Sudary

Obs. or arch. Also 4–5 sudare, 4–6 sudarie, 5 seou-, sewdarie, (shouldarye), sodary, sudurye, 5–6 sudarye, 6 sudari, sudere; also (disyll.) 5 sudayr, Sc. swdour. [ad. L. sūdārium, f. sūdor sweat: see -ARY¹ 2. Cf. It., Sp., Pg. sudario, Pr. suzari, F. suaire. Gr. σουδάριον, from L., is used in Luke xix. 20, John xi. 44, xx. 7, Acts xix. 12.]

  1.  A napkin or handkerchief used to wipe sweat or tears from the face; a sweat-cloth; esp. such a napkin venerated as a relic of a saint.

a. 1350.  St. James, 137, in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881), 98. Þe childe þan toke þe appostels sudary.

c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, i. (Petrus), 53. In his bosum ay he bare a sudare, to wepe his Ene.

1382.  Wyclif, Acts xix. 12. On syke men the sudaries [later vers. napkins] … or nyȝt clothis … weren borun fro his body.

c. 1430.  Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 30. For eyen and nose the nedethe a mokadour, Or sudary.

1483.  Caxton, Gold. Leg., 426/2. He came to the sudayr of the saynt & with grete deuocion kyssed it.

1623.  Cockeram, Sudorne [? Sudorye], a handkerchefe.

1835.  Browning, Paracelsus, III. 438. A monk fumbled at the sick man’s mouth With some undoubted relic—a sudary Of the Virgin.

  2.  The napkin that was about Christ’s head in the tomb; hence, a shroud or winding-sheet. Also attrib. sudary cloth.

a. 1300–1400.  Cursor M., 17288 + 193 (Cott.). Peter … saȝe þe schetez spred, and þe sudary þore leued þat was in þe sepulcre laide on our lordez heued.

c. 1380.  Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. II. 99. His face was bounden wiþ a sudarie.

c. 1440.  York Myst., xxxvi. 387. A sudarye Loo here haue I, Wynde hym for-thy.

c. 1450.  in Maitland Club Misc., III. 204. Ane gret sepultur with ane ymage of our Saluiour … and ane swdour of quhit silk abon the sam.

1483.  Caxton, G. de la Tour, a iij b. Moo than a thousand men in sudaryes lyke dede men.

1485.  Digby Myst., III. 1049. Here is nothyng left butt a sudare cloth.

a. 1500[?].  Chester Pl., xix. (Shaks. Soc.), II. 98. My Lorde Jesu is awaye! But his shouldarye south to saye, Lyinge here I fynde.

1517.  Torkington, Pilgr. (1884), 3. Ther in a Castyll ys a ffayer Churche where ys the sudary of ower Savyor Crist Jhu.

1538.  Prymer Salisb. Use, in Maskell, Mon. Rit. (1846), II. p. xiii. The body of Jesu Was wraped and bounde in a sudary.

1756–7.  Keysler’s Trav. (1760), I. 342. The holy Sudary at Turin.

  3.  Eccl. A ceremonial cloth of linen or silk, often fringed; esp. a humeral veil. arch.

1431.  Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1904), 27. Also vj seoudaries corporas & a case.

c. 1450.  in Aungier, Syon (1840), 367. Sudaryes longyng to the awtres.

1488.  in Archæologia, XLV. 116. A Sewdarie of grene tarterne ffringed with silke on bothe endis.

c. 1500.  Order Consecr. Nuns, in Maskell, Mon. Rit. (1846), II. 327. Every virgyn shall have a long sudary or towell uppon both hir handys.

1523.  [Coverdale], Old God & New (1534), M ij b. Y^e chapleins armed euery one of theym with an ob. do cast theyr ob. in to the basen kyssyng y^e sudary.

1549.  Edw. VI., Injunct., in Burnet, Hist. Ref. (1681), II. II. I. No. 33. 165. Blessing his Eyes with the Paten or Sudary.

1891.  Legg, Missale Westm., p. xv. The fifth is the initial of St. Stephen’s office, and represents the saint as a deacon holding up stones in a sudary.