagre, 8 leiger. [a. Du. leger camp, formally equivalent to OE. leger LAIR sb.1]
1. A military camp, esp. one engaged in a siege; an investing force.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., I. 212/2. But when it was perceiued that theyr slender ranckes were not able to resiste the thycke leghers of the enimies.
1590. Sir J. Smyth, Disc. Weapons, 2. They [military men] will not vouchsafe … to use our antient termes belonging to matters of warre, but doo call a Campe by the Dutch name of Legar.
a. 1645. Featly, in Fuller’s Abel Rediv., Reynolds (1867), II. 240. The leaguer is not yet broken up.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., VII. § 204. It would not at first be credited at the leaguer that the earl of Essex could be in a condition to attempt such a work.
1650. T. B[ayley], Worcester’s Apoph., 100. When General Fairfax came into the Leaguer before Raglan.
1724. De Foe, Mem. Cavalier (1840), 120. I came into the imperial leaguer at the siege of Leipsic.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., i. He temporised until the enemy had broken up their leaguer.
1827. Keble, Chr. Y., 2nd Sunday after Trinity, The holy house is still beset With leaguer of stern foes.
1865. Parkman, Huguenots, ii. (1875), 20. Villegagnon with six followers … passed under cover of night through the infidel leaguer.
1875. Stubbs, Const. Hist., II. xiv. 17. He had dispersed the leaguer at Lincoln.
b. In leaguer: in camp; engaged in a siege.
1590. Marlowe, 2nd Pt. Tamburl., I. iii. Our men of Barbary haue … laine in leagre fifteene months and more.
1600. Holland, Livy, 446. Anniball now laie in leaguer, before the walls of Gerion.
1675. trans. Machiavelli’s Prince, xii. (1883), 85. They were in leaguer before a town.
1808. Scott, Marm., VI. i. Where England’s King in leaguer lay.
1879. Butcher & Lang, Odyss., 39. Now we sat in leaguer there achieving many adventures.
2. A military investment, siege.
1598. B. Jonson, Ev. Man in Hum., III. i. It was the first, but the best leagure, that euer I beheld, with these eies.
1630. J. Taylor (Water P.), Begger, Wks. I. 100/1. Two dangerous hurts hardly brought off from Bummill Leaguer.
1669. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., V. 72. At the time of a Leagure he must expect often to change his Powder.
1715. trans. Pancirollus’ Rerum Mem., I. II. vi. 81. The Waste which lay between the Houses in a Time of a Leaguer, was sown with Corn.
1855. Motley, Dutch Rep., III. ix. (1866), 533. During the infinite horrors of the Harlem siege, and in the more prosperous leaguer of Alkmaar.
1859. Smiles, Self-Help, vii. (1860), 175. The leaguer of Lucknow.
1890. Athenæum, 13 Dec., 811/1. The long leaguer of Miletus in the Ionic revolt.
3. attrib. and Comb., as leaguer-proof adj.; † leaguer-basket, a fascine; leaguer-†lady, -lass, † -laundress, euphemistic names for a woman attached to a camp.
1659. Hoole, Comenius (1672), 291. Engineres who lye behind *Leagure-baskets [L. gerras].
1702. Steele, Funeral, II. 36. I shall take care … to keep you from Lord Hardy—From being a *Leiger Lady, From carrying a Knapsack.
1822. Scott, Nigel, xviii. (motto), This were a *leaguer-lass to love a soldier, To bind his wounds, and kiss his bloody brow.
1895. Q. Rev., April, 472. Her father had dreamed that Jeanne ‘went with the soldiers,’ doubtless as a ‘leaguer-lass.’
1629. Massinger, Picture, I. i. Were it not for my honesty, I could wish now I were his *leager landresse.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett., II. iv. There are some beauties so strong, that they are *leager-proof; they are so barricaded that no battery … can do good upon them.
¶ 4. This word has occasionally been substituted by confusion for leager, LEDGER, in attributive use and in the phrase to lie leaguer.
1678. H. Vaughan, Thalia Rediv., Wks. (Grosart), I. 303. Angels descend, and rule the sphere; Where Heaven lies leiguer.
1727. Boyer, Fr. Dict., II. s.v., A Leaguer Ambassador, (one that makes a continuance) Un Ambassadeur ordinaire.
1826. Scott, Woodst., II. x. 260. He lies leaguer, as a sort of ambassador for his worthy masters.
