Also 7 toure, tower: see also sense 4. [ME. a. F. tour, in OF. and Prov. tor, back-formation from nom. tors:—L. tornus, a. Gr. τόρνος a tool for describing a circle, a turner’s wheel, a circle. The orig. acc. form was torn, tourn:—L. tornum; cf. Prov., Cat. torn, Sp., Pg., It. torno. In some of the Fr. and English senses, perh. n. of action f. tourner to turn.]
I. 1. One’s turn or order (to do something); also, a spell of work or duty; a shift: see TURN sb. † By tour, by tours, by turns (obs.). Now mainly Mil.
[1292. Britton, IV. ii. Si soen tourn soit a cele foiz de presenter ou noun.]
c. 1320. Cast. Love, 1334. He was a-bated of his tour [Fr. Il est de son torn abatuz].
1546. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 57. To cum and remane at the assege of the Castell…, ilk quarter in his tour.
1640. Sc. Acts Chas. I. (1817), V. 311/1. If any of these whose toure fallis to be present shalbe absent.
1781. in Simes, Mil. Guide (ed. 3), 9. That … each [may] march in their tour.
1868. Regul. & Ord. Army, ¶ 837. When an Officer is in the performance of a duty, and his tour for another duty occurs, he is not to make good that other duty, but his tour is to pass him.
1887. Harper’s Mag., June, 129/2. The ‘machine-tenders’ … work in ‘tours’ or ‘shifts’ twelve hours each.
† 2. A turning round, circular movement, revolution (in quot. 1688 fig.). Obs. rare.
1477. Caxton, Jason, 95 b. They go to the masse … for to make their tours and signes thenne for ony deuocion.
1688. Burnet, Lett. conc. St. Italy, 175. After the many tours, that the matter made in the many Ballotings, it came to the fixing of the last three out of whom the Doge was to be chosen.
1712. Blackmore, Creation, II. 77. The Tours by Heav’nly Bodies made.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, xix. (1840), I. 349. He made so many Tours … and led us by such winding Ways.
3. A going or travelling round from place to place, a round; an excursion or journey including the visiting of a number of places in a circuit or sequence; often qualified, as cycling, walking, wedding tour; esp. a circuitous journey embracing the principal places of the country or region mentioned. On tour, touring: see TOUR v. 2.
The (grand) tour, a journey through France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, formerly fashionable, esp. as a finishing course in the education of young men of rank: see GRAND TOUR.
1643. Denham, Cooper’s H., 183. Visits the World, and in his flying towers Brings home to us, and makes both Indies ours.
1652. Evelyn, St. France, Misc. Writ. (1805), 46. A traveller … making the tour as they call it.
1688. Burnet, Lett. conc. St. Italy, 155. He made the Tower of Italy with him this year.
1697. Dampier, Voy. round World (1699), 104. Having made a Tour, or Semi-circular March they return to the Sea again.
1748–1869. [see GRAND TOUR].
1779. Mirror, No. 57, ¶ 15. Manly and I … had set out together to make the tour of Europe.
1812. Combe (title), Dr. Syntax’s Tour in Search of the Picturesque. Ibid., I. I’ll make a tour—and then I’ll write it.
1815. Scott, Guy M., xiv. He … resolved … to make a short tour of a fortnight.
1887. Graphic, 15 Jan., 62/1. An actor … ‘on tour’ in the Vetah company.
1888. Spectator, 28 April, 561/1. President Carnot is on tour in the Gironde.
Mod. We made the tour of the town and saw all the places of interest.
b. transf. and fig. A round.
1704. Swift, T. Tub, Pref. Thrice have I forced my imagination to make the tour of my invention.
1718. Lady M. W. Montagu, Lett. (1887), I. 238. After having made their tour, the bride was again led … round the rooms.
1746. Coetlogon (title), A Tour through the Animal World; or an historical and accurate Account of near 400 Animals, Birds, Fishes, Serpents, Insects, &c.
1857. Jas. Hamilton, Less. Gt. Biogr. (1859), 152. Making another tour of the company, each disciple filled his basket.
† c. A short outing taken for exercise, recreation, as a social function, or the like; also, the route taken on such occasions; in 17th c., in London, the drive round Hyde Park. Obs.
1656. Duchess of Newcastle, True Relation, in Life (1886), 309. I go sometimes abroad … in my coach … about some of the streets, which we call here a tour, where all the chief of the town go to see and to be seen.
1665. Pepys, Diary, 19 March. Mr. Povy and I in his coach to Hyde Parke, being the first day of the tour there.
1667. Duchess of Newcastle, Life Dk. of N. (1886), II. 99. Whereas at first there were no more but four coaches that went the Tour,… all those that had sufficient means, and could go to the price, kept coaches, and went the Tour for their own pleasure.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 250. Now and then making a little tour about the fields, and towards the mountains.
