Forms: α. 1 tiorian, teorian, 2 teorien; 5 tere. β. 1 (late) (ʓe)tyrian; (2–3 (a)tieren); 5 tyere, Sc. tyr, 5–8 tyre, 6 tyar, Sc. tyir, 6–7 tyer, tier, 6– tire. [OE. tíorian, téorian (also with short io, eo (Sievers); in comb. ʓetíorian, ʓetéorian; with umlaut (late) ʓetýrian), also a-téorian, with umlaut a-tíerian, a-térian; also vbl. sb. tiurung ‘lassitudo’ (Gallée), and ʓetéorung. As this vb. does not appear in the cognate langs., it is difficult to determine its original form in OE., and the phonetic relations between the OE. and ME. forms, esp. the origin and history of the current form tire († tyre), which appears first in Scottish writers in the 15th c.
Prof. Sievers thinks that the various OE. and ME. forms may be explained by the existence of an OE. *tíran trans., beside tíorian (tiorian) intr., both formed from an OTeut. verbal root *terh-; the sound-relations being similar to those between OE. fíras and feorh, féores (feores), from root *ferhw-.]
I. intr. † 1. To fail, cease (as a supply, etc.); to diminish, give out, come to an end. Obs.
c. 725. Corpus Gloss. (O.E.T.), 668. Desisse, tiorade [c. 1050 in Wr.-Wülcker 385/9 teorode].
a. 1000. Ord. Dunsætas, c. 4, heading. Be ðone ðe lad teorie.
a. 1000. Ags. Ps. (Th.) cxviii[i]. 82. Eaʓan me swylce eac teoredon.
11[?]. Soul & Body, in Phillipps, Fragm. Ælfric’s Gramm., etc. (1838), 5. Him trukeþ his iwit, him teoreþ his miht.
[c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 29. Vnwreste þu best ȝef þu wreche ne secst … ȝief mihte þe ne atiereð.]
2. To become weak or exhausted from exertion; to have one’s strength reduced or worn out by toil or labor; to become fatigued.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 16. ʓif mon on langum weʓe teoriʓe.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, IX. 1771. The Scottis hors mony began to tyr [rhyme fyr].
c. 1470. Golagros & Gaw., 34. Tuglit and travalit thus trew men can [= did] tyre.
c. 1480. Henryson, Test. Cres. (ed. 1593), 516. To beir his Scheild his Breist began to tyre.
1587. Mascall, Gevt. Cattle, Horses (1627), 178. Lap it about his bit,… and then bridle him, and ride him, and he wil not lightly tyer.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., II. i. 120. Your wit’s too hot, it speeds too fast, ’twill tire. Ibid. (1593), Rich. II., II. i. 36.
1599. Porter, Angry Woman Abingd. (Percy Soc.), 41. A swift horse will tier, but he that trottes easilie will indure.
1611. Shaks., Wint. T., IV. iii. 135. A merry heart goes all the day, Your sad tyres in a Mile-a.
1660. F. Brooke, trans. Le Blanc’s Trav., 230. His horses so tiring, that the servants were fain to carry the baggage themselves.
1716. Lady M. W. Montagu, Lett., 16 Aug. Our horses tired at Stamel, three hours from [Cologne].
1845. J. Coulter, Adv. Pacific, xiii. 169. They tire—others supply their places.
3. To have one’s appreciation, power of attention, or patience exhausted by excess; to become or be weary or sick of, to ‘have enough’ of.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, lxvi. 94. Of this fals failȝeand warld I tyre.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. XXI. xi. (S.T.S.), I. 307. The quenis grace tyrit of him and pairtit with him.
a. 1584. Montgomerie, Cherrie & Slae, 99. Quha wald haue tyrit to heir that tune.
1763. Goldsm., Misc. Wks. (1837), II. 484. Unwearied himself, he supposed his readers could never tire.
1803. Edwin, III. iv. 60. His tongue spoke of nothing but the field, and his ear tired with any other theme.
1819. Scott, Bl. Dwarf, xviii. Mareschal … tired of the country, went abroad, served three campaigns, came home.
1857. Ruskin, Pol. Econ. Art, 54. You will never tire of looking at it.
1897. Century Mag., Feb., 623/2. [The squirrel] would grasp one of my fingers with his two paws, and lick it till he tired.
4. To become weary with waiting for something; to ‘weary’ or long for. Sc. ? Obs.
1801. Barbara Maxwell, in G. Ewing, Mem. B. Ewing (1829), 41. I really tire for your letters.
1827. Isab. Campbell, in Mem., viii. (1829), 247. I tire much for this—I long to be completely conformed to the image of Jesus.
