Now rare. Forms: see TABOR sb.1 [f. TABOR sb.1, or a. OF. taborer (13th c. in Godef.).]
1. intr. To perform upon or beat the tabor; to drum. Also to tabor it.
13[?]. K. Alis., 924 (Bodl. MS.). Þer was trumpyng & tabouryng Lepyng of stedes & nayȝeyng.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIII. 230. I can noither tabre ne trompe.
1413. Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton), II. xliv. (1859), 50. They floyted and they tabered; they yellyd, and they cryed.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 485/2. Tabowryn, timpaniso.
1530. Palsgr., 746/1. I will tabour, play thou upon the flute therwhyles.
1591. Nashe, Pref. Sidney’s Astr. & Stella, in G. G. Smith, Eliz. Crit. Ess. (1904), II. 226. ¶ 3. Nor hath my prose any skill to imitate the Almond leape verse, or sit tabring fiue yeres together nothing but ‘to bee, to hee,’ on a paper drum.
1694. Motteux, Rabelais, IV. xiv. (1737), 56. Trudon Pip’d it and then Taber’d it like mad.
1902. Speaker, 5 April, 10/1. The inevitable ‘tambourinaire’ fires and tabors away.
b. transf. and fig. To beat as upon a tabor; to drum.
1579–80. North, Plutarch (1676), 72. This brought the common rumor to taber on his [Solon’s] head.
1611. Bible, Nahum ii. 7. Her maids shall leade her … tabring vpon their breasts.
1653. Dorothy Osborn, Lett., to Sir W. Temple (1903), 179. His humour was to rise in the night, and with two bedstaves tabour upon the table an hour together.
1692. L’Estrange, Fables, ccccxvii. (1714), 451. He [the Ass] went … Tabring with his Feet all the Way.
1719. D’Urfey, Pills, VI. 265. With Hammer on Kettle he tabbers all Day.
1859. F. E. Paget, Curate of Cumberworth, 356. Mrs. Soaper … re-echoed her husband’s words, and tabbered with her fingers on the table, expectant of my reply.
2. trans. To beat (a tune, etc.): cf. DRUM v. 8.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., Prol. 354 (Fairf. MS.). In youre courte ys many a losengeour and many a queynt totelere accusour That tabouren [v.rr. taboryn, tauburn) in youre eres many a swon.
† 3. To beat, thump (anything); to thrash. Obs.
1624. Quarles, Job xviii. 63. Marke with what pride his horny hoofes doe tabor The … Earth.
a. 1625. Fletcher, Woman’s Prize, II. v. I would tabor her, Till all the legions that are crept into her, Flew out with fire i’ th’ tails.
1655. trans. Com. Hist. Francion, III. 55. Beating the Switzers march upon their buttocks; and … they fell to tabour mine to the same tune.
Hence Taboring vbl. sb.
13[?]. [see sense 1]:
1603. Holland, Plutarch’s Mor., 98. Of his drumming, tabouring, and other enormious indignities, under the colour of religion.
1867. Morris, Jason, VIII. 360. Bear back the fleece Along our streets … with much scattered flowers and tabouring.