1773. Life N. Frowde, 46. Whilst the Ship staied at Cork we were perpetually diverted with Visits,… Tours into the adjacent Country, and Entertainments at Home.
d. The circuit of an island, etc.; a round.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe (1840), I. x. 162. My next design was to make a tour round the island.
1748. Anson’s Voy., III. v. He one day, attended by some of his officers, endeavoured to make the tour of the Island.
1756–7. trans. Keysler’s Trav. (1760), II. 124. The tour is something above fifteen Italian, or three German miles.
† 4. A crescent front of false hair (F. tour de cheveux). Obs. exc. Hist.
Cf. also TAURE. Also, in this sense, by confusion with TOWER sb.1, spelt 7 towr, 7–8 tower.
1674. Lond. Gaz., No. 900/4. Lost…, a Red Russia leather Trunk about two foot long…; a very light curled Tower and Locks,… with … other wearing apparel in it for Women.
1676. Etheredge, Man of Mode, II. i. Her Tour wou’d Keep in Curl no longer.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Tower, a Woman’s false Hair on their Fore-heads.
1727–42. Chambers, Cycl., Tour of hair, a tress or border of hair, going round the head, which mingled dextrously with the natural hair, lengthens and thickens it.
a. 1732. Gay, Toilette, Poems 1737, II. 81. Ancient matrons with their frizled tow’rs.
1837. Thackeray, Ravenswing, vii. People in tours and pig-tails.
b. See also TOWER sb.1 6 b.
II. Figurative uses (mostly from French).
† 5. A course to turn to; a shift, device, expedient.
1555. Phaër, Æneid, II. D iij b. What shift? what tour is best we take?
1699. Vanbrugh, False Friend, III. iii. We are still in the dark. I have one tour yet. Impudence be my aid!
† 6. A mode of phraseology; a ‘turn.’ given to a phrase or sentence, etc. Obs.
1685. Boyle, Enq. Notion Nat., ii. 39. A dextrous Writer may oftentimes be able to give such a Form (or, as the Modern Frenchmen speak), such a Tour to his many-ways variable Expressions, as to avoid the necessity of making use of the Word Nature.
1751. J. Brown, Shaftesb. Charac., 32. With regard to the oratory of the bar,… it is easy to observe, what a different tour the learned council takes, in addressing himself to the judge or jury.
† 7. Manner of presenting or exhibiting anything; an aspect given to a matter. Obs.
1687. Burnet, Reply to Varillas, 28. Yet Mr. Varillas has a sublime tour in every thing, so that instead of setting before us the reasons which led him to depend upon such an Author,… he gives one, which indeed no man beside himself would ever have thought on. Ibid., 119. I find I judged too well of his Invention, in ascribing to him those Romantick Tours that he gave matters.
a. 1734. North, Exam., III. vi. § 22 (1740), 438. The next Tour of the Author … is to demonstrate, that although there were very good Reasons for the King to indulge the Fanatics…, yet he did it for none of those, but for other Reasons that were abominably bad.
† 8. The course or compass of anything; what it amounts to; range, scope. Obs.
1697. Bentley, Phal. (1699), 81. The latter part of his Life was the whole Tour and Compass that the Sophist designed to write of. Ibid. (1713), Free-thinking, xviii. 36. The whole Tour of the Passage is this: A man given to Superstition can have no security, day or night, waking or sleeping.
1737. Waterland, Eucharist, vii. 232. Such is the Tour of the Argument, such the Chain of Ideas that forms it.
† 9. Manner or mode of being. Obs.
1702. Farquhar, Inconstant, V. ii. Something I saw of a well-furnished, careless, agreeable tour about you.
1736. Mrs. Manley, Secret Mem., III. 204. The new-fashion Tour of Religion and Politicks.
† 10. A round, a course (of engagements, etc.).
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 156, ¶ 4. Scarce one of all the Women who are in the Tour of Gallantries ever hear any thing of what is the common Sense of sober Minds.
11. One of the several trills, variations, or changes in the song of a trained canary.
1906. Daily Chron., 20 Oct., 6/7. There are … in all, some twenty known trills or ‘tours’ in the song of a really accomplished roller canary.
III. 12. attrib. and Comb., as tour-book, -making, -writer, -writing; tour-money, money paid for travelling fare and accommodation on a tour.
1767. Bush, Hibernia Cur. (1769), p. vi. Neglected by the … tour-writers.
1793. W. Roberts, Looker-On, No. 74 (1794), III. 171. The rage for tour-writing, which prevails in the female world.
1824. McCulloch, Highl., etc., Scot., I. 41. I shall be obliged to write a tour book myself.
1869. P. Landreth, Life & Min. A. Thomson, i. 1. This occasional tour-making did not break up the continuity of his energetic life.
1909. Daily Chron., 5 Aug., 4/4. A third member of the party took fright … and requested the return of the tour-money.
