Obs. Forms: 1 biorn, 1–3 beorn, 3–6 bern(e, burn(e. Also 3 bearn, 3–4 bieren, 4 beern(e, berene, biern(e, byern(e, buirn, buyrn(e, beurn, bourne, borne, 4–5 beryn, buern(e, barn(e, 5 byrne, birn(e, buirn(e. [OE. beorn, earlier biorn (:—*bern) ‘warrior, hero, man of valor,’ hence ‘man’ pre-eminently, vir, ἀνήρ; a word exclusively poetical; of disputed origin. The ME. forms were very varied; the most common midland type in 14th c. was burn(e; after 1400 the word was retained chiefly in the north, where it was a favorite term of alliterative poetry; in the form berne it survived in Scotch till after 1550. In some of its spellings it was occasionally confounded with forms of BAIRN, and BARON; with the latter it was often actually interchanged: see quots. 1205, 1300.
Phonetically, OE. beorn ‘man of valor’ answers exactly to ON. bjǫrn, gen. bjarnar, ‘bear’ (:—OTeut. bernu-z, the Celtic representative of which Prof. Rhys sees in the Gaulish proper name Brennus); but the ON. word has never the sense of ‘warrior,’ while the OE. has never that of ‘bear.’ To this, however, a striking analogy is offered by the case of OE. eofor, ON. jǫfurr (:—OTeut. eƀuro-z = L. aper), which has in Old English only the sense of ‘wild boar,’ in ON. only that of ‘warrior, hero.’ The use of the name of a fierce animal as a fig. appellation for ‘warrior, brave,’ seems very natural, and the fact that OE. beorn belonged only to the language of poetry and is never found in prose, suggests that it was a word of which the literal sense was lost, and only a figurative one traditionally retained. Nevertheless some eminent Teutonic scholars doubt the identification. Some have considered the word to be an early variant of bearn, BAIRN, or at least a cognate derivative of beran to BEAR. Mr. H. Bradley has suggested the possibility of connecting it with the British root of Beornice Bernicia, Welsh bryneich, and of Welsh brenhin king; but the nature of the connection is not apparent.]
A warrior, a hero, a man of valor; in later use, simply one of the many poetic words for ‘man.’
Beowulf, 5111. Biorn under beorʓe bordrand onswaf.
937. Balt. Brunanburh, in O. E. Chron. Gelpan ne þorfte beorn blanden-feax.
c. 1205. Lay., 16923. Æuerælche eorle & æuerælche beorne [1250 euch eorl and barun].
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7. Brut, þat bern [v.r. berne, baroun] bald of hand, Þe first conquerour of Ingland.
a. 1300. E. E. Psalter cxxxix. [xl.] 2. Fra ivel man; Fra wike bieren outake me on-an.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 616. Where wystez þou euer any bourne abate. Ibid., B. 80. Boþe burnez & burdez, þe better and þe wers. Ibid., C. 302. Ay sykerly he herde Þe bygge borne on his bak. Ibid., C. 340. He brakez vp þe buyrne, as bede hym oure lorde.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 1708. Þer as burnes were busy bestes to hulde.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XI. 353. So heighe þere noither buirn [v.r. burn, barne, barn] ne beste may her briddes rechen.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1391. Than a ryche mane of Rome relyede to his byerns.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, VII. 2887. Ffairest be ferre of his fre buernes.
c. 1400. Roland, 237. He bad no bern be so bold upon mold.
c. 1400. Rowland & Ot., 1416. Thay brittenede many a beryn.
c. 1420. Anturs of Arth., x. Then this byrne braydet owte a brand, and the body bidus. Ibid., xiv. Quen birdus and birnys ar besy thè aboute.
c. 1465. Chevy Chase, lviii. A bolder barne was never born.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, IV. 310. A squire come, and with him bernys four.
1515. Scot. Field, 400, in Chetham Misc., II. There was never burne borne, that day bare him better.
1528. Lyndesay, Dreme, 919. We saw a boustius berne cum ouir ye bent.
