Liar

Forms: 1 léoʓere, Northumb. léʓere, 2 li(h)ȝere, 3 lieȝer, liare, 3–4 leier, 3–5 lyere, 3–6 lier, (4 ly(e)ȝere, lyȝer, liȝer, leeȝer, leigher, liere, liyher), 4–5 legher(e, ligher, lygher, lyare, 4–6 Sc. lear, 4–7 lyer, 5–8 lyar, (7 lyarr), 7– liar. [OE. léoʓere (= OHG. liugari, Icel. ljúgari), agent-n. f. léoʓan LIE v.² See -AR³, -ER¹ 2.] One who lies or tells a falsehood; an untruthful person.

c. 950.  Lindisf. Gosp., Matt. vi. 5. Mið ðy ʓie ʓebiddas ne wosas ʓe suæ leʓeras [other versions liceteras; L. hypocritæ].

a. 1023.  Wulfstan, Hom. (Napier), 79. Up arisað lease leoʓeras.

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 13. Ne beo þu lihȝere ne for eye ne for luue.

c. 1290.  S. Eng. Leg., I. 333/362. A strong liare and man of false lawe.

1340.  Ayenb., 62. Þe lyeȝere is ylich þe dyeule þet is his uader.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Troylus, III. 260 (309). Auauntoure and a lyere al is on.

c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, i. (Petrus), 422. Quhedir he a lele man or a lear be.

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 12590. Thus lytherly þo lyghers lappit þere tales.

1413.  Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton), I. xvii. (1859), 18. He … hath ben found an open lyer.

1470–85.  Malory, Arthur, XX. xiv. They that told yow the tales were lyers.

1552.  Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 25. He is ane lear and in him thair is na verite.

1581.  Sidney, Apol. Poetrie (Arb.), 51. Of all Writers vnder the sunne, the Poet is the least lier.

1614.  Raleigh, Hist. World, II. (1634), 466. Poets are lyars, and for verses sake Will make the gods of humane crimes partake.

a. 1764.  Lloyd, Ep. to J. B. Esq., Poet. Wks. 1774, I. 96. Who are known lyars by profession.

1782.  V. Knox, Ess. (1819), I. ii. 12. An habitual liar … must possess a poor and pusillanimous heart.

1865.  Dickens, Mut. Fr., I. xiv. ‘Now tell me I’m a liar,’ said the honest man.

1875.  Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 359. You are a liar, Meletus, not believed even by yourself.

  Proverbs.  c. 1250.  Ten Abuses, in O. E. Misc., 184. Old mon lechur, Ȝunch mon lieȝer [2nd text lyere].

1539.  Taverner, Erasm. Prov. (1552), 35. A lyer ought not to be forgetfull.

a. 1555.  Latimer, in Godly Confer. w. Ridley (1556), b 2 b. Lyers had nede to haue good memories.

1631.  Chettle, Hoffmann, I 2 b. Lyer, lyer, licke dish.

  b.  Liar’s bench (see quot.).

1859.  Nares, Liars’-bench, a place in St. Paul’s Cathedral in the sixteenth century, so called because it was stated that the disaffected made appointments there.

  † c.  attrib. or adj. Lying, deceitful. Obs.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 6819. Tak þou noght wit tunge leier.