II. trans. 5. To wear down or exhaust the strength of by exertion; to fatigue, weary (by either mental or physical exercise). Also absol.
a. 1000. Ags. Ps. (Th.), cxli[i]. 3. ʓif mine grame þenceað gast teorian.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 1009. All þe ȝeris of oure ȝouthe es ȝare syne passid And we for-traualid & terid [Dubl. MS. for-tyred]. Ibid., 1404 (Dubl. MS.). It wald tere ony tong hys tournays to reken.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XV. v. 661. The whyte knyghtes helde them nyghe about syr launcelot for to tyere hym and wynde hym.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, lxxix. 7. For rekkyning of my rentis and roumes, Ȝe neid nocht for to tyre ȝour thowmes.
1530. Palsgr., 758/1. I tyer a horse, I make him that he can go no farther.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., IV. iii. 307. Motion and long during action tyres The sinnowy vigour of the trauailer.
c. 1590. Marlowe, Faust., I. i. 61. Here, Faustus, tire thy brains to gain a deity.
1621. T. Williamson, trans. Goulart’s Wise Vieillard, 50. Not tyring himselfe, and spending his spirits with much labour and studie.
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 177. The Tigre is … not long Nimble, Three Leaps Tiring him.
1749. Berkeley, Word to the Wise, Wks. III. 444. The same work tires, but different works relieve.
1845. J. Coulter, Adv. Pacific, ix. 111. Being well tired by my day’s march, and excitement, I lay down … and slept soundly until daylight.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 338. They would rather not tire themselves by thinking about possibilities.
6. To weary or exhaust the patience, interest, or appreciation of (a person, etc.) by long continuance, sameness, or want of interest; to satiate, make sick of something; to bore. Also absol.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, xvi. 17. Sum is for gift sa lang requyrd Quhill that the crevar be so tyrd That, or the gift deliuerit be The thank is frustrat and expyrd.
1599. Shaks., Much Ado, I. i. 309. Thou wilt … tire the hearer with a booke of words.
1692. Locke, Toleration, ii. Wks. 1727, II. 288. I am tired to follow you so often round the same Circle.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), VII. 104. I hope I have not tired your Lordship with my long tale.
1874. L. Stephen, Hours in Library (1892), I. i. 39. He cannot tire us with details, for all the details of such a story are interesting.
1884[?]. Johnsoniana, 305. When told that a friend of his who had long lived in the metropolis was about to retire into the country as being tired of London, ‘Say rather, sir,’ he said, ‘that he is tired of life.’
b. fig. To exhaust (another’s patience, bounty, efforts, etc.); to wear out, spend (time) (obs.).
1589. Greene, Menaphon (Arb.), 46. To trie our wittes, and tire our time.
c. 1600[?]. Distracted Emperor, in Bullen, O. Pl., III. 169. My constant industry shall tyer the day And outwatche night.
1601. Sir W. Cornwallis, Ess., II. li. (1631), 326. Hee hath tyred his purse before hee can overtake the fashion.
1613. Beaum. & Fl., Coxcomb, I. i. To tire anothers bounty, And let mine own grow lusty.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (1677), 181. After he had tyred out a few more minutes with impatience.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 597. Till tiring all his Arts, he turns agen To his true Shape.
1788. Sheridan, in Sheridaniana (1826), 101. Others tired the chairs in the parlours.
1902. Gosse, in Daily Chron., 13 March, 3/1. The great artist, who had seemed … to have tired his pen a little.
7. With extension. To tire out, tire to death, to tire to utter exhaustion. colloq. To tire down, to exhaust (a hunted animal) by persistent pursuit: cf. to run down (RUN v. 73 h).
1563–87. Foxe, A. & M. (K. O.). Tire him out.
1632. Sanderson, Serm., 39. They would quickely tyre out themselues without spurring.
1711. Hearne, Collect. (O. H. S.), III. 246. The King being then tired out by factious People.
1740. trans. De Mouhy’s Fort. Country Maid (1741), I. 206. He was tired to Death, altho’ they used their Endeavours … to amuse him agreeably.
1766. H. Walpole, in Lett. C’tess Suffolk (1824), II. 324. I am tired to death of the place.
1835. W. Irving, Tour Prairies, xviii. A pack of … wolves … were in full chase of a buck, which they had nearly tired down.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xvii. IV. 1. William, tired out by the voyage,… determined to land in an open boat.
Hence Tiring vbl. sb. and ppl. a., wearying, fatiguing.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., V. ii. 24. Witnesse the tyring day, and heauie night.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1638), 220. The politicke tyring of the strong forces of Bajazet, was the safegard of his own.
a. 1774. Goldsm., trans. Scarron’s Com. Romance (1775), I. 132. This accomplished courtier being tired with tiring of them.
1869. Pr. Alice, Mem., 1 June (1884), 215. It is always so tiring to see things at Berlin.